CPU-chan--

Izuna's eyes filled with tears.

Her eyelashes trembled twice, and then tears fell.

One after another, they streamed down my cheeks.

He reached out to wipe it away, but could only smear his tears all over his face, making himself look even more disheveled.

This scene left everyone around stunned.

Lord Izuna is crying?! Why?!

Izuna's reason was locked in a tug-of-war with that inexplicable, unreasonable sadness.

Why am I crying? It's just a broken wooden carving; once it's given away, it's gone. I'm not a child anymore; what's there to cry about?

But on the other end of the tug-of-war is a monster. It doesn't reason with you; it grabs your heart and pulls you down, making you wince in pain.

Madara awkwardly grabbed Izuna's shoulder. "Izuna? Um, why don't you keep it first? We can go to Mito to check it out and then decide whether or not to give it to me..."

With two swollen, fried eggs on his head, Izuna sobbed, "Waaah... no... waaaah... I feel like something's wrong... waaaah... Madara-nii, you can just take it... why am I crying... waaaah--"

"Um, Izuna— " Madara's tone was unusually flustered, his hand gripping the Netsuke unsure where to go—reaching forward didn't seem right, and pulling back didn't seem right either. "If you really want it that much, then you should just take it..."

"No! Waaah... Why... Waaah... Brother Ban, please... move it further away..."

Ban, carrying his younger brother, rushed into the Tower where the Sealing Squad was located like a gust of wind.

He kicked the door open, and the door panel bounced twice against the wall, causing the torches in the corridor to flicker.

Mito Uzumaki was adjusting the Runes of the sealing array with her back to the door. Hearing the noise, she turned around, still clutching a talisman brush dipped in cinnabar in her hand.

She glanced at Izuna, who had been brought in by Madara.

Her eyes were red-rimmed, tears still clung to her eyelashes, her nose was red, and the corners of her mouth were turned down in a wronged manner.

She was stunned, then she looked at Ban's face, which was filled with anxiety.

Her eyebrows furrowed slowly, as if she had many questions to ask, but in the end she only uttered one question, "... What is this about him?"

"This," Ban Netsuke to her, "He seems to really like this."

Mito took the Netsuke, looked at it in the light from the window, and then turned it over to look at the background of the Pentagram.

She instantly understood why Madara had come back to find her.

This wasn't a traditional Formation pattern, but she didn't sense any Chakra on it. There was a reaction when she inputted Chakra, but it only absorbed her Chakra; nothing else happened.

Madara wasn't a specialist in Sealing Jutsu, but he should be able to discern this kind of thing, so Mito asked in confusion, "Then why not give it to him?"

"Because Izuna felt there was a problem."

Mito looked at Izuna.

Izuna was still silently shedding tears, her eyelashes clumped together, and the tip of her nose glowing red.

She was a little confused. "Then why are you crying?"

Izuna tried to speak normally, but his willpower failed, and he succumbed. "Because... because... because I can't bear to... waaaah..."

Mito said: This is the first time I've seen someone who felt there was a problem but was reluctant to do it like this.

Ban frowned impatiently. "So, is there a problem or not?"

"Wait for me a moment." Mito Netsuke on the workbench. "I'll check if there's anything wrong with this Pentagram in an hour."

"Waaaaah..."

"... Summon Tobirama to me."

Tobirama was summoned by Mito's subordinates. He thought Mito needed him for something, but when he arrived, he found Izuna sitting in a chair next to the workbench, crying uncontrollably.

Tobirama's overly brilliant mind crashed at this moment.

Uchiha Izuna cried???

He was silent for a long while, then asked in an incredulous tone, "... Is this guy crying?"

Ban replied irritably, "Didn't you see it?"

Uchiha Izuna's mother is actually crying! Why?!

Not to mention the thoughts that flashed through his mind, such as, "It's so pathetic for a man to cry. He's a grown man, he should solve his problems first, why is he crying? Doesn't this guy feel ashamed? Uchiha Izuna? That cold-blooded guy... No, he's not my old nemesis now, so it's unlikely he'd cry!" and so on.

He cast a questioning glance at Mito.

Mito gestured for him to look at Madara, who explained expressionlessly why this had happened.

After listening, Tobirama fell silent again.

Uchiha Izuna, because of a broken wooden carving, because he couldn't bear to part with it, is sitting here crying like this??

Is this possible?

He looked at Ban, trying to find a reasonable explanation on the face of his longtime nemesis, but Ban rolled his Byakugan at him.

