Chapter 35: Uchiha Ying Shu【Thanks for Tips and Monthly Tickets】

Enticed by Shisui's reputation and the high salary, the other five agreed to the assignment without any hesitation.

After all, although they are Uchiha, they are merely ordinary genin, and such a good opportunity is indeed rare.

"Here are the profiles of the others; split up and invite them to Shisui's residence to work for me."

Bringing the six back to Shisui's manor, Sima Yi relaxed considerably; he would never handle such a trivial matter himself, preferring to delegate it to subordinates.

After all, one must attend to matters personally; how could it last otherwise?

"Yu Zhibo Qianxia? Huh? Isn't she Ying Shu's grandmother?"

Upon receiving the information, Jin Huo exclaimed in surprise, his face puzzled.

"Ying Shu's grandmother is just an ordinary person, not a ninja; she probably can't serve as a retainer, right?"

Sima Yi, a familiar of Jin Huo, was unsurprised, for the man named Ying Shu was Jin Huo's comrade-in-arms.

However, his past is far more tragic than Jin Huo's.

"We only need to invite him to cook for Shisui; six of you are enough for the retainer duties."

"I see, that's great; I'll go find Grandma Qianxia right away; she'll surely agree."

Jin Huo, delighted, leapt over the wall toward the clan lands' edge; the other five did not hesitate—this was their first retainer mission, and each summoned all their vigor and set off at full speed.

Seeing this, Sima Yi nodded approvingly, went to the corridor, took out a book, and read quietly.

Meanwhile, Jin Huo, familiar with the route, quickly arrived at the edge of the clan lands, outside Yu Zhibo Qianxia's home.

It was a simple wooden hut, its door ajar, and a boy of about ten stood at the entrance.

The boy wore a forehead guard, and a single‑hooked Copy Wheel Eye stared intently ahead.

At that moment he was throwing shuriken at an old tree; three oil‑shiny shuriken flew from his hand, gave a slight spin in the air, and struck the target hanging on the tree.

The shuriken hit the target with a thump‑thump, but the boy showed no joy at the result.

His expression remained calm as he briskly approached to retrieve the shuriken; when he turned and saw Jin Huo, he froze in surprise.

"Jin Huo brother, why are you here?"

"Um, Ying Shu, I'm here—" Jin Huo's lips quivered; he looked at Ying Shu with mixed feelings, about to speak when a noise suddenly came from that side of the house.

Turning back, he saw an elderly woman leaning on the doorframe, peeking out; a hint of sorrow on her face, she smiled upon recognizing Jin Huo.

"It's Jin Huo! You chat, and Grandma will come back later to cook for you."

Saying that, she carried a bamboo basket, passed the two, and walked outward; the basket held several pairs of cotton shoes and more than ten pairs of cloth shoes.

"Hold on, Grandma Qianxia, I'm not looking for… Ying Shu; I'm here to speak with you about something."

Jin Huo, seeing this, hurried forward to stop her, then explained in detail the need for a cook for Shisui.

"I only know how to make ordinary dishes; will Lord Shisui be able to eat them?"

At this time, Shisui's reputation within the Uchiha clan was comparable to the legendary White Fang; even a marginal figure like Yu Zhibo Qianxia heard his name like thunder and felt awe.

"It's fine; this is Lord Shisui's personal instruction. He doesn't mind; as long as the mission is completed and there's hot rice waiting, that's enough."

Although Sima Yi never gave such a directive, Jin Huo, also a ninja, guessed that Shisui wouldn't care about his appetite; otherwise he wouldn't have invited Yu Zhibo Qianxia.

"And if Grandma goes there…"

Jin Huo lowered his voice and urged, "If we go there we could try to bring Ying Shu along; then he might have a chance to receive Lord Shisui's guidance." Gaining strength meant hope for survival, and after repeatedly losing her son and great‑grandson, Yu Zhibo Qianxia was especially sensitive to this.

Her expression stirred, and she nodded, "I'll do my best; Jin Huo, you must plead on Grandma's behalf."

Jin Huo felt uneasy, but seeing Yu Zhibo Qianxia's demeanor, he nodded solemnly.

Ying Shu stood quietly beside them, grateful—not because he might receive Shisui's guidance, but because his grandmother could now be at ease.

Even for a mere cook, Sima Yi offered a hefty salary of twenty thousand taels per month, an amount that Yu Zhibo Qianxia might need three months to earn.

"Then I'll return to report; Grandma, bring some tools and head over at noon."

"Alright, Grandma will go prepare now."

After giving his instructions, Jin Huo said goodbye to Ying Shu and left; once outside, his scalp tingled, and when he returned to Shisui's manor he knocked on the door in an unusually proper manner.

After three knocks, he slowly pushed the door open and entered, his nerves trembling as he crossed the front yard to the corridor.

Sima Yi, with his back to him, was flipping through a book; hearing the noise, he didn't turn, only a faint smile curled his lips.

"Grandpa Yi"

Seeing Sima Yi remain still, Jin Huo called out again, "Grandpa Yi, I've taken care of Grandma Qianxia's matter; any other tasks?"

Sima Yi, as if just hearing, set the book down, pondered briefly, then turned and replied, "There's nothing else; the backyard has a training ground—you can cultivate there for a while, and someone will deliver lunch to you."

Um. "Ah, no, training isn't urgent; Grandpa Yi, you really have no other missions for me?"

"Hahaha, what is it, you have a request for me?"

Knowing the boy before him was not good at starting conversations, Sima Yi chuckled lightly and offered a little help.

"It's not a big deal."

Jin Huo let out a nervous laugh, hesitated briefly, then blurted out.

"Grandma Qianxia has a grandson, Ying Shu; he's my comrade.

His talent is great; at ten he already awakened the Copy Wheel Eye, and I wonder if we could give Ying Shu a…"

Jin Huo spoke, his voice growing softer, and finally he bowed his head slowly.

Sima Yi slightly frowned, the conditions for an Uchiha to awaken the eye were becoming clear to him, making it hard to assess.

Jin Huo quietly lifted his head, saw Sima Yi frown, and his heart sank; without hesitation he fell to his knees, head striking the ground with a thud—boom.

"Please, Grandpa Yi, Ying Shu is a qualified ninja; if…"

Sima Yi was somewhat stunned, surprised by their relationship, that it could drive Jin Huo to this extent.

Nevertheless, he still said nothing, slowly stroking his beard and quietly watching Jin Huo on the steps.

After a long while, seeing the other still not look up, a hint of satisfaction flashed in his eyes.

"Recruiting retainers was Lord Shisui's intention; originally it was only because some clan ninjas were living in hardship that this step was taken, but your actions put me in a difficult position."

Jin Huo heard it and his heart instantly turned to ash.

"However, since it's Shisui's intention, I can give you a chance. Tonight, when he returns, you may personally plead with him; as for whether it succeeds or not, I'm not sure."

"Really? Thank you, Grandpa Yi!"

After dinner we went for a walk, and when we came back we realized we hadn't updated yet. Sigh, why doesn't the writer's assistant write on its own? (End of chapter)