Mikoto: I Don't Eat Rabbit Meat

Those words were like a thunderclap out of nowhere, blowing away the lingering grief everyone felt over the clan's destruction.

Everyone looked shocked, exchanging glances.

They had guessed that this mentally ill man would probably give that answer, but hearing it for real still felt far too absurd.

Could it be... Captain Ingetsu had long harbored improper intentions toward the Clan Leader's Wife?

That did make sense.

Otherwise, why would Captain Ingetsu save Lady Mikoto?

Upon hearing this, Uchiha Izumi's delicate brows shot up. A sour feeling suddenly rose in her heart. She silently lowered her head, buried it in her knees, and added branches to the fire.

She did not dare look at Ingetsu, who sat beside her.

In an unnoticed corner.

Anger showed on Mikoto's cold, beautiful face. She could tolerate these clansmen rejecting her—after all, her family had wronged the Uchiha.

But she could not tolerate others insulting her reputation and chastity as the Clan Leader's Wife.

Crackle—

The flames flared fiercely.

Ingetsu's brow furrowed slightly. He felt that things were developing in a somewhat strange direction.

Uchiha Nanpu asked blankly, "How did the Clan Leader's Wife become Captain Ingetsu's... no, how did she become your sister-in-law?"

That question voiced everyone's thoughts.

Uchiha Izumi raised her head along with the others and looked at Tamao. Everyone wanted to hear what this mad companion of theirs could possibly say.

Tamao rambled on, "Can't you use your own brains for once? Stop bullying me and making a mentally ill person think through these things! Think about it. Uchiha Mikoto is the Clan Leader's Wife. Fugaku is probably dead. There are only a few of us Uchiha left. If my Big Brother Ingetsu isn't the new clan leader, then could it be you bunch of cowards? So, Big Brother is the clan leader. Uchiha Mikoto, as the Clan Leader's Wife, is naturally our sister-in-law!"

Everyone frowned deeply. Faced with their mentally ill companion's bizarre logic, they were somehow left speechless.

In Tamao's mind, was "Clan Leader's Wife" a position?

Uchiha Nanpu adjusted his glasses and retorted, "I'm not a coward!"

Everyone turned to look at Nanpu, who was usually so honest and meek, and immediately grumbled inwardly, Captain Nanpu, you're focusing on the wrong thing!

They finally understood why Nanpu and Tamao had the most conflicts in ordinary times.

Tamao said irritably, "Who cares whether you're a coward or not? What are you standing around for? Feed our sister-in-law some rabbit meat!"

Everyone looked at one another.

That was easy to say.

But now that they knew Ingetsu had designs on the "widow," the other Uchiha dared not provoke the former Clan Leader's Wife, now their sister-in-law.

They had plenty to complain about but nowhere to vent it. Seriously, the Uchiha had already been wiped out once.

Even Big Brother had changed, so why was the Clan Leader's Wife still Uchiha Mikoto?

After listening to Tamao's solemn nonsense, Mikoto's years of cultivated composure shattered in an instant.

She stretched out her slender neck, a rosy flush spreading across her fair cheeks. Her large, dark eyes gleamed beneath her curved lashes as she glared fixedly at Ingetsu.

Her gaze seemed to rage, "Control your subordinates!"

While everyone was silently mulling it over, Ingetsu suddenly stood up, tore off a rabbit leg, and walked over to Mikoto.

He did not care what others thought.

But before Itachi was dealt with, Mikoto could not die.

Seeing Ingetsu's actions, everyone immediately felt that Tamao was fucking brilliant. His mental illness had actually let him see through all these hidden truths ahead of time!

As Ingetsu approached, Mikoto stretched out her snowy white neck and glared at him like a white swan—ashamed, embarrassed, and full of wary vigilance.

After a moment of silence.

Uchiha Mikoto looked at the roasted rabbit leg held to her lips and chose to resist this humiliation in her own way. She proudly declared, "I don't eat rabbit meat... mmph..."

The moment Mikoto opened her mouth, Ingetsu controlled her with Yachihoko and stuffed the plump, crispy-skinned, tender roasted rabbit leg into her mouth.

"Mm... mm... mm!"

Mikoto's eyes widened furiously. With the rabbit leg clenched between her teeth, she kept gasping in protest while staring incredulously at the handsome young man before her.

How dared this junior from the clan treat her so rudely?!

Mikoto was beside herself with anger. The noble, elegant bearing befitting the Clan Leader's Wife shattered in an instant.

"Eat."

