Jade Feet

Uchiha Yashiro, also a master of copying, naturally understood what everyone meant.

Under the instruction of his young master, Yashiro did not hold back, unleashing the complete Wind-Riding Sword Technique.

As the blade flowed, chakra transformed into streaks of cyan light, crisscrossing across the training ground.

When he finished with the final move, a burst of applause erupted spontaneously from the crowd.

Uchiha Fugaku, possessing the aura of an elder brother, watched all of this with gratification.

The sun shifted, and the midday light dyed the Naka River into a ribbon of shimmering, broken gold.

The ancient trees along the bank intertwined their branches, filtering the light into dappled shadows that swayed gently on the water's surface.

After a full morning of practice, Uchiha Mikoto was leaning lightly against a gnarled tree root by the bank.

She tilted her head back slightly, eyes closed as she caught her breath.

Fine beads of sweat clung to her forehead and fair neck, like morning dew on a newly bloomed petal.

Her clothes clung to her body due to the sweat, inadvertently outlining the youthful curves that had begun to quietly blossom.

The lines of her shoulders and neck were soft and fluid, leading down to a waist that could be spanned by a pair of hands.

Even while relaxing, she maintained the unique suppleness and inner strength of a ninja.

Mikoto leaned over skillfully, her slender fingers untying the laces of her ninja boots, her movements tinged with a post-training languor.

As she freed her feet from their constraints and removed her white socks, those fair, rosy, and delicate ankles dipped into the clear river water.

The cool water instantly washed over her skin, and the ripples that spread out kissed her beautifully arched feet and slender ankles, one circle after another.

The young girl gently swayed her feet, kicking up fine sprays of water as the river tenderly caressed the firm curves of her calves.

Mikoto looked up at the lover who had sat down beside her, only to catch him staring, from time to time, with a slightly dazed expression at her feet submerged in the water.

That gaze, filled with a hint of longing, caused a faint blush to bloom suddenly on her cheeks.

She couldn't help but think of the scene where he had caught her and teased her feet, making even the tips of her ears grow warm.

Mikoto instinctively wanted to hide her feet, but the clear river water offered no place to conceal them.

That shyness from being watched seemed to travel directly to her toes along the water; her ten jade-like toes curled and tightened involuntarily in embarrassment.

In the cool river water, they stirred up even finer and more frantic ripples.

The midday sun shone through the intertwined branches, intense and bright, making Mikoto's slightly flushed cheeks appear even more vivid.

She even unconsciously brought her legs together, tightening the beautiful, fluid lines of her calves, as if she could diminish her presence under his scorching gaze.

The girl's breathing grew lighter of its own accord, making the rise and fall of her chest all the more distinct.

That inescapable shyness finally transformed into a soft, trembling rebuke.

With her eyelashes lowered, not daring to look directly at the person so close to her, she whispered, "You... bad guy, what are you looking at?"

"Looking at my lovely lady."

Ren's reply came without a moment's hesitation, and he leaned in closer again with a low chuckle.

The scorching sun fell upon him, and the shadow he cast almost completely enveloped Mikoto.

He ignored her slight resistance, his warm lips pressing against Mikoto's swan-like, sensitive neck—which was already marked with many strawberry-like hickeys—with a forceful tenderness.

After a long while, Uchiha Ren finally ended this long kiss with reluctance, loosening his hold on the girl in his arms, who was now dazed and limp from his teasing.

He glanced sideways at the dense forest not far away; Daju was coming with lunch.

With that, Ren's large palm gave a light pat to the slender, resilient curve of Mikoto's waist and hip, and he whispered.

"My lady, there is a cat coming."

The warm breath of her lover brushed against her ear, and the resulting tingling sensation, intertwined with the subtle touch of his pat, caused Mikoto to part her cherry lips and let out a short, soft gasp.

"Ah!"

However, this reminder was like cool spring water flowing through her muddled mind, and she suddenly jolted awake from that state of infatuation.

Realizing that she was still almost entirely nestled in his arms and that a clansman might be approaching in the distance, Mikoto's fair cheeks turned bright red, as if stained by the sunset.

She scrambled to break free from Ren's embrace, quickly tidying her slightly disheveled top and hair.

Immediately, Mikoto raised her eyes and glared in shame and annoyance at the young man who was still sitting on the ground, watching her with composure.

Her beautiful eyes shimmered with lingering moisture; rather than anger, it was more of a coquettish pout.

Mikoto bit her lower lip; she wanted to blame him for his recklessness, but she lacked the confidence due to the intimacy they had just shared, and it ultimately manifested as a shy and charming look.

Ren was just about to make a joke when a rustling sound suddenly came from the bushes on the opposite bank.

Immediately following, a familiar voice pierced through the leaves, calling out urgently.

"Young Master! My Lady!"

"I'm here, meow!"

The bushes on the other side of the river shook, and Daju's round figure leaped out from behind the shrubbery.

His four furry paws moved across the flowing river as if it were solid ground, creating ripples as he dashed toward the two of them in a few quick strides.

"Hoo... hoo..."

It stopped in its tracks, its chubby body rising and falling as it panted with its mouth open; clearly, the mad dash had exhausted it quite a bit.

Yet those round cat eyes were startlingly bright, darting eagerly between Ren and Mikoto.

The plump tail behind it was wagging at such an uncontrollable, high speed that it was almost whistling through the air.

It hurriedly pulled out a sealing scroll and pushed the lunch box from within it forward, unable to wait even until its breath had steadied before speaking.

"Young Master, lunch, lunch is here, meow!"

Daju tilted his head up, his face plastered with a fawning and impatient smile.

"Let's eat quickly!"

"And then... then can we summon Ayan, please?"

The sparring session with the Silver-spotted Cat that morning had given Daju quite a scare.

Only after it woke from the genjutsu and realized that Ayan hadn't truly left did the heart that had been stuck in its throat finally drop back into its chest.

Daju had secretly made up its mind afterward that it would definitely show off its skills during this lunch hour, using its strength to prove to Ayan that it was an indispensable and highly valuable ninja cat!

Hearing Daju's "Milady," Mikoto couldn't help but let her lips curl upward, her eyes curving into beautiful crescents.

She braced her hands behind her on the tree roots, stretching her slender waist as she lifted her jade-like feet from the cool river water.

The flowing droplets looked like pