The stream ran clear and shallow.
Uchiha Izumi stood in the water wearing a purple dress, her pant legs rolled up. Her pale feet stepped lightly among the smooth pebbles beneath the surface, her delicate toes brushing against the stones.
Her bright, expressive eyes glanced sideways at the flowing water, filled with unease. She was worried that Kazuki might ignore her.
"Do you remember," Kazuki asked calmly, "the first mission we carried out? When we faced the same kind of crossroads—what suggestion did you make back then?"
As he spoke, his gaze settled quietly on Izumi's eyes.
Izumi turned her face away, avoiding his gaze.
Memories flashed through her mind. The embarrassing moment replayed so clearly that her cheeks instantly flushed red.
The first time she had been injured during a mission had been because of that decision.
Back then, she had confidently patted her chest and insisted on her suggestion to Kazuki.
The result?
Their entire team had walked straight into an ambush.
Ever since then, it was as if some kind of curse had fallen upon her. Whenever she encountered a choice, she would—without fail—pick the wrong one.
"B-But… this time we escaped the village because I chose to chase after you, didn't we?"
Izumi lowered her head awkwardly, her eyes wandering. Her hands clasped behind her back as her toes repeatedly scraped against a large stone beneath the water, polishing it smooth.
"That was a choice I made for all of you."
Kazuki said it plainly, without embellishment.
"We'll take the mountain road, pass through Kikyo Castle, and try to find a medical ninja along the way. Go tell the others to rest for five more minutes, eat something, and prepare to move."
His tone was calm.
But it allowed no room for doubt.
"Yes!"
Izumi replied immediately, her flushed face stiffening as she instinctively stood at attention.
But her foot suddenly slipped.
"Ah!"
Panic flashed across her eyes. She cried out in alarm and flailed to steady herself. Just before falling into the cold stream, she dropped her ninja sandals and grabbed Kazuki's right hand with both of hers, clinging tightly to his palm to regain her balance.
"Haa…"
She exhaled softly, the faint warmth of her breath lingering in the air. Her beautiful eyes still held lingering fear, her delicate brows slightly furrowed in a pitiful expression.
Looking down, she noticed the large pebble she had polished smooth with her toes.
Her heart pounded with lingering fright.
Kazuki glanced at her.
At that moment she looked like a startled deer, completely flustered. Kazuki didn't think much of it. Still holding his hand, she allowed him to guide her back to the riverbank.
Her two hands were smooth and delicate like jade.
Kazuki noted that the feeling… wasn't bad.
Stepping onto the dry pebbles along the shore, the gritty sensation of sand beneath her feet made Izumi finally come back to her senses. She abruptly released his hands, her cheeks burning red like sunset clouds.
At that moment, the other Uchiha nearby had already been drawn to the stream by her cry.
Izumi's face turned as red as an apple as she hurried to pick up her shoes.
Kazuki paid it no mind.
Izumi, however, felt strangely uneasy. Yet when she had been holding his hand just now, the very air around her had seemed to turn into a sense of safety.
For some reason…
A faint feeling of guilt rose in her heart.
She had once admired Itachi.
But the things Itachi had done to the clan's civilians made it impossible for her to accept.
When she compared Itachi to Kazuki, she suddenly remembered what Tamayū had said.
Captain Kazuki had done those things to give the clan a release—trading the lives of those who were destined to die so that the rest of them could live.
But Itachi had raised his blade against innocent civilians.
Sadness appeared on Izumi's face. She shook her head slightly, suppressing the tangled thoughts and temporarily setting aside that impossible choice before hurrying after Kazuki.
Their temporary camp was beside the stream.
Several Uchiha sat around a small fire. Two wild rabbits roasted over a simple rack above the flames, their rich aroma filling the air as fat dripped into the fire with sizzling sounds.
The rabbits had been hunted nearby by Nanpū and two of his teammates.
A ninja's wilderness survival skills were far stronger than those of ordinary people. Even if a genin were thrown into the wild alone, starvation would hardly be a concern.