Ingetsu remained expressionless, his gaze as deep as an ancient well. He showed no fear in meeting Mikoto's eyes.

Their gazes met.

Sitting sideways on the ground with her legs pressed together, Mikoto looked up at Ingetsu's towering, mountain-like figure. Her presence was completely overwhelmed by his.

The other Uchiha were dumbfounded!!

They knew Ingetsu's temperament had changed drastically and that he was ruthless now, but they had never expected him to be this ruthless.

This was no different from trampling all over the Clan Leader's Wife's dignity.

A role model for our generation!

Under the Uchiha's gazes, Ingetsu did not linger beside Mikoto. He walked over to Tamao, who was lying flat on the ground, then used a kunai to cut off the roasted wild rabbit's rear and stuffed it into Tamao's mouth.

Tamao realized he had gone too far. He immediately flashed a foolish grin, his baby face wearing an innocent expression.

"Eat meat."

After saying that calmly, Ingetsu returned to Izumi's side.

He kept one roasted rabbit leg for himself and handed the rest of the rabbit to Izumi, signaling for her to finish it.

Izumi was the youngest in the team. Along the way, she had helped her teammates many times, changing Tamao's bandages and performing very well.

Other than the honest and dependable Nanfeng, Uchiha Izumi was the one Ingetsu trusted most.

"Captain In... Ingetsu."

Holding the roasted rabbit, Izumi's heart warmed. She nodded rapidly like a pecking chick, intending to share the meat with her companions.

Ingetsu reminded her, "You're still growing, so eat more. They're all adults—they won't starve to death."

The Uchiha restrained their expressions and did not dare say a word.

"O-Okay."

Izumi abandoned the thought of sharing the food and enjoyed the meal Ingetsu had given her by herself.

As Izumi ate the rabbit meat, her thoughts wandered.

In any case, she did not believe a single word Tamao had said—not even a punctuation mark.

Itachi's mother was indeed beautiful and well cared for, but she was still seven or eight years older than Captain Ingetsu. Mm, the two of them were not suitable for each other.

In her heart, Izumi sentenced Ingetsu and Mikoto's future to lifelong bachelorhood.

The other Uchiha were filled with complicated emotions.

Who would have thought, Captain Ingetsu? You looked gentle and refined, aloof in temperament, like a cold wind sweeping through a snowy forest, yet behind the scenes, you were actually this kind of captain!

Was it really appropriate to covet a widow?

But...

A few Uchiha soon came to terms with it. The few Uchiha they had left naturally had to shoulder the burden of restoring the Uchiha clan's glory.

Lady Mikoto had a curvaceous figure and clearly looked like a fertile woman. Captain Ingetsu was simply making the best use of resources—he should have her bear a few more talented children for the Uchiha clan.

As long as she did not give birth to someone like Itachi, this would also count as contributing to the great cause of restoring the Uchiha clan's glory!

With that thought, quite a few Uchiha no longer felt as repulsed by Mikoto as before. Some even looked at this new sister-in-law a few more times with accepting, meaningful, and respectful gazes.

Meanwhile, Mikoto wolfed down the roasted rabbit leg.

She was still being controlled by Yachihoko.

Whether she ate or not was not up to her.

"Mm... mm... mmm!"

After swallowing the chewy roasted rabbit meat, Mikoto continued protesting through muffled whimpers.

She sensed the change in her clansmen's attitudes toward her, but she felt that it would be better if they continued to reject her rather than misunderstand her like this.

An inexplicable sense of humiliation swept through her entire body.

Mikoto's eyes welled with tears in her anxiety, but she never stopped biting, chewing, and swallowing the roasted rabbit leg.

On Mount Kikyo, peaks lay scattered in disarray as the pitch-black night gradually descended, blanketing the entire mountain region.

The terrain at the center of the Mountain Range was lower.

Kikyo City stood there, protected by aged city walls. Beneath the night sky, countless household lights shone brightly, and the main district was fairly bustling.

On the upstream waters of the river leading out of the city—

Five people and one Ninja Hound came running across the water.

"This is the only water route out of the city. We'll wait here for reinforcements while setting traps, then wait for Uchiha Ingetsu and the others to walk right into them!"

Asuma spoke sternly to Kurenai Yuhi and the others beside him.

No one objected.

When rogue ninja fled, especially knowing ninja were pursuing them, their first choice would undoubtedly be a water route that left no tracks behind.

Relying on the Ninja Hound's keen sense of smell, Asuma and the others had discovered the Uchiha Rogue Squad's trail that morning.