Izumi Uchiha was dressed in a purple dress, her pant legs rolled up, her porcelain-white feet treading in the clear stream water. Her toes brushed against the smooth pebbles on the riverbed. Her watery, expressive eyes glanced sideways at the surface of the stream, flickering with trepidation; she was afraid Kuroya wouldn't acknowledge her.
"Do you remember the advice you gave when we faced a similar choice of paths during our first mission?" Kuroya asked in a peaceful tone. As he spoke, he looked directly into Izumi's eyes.
Izumi turned her face away to avoid his gaze. Memories flashed through her mind—replaying an old embarrassment—and her face instantly flushed bright red. During that first mission, they had been faced with a crossroads; she had confidently thumped her chest and made a suggestion to Kuroya, only to lead the squad straight into an ambush.
Since then, it was as if Izumi were under a curse: whenever she encountered a multiple-choice question, she invariably chose the wrong answer.
"But... the only reason I managed to escape the village this time was because I chose to follow you!" Izumi lowered her head, looking distressed. Her eyes darted around, and her hands were clasped behind her back. Her toes restlessly rubbed against a large stone beneath the water, polishing it until it gleamed.
"It was I who made the choice for you all," Kuroya said without affectation. "We take the mountain road and cut through Kikyo City. We'll look for a medical ninja along the way. Go tell the others: another five minutes of rest, eat some food, then prepare to move out."
His voice was level, yet it brooked no argument.
"Yes!" Izumi replied firmly, her face still burning. She instinctively snapped to attention, but her foot suddenly slipped on a mossy rock, and she began to fall backward.
"Ah!" Panic flashed in her eyes. She gasped and reached out frantically to save herself. Before she could splash into the icy stream, she dropped her sandals and grabbed Kuroya's right hand with a death grip to steady herself.
"Whew..." Izumi exhaled softly, her large eyes reflecting lingering fear. Her brow furrowed slightly, giving her a pitiable, delicate look. She looked down at the large pebble she had polished with her toes, her heart still thumping.
Kuroya glanced at her. At that moment, she was like a startled fawn, lost and confused. He didn't think much of it, simply letting her hold his hand as he led her back to the bank. Her palms were as smooth as jade. Kuroya thought the sensation was... pleasant enough.
Stepping onto the dry riverbank, her soles met the touch of dry sand and grit. Izumi snapped back to reality and abruptly let go, her cheeks turning a deep shade of crimson. Nearby, the other Uchiha were drawn by her cry and looked toward the water. Izumi, her face as red as an apple, scrambled to pick up her shoes.
Kuroya paid the incident no mind. Izumi, however, felt a strange sense of security simply from having touched him. For some unknown reason, a sudden wave of guilt washed over her. She had originally favored Itachi, but what Itachi had done to the civilians of the clan was something she truly found impossible to accept.
Comparing Itachi to Kuroya, she recalled what Tamao had said: Captain Kuroya had acted to grant the clansmen release, trading the lives of those already doomed for the survival of those present. Itachi, on the other hand, had turned his blade toward innocent civilians.
Izumi looked saddened, shaking her head to clear her thoughts. She temporarily set aside her internal conflict and hurried after Kuroya.
The temporary camp was situated by the stream. The other Uchiha were gathered around a small fire where two wild rabbits were roasting. The aroma of meat filled the air, and grease sizzled as it dripped into the embers. This was the catch Nanfu and his two team members had brought back from a quick hunt. A shinobi's survival skills were far superior to an ordinary person's; even if you dropped a Genin in the wilderness, they wouldn't starve.
"Captain Kuroya, this rabbit is done. You have it first!" Nanfu handed the whole rabbit to Kuroya. It was the fattest one, the skin roasted to a golden crisp.
Kuroya nodded to Nanfu and took the meat. Nanfu retreated respectfully to his seat. Only then did the other eight Uchiha begin to divide the remaining rabbit. In the blink of an eye, not even a skeleton was left on the rack. Everyone's lips were glistening with grease as they ate heartily. Having been hungry for so long, the roasted meat allowed them to briefly forget the pain of the massacre.
"Hey! Look at the way you're eating... like you've never seen food before. Wait—how come I only get a rabbit head and a tail? Uchiha Nanfu, leave some for me..." Tamao shouted urgently. He was lying flat on the ground, wrapped in fresh bandages; he was still weak, but awake.
The group ignored him, save for his two subordinates who prepared to feed their captain.
In a corner of the firelight, Mikoto Uchiha looked on blankly. Her face showed no emotion. She hadn't been given any food; the other Uchiha were pointedly ostracizing her.
Regarding the genocide, Mikoto herself was not at fault. Since marrying Fugaku, she had been a housewife, responsible for the household and the children, with no hand in the clan's political affairs. But in the eyes of these Uchiha, her sin was simple: she was the wife of the weak Clan Head, and the mother of the murderer.
For two days, Mikoto had not eaten or even drank water. Throughout the flight, she hadn't uttered a single word, her face looking haggard.
"You're all busy stuffing your own faces... give some food and water to the Sister-in-Law!" Tamao barked between bites of meat.
The two subordinates feeding him paused and looked at each other in confusion. They didn't understand who their captain was talking about.
"Who's the Sister-in-Law?" Uchiha Nanfu frowned. His honest, straightforward mind began to whir, but he couldn't come up with an answer.
However, the more quick-witted Uchiha immediately shifted their gazes toward Izumi. They all knew Tamao had only one "Big Brother," and that was Captain Kuroya. But what was this about a Sister-in-Law? There were only two women in the group. Izumi was the same age as Itachi—she was still a girl. It didn't seem right for her to be called "Sister-in-Law" yet.
Izumi felt the eyes of her comrades on her, as if she were under a spotlight. Her cheeks flushed again, and she lowered her head, chewing her rabbit meat slowly in silence.
But in the next instant, everyone—except the slow-witted Nanfu—shifted their gaze to Mikoto Uchiha. A collective realization dawned on them, and some nearly dropped their meat in shock.
They studied Mikoto closely. They realized that the Clan Head's wife, who usually stayed secluded in the manor, was indeed breathtaking. Compared to the budding Izumi, Mikoto possessed the natural advantage of a mature, refined beauty. She wore a dark, simple dress; her black hair flowed like a silk waterfall, and even without makeup, her face was cold yet elegant. Her skin was pale and flawless, and even her hands were as delicate as jade shoots.
Facing the blunt stares of the younger generation, Mikoto remained expressionless, maintaining the high-born elegance inherent to a Clan Head's wife.
The others quickly averted their eyes, not daring to be sacrilegious. They could feel Mikoto's aura—a tangible presence that made them feel inadequate. They found it difficult to look directly at this noble figure who, before the massacre, had been far above them.
Nanfu asked blankly again, "Who exactly is your Sister-in-Law?"
Tamao, weak as he was, didn't let that stop him from yelling: "Mikoto Uchiha, obviously!"