Sasuke's face was bitter.
It wasn't the kind of bitterness born from defeat or humiliation; no, this was the quiet, deep-set bitterness that brewed inside someone when something gnawed at the back of their mind but could not yet be put into words.
Shizuka stood nearby, but her eyes weren't on Sasuke.
Her mind was somewhere else entirely—drifting between present thoughts and the irritating echoes of something that happened the night before. A faint crease formed on her brow, her lips pressing into a thin line as the feelings within her tangled themselves tighter and tighter.
At first, she didn't even realize her fists were clenching.
But the more she thought about it, the more her jaw tightened, and her gaze grew sharper, almost unknowingly carrying a trace of anger. The source of this anger… it wasn't just about Sasuke or the current moment. No—it was about last night.
She remembered clearly.
Yesterday evening, because of a particular task, she had been forced to wait before she could go to Gojo's side. She had told herself at the time that it was fine—there would be plenty of time to see him. But when she finally arrived at the festival grounds, the sight that greeted her was enough to set her temper simmering.
There they were.
Girls—more than one—lingering around Gojo, leaning in just a little too close, their expressions filled with smiles that were far too sweet for her liking.
The moment she saw that scene, irritation bloomed in her chest like wildfire.
She didn't know why it hit her so strongly. She wasn't the kind of person to get flustered over small things, but every time another girl stood too close to Gojo, every time she saw them smiling at him as if they had the right to be there… she could feel her composure cracking.
Why?
Why did it make her so angry?
She had no clear answer, only that it did. And the worst part was that she regretted not getting there earlier. The thought that she could have been the one standing next to Gojo instead of them kept biting at her.
Still, she told herself that her irritation was only about the festival night. But deep down, she knew better.
Because the true reason for her current mood had very little to do with that festival itself.
It was after the festival ended, when she had left with her brother Sasuke, that the real seed of her restlessness began to take root. They walked back to the Uchiha compound together, the cool night air brushing against them, and when they stepped inside her home, the warm, inviting aroma of dinner greeted her.
Her mother, Mikoto Uchiha, had prepared a meal for her—a wonderful dinner that was both elegant and full of the quiet warmth that only a mother's cooking could hold.
Her father, Fugaku Uchiha, was there as well. True to his usual nature, he tried to maintain his stern, composed face, the face of a clan head, but every now and then, when he looked at her, a rare chuckle slipped past his lips.
Her mother served the food gently, each movement carrying the grace and care that Shizuka had known since childhood. Mikoto's smile was soft, the kind of smile that made the home feel brighter, warmer.
Her brother Sasuke was already seated, chopsticks in hand, ready to dig in. The simple sight of her family together like this—sharing a meal without tension, without shadows hanging over them—filled Shizuka with a quiet happiness.
And yet…
Even in the middle of that happy scene, she felt something off. A faint, almost unplaceable sense that something wasn't right. She couldn't identify it, but it lingered in the back of her thoughts like a whisper she couldn't quite hear.
Dinner went on, the conversation light, the flavors of Mikoto's cooking comforting. But once the meal ended, Shizuka made a decision.
She left a clone at her house.
The perfect substitute to keep up appearances, to make it seem as though she had stayed home for the rest of the evening. And then, quietly, without telling anyone, she slipped away into the night.
Her feet carried her in the direction of Gojo's house. She didn't really think about why she was going—it was as though her body moved on instinct. But before she reached him, voices caught her attention.
It was Karin.
Shizuka froze, listening intently from her hidden spot. Karin's voice was laced with jealousy and an edge of indignation.
"Why is Gojo with that Hinata? She must have invited him to dinner at the Hyuga clan… I feel so jealous. I'll definitely ask Gojo to compensate me."
Shizuka's brows knitted tighter.
She stayed still, listening as Karin's tone shifted into something almost giddy, like she was already pleased with the thought.
Shizuka didn't like the sound of that at all.
Her gut told her something was wrong—more wrong than she wanted to admit. So she made a swift choice: she would go to Hinata's house and find out for herself.
