Uchiha Nanfeng's Sister-in-Law Is Mikoto?

Uchiha Izumi wore a purple dress, rolled up her pant legs, and stood in the clear stream with her snow-white feet submerged.

Her slender toes rubbed against the pebbles beneath her.

Her watery, expressive eyes seemed almost capable of speech as she glanced sideways at the stream, revealing her unease and anxiety, afraid that Ingetsu would ignore her.

"Do you still remember the advice you gave the first time you went on a mission, when faced with the same choice of roads?" Ingetsu asked calmly.

As he spoke, he watched Izumi's eyes.

Izumi turned her face away to avoid his gaze. Memories flashed through her mind, and the embarrassing incident resurfaced, instantly turning her little face bright red.

The first time she was injured on a mission, she had been faced with a choice of roads. Back then, she had confidently thumped her chest and offered her suggestion to Ingetsu, only to lead the team into an ambush.

After that.

Izumi seemed to have been struck by some kind of curse. Every time she encountered a multiple-choice question, she would choose the wrong answer without fail.

"But... wasn't the reason we managed to escape the ninja village this time because I chose to follow you?"

Izumi lowered her head, looking awkward and letting her eyes wander. She placed both hands behind her back, her toes constantly scraping at the large stone beneath her feet until it became smooth and gleaming.

"I made the choice for all of you."

Ingetsu spoke without any embellishment:

"Take the mountain road and cut straight through Kikyo Castle. While we're there, look for a Medical Ninja. Go tell the others to rest for another five minutes, eat something, and prepare to leave."

His tone was even, yet left no room for objection.

"Yes!"

Izumi answered crisply, her face flushed. She instinctively stood at attention, only for her feet to suddenly slip, sending her falling backward.

"Ah!"

Panic flashed through Izumi's eyes. She cried out and hurriedly tried to save herself. Before she could fall into the icy stream, she threw off her ninja shoes and clutched Ingetsu's right palm tightly, steadying herself.

"Phew..."

Izumi exhaled softly, her beautiful eyes filled with lingering fear. Her willow brows drew together, making her look pitiful and delicate.

She lowered her head and saw the large pebble she had scraped smooth and gleaming with her toes, leaving her shaken.

Ingetsu glanced at Izumi. At that moment, she was like a startled fawn, completely at a loss. Without thinking much of it, he let her lead him by the hand and brought her ashore.

The two hands holding his were as smooth and delicate as jade.

Ingetsu thought the feel was quite pleasant.

As they stepped onto the dry pebbles of the riverbank, the sensation of dry grit traveled through the soles of Izumi's feet. She came to her senses and abruptly let go with both hands, her cheeks turning red as sunset clouds.

At that moment, the other Uchiha were drawn over by Izumi's cry and looked toward the stream.

Izumi's face was red as an apple as she hurriedly went to retrieve her shoes.

Ingetsu paid it no mind.

Izumi was anxious, yet she also felt that while she had been holding Ingetsu's hand, the air around her had transformed into a sense of security.

For some reason.

A sudden sense of guilt welled up inside her.

She had originally favored Itachi, but the things Itachi had done to the ordinary members of the clan were truly difficult for her to accept.

Comparing Itachi with Ingetsu.

She remembered what Tamao had said: what Ingetsu Captain had done was to grant his clansmen release. He had used the lives of those destined to die to exchange for the survival of the others.

But Itachi had raised his butcher's blade against innocent civilians!

Sadness appeared on Izumi's face. She shook her little head, composed herself, temporarily set aside this question of choice, and hurried to catch up with Ingetsu.

The temporary camp was located beside a stream.

The other Uchiha gathered around a small fire. Two wild rabbits roasted over the flames, their meaty aroma filling the air as grease dripped into the fire with a sizzling sound.

These were the rabbits Nanfeng and his two teammates had hunted nearby.

Ninjas were more capable of surviving in the wilderness than ordinary people. Even if a genin were thrown into the wild, they would not starve to death for lack of food.

"Ingetsu Captain, this rabbit is cooked. Please eat it first!"

Nanfeng handed the whole rabbit to Ingetsu.

