Uchiha Izumi wore a purple dress, rolled up her pants, and stepped into the clear creek with her fair feet.
Her green toes brushed against the smooth cobblestones below.
Her big, expressive eyes glanced sideways at the creek, showing anxiety and unease, afraid that Ind Moon (Yin Yue) would ignore her.
"Do you remember, the first time you went on a mission, when faced with the same choice of paths, what suggestion did you make?" Ind Moon asked calmly.
As he spoke, he looked straight into Izumi's eyes.
Izumi turned her face away, memories flashing through her mind—embarrassing memories that made her cheeks flush red instantly.
The first time she went on a mission, she got injured while making a decision about which path to take. She had confidently suggested a plan to Ind Moon, which ended up leading the team into an ambush.
Since then, Izumi felt as if cursed—whenever faced with a choice, she would inevitably make the wrong one.
"But… this time we managed to escape the ninja village because I chose to follow you!"
Izumi lowered her head, embarrassed, her eyes darting around, hands behind her back. Her toes constantly pressed against a large stone, polishing it until it gleamed.
"It was the choice I made for all of you."
Ind Moon said plainly:
"Take the mountain path, cross Kikyō Castle, look for a medical ninja, inform the others, rest five minutes, eat something, then prepare to move."
His tone was calm, yet it left no room for doubt.
"Yes!"
Izumi's face flushed red as she replied firmly. She instinctively stood at attention, but suddenly her foot slipped, and she fell backward.
"Ah!"
Panic flashed in her eyes. She cried out and tried to save herself, falling in front of the icy creek. Dropping her ninja shoes, she grabbed Ind Moon's right hand tightly, steadying herself.
"Phew—"
Izumi exhaled softly, her beautiful eyes showing fear, eyebrows slightly furrowed, looking pitiful.
Looking down, she saw the large cobblestone polished smooth by her toes, and felt a lingering fear.
Ind Moon glanced at her. She looked like a frightened fawn, panicked and helpless. He didn't think much of it and let her hold his hand as he helped her onto the shore.
Her hands were delicate, like jade, in his grasp.
Ind Moon thought the feel was quite nice.
Stepping on the dry cobblestones, he felt the gritty texture beneath his feet. Izumi regained her composure and suddenly let go, her cheeks blushing like dawn.
At this moment, the other Uchiha were drawn to Izumi's exclamation and looked toward the creek.
Izumi's face was as red as an apple as she hurriedly picked up her shoes.
Ind Moon didn't pay this any mind.
Although Izumi's heart was uneasy, holding Ind Moon's hand had made her feel an inexplicable sense of security.
For some reason, she suddenly felt guilty.
She had originally admired Itachi, but what he did to the civilians of the clan was truly unacceptable.
Comparing Itachi to Ind Moon, she recalled what Tamao had said: Captain Ind Moon's actions were to give the clan members relief, exchanging the lives of doomed clan members for the survival of others.
Itachi, however, swung the slaughtering knife at innocent civilians!
Izumi looked sad, shook her head, collected herself, and temporarily set aside this dilemma, quickly following Ind Moon.
The temporary camp was set up by the creek.
Other Uchiha gathered around a small fire, roasting two wild rabbits on a spit. The aroma filled the air, and the dripping fat sizzled as it hit the fire.
These were the prey that Nanfeng and his two teammates had hunted nearby.
Ninja have stronger survival skills in the wild than ordinary people. Even a genin left in the wilderness would not starve due to lack of food.
"Captain Ind Moon, this rabbit is cooked. You eat first!"
Nanfeng handed the whole rabbit to Ind Moon.
It was the fattest rabbit, with juicy meat and fat dripping from its roasted skin, golden and crispy.
Ind Moon nodded at Nanfeng and accepted it.
Nanfeng obediently returned to his seat.
Seeing this, the other eight Uchiha shared the remaining rabbit. In the blink of an eye, even the bones were gone from the spit.
Their lips were smeared with grease.
They ate heartily.
After being hungry for so long, just a few bites of roasted rabbit meat seemed to let them momentarily forget the pain of the clan's destruction.
"Hey, except for Captain Ind Moon…
Look at the way you eat, like you've never seen the world. Huh? Why did I only get a rabbit head and tail? Uchiha Nanfeng, save me some—"
Tamao shouted anxiously.
He lay on the ground, wrapped in bandages he had changed, still weak but awake.
No one paid attention to Tamao.
Only Tamao's two subordinates prepared to feed their captain.
In the corner by the fire, Uchiha Mikoto stared blankly, expressionless.
She hadn't received any food, deliberately excluded by the other Uchiha.
The Uchiha had been wiped out.
Mikoto herself was not really at fault. Since marrying Fugaku, she had been a housewife, taking care of daily household affairs and unable to interfere in clan politics.
But in the eyes of these Uchiha, her fault lay in being the weak clan leader's wife—the mother of the perpetrator!
For the past two days, Mikoto had eaten nothing, not even drinking water. During the escape, she said nothing, her face haggard.
"Everyone's just eating for themselves. Save some food and water for sister-in-law!" Tamao shouted while chewing rabbit meat.
The two subordinates feeding him exchanged a surprised glance.
They didn't understand who Tamao meant by "sister-in-law."
"Who's your sister-in-law?"
Uchiha Nanfeng furrowed his brow, trying to think, but couldn't figure it out.
The perceptive Uchiha quickly turned their gaze toward Uchiha Izumi.
They all knew Tamao had only one big brother—the Captain Ind Moon.
But what about the sister-in-law?
There were only two women in the group.
Uchiha Izumi was the same age as Itachi, still young, holding rabbit meat—she could not possibly be the sister-in-law!
Izumi felt all her companions' gazes on her, as if she were on stage under a spotlight.
Her cheeks turned red again, lowering her head and quietly chewing her rabbit meat.
But in the next moment, except for the slow-reacting Uchiha Nanfeng,
all the Uchiha turned to look at Uchiha Mikoto, suddenly realizing the truth, almost dropping the rabbit in surprise.
They carefully observed Uchiha Mikoto.
They were astonished to see that this woman, who usually stayed deep in the clan leader's residence, was indeed stunning.
Compared to the youthful, budding Izumi, Mikoto had a natural advantage, exuding the mature aura of a noblewoman.
She wore a dark home dress, her black hair smooth like a waterfall, her face cold and elegant. Even without makeup, she remained graceful and beautiful.
Her exposed forearms were smooth and fair.
Her hands delicate, her fingers like jade shoots.
The hem of her dress subtly revealed elegant curves of her feet.
Mikoto met the direct gaze of the younger Uchiha without emotion, maintaining the dignity of the clan matron.
The others quickly averted their eyes, not daring to disrespect her.
They could feel Mikoto's commanding aura, each feeling intimidated, unable to meet the gaze of this former noble figure of the clan.
Uchiha Nanfeng asked blankly,
"Who's your sister-in-law?"
Although weak, Tamao shouted without hesitation,
"Uchiha Mikoto!"
(End of Chapter 14)