"Brother."
When he returned home, his younger sister Izumi rushed into Uchiha Yuan's arms with a sweet smile, calling out to him in her soft, adorable voice.
Seeing Izumi, Uchiha Yuan couldn't help smiling fondly as he reached out and caught her.
"Izumi, don't run so fast. You might fall."
"I'm not afraid, because I know you'll catch me, Brother." Uchiha Izumi wrapped her arms around Uchiha Yuan's neck as she spoke.
As the siblings played around, their mother, Uchiha Rei, came out of the kitchen carrying the dishes.
The family of three sat down to eat.
Uchiha Yuan carefully picked the bones out of a piece of fish before placing it in Uchiha Izumi's bowl.
Uchiha Izumi beamed as she recounted her day. "Brother, Itachi's little brother, Little Sasuke, is so cute."
"Little Sasuke's a crybaby. Whenever I tease him, he starts bawling right away."
"But as soon as Itachi comforts him, Little Sasuke stops crying pretty quickly, then pouts and glares at you angrily."
"Itachi looks so gentle when he comforts Little Sasuke..."
As she spoke, Izumi seemed to think of something. Her cheeks flushed, and a shy smile appeared on her face.
Seeing her daughter's expression, Uchiha Rei teased, "Is our Izumi imagining how gently Itachi will comfort the children you have together someday?"
At that, Izumi's face turned scarlet. She looked bashfully at her mother and protested, "Mom, you're making fun of me! I'm not going to talk to you anymore."
Uchiha Rei chuckled and rubbed Izumi's head. "Does that mean Izumi doesn't like Itachi?"
"Mom, I'm mad at you!"
Uchiha Izumi pouted and glared at her mother, Uchiha Rei.
"Fine, I'll stop. But if Itachi became our son-in-law, I'd be delighted."
"That boy Itachi seems so gentle."
Watching the mother and daughter joke around, Uchiha Yuan smiled warmly.
These were his family in this life. His mother and younger sister were the most important bonds he had.
They were also the reason he was destined to stand against Konoha High Command. He couldn't let the Night of the Uchiha Clan Downfall happen, and he wouldn't allow even the slightest chance of such cruelty befalling his mother and sister.
He wanted them to keep smiling happily and live in peace.
The trouble was, Uchiha Izumi had already become friends with Uchiha Itachi without his knowledge—and she clearly had feelings for him that went beyond ordinary friendship.
Thinking of the choice Uchiha Itachi would eventually make, Uchiha Yuan felt that, to spare his sister from getting hurt, it would be best for Izumi to stay away from Itachi as soon as possible.
He placed a piece of fish with the bones removed into his mother's bowl, then spoke with a serious expression. "Izumi, I think you should keep your distance from Itachi. Ideally, you shouldn't see him anymore."
Uchiha Rei and Uchiha Izumi both stared at Uchiha Yuan in shock.
"Why, Brother?"
"Yuan, don't you like that sweet boy Itachi? You're not jealous, are you? Well, I suppose Izumi used to cling to you the most."
Seeing tears welling in his sister's eyes, Uchiha Yuan said helplessly, "Izumi, I don't want to interfere with who you're friends with. I just think there's something about Uchiha Itachi that's hard to see through."
"Hmph! You're the worst, Brother. I don't want to talk to you!"
Uchiha Izumi stormed off in a huff.
Uchiha Rei looked at Uchiha Yuan reproachfully. "Yuan, Itachi is such a gentle, kind boy. Why do you make him sound like someone with hidden motives?"
Night fell.
In his room, Uchiha Yuan sat cross-legged with his hands resting on his knees, while Natural Energy gathered from all directions.
His mental energy drew in the Natural Energy. His consciousness seemed to drift through the vast starry sky, then soar amid endless waves of clouds.
He sensed every movement around him: the wind stirred, water flowed, flowers and grass breathed, trees breathed, rocks breathed, and even the earth breathed.
If a sensory ninja had been there, they would have seen Uchiha Yuan, but they wouldn't have sensed his presence.
After an unknown length of time, Uchiha Yuan's presence reappeared in the room. He opened his eyes, ending his Sage Art practice.
The next morning.
Uchiha Yuan stepped outside and saw Uchiha Daishi peeking around a corner not far away.
When he spotted Uchiha Yuan, Uchiha Daishi hurried over.
"Big Brother, Uchiha Eiji's here. He's waiting for you in yesterday's clearing."
When the two of them reached the clearing, they saw Uchiha Eiji and two others watching the bodyguards train and practice Taijutsu.
Hearing footsteps, Uchiha Eiji turned around and tossed a scroll toward Uchiha Yuan.
"This contains my father's notes on Chakra training."
Uchiha Yuan caught it and unrolled the scroll.
It contained notes and insights on Chakra training. Uchiha Yuan studied them thoughtfully at first, then furrowed his brow as he focused on several passages.
After a while, he handed the scroll back to Uchiha Eiji.
"Your father must have been a powerful ninja. His insights on Chakra training were very useful to me. I learned a lot."
"Of course. Eiji's father, Lord Moritake, is a squad leader in the Uchiha Police Force. He's incredibly strong."
Uchiha Kotaro, standing to Uchiha Eiji's right, spoke up.
Uchiha Eiji put away the scroll and started to leave. But after a few steps, he suddenly stopped and turned to Uchiha Yuan.
"Uchiha Yuan, do you dare to fight me again?"
Uchiha Yuan raised an eyebrow. "I don't mind. But if you lose, you'll bring me another jutsu scroll, just like yesterday."
Uchiha Hayabusa laughed. "Uchiha Yuan, you're going to lose for sure. Eiji's already awakened the Sharingan."
Beside him, Uchiha Daishi looked worried and urged Uchiha Yuan, "That's right, Big Brother. Uchiha Eiji has already awakened the Sharingan."
The Uchiha were famous throughout the Ninja World, and the Sharingan was their pride.
Uchiha Daishi and the others had grown up hearing about their clan's renown. They were proud of their Uchiha name, and as far as they knew, the Sharingan was invincible.
Uchiha Yuan chuckled, his sharp gaze fixed on Uchiha Eiji. "I look forward to seeing if your Sharingan can surprise me."
Uchiha Eiji's expression shifted slightly. Uchiha Yuan's gaze just now had made him feel an urge to back down.
In the middle of the clearing, yesterday's scene seemed to play out again.
Uchiha Yuan and Uchiha Eiji faced each other. He said, "Let's begin."
Uchiha Eiji shouted and activated the Body Flicker Technique. His figure flashed to Uchiha Yuan's side, and he threw a punch.
At the same time, a glint flashed in his eyes, and a black tomoe appeared in each of them.
The Sharingan was activated!
I can see it.
Uchiha Eiji thought to himself. He could see Uchiha Yuan's movements and the trajectory of his attack.
Yesterday, he hadn't been able to see how Uchiha Yuan had blocked every one of his attacks.
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