"Cough... cough... cough cough cough..."
In the midst of violent coughing, Chiba did not stop for quite a while. Yukina merely remained as she was. Her eyes were hazy and vacant, yet they carried a certain resolve. Only the left hand resting on her knee slowly curled into a fist.
"What is it, Yukina? Why are you suddenly asking about this?"
Though the coughing was violent, it eventually subsided. Once it did, Chiba paused and studied Yukina carefully. Seeing that her serious expression now resembled Kushina's by seventy percent, Chiba knew that unless he gave her an answer, Yukina would never let it go.
Still, whether she would let it go or not, what Chiba cared about now was how Yukina knew that he knew about Nao. On top of that, with Nao's death, he truly wanted to avoid mentioning it whenever possible. Nao's voice and smile, still vivid in his memory, and every little moment they had spent living together—how could he not grieve?
So, after looking at Yukina's expression, Chiba did not answer. Instead, he asked a question.
"Because you definitely know what happened to Nao. Even now, there has been no news of her. As far as I know, Nao had lived in the village since she was little. Other than Hirohiko and us, she had barely come into contact with anyone. She had never even attended the Ninja Academy. And she was blind and could not use ninjutsu. As a member of the Uchiha Clan, she had already lost both her eyes. No one should have had any reason to target her. This is far too strange."
Hearing Chiba's words, Yukina pressed her lips together before speaking.
"It is strange, but..."
Hearing Yukina's response, Chiba gave a faint, bitter smile and was about to refute her.