"... Are you serious, Madara Uchiha? Just because of a trinket? Would someone like him really cry over something like that?!"

"I want to ask too! What else is called a person like him?! White Hair, show me some respect!"

"Stop thinking about that! Let's get it checked!" Mito had reached her limit.

After a series of checks, they discovered that this Formation had no other use besides absorbing and storing Chakra.

Items that store energy are few but not rare; the only thing that surprised Mito was that a Pentagram could do this.

But Madara was still a little worried. "My clansmen said this has affected Izuna. His current state doesn't seem normal at all. Just because he likes someone shouldn't make him cry like this."

"Then I have no idea. This thing is definitely fine." Mito closed the document. "In fact, I think Izuna should wear it close to his body."

"Why?"

"I have read some literature related to Onmyōji. Although it is very likely superstition, the Pentagram is believed to have the power to ward off evil and dispel malevolent spirits, thus protecting others."

Izuna looked up upon hearing this, slightly taken aback. Pentagram, warding off evil and dispelling misfortune? That sounds familiar; I feel like I've heard it somewhere before...

Is it Seimei? In the Onmyōji Mobile Game, he seems to frequently use Pentagram when drawing summoning symbols...

No... I don't think it came from here, but my memories related to the Pentagram are only here. If I didn't learn about it from the Onmyōji Mobile Game, then where did I come from...?

"In historical records, crows are also considered divine creatures with protective powers," Mito continued. "In short, as Netsuke, it carries a very auspicious meaning."

Ban sighed. "Then let's trust your judgment for now."

He Netsuke to Izuna, who was still in a daze.

Izuna took it and immediately beamed with joy, jumping up and down, saying, "Great! It's so good that there are no problems--"

Ban looked at him helplessly. "So happy?"

"Um!"

Tobirama sighed. "What a farce... If there's nothing else, I'll be going now."

"Yes, yes! Thank you for your hard work, Tobirama!"

Tobirama left.

Izuna turned to Mito, her eyes crinkling with a smile. "Thank you too, Mito. It's so kind of you to help with the appraisal despite your busy schedule."

Mito smiled. "It's alright, I'm glad I could help."

"But," Mito put the talisman brush back on the brush holder, turned to look at Izuna, "Why do you want this so much? Although I don't know you, I don't think you're the kind of person who would lose your mind over a small item. Why do you want it so much?"

Izuna looked down at the Netsuke in his hand.

The crow tilted its head, its Red Eyes gleaming under the Workshop lights. His thumb rubbed against the bird's folded wings.

"I don't know," he said. "I think if I lose this, I'll only feel sad for a few days."

"Because I don't understand why I should like it."

"In terms of craftsmanship, it's only of average refinement; Black Peach Wood isn't particularly precious; and crows aren't even considered auspicious birds in tradition."

He clenched the Netsuke in his palm, his knuckles tightening, "But I just want it."

There must be a reason why I want this. But I can't think of a reason.

"Moreover, when this happens, it usually means that the underlying reason is definitely not simple, which is why I want to avoid it as much as possible..."

"Then you don't need to wrong yourself." Ban's hand landed on his head, gently rubbing it. "If anything happens, your Big Brother will take care of it. Just accept it without worry."

Izuna clutched the Netsuke, but couldn't help but curl the corners of his mouth into a smile.

While he was overjoyed, his worries did not dissipate.

Based on his years of experience reading novels, this kind of thing is definitely going to be a major bombshell.

Unexplained objects, an unusual attraction, and an inexplicable obsession—these elements combined would form the foreshadowing in any novel.

Later on, it either seals away ancient Demons or is infested with vengeful spirits and remnants; in short, it's not a good thing.

But if he were to actually give up on this crow, he would definitely be sad for a long time.

He was so heartbroken from being apart for just a short while that he couldn't stop crying. He didn't know if he could live a normal life without him.

It's quite alarming to cry all day long; I'm not a sadist, it's really strange.

However, on the other hand...

He looked down at the crow in his palm, its head tilted to one side.

Where did this come from?

Seriously, does something like that really fall from the roof?

He had looked at the map at the time, and there was no one else around except Takuma.

There was no Chakra reaction, no passing Ninjas, not even a stray cat.

How did this Netsuke up on top of his head? Did someone dislike it and throw it over here?

He grew angrier the more he thought about it, and his brows furrowed.

Holy crap, who's so tasteless?! Throwing away crow sauce like that! If I find out who it is, I'll definitely give them a piece of my mind!