"This world seems so interesting! There are so many beautiful and adorable Pokémon!"
At that moment, Uchiha Mikoto, standing beside him, stared at the countless Pokémon shown in the short video. She clasped her hands over her chest, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
Uchiha Yunqing smiled faintly.
Sure enough, a girl's focus was different from a boy's. Even female ninjas were no exception.
"Mikoto, I'm going to check out the Pokémon World."
Yunqing interrupted Mikoto's dazed admiration, his expression serious.
Simply awakening the Three-Tomoe Sharingan and obtaining the Body of All Things wasn't enough. With the merging of countless worlds, the future held far too many variables. He needed even greater strength—to protect himself and everything he cherished.
"Eh?"
Mikoto snapped out of her trance immediately. Seeing the determination in Yunqing's eyes, she knew she couldn't stop him, and her heart sank.
But she quickly made up her mind.
"I'm going with you! We promised we'd face every hardship together."
Her words deeply moved Yunqing. However, he still shook his head firmly. Holding Mikoto's hand, he looked into her eyes with sincerity and resolve.
"There's too much uncertainty in the other world. The landing location is random. I'm worried about you."
"Let me go first. I'm stronger than you right now, so it's safer."
"Wait until I return from my exploration. I don't want you to run into danger. Don't make me worry… wait for me to come back, okay?"
Although traveling to the Pokémon World probably wouldn't involve major danger…
What if?
What if he was unlucky and got teleported straight into the base of some dark organization? Or directly in front of a high-level Pokémon?
That would be fatal.
Yunqing suspected that the underground organizations—and even certain nobles—of the Pokémon World would be more than willing to capture a few ninjas for experimentation and interrogation.
But he was familiar with the Pokémon World, possessed a system, and had sufficient strength. That was why he dared to take the risk.
Mikoto hesitated, her eyes filled with reluctance. After staring at Yunqing for a long time, she finally nodded.
"Okay. I'll wait for you. Be careful… I'll wait for you at home."
A thousand emotions swirled in her heart, but in the end, they were condensed into that single sentence.
"Okay!"
Yunqing finally let out a sigh of relief. He nodded solemnly.
"Don't worry. Wait for me to come back."
"Let's not waste time. I'll pack my things and leave immediately!"
The longer he delayed, the more the Ninja World would influence the Pokémon World, and the more his advantage of foresight would shrink.
That was the last thing Yunqing wanted.
He wanted to be the first person to step through the gate.
"I'll help you pack!"
Mikoto quickly followed him into the house and began preparing supplies.
Ninja tools, explosive tags, ration pills, clothing, and storage sealing scrolls—she prepared multiple sets of everything and stuffed them into a backpack.
She even deliberately chose clothes similar to what she saw in the Pokémon World's introduction, so Yunqing wouldn't easily expose his identity after arriving.
"Hm? Mikoto, why are you putting your gold necklace in there too?"
Yunqing suddenly noticed Mikoto taking the gold necklace from her neck and placing it into the bag. He immediately reached out to stop her.
Mikoto slapped his hand away and continued stuffing it into his pouch as she said irritably, "We don't have money from that world. If you don't bring gold, how are you supposed to survive?"
Was she supposed to let him steal?
Yunqing instantly understood. His heart softened.
He pulled Mikoto into his arms and gently patted her back.
"That necklace can't be used. I remember it's your mother's keepsake."
"We can go to a gold shop and exchange for some gold instead. Listen to me—keep it."
With that, Yunqing released her, took the necklace, and held it up with both hands as if preparing to put it back on her.
"Fine."
This time, Mikoto didn't refuse. She lifted her hands to gather her long hair, tilted her head slightly, and allowed Yunqing to carefully clasp the necklace around her neck again.
After that, the two of them rushed to a nearby gold shop, exchanged gold for a hundred grams, and hurried back.
Along the way, they encountered many villagers and fellow ninjas. Most of them were still immersed in shock and heated discussion about the dimensional gate.
No one dared to try it yet.
The unknown always inspired fear.
"Huh? Mikoto? Where are you going? Want to come with me?"
Before they had gone far into the clan territory, Yunqing and Mikoto suddenly heard a familiar voice—one that was both annoying and unpleasant.
They turned their heads.
Uchiha Fugaku had just stepped out of his house. He was smiling as he waved at Mikoto.
As for Yunqing?
He was completely ignored.
Yunqing couldn't be bothered to respond. He only gave Fugaku a brief glance before looking away. Then, deliberately, he intertwined his fingers with Mikoto's and pulled her forward as they continued walking.
The sight instantly caused Fugaku's face to flush red. His anger nearly burst through his chest.
Just as he was about to speak again, Mikoto—while letting Yunqing pull her away—turned her head slightly and looked back at Fugaku with disgust.
"Please call me by my full name. And I'm not with you, so don't follow me."
Her words carried a double meaning.
After saying that, she turned around and left with Yunqing without looking back.
Fugaku remained frozen in place, his face dark and twisted. His eyes stayed locked on their intimate figures until they disappeared from sight.
Only then did he take several deep breaths, finally turning away to deliver his father's order to convene a clan meeting to the elders.
…
When Yunqing and Mikoto returned home, they found Mikoto's grandfather—the Uchiha Clan's eldest elder, Uchiha Shuichi—already waiting in the courtyard.
His hands were clasped behind his back as he stared up at the Space-Time Gate.
Although the old man was already over fifty, with white hair and wrinkles lining his face, his eyes were still sharp and bright.
"You're back? What were you doing?"
Seeing the two return, Elder Shuichi lowered his head and asked calmly.
"Uh…"
Yunqing and Mikoto exchanged glances, unsure whether they should tell the truth.
"Hmph!"
The elder knew them too well. His gaze sharpened, and he let out a cold snort.
"Looks like I guessed correctly. You're planning to elope to another world through that portal, aren't you?"
"Huh?!"
Yunqing and Mikoto were instantly speechless, embarrassed beyond words.
Mikoto hurried forward, took her grandfather's hand, and gently shook it while acting spoiled.
"Oh, Grandpa! How could we do that? Wouldn't that make you worry?"
"Yunqing was only planning to go alone to look for opportunities."
"I wanted to go with him, but he stopped me. Don't you know him? He's not the type to run away."
After speaking, Mikoto gave Yunqing a subtle, playful wink.
Yunqing smiled back.
"That's true."
Elder Shuichi nodded in satisfaction, then looked at Yunqing with approval.
"You're a good child. Always responsible."
"But your decision this time is too hasty!"
"No one knows what the other world is like. With those restrictions, the chances of encountering deadly danger are high."
"I know you want to seize this opportunity to become stronger—to prove to me and the rest of the clan that you're worthy of being with Mikoto."
"But you cannot act recklessly."
"If something happens to you, what will Mikoto do?"
"And how am I supposed to face your deceased parents?"