These words hit like a thunderclap, making everyone momentarily forget the remaining grief from the clan's massacre.
Everyone stared in shock, exchanging glances.
Although they had guessed that this mentally unstable companion might say something like this, actually hearing it still felt surreal.
Could it be… Captain Ind Moon (Yin Yue), has long had designs on the clan matron?
That would make sense.
Otherwise, why would Captain Ind Moon go out of his way to save Lady Mikoto?
Uchiha Izumi, hearing this, furrowed her brows in discomfort. She quietly lowered her head and buried it in her knees, adding branches to the fire.
She dared not look at Ind Moon sitting nearby.
In the unattended corner, Mikoto's cold and elegant face held a trace of anger. She could tolerate being shunned by these clan members—after all, her own family had wronged the Uchiha.
But she could not tolerate anyone insulting her honor and purity as the clan matron.
Crackling—the flames roared.
Ind Moon's brows furrowed slightly, sensing the situation was taking a strange turn.
Uchiha Nanfeng, in his dull manner, said, "How did the clan matron become Captain Ind Moon's… no, how did she become your sister-in-law?"
His words voiced what everyone was thinking.
Uchiha Izumi followed the others' gaze toward Tamao, wanting to hear what their eccentric companion would say.
Tamao mumbled and rambled:
"Can you all think for yourselves instead of bullying me, making a mentally unstable person do the thinking?
Think about it.
Uchiha Mikoto is the clan matron.
Fugetsu is probably dead.
The Uchiha left are just a few of us.
The new clan leader isn't my brother Ind Moon—so could it be you cowards?
So.
Big brother is the clan leader, and the clan matron, Uchiha Mikoto, naturally becomes the sister-in-law!"
Everyone furrowed their brows, speechless at their crazy companion's logic.
In Tamao's understanding:
The clan matron is a position?
Uchiha Nanfeng adjusted his glasses and retorted:
"I'm not a coward!"
Everyone glanced at usually mild-mannered Nanfeng, thinking to themselves: South Wind Captain, your priorities are a little off!
At last, they understood why Nanfeng and Tamao often clashed.
Tamao, still irritated, shouted:
"Who cares if you're a coward, stop standing there and feed the sister-in-law the rabbit meat!"
Everyone exchanged confused glances.
The words were clear, but knowing that Ind Moon had designs on the widow, none of the Uchiha dared provoke the former clan matron—the current sister-in-law.
These Uchiha were also conflicted: their clan had been wiped out once. The big brother had already changed hands, yet the clan matron was still Uchiha Mikoto?
Hearing Tamao's dead-serious nonsense, Mikoto's well-maintained composure instantly broke.
She stretched her delicate neck, her fair cheeks flushed red, her curved eyelashes framing her dark, sparkling eyes, staring directly at Ind Moon.
She seemed to scold: "Control your subordinates!"
While everyone was silently pondering, Ind Moon suddenly stood, tore off a rabbit leg, and walked over to Mikoto.
He didn't care what others thought.
But before dealing with Itachi, Mikoto could not die.
Seeing Ind Moon approach, Mikoto stretched her snow-white neck, staring at him like a shy and cautious swan.
After a moment of silence, Mikoto looked at the roasted rabbit leg being offered and chose to resist this humiliation in her own way. She proudly exclaimed:
"I won't eat rabbit meat… hmm…"
Before she could finish, Ind Moon, using the Eight-Thousand Spears technique, forced the perfectly roasted rabbit leg—crispy outside, tender inside—into her mouth.
"Hmm… hmm… hmm!"
Mikoto's eyes widened in anger, her cheeks puffed as she chewed and protested, staring incredulously at the handsome youth before her.
How dare this junior of the clan be so rude to her!!
Mikoto was furious, and the noble, elegant aura of the clan matron instantly collapsed.
"Eat!"
Ind Moon showed no expression, his gaze like a deep, ancient well, unafraid to meet Mikoto's eyes.
Their eyes met.
Sitting sideways, Mikoto's legs close to the ground, she looked up at Ind Moon's imposing figure, her momentum clearly falling behind.
The other Uchiha were dumbfounded!!
They knew Ind Moon's personality had changed—he was ruthless—but they hadn't expected this.
This was tantamount to trampling the matron's self-esteem.
In the eyes of the Uchiha watching, Ind Moon didn't stay by Mikoto. He went to the lying Tamao, cut off the roasted rabbit's backside with a kunai, and fed it to him.
Tamao, realizing he had spoken, grinned, his baby-face showing innocence.
"Eat meat!"
Ind Moon said lightly, then returned to Izumi.
He left one roasted rabbit leg and placed the rest in Izumi's hands, indicating she should finish it for him.
Among the group, Izumi was the youngest. Throughout the journey, she had helped teammates and changed Tamao's bandages, showing great skill.
Aside from the straightforward Nanfeng, Izumi was the one Ind Moon trusted the most.
"C-Captain Ind Moon."
Izumi, holding the rabbit, felt a warmth in her heart, nodding like a little chick, intending to share the meat with her companions.
Ind Moon reminded her: "You're still growing. Eat more; they're all adults and won't starve."
The Uchiha suppressed their expressions, not daring to make a sound.
"All… all right."
Izumi abandoned the idea of sharing and ate the food Ind Moon gave her alone.
As she ate, her thoughts wandered.
In short, she didn't believe a word Tamao said—not a single punctuation mark.
Itachi's mother was beautiful and well-maintained, but she was seven or eight years older than Captain Ind Moon. Hmm, they weren't suitable.
In her heart, Izumi sentenced Ind Moon and Mikoto to remain single forever.
The remaining Uchiha reflected.
Captain Ind Moon, you look gentle and refined, with a cold elegance, but secretly, you're ruthless!
Pining after a widow—is that appropriate?
However…
Some of the Uchiha quickly accepted it. These remaining few Uchiha were naturally responsible for restoring the Uchiha clan's glory.
Mikoto, full-figured and attractive, could be used by Ind Moon to produce several genius children for the Uchiha.
As long as someone like Itachi didn't appear again, this would be a contribution to reviving the clan's glory!
With this thought, many Uchiha no longer rejected Mikoto and even looked at the new sister-in-law with respect.
Meanwhile, Mikoto ate the roasted rabbit leg, controlled by the Eight-Thousand Spears technique.
To eat or not eat—she had no say.
"Hmm… hmm… ugh!"
Mikoto swallowed the chewy rabbit meat while continuing to protest through muffled sounds.
She felt the clan's attitude toward her shifting, yet thought it would be better if they continued to misunderstand her and shunned her.
A sudden sense of humiliation washed over her.
Tears welled in her eyes, but she didn't stop chewing or swallowing.
…
At Kikyō Mountain, peaks rose irregularly, and the dark night gradually enveloped the region.
The center of the mountains was lower, where Kikyō Castle stood, protected by old walls. Under the night, the main street was brightly lit and bustling.
On the upstream river leading out of the city, five people and a dog waded through the water.
"This is the only water route out of the city. We'll wait here for reinforcements and set traps, letting Uchiha Ind Moon and his team fall into our net!"
Asuma said seriously to the others, including Yugito.
Everyone agreed.
When fugitives are being pursued, they naturally prefer water routes to leave no trace.
Relying on their ninja dogs' keen sense of smell, Asuma and the others discovered the Uchiha renegade team's trail earlier that morning.
(End of Chapter )