It was the fattest rabbit, with tender, abundant meat. Its fat had been roasted until it dripped grease, and its skin was golden brown and crisp.

Ingetsu nodded at Nanfeng and accepted the rabbit.

Nanfeng dutifully returned to his seat.

Only then did the other eight Uchiha divide the remaining rabbit among themselves. In the blink of an eye, not even a rabbit skeleton remained on the roasting rack.

Everyone's lips were coated with grease.

They wolfed down the meat.

After being hungry for so long, a few bites of roasted rabbit seemed enough to let them briefly forget the pain of the Uchiha Clan Massacre.

"Hey, aside from Big Brother Ingetsu.

"Look at the way you're eating. You look like you've never seen food before. Uh, how come I only got a rabbit head and a rabbit rear? Uchiha Nanfeng, save some for me..."

Tamao shouted anxiously.

He lay flat on the ground, his body wrapped in freshly changed bandages. He was still weak, but at least he was awake.

No one paid Tamao any attention.

Only Tamao's two subordinates prepared to feed meat to their captain.

At the corner of the fire.

Uchiha Mikoto stared blankly at the scene, her expression unchanged.

She had not been given any food. The other Uchiha had deliberately excluded her.

As for the Uchiha Clan Massacre.

Mikoto herself had indeed done nothing wrong. Ever since marrying Fugaku, she had been a housewife.

Every day, she had only been responsible for the household's food and daily affairs, with no way to interfere in clan politics.

But in the eyes of these Uchiha.

Mikoto's mistake was that she was the wife of a weak clan head and the mother of the perpetrator!

For the past two days, Mikoto had eaten nothing and had not even drunk any water. She had remained silent throughout their escape, her face haggard.

"Everyone's only thinking about eating for themselves. Give Big Sister-in-Law some food and water!" Tamao suddenly yelled while gnawing on rabbit meat.

The two subordinates feeding him exchanged glances, surprise appearing on their faces.

They did not understand who their captain meant by Big Sister-in-Law.

"Who's your Big Sister-in-Law?"

Uchiha Nanfeng furrowed his brows slightly. Honest and straightforward, he began to think, but could not figure it out.

The other Uchiha, however, were quick-witted and immediately turned their eyes toward Uchiha Izumi.

They all knew that Tamao had only one big brother: Ingetsu Captain.

But where had this Big Sister-in-Law come from?

There were only two women in the team.

Uchiha Izumi was the same age as Itachi and still young. She had rabbit meat in her hands too, so she clearly could not be the Big Sister-in-Law!

Uchiha Izumi felt the gazes of all her companions upon her, as though she were standing at center stage beneath a spotlight.

Her cheeks flushed again. She lowered her head without saying a word and chewed the rabbit meat slowly.

But in the next instant.

Except for the slow-witted Uchiha Nanfeng.

The Uchiha all turned to look at Uchiha Mikoto. Realization dawned on their faces, and they were so shocked that the rabbit meat in their mouths nearly fell to the ground.

Everyone carefully sized up Uchiha Mikoto.

They were surprised to discover that this clan head's wife, who usually lived secluded within the clan head's residence, was indeed stunningly beautiful.

Compared with the youthful Izumi, whose beauty was still budding, Mikoto possessed a natural advantage. She carried the mature charm of a beautiful married woman.

She wore a dark, simple dress suitable for home. Her black hair fell smoothly like a waterfall, and her face was coldly beautiful. Even without makeup, she still possessed a gentle and elegant beauty.

Her smooth, fair arms showed beneath her sleeves.

Her bare hands were slender and delicate.

Her fingers were like jade shoots.

The curves of her feet, hidden beneath her skirt, were graceful.

Mikoto remained expressionless beneath the blunt stares of the clan's juniors, maintaining the elegant bearing naturally befitting a clan head's wife.

Everyone hurriedly withdrew their gazes.

They did not dare profane her.

They could feel Mikoto's almost tangible aura. One after another, they felt their courage fail and did not dare look directly at this noble figure who had once been an important person in the clan before the massacre.

Uchiha Nanfeng asked blankly:

"Who's your Big Sister-in-Law?"

Though Tamao was weak, it did not affect his ability to yell. "Uchiha Mikoto!"