As she approached the Hyuga compound, a thought crossed her mind.
The Hyuga clan… with their Byakugan, they were a family known for seeing through walls, for their keen perception. That meant she couldn't simply stroll in without being noticed.
But Shizuka wasn't without her own tools.
She began weaving hand signs, summoning her own contracted beasts—crows.
The black shapes appeared in the air around her, wings flapping softly in the night breeze. She had chosen crows for a reason. She remembered watching her older brother Itachi train with his summoning beast, the same sleek, dark-winged creatures. There was something about them—the intelligence in their beady eyes, the way they blended into the night—that had left a deep impression on her.
Back then, she had gone to her father, determined to learn the same summoning technique. Eventually, she obtained the scroll, and now the crows were hers to command.
With a sharp, quiet order, she sent them toward Hinata's room.
Through the eyes of the crows, she watched.
In the main hall of the Hyuga residence, Gojo was seated at a low table with Hinata's parents. The air between them seemed cordial, the conversation polite. Plates of food sat on the table, and Gojo was talking with both her father and her mother as if he belonged there.
Shizuka's chest tightened.
It wasn't just the fact that he was there—it was the way the scene looked. He didn't seem like a visitor; he seemed like someone… accepted.
A wave of distress rose in her, frustration mixing with something deeper, something she didn't want to name.
Why? Why hadn't she invited Gojo to her own home like this?
Why had she let someone else take that place?
She regretted it instantly. Every word they exchanged, every moment Gojo spent in the Hyuga house felt like something precious slipping from her grasp.
And then, when Gojo left, her gaze lingered on Hinata. Through the crows' eyes, she saw the way Hinata was looking at him.
It wasn't the gaze of a mere friend.
Shizuka knew it instantly—the subtle warmth in Hinata's eyes, the way her expression softened, the shyness that made her tilt her head just slightly. She didn't need to guess; she knew exactly what those feelings were.
Dangerous.
That was the only word Shizuka could find for it.
Hinata's shy, weak demeanor was exactly the kind of thing that could make Gojo feel protective. And if Gojo started protecting her… he would pamper her.
That couldn't be allowed.
Her thoughts grew colder, sharper. She decided then and there that Hinata would have to be dealt with eventually. Not now—there was no need for rash moves—but she would not let this threat grow unchecked.
With that in mind, Shizuka turned to leave, ready to head back to her house.
But before she could take more than a few steps, Karin's earlier words echoed in her mind. Words about asking Gojo for "compensation" because he had left her during the New Year festival night to go to Hinata's house.
Her steps slowed.
No… she couldn't let that go either.
Instead of heading home, she redirected her path toward the Senju ancestry area.
Once again, she called upon her crows, summoning them with practiced ease. With another silent command, she sent them to spy on Gojo's activities.
What she saw next made her stop in her tracks.
Through the crows' vision, she saw Gojo… staring openly at Tsunade. More specifically—at Tsunade's two proud, unmistakable peaks.
Shizuka's gaze instinctively dropped to her own chest, her still-small curves, and a sharp bitterness stabbed at her. But she quickly forced herself to think differently.
She straightened, convincing herself that one day, she would grow peaks bigger than Tsunade's. And besides—if Gojo preferred mature and charming women, then surely he felt nothing for young girls. That meant she had time.
Or so she thought…
Because what she saw next through the crows' eyes was something she would never forget for the rest of her life.
Her thoughts had been steady a moment ago.
She had just reassured herself—Gojo's tastes leaned toward mature, confident women. That meant her small curves, her still-growing form, weren't something he would see in a romantic light. There was comfort in that idea, a kind of fragile relief she could cling to.
But the fragile calm shattered in the very next instant.
Through the eyes of her crow, she saw something she could never have predicted—something that sent a sudden rush of heat and anger flooding through her chest.
Karin was there.
Not just there—she was sleeping with Gojo. And not in a distant, accidental way, but with her arms wrapped around him, hugging him tightly as if she had every right in the world to do so.
Shizuka froze.
