Uchiha Izumi stood in the stream, wearing a purple dress, her pants legs rolled up, and her bare feet soaking in the clear water. Her delicate toes rubbed against the smooth pebbles beneath them.
Her big, expressive eyes glanced sideways at the stream, showing anxiety and unease, afraid that Kuroki would ignore her.
"Do you remember the first time we went on a mission, and you made a suggestion when faced with the same choice of paths?" Kuroki asked calmly.
As he spoke, he looked directly into Izumi's eyes.
Izumi turned her face away, avoiding his gaze, and memories flashed through her mind. Her face flushed as embarrassing moments replayed in her head.
The first time she was injured during a mission was when she had confidently made a suggestion about which path to take, which led the team straight into an ambush.
Since then, it felt as if Izumi had been cursed. Whenever she faced a decision, she almost always made the wrong choice.
"But… we escaped the ninja village this time, didn't we? Because I chose to follow you!" Izumi mumbled, her head lowered in embarrassment, eyes darting nervously, her hands behind her back. Her toes nervously dug into the rock beneath her, polishing it smooth.
"I was the one who made that choice for you," Kuroki said plainly.
"We'll take the mountain road, cross through Kikyo City, and look for a medical ninja on the way. Go tell the others. We'll rest for five more minutes, eat something, and then move out."
His tone was calm but firm.
"Yes!" Izumi responded sharply, her face still red. She instinctively stood at attention but then suddenly slipped and fell backward.
"Ah!"
Izumi's eyes widened with panic as she let out a small scream, frantically trying to save herself. Before she fell into the cold water, she grabbed onto Kuroki's right hand, steadying herself just in time.
"Whoo—"
Izumi exhaled, her beautiful eyes filled with lingering fear, her delicate brows furrowed as she looked pitifully shaken.
She glanced down at the large pebble she had polished with her toes and felt a lingering sense of danger.
Kuroki glanced at Izumi, who now looked like a frightened deer, her nerves frayed. Without thinking too much, he helped her back onto the shore, still holding her hand.
Her hands were soft and smooth.
Kuroki thought it didn't feel bad.
As Izumi stepped onto the dry pebbles on the riverbank, she felt the rough texture of the gravel under her feet. She quickly snapped out of her daze, released Kuroki's hand, and blushed even more deeply.
At that moment, the other Uchiha were drawn by Izumi's scream and looked toward the stream.
Izumi's face turned red like an apple as she hurriedly scrambled to pick up her shoes.
Kuroki didn't seem to mind.
Izumi, though anxious inside, couldn't shake the feeling that during the time she had held Kuroki's hand, the air around her seemed to fill with a sense of safety.
For some reason, this thought made her feel guilty.
She had once admired Itachi, but what he did to the clan's civilians was something she couldn't accept.
Comparing Itachi to Kuroki...
She remembered what Tamaoshi had said: that Captain Kuroki's actions were to give the clansmen release, using the lives of those who were doomed to die to save the rest of them.
But Itachi had turned his blade on innocent civilians!
Izumi's face showed sadness as she shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. She temporarily set aside this internal conflict and hurried to catch up with Kuroki.
Their temporary camp was set up by the stream.
Other Uchiha clansmen sat around a small firepit, roasting two wild rabbits. The scent of roasted meat filled the air, with sizzling fat dripping into the flames.
This was the catch of Naruki and his two teammates, who had been hunting nearby.
Ninjas' survival skills in the wild far surpassed ordinary people's. Even a low-ranking ninja thrown into the wilderness wouldn't starve from lack of food.
"Captain Kuroki, this rabbit is done. Please have some first," Naruki said, offering Kuroki the entire rabbit.
It was the fattest of the two rabbits, its meat juicy, with golden, crispy skin glistening with fat.
Kuroki nodded at Naruki and took the rabbit.
Naruki quietly returned to his seat.
Seeing this, the other eight Uchiha quickly divided the remaining rabbit among themselves, and within moments, even the bones were gone.
Everyone's lips glistened with grease as they devoured the meat.
They had been hungry for so long that a few bites of roasted rabbit made them momentarily forget the pain of their clan's destruction.
"Hey, except for Brother Kuroki.
Look at how you're all eating, like you've never seen food before. Huh, why did I only get a rabbit head and tail? Uchiha Naruki, save some for me…"
Tamao urgently called out.
He was lying flat on the ground, wrapped in freshly changed bandages, still weak but conscious.
Everyone ignored Tamao.
Only two of Tamao's subordinates were preparing to feed their captain.
At the corner of the campfire.
Uchiha Mikoto watched this scene with a blank expression, her face showing no change in emotion.
She hadn't received any food; the other Uchihas deliberately excluded her.
The Uchiha clan had been wiped out.
Mikoto herself didn't really do anything wrong. Ever since she married Fugaku, she had been a housewife, responsible only for the household's daily affairs and not involved in clan politics.
But in the eyes of these Uchihas,
Mikoto's mistake was being the wife of a weak clan leader and the mother of a murderer!
For the past two days, Mikoto hadn't eaten or even drunk water. During the escape, she had been silent and appeared haggard.
"Everyone's focused on eating for themselves; share some food and water with the sister-in-law!" Tamao shouted while chewing on rabbit meat.
The two subordinates feeding him exchanged a surprised look.
They didn't understand who the captain was referring to as "sister-in-law."
"Who's your sister-in-law?"
Uchiha Naruki furrowed his brow, the honest guy starting to think but coming up with nothing.
The other Uchihas, however, quickly glanced toward Uchiha Izumi.
They all knew that Tamao had only one brother, and that was Captain Kuroki.
But who was this sister-in-law?
There were only two women in the group.
Uchiha Izumi was the same age as Itachi, still young, and though she held some rabbit meat in her hand, calling her the sister-in-law didn't seem appropriate!
Feeling the gaze of her companions as if standing center stage under a spotlight, Izumi's cheeks blushed once more, and she lowered her head, quietly chewing the rabbit meat.
But in the next moment,
except for the slow-to-react Uchiha Naruki,
the Uchihas all looked at Uchiha Mikoto, each suddenly realizing the situation, nearly dropping the rabbit meat from their mouths in surprise.
The group carefully studied Uchiha Mikoto.
They were amazed to discover that this woman, who usually stayed inside the clan leader's residence, was indeed stunningly beautiful.
Compared to the youthful, budding Izumi, Mikoto had a natural advantage, exuding a mature and graceful charm.
She wore a deep-colored, casual long dress, with black hair flowing smoothly like a waterfall, her face coldly elegant, unadorned yet still exuding a refined beauty.
Her exposed arms were smooth and fair.
Her slender hands were perfect.
The curve of her foot, hidden by the hem of the dress, was graceful.
Mikoto met the straightforward gaze of the clan's younger members without expression, maintaining the dignified aura of the clan leader's wife.
Everyone hurriedly averted their eyes.
They didn't dare to disrespect her.
They could sense Mikoto's imposing presence, which seemed almost tangible, and each one felt a twinge of fear, not daring to meet the gaze of this once-noble figure from before the clan's destruction.
Uchiha Naruki dumbly asked:
"Who is your sister-in-law?"
Though Tamao was weak, his voice remained loud and clear: "Uchiha Mikoto!"
(End of chapter)