"Captain Kazuki, this rabbit is done roasting. You should eat first."
Nanpū handed the whole rabbit to Kazuki.
It was the fattest one. The meat was thick and juicy, the fat sizzling out as it roasted, the skin golden and crisp.
Kazuki nodded slightly and accepted it.
Nanpū quietly returned to his seat.
Only after that did the other eight Uchiha begin dividing the remaining rabbit. In the blink of an eye, not even a skeleton remained on the rack.
Everyone's lips were slick with grease as they devoured the meat.
After going hungry for so long, just a few bites of roasted rabbit were enough to make them briefly forget the pain of their clan's destruction.
"Hey! Aside from Brother Kazuki—look at you all eating like you've never seen food before! H-Hey, why did I only get the rabbit head and the tail? Nanpū, leave some for me!"
Tamayū shouted anxiously.
He lay flat on the ground, his body wrapped in freshly changed bandages. Though still weak, he was awake.
No one paid him any attention.
Only two of Tamayū's subordinates continued feeding their captain pieces of meat.
In the corner of the firelight, Uchiha Mikoto silently watched everything.
Her expression did not change.
She had received no food.
The other Uchiha had deliberately excluded her.
During the destruction of the Uchiha clan, Mikoto herself had committed no wrongdoing. Ever since marrying Fugaku, she had lived as a housewife.
Her daily life had revolved around household matters.
She had never interfered in clan politics.
But in the eyes of these surviving Uchiha…
Her fault was simple.
She was the wife of a weak clan leader.
And the mother of the one who carried out the massacre.
For the past two days, Mikoto had not eaten anything.
She had not even drunk water.
During their escape she had remained silent the entire time, her face pale and exhausted.
"Hey! Stop stuffing yourselves and give some food and water to sister-in-law!"
Tamayū suddenly shouted while gnawing on rabbit meat.
The two subordinates feeding him exchanged surprised looks.
They had no idea who their captain meant.
"Sister-in-law? Who are you talking about?"
Nanpū frowned slightly, his honest nature pushing him to seriously think about it.
But the other Uchiha were quick-witted.
Their gazes immediately shifted toward Izumi.
Everyone knew Tamayū only had one older brother.
Captain Kazuki.
But who exactly was this "sister-in-law"?
There were only two women in the group.
Izumi was the same age as Itachi and still young. Besides, she already had rabbit meat in her hands—clearly she couldn't be the sister-in-law.
Feeling the attention of everyone suddenly gathering on her like a spotlight on a stage, Izumi's cheeks flushed again.
She lowered her head and quietly chewed her rabbit meat.
But in the next moment—
Aside from the slow-reacting Nanpū…
Every other Uchiha suddenly turned their heads toward Uchiha Mikoto.
Realization dawned on them all at once. Some nearly dropped the rabbit meat from their mouths in shock.
They examined Mikoto carefully.
Only then did they realize that the clan leader's wife—who normally lived deep within the Uchiha compound—was truly breathtakingly beautiful.
Compared to Izumi's youthful innocence, Mikoto possessed a natural advantage.
She carried the mature elegance of a graceful woman.
She wore a dark household dress. Her long black hair fell smoothly like a waterfall. Her face was cold yet beautiful, even without makeup retaining a refined and gentle charm.
The fair skin of her arms peeked out from her sleeves.
Her hands were slender and delicate.
Her fingers were as elegant as jade shoots.
The curve of her feet hidden beneath her skirt was graceful and refined.
Facing the direct stares of these younger clan members, Mikoto showed no reaction.
Her expression remained calm, maintaining the noble dignity befitting the clan leader's wife.
The others quickly averted their gazes.
None of them dared show disrespect.
They could feel the powerful presence surrounding her—almost tangible—and instinctively felt intimidated, unable to meet the gaze of someone who had once stood so high within the clan.
Nanpū blinked in confusion.
"Who exactly is your sister-in-law?"
Tamayū, despite his weak condition, still shouted loudly:
"Uchiha Mikoto, of course!"
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