"Eiji! What—are you scared of him now?"
Uchiha Lihuo snorted coldly as he shot the words at Uchiha Eiji.
Idiot.
Eiji glared at Lihuo, anger flaring as he was about to snap back—but at that moment, he noticed Uchiha Yuan's expression turn icy. From Yuan's eyes burst a sharp, oppressive glare, keen enough to make one's heart seize.
A sudden chill crawled up Eiji's spine. He swallowed the words on his tongue and shut his mouth.
"Uchiha Lihuo. Come with me."
The voice was calm and detached. In the next instant, Uchiha Yuan vanished with a Body Flicker.
Lihuo froze for a split second, then let out a cold laugh and followed, also using Body Flicker.
Eiji exhaled slowly, then disappeared as well.
Shua—shua—shua!
Watching them leave, Senju Gen and Hatake Seikū exchanged a glance. Without a word, both figures flickered and vanished.
Senju Snow remained where she was. She turned toward Izumi and asked softly,
"Aren't you worried? Those Uchiha boys just came back from the battlefield. Every one of them looks dangerous."
Izumi gazed in the direction her brother had left, then smiled—relaxed, confident.
"My brother is the strongest."
She then turned to Snow and bowed politely.
"Hello. I'm Uchiha Izumi."
"I'm Senju Snow," Snow replied with a smile. "Gen's older sister."
She took a cup of milk tea from her paper bag and handed it to Izumi.
"Vanilla caramel milk tea. It's my favorite."
Izumi accepted it with a quiet thank-you, then brought out her own treats to share.
"Fruit pudding—and red bean egg tarts."
The two girls found a nearby table and sat down. Snow lifted a silver spoon and took a bite of the fruit pudding with elegant poise.
The very next second, her crescent-shaped eyes narrowed in delight, and a rare smile appeared on her cool, refined face.
"So this is the new pudding everyone's talking about… I never imagined it'd be this smooth."
She paused, puzzled.
"But I remember the dessert shop saying they were completely sold out when I went. They told me there was none left."
Izumi tilted her head, looking slightly confused.
"Really? It is very popular. Even Aunt Mikoto loves it—she buys one every day."
She took a light sip of milk tea before continuing,
"The dessert shop owner, Uchiha Motoyū, knows my brother. He seems to really admire him. Whenever I go there, I can always buy whatever sweets I want."
"Oh?"
Snow's brows lifted faintly, interest sparking in her eyes.
"I've heard all these desserts were researched by Uchiha Yuan himself. Is that true?"
Izumi froze for a moment—then laughed softly.
"That can't be right. My brother never steps into the kitchen. How could someone like him come up with such delicate desserts?"
At those words, Snow's gaze shifted subtly as she studied Izumi with a knowing look.
So… he hides quite a lot from you.
Just then, Snow noticed someone not far away—Uchiha Itachi, holding his little brother in his arms.
More precisely, his gaze was fixed on her.
"That must be Uchiha Itachi," Snow said quietly. "An outstanding young man. Even though he's just returned to the village, his battlefield performance is already known throughout Konoha."
Izumi turned toward Itachi and gave him a sweet smile.
"Itachi-kun has always been the best."
Snow looked at Izumi, then suddenly smiled.
"You like him?"
Izumi's face flushed red. She bit her lip lightly, said nothing, and only glanced shyly toward Itachi.
Snow picked up a red bean egg tart, took a bite, and asked casually,
"Then what do you think of my younger brother, Gen?"
"Gen-kun is very talented too," Izumi answered earnestly.
Snow chuckled.
"Then who do you think is more outstanding—Gen or Uchiha Itachi? I heard Uchiha Yuan even joked about having Gen marry you one day."
Izumi's face instantly burned crimson. She waved her hands in panic.
"T-that was just my brother joking around!"
Her eyes slipped unconsciously toward Itachi.
At that moment, Itachi withdrew his gaze. Inside, however, his heart was filled with surprise—and doubt.
Uchiha Yuan… what kind of person are you, really?
He had always thought Yuan was like most of the clan—arrogant, aloof, unwilling to interact with others in the village.
Yet now, at a clan celebration, he had encountered members of the Senju clan—people who clearly shared a deep bond with Yuan.
It was obvious that Yuan wasn't as cold toward the village as he pretended to be.
But when Itachi recalled Yuan's firm, unyielding refusal of Shisui, his emotions grew tangled, leaving him unable to truly understand the man.
Shua.
Izumi watched as Itachi flickered away with Sasuke in his arms, a trace of loneliness surfacing on her face.
Did Itachi-kun hear that? Is he angry…?
"Izumi, the butterfly hairpin you're wearing is beautiful," Snow said, pointing to her hair.
"Snow, try it on."
Izumi removed the butterfly hairpin and personally placed it in Snow's hair.
Running her fingers through Snow's long black hair, Izumi couldn't help but praise her,
"Your hair is amazing—smoother than silk."
After a moment of thought, Izumi reached up and removed an exquisitely crafted golden hairpin from her own hair, fastening it onto Snow instead.
She examined the result with clear admiration.
"Snow, you're really beautiful. This firebird hairpin suits you perfectly."
Snow took out a small round mirror and studied her reflection carefully, a satisfied smile blooming on her face.
She then removed the hairpin and returned it to Izumi, her fondness undisguised.
"Where did you buy this? I want one too."
"You can't buy it," Izumi replied. "My brother made it himself. It was a birthday gift."
At the same time, in a secluded clearing nearby—
Uchiha Yuan stood at the center with his arms crossed, expression cold and sharp.
Several meters away, Uchiha Lihuo glared at him with ferocious eyes.
Behind Yuan, Uchiha Kawa, Senju Gen, and the others stared just as intently at Lihuo and the group behind him, including Eiji.
Gen stepped forward and said,
"Yuan, why don't we team up and teach these guys a lesson?"
Lihuo's rude and violent behavior had filled Gen with anger as well.
"No need," Yuan replied calmly. "Gen, step back."
He continued evenly,
"Uchiha Lihuo's actions are a direct provocation. There are many in the clan who don't accept me yet. I need them to understand one thing—"
His eyes hardened.
"My fists are not soft."
Some people die… but they don't die completely.
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