Those words crashed like thunder out of a clear sky, startling everyone and momentarily wiping away the sorrow lingering from the clan's near-annihilation.
Faces filled with shock, the survivors exchanged looks.
Even though they had guessed this lunatic might say something outrageous, hearing it aloud was still too absurd to accept.
Could it be… Captain Inzuki had been harboring feelings for the clan leader's wife all along?
That… would make sense.
Otherwise, why would he have gone so far to save Lady Mikoto?
Uchiha Izumi's brows twitched upward. A strange discomfort bubbled in her chest. She lowered her head, burying her face in her knees, silently adding more branches to the fire.
She didn't dare look at Inzuki, seated right beside her.
In the unnoticed corner, Mikoto's usually calm and elegant face carried a cold fury. She could tolerate being rejected by her fellow clansmen—after all, her family had brought disgrace upon the Uchiha.
But she could not bear anyone sullying her name or insulting her dignity as the wife of the former clan leader.
Crackle— The fire flared.
Inzuki furrowed his brow slightly. Something about how things were unfolding felt off.
Uchiha Nanami, usually reserved, spoke up woodenly:
"How exactly did Lady Mikoto become… no, how did she become your sister-in-law, Captain Inzuki?"
He voiced what was on everyone's mind.
Izumi and the others turned to stare at Tamayo, waiting to see what nonsense their unhinged teammate would spout next.
Tamayo grumbled:
"Can you guys think for yourselves for once? Stop bullying me and expecting a mental case to do all the logic!
Use your heads, will you?
Mikoto is the clan leader's wife.
Fugaku's probably dead.
We're the only Uchihas left.
If my Big Bro Inzuki isn't the new clan leader, what—one of you cowards is gonna step up?
So!
Big bro is the new clan head. Mikoto, being the former clan leader's wife, obviously becomes our sister-in-law!"
Everyone froze, brows tightening. Tamayo's warped logic left them speechless.
In Tamayo's mind, "clan leader's wife" was apparently a job title.
Uchiha Nanami adjusted his glasses and muttered under his breath,
"I'm not a coward!"
Everyone looked at him with dead eyes—Captain Nanami, your takeaway is way off!
At least now they understood why Nanami and Tamayo argued so often.
Tamayo snapped,
"No one cares whether you're a coward or not. Why are you all standing around? Feed our sister-in-law some rabbit meat!"
Everyone hesitated.
Sure, Tamayo said it easily—but now that they suspected Inzuki had feelings for the widow, no one dared touch the former clan leader's wife, now dubbed "sister-in-law."
Some couldn't help but mutter internally: Didn't the Uchiha already get wiped out once? Didn't we change clan leaders already? Why is Mikoto still the clan leader's wife?
Mikoto had managed to keep her composure throughout—until Tamayo's nonsense tipped her over the edge.
Her fair neck stretched forward, cheeks flushing red. Beneath curled lashes, her dark eyes burned as she glared at Inzuki.
As if to say: Control your subordinate!
While everyone mulled over the madness, Inzuki suddenly stood, tore a roasted rabbit leg from the spit, and walked over to Mikoto.
He didn't care what others thought.
Until Itachi was dealt with, Mikoto could not be allowed to die.
Everyone watched in awe. Some now thought Tamayo might actually be a genius, his madness allowing him to pierce through to the hidden truth.
As Inzuki approached, Mikoto tensed, raising her neck and glaring like a swan caught between shame and fury, on full guard.
A moment of silence.
Then, faced with the rabbit leg held to her lips, Mikoto raised her voice with pride and defiance:
"I don't eat rabbit meat—mmph!"
Before she could finish, Inzuki activated Yasaka Spear, and the crisp, golden rabbit leg was stuffed directly into her mouth.
"Mm… mmph… mm-mm!!"
Mikoto's eyes went wide in disbelief, gasping and protesting as she stared at the young man in front of her.
How dare he—how could a junior clan member be this rude to her?!