The vision from the crow's perspective felt sharper than reality, every detail etched into her mind. Gojo's sleeping form, Karin's content expression, the casual intimacy of the way she held him—it burned into her eyes like a brand.
Her blood boiled.
In that single moment, anger surged so powerfully that it drowned out all other thoughts. The first instinct that came to her was violent—pure, unfiltered rage. She wanted to storm in right then and there, tear Karin away from Gojo, and make her regret ever thinking she could get so close to him.
Her mind even conjured up the ways she could do it.
Her chakra flaring, her kunai in hand, a single step to close the distance—she could almost see it. Karin's smugness wiped away in an instant, replaced with the cold realization of her mistake.
But she didn't move.
It took everything she had to suppress it—to force the storm inside her to stay caged. Her nails dug into her palms until it hurt, grounding her in the sting.
She didn't know why this was hitting her so strongly. She didn't want to think about why. But even as she turned away from the crow's vision, the image refused to fade.
Even after she left the Senju ancestry grounds, walked down the quiet streets toward her own home, her mind kept replaying the same scene.
Karin, hugging Gojo.
Karin, sleeping beside him without shame.
The more she thought about it, the more distressed she felt. Her frustration didn't ease with distance; if anything, it grew heavier, pressing against her chest like a weight she couldn't throw off.
She tried to distract herself. She tried to tell herself it was nothing, that it didn't matter, that Gojo wouldn't care for someone like Karin in that way. But none of those thoughts stuck.
Because the truth was, she couldn't forget it.
No matter how many times she told herself to stop thinking about it, her mind would circle back—again and again—to that one moment, that one sight, until it seemed carved into her memory.
By the time she reached the Uchiha compound, she was no calmer than when she had left. Her clone was still in place, maintaining the illusion that she had been home all along, but even that felt meaningless to her right now.
She sat alone for a long while, her arms crossed, her expression hardening as her thoughts turned in darker directions.
She had already decided that Hinata was dangerous as a love rival, her quiet, shy demeanor posing a subtle but very real threat. But now… now there was Karin to think about as well.
This was different.
Hinata's threat was soft and slow, the kind that crept in unnoticed until it was too late. Karin's was bold, direct, the kind that claimed space without asking.
And both, in their own ways, were dangerous.
Shizuka didn't want to admit it, but her own behavior was changing. She had started as someone who could keep her feelings hidden behind sharp words and pride. But now… now she found herself doing things she never would have before—summoning crows in the middle of the night, spying on Gojo's every move, changing her plans just to keep track of him.
It wasn't just a matter of curiosity anymore.
It was something sharper. Something that clung tighter and tighter the more she tried to ignore it.
She told herself it was to "prevent any accidents." That was the phrase she chose, because it sounded reasonable—responsible, even. But deep down, she knew it wasn't about accidents.
It was about not letting him slip away.
It was about making sure that no one else got close enough to take what she… what she wasn't even ready to name as hers yet.
The thought alone was enough to make her stomach twist.
Somewhere, in the corner of her mind, a quieter voice warned her about this path she was on. About how her actions were slowly shifting, about how the person she was becoming wasn't the same as the one she had been.
She didn't listen.
If anything, she dug her heels in deeper. She would keep watching him. She would keep knowing where he was, who he was with, and what they were doing.
If that meant she had to keep sending her crows after him, she would.
If that meant following him herself, she would.
Even if her behavior was starting to resemble something closer to a yandere than the tsundere she had once been, she didn't care.
Because right now, the only thing that mattered—the only thing she couldn't bear to risk—was Gojo.
And she was not going to lose him to anyone.
Not Hinata.
Not Karin.
Not anyone.
The decision settled deep in her chest, firm and immovable. And as the night passed quietly outside her window, Shizuka sat in silence, her mind still restless, her heart still pounding with unshakable resolve.
She didn't know exactly what she would do yet.
But she knew one thing for certain: from this point on, she would be watching.
Always watching.
And no matter what happened, she wouldn't let the next scene she saw be something she had to regret.
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End of Chapter
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