The words exploded like thunder on flat ground, shocking everyone so badly that the lingering grief of the clan's destruction was momentarily forgotten.
Faces filled with disbelief, the group stared at one another.
They had already guessed that their mentally unstable companion would probably say something like this.
But hearing it out loud still felt utterly surreal.
Could it be…
Captain Kazuki had long harbored improper intentions toward the clan leader's wife?
When they thought about it carefully, it strangely made sense.
Otherwise… why would Captain Kazuki have saved Mikoto in the first place?
Hearing Tamayū's declaration, Uchiha Izumi's brows shot upward.
A strange discomfort rose in her chest.
She quietly lowered her head, hugging her knees while tossing another branch into the fire.
She didn't dare look at Kazuki sitting beside her.
In a corner no one was paying attention to—
Mikoto's cold, beautiful face carried a trace of anger.
She could tolerate the clan members rejecting her. After all, her family did owe the Uchiha.
But she could not tolerate others insulting the dignity and purity of the clan leader's wife.
Crackle—
The fire flared brighter.
Kazuki frowned slightly.
The direction this situation was heading in… felt a little strange.
Nanpū spoke bluntly.
"How did the clan leader's wife become Captain Kazuki's… no, how did she become your sister-in-law?"
That question echoed the thoughts of everyone present.
Izumi and the others lifted their heads to look at Tamayū.
Everyone wanted to hear what kind of explanation this lunatic could possibly give.
Tamayū rambled on:
"Can you all try using your brains for once? Stop bullying me and making the mentally ill guy think!"
"Think about it."
"Uchiha Mikoto is the clan leader's wife."
"Fugaku is probably dead."
"And the Uchiha clan only has us left."
"If the new clan leader isn't my big brother Kazuki, then what—one of you cowards?"
"So."
"If big brother becomes the clan leader, then Uchiha Mikoto, the clan leader's wife, naturally becomes sister-in-law!"
Everyone frowned deeply.
Faced with Tamayū's bizarre logic, they found themselves strangely speechless.
In his mind…
"Clan leader's wife" was apparently a job title.
Nanpū pushed up his glasses and objected seriously.
"I'm not a coward."
The others all turned to look at the usually honest Nanpū.
Inwardly, they couldn't help complaining—
Captain Nanpū… your focus is a little off.
Now they finally understood why Nanpū and Tamayū argued more than anyone else.
Tamayū waved dismissively.
"Who cares whether you're a coward or not? Why are you still standing around? Feed sister-in-law some rabbit!"
Everyone exchanged awkward glances.
In theory, that made sense.
But now that they believed Kazuki had "ideas" about the widow of the former clan leader…
None of them dared approach the woman who had supposedly become their "sister-in-law."
Many of them couldn't help complaining internally.
Wasn't the Uchiha already wiped out once?
The clan leader had already changed once too.
So why was the clan leader's wife still Uchiha Mikoto?
After hearing Tamayū's serious nonsense, Mikoto's carefully maintained composure finally cracked.
She lifted her graceful neck.
A faint blush colored her pale cheeks.
Her dark eyes beneath curved lashes shone sharply as she glared straight at Kazuki.
The meaning was clear:
Control your subordinate!
As everyone continued silently digesting the situation—
Kazuki suddenly stood up.
He tore off a roasted rabbit leg and walked toward Mikoto.
He didn't care what the others were thinking.
But until Itachi was dealt with—
Mikoto could not die.
Seeing Kazuki approach her, Mikoto lifted her slender neck, glaring at him like a proud white swan—embarrassed, furious, and full of vigilance.
After a moment of silence—
Mikoto looked at the roasted rabbit leg being offered toward her mouth.
She chose to resist the humiliation in her own way.
With proud defiance, she said loudly:
"I don't eat rabbit… mmm—"
The moment she opened her mouth—
Kazuki activated Eight Thousand Spears.
Her body froze under his control.
The crispy, juicy roasted rabbit leg was stuffed straight into her mouth.
"Mmm—! Mmm—! Mmm!"
Mikoto's eyes widened in fury.
Holding the rabbit leg between her teeth, she gasped in protest while staring in disbelief at the handsome young man before her.
How dare this junior of the clan treat her so rudely?!
Her noble and elegant aura as the clan leader's wife shattered instantly under her anger.
"Eat."
Kazuki said expressionlessly.
His gaze was deep and calm, like an ancient well, completely unafraid of meeting Mikoto's furious eyes.
Their gazes locked.
Mikoto sat sideways on the ground, her legs tucked beside her.
Looking up at Kazuki's tall and immovable figure, she found herself losing the invisible battle of presence.
The other Uchiha were stunned.
They already knew Kazuki's personality had changed dramatically.
They knew he was ruthless now.
But they hadn't expected him to be this ruthless.
This was practically trampling on the dignity of the clan leader's wife.
A role model among men!
Under the stunned gazes of the others, Kazuki didn't linger beside Mikoto.
He walked over to Tamayū, who was still lying flat on the ground.
Using a kunai, he sliced off the rabbit's roasted tail and stuffed it into Tamayū's mouth.
Tamayū realized he had probably gone too far.
He immediately flashed a foolish grin, his baby-faced expression full of innocence.
"Eat your meat."
Kazuki said calmly before returning to Izumi's side.
He kept one rabbit leg for himself.
The rest of the roasted rabbit he handed to Izumi, signaling her to deal with it.
Among the group, Izumi was the youngest.
Throughout the journey she had helped her teammates repeatedly, even changing Tamayū's bandages.
She had performed well.
Aside from the honest Nanpū, the one Kazuki trusted most was Uchiha Izumi.
"C-Captain Kazuki…"
Holding the rabbit, Izumi felt warmth rise in her chest.
She nodded rapidly like a pecking chick and prepared to share the meat with the others.
Kazuki stopped her.
"You're still growing. Eat more."
"They're all adults. They won't starve."
The other Uchiha immediately straightened their expressions.
No one dared say a word.
"O-Okay…"
Izumi abandoned the idea of sharing and quietly ate the rabbit Kazuki had given her.
As she chewed the meat, her thoughts drifted.
In any case—
She absolutely didn't believe a single word Tamayū had said.
Not even a punctuation mark.
Itachi's mother was beautiful, sure.
She had taken good care of herself.
But she was still seven or eight years older than Captain Kazuki.
Yes.
The two of them definitely weren't suitable.
In Izumi's heart, she had already sentenced Kazuki and Mikoto's future to permanent bachelorhood.
The other Uchiha, meanwhile, were filled with complicated thoughts.
Who would have imagined—
Captain Kazuki, who appeared refined and aloof, like a cold wind sweeping through a snowy forest…
Secretly had this kind of personality?
Coveting a widow?
Was that appropriate?
But…
Some of the Uchiha quickly came to terms with it.
The remaining members of the clan naturally carried the burden of restoring the Uchiha's glory.
Madam Mikoto's figure was graceful and well-endowed.
She looked like a woman capable of bearing strong children.
If Captain Kazuki could make good use of that and produce a few talented heirs for the Uchiha clan…
As long as they didn't produce another Itachi—
That would still contribute to the great mission of reviving the Uchiha!
With that thought, many of the Uchiha no longer felt as resistant toward Mikoto.
Some even looked at her with acceptance… even respect.
Their gazes toward their "new sister-in-law" carried meaningful undertones.
Meanwhile—
Mikoto continued eating the roasted rabbit leg.
Devouring it.
Because she was still being controlled by Eight Thousand Spears.
Whether she wanted to eat or not—
Wasn't up to her.
"Mmm… mmm… mm!"
After swallowing the chewy rabbit meat, Mikoto continued protesting with muffled sounds.
She could feel the change in the clan members' attitudes toward her.
And yet…
She would rather they continued rejecting her than misunderstand things this way.
An indescribable humiliation spread throughout her body.
Tears gathered at the corners of her eyes.
Yet the movements of biting, chewing, and swallowing the rabbit leg never stopped.
…
Kikyo Mountain.
Its jagged peaks stretched irregularly as night gradually descended, darkness enveloping the entire range.
The center of the mountains lay at lower elevation.
Kikyo Castle stood there, protected by old stone walls.
Under the night sky, countless lights glowed within the city.
The main streets were lively and bustling.
On the river flowing out of the city—
Five figures and a ninja hound walked across the water.
"This is the only water route leading out of the city."
Asuma spoke seriously to the others beside him.
"We'll wait here for reinforcements while setting traps."
"And wait for Uchiha Kazuki and his group to walk straight into them."
No one objected.
Fugitive ninja on the run—knowing they were being hunted—would almost certainly choose a route that left no trace.
And water routes left none.
Earlier that morning, guided by the sharp nose of their ninja hound, Asuma's team had already discovered the trail left by Uchiha Kazuki's fleeing squad.
Want More? Get up to +60 Extra Chapters on Patreon!
➤ https://www.patreon.com/aureliusstudios
➤ +300 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter Drop!
Thanks for the support!