The grace and nobility that had defined the clan leader's wife collapsed in an instant.
"Eat."
Inzuki's face remained emotionless. His gaze, deep as a still well, held no fear of Mikoto's angry glare.
Their eyes locked.
Mikoto, seated sideways on the ground with her legs folded under her, could only look up at Inzuki's tall figure—visibly at a disadvantage.
The rest of the Uchiha stood slack-jawed.
They'd known Inzuki had changed, become tougher, crueler—but this? This was brutal. He'd just trampled all over the pride of Lady Mikoto.
A true role model…
Without lingering by her side, Inzuki turned, walked to Tamayo, and used a kunai to slice off the wild rabbit's rump before shoving it into his mouth.
Tamayo realized he'd gone too far, and gave a guilty smile, trying to appear innocent with his baby-faced expression.
"Eat."
Inzuki said simply, then returned to Izumi's side.
He kept one rabbit leg for himself and handed the rest of the roast to Izumi, silently signaling her to handle distribution.
She was the youngest of the team and had been helping everyone throughout the journey—changing Tamayo's bandages, offering quiet support.
Besides the honest Nanami, Izumi was the one Inzuki trusted most.
"C-Captain Inzuki…"
Izumi held the roast rabbit, heart warming. She nodded like a little chick and began to divide it up for the team.
But Inzuki reminded her,
"You're still growing. Eat more. They're adults—they won't starve."
The Uchihas around them froze, expressions stiff. No one dared speak.
"O-Okay."
Izumi gave up the idea of sharing and quietly started eating the portion meant for her.
As she chewed, her mind spun.
She didn't believe a single word Tamayo said—not even the punctuation.
Sure, Itachi's mother was beautiful and well-maintained. But she was still seven or eight years older than Captain Inzuki. They just weren't suitable.
In her heart, she quietly sentenced Inzuki and Mikoto to a "no-marriage, no-future" fate.
Meanwhile, the other Uchihas were filled with complex emotions.
They had never imagined their icy-calm, noble captain—refined like moonlight on snow—could be so unrestrained in private.
Chasing a widow… was this really okay?
Then again…
Some quickly came around to the idea. With so few Uchihas left, it fell to them to rebuild the clan's legacy.
Lady Mikoto had a fine figure, and looked fertile. If Captain Inzuki could make good use of that and father a few genius heirs…
As long as none turned out like Itachi, it would be a noble contribution to the great cause of restoring the Uchiha name.
At this thought, many of them no longer viewed Mikoto with disdain. Instead, they gave her curious, even respectful looks—like she truly was their new sister-in-law.
And Mikoto?
She was devouring the roasted rabbit leg—unable to stop.
Bound by Yasaka Spear, she had no choice.
To eat or not to eat… was no longer hers to decide.
"Mm… mmph… ngh!"
She swallowed the chewy meat, still grumbling in protest through muffled sobs.
She could feel the change in her clansmen's attitude toward her.
But deep down, she thought bitterly: If acceptance means being misunderstood like this… I'd rather they just kept resenting me.
Shame spread through her like wildfire.
Her eyes glistened with tears, but her jaw didn't stop working—chewing, biting, swallowing, nonstop.
---
Kikyo Mountain Range—a rugged stretch of uneven peaks. Darkness gradually spread over the jagged ridges.
In the valley nestled at the heart of the mountains…
Kikyo Castle sat low, surrounded by crumbling old walls. As night fell, lights flickered from thousands of homes, the main streets bustling and bright.
Farther upstream, over the river leading out of the city—
Five figures and a ninken crossed the water silently.
"This waterway is the only way out," said Asuma, voice grave. "We'll wait here for backup, lay some traps, and catch Uchiha Inzuki's squad when they walk right in."
Kurenai and the others nodded.
For rogue ninjas, water routes were the best way to leave no trail.
That morning, Asuma's team—thanks to their keen-nosed ninja hound—had picked up the Uchiha squad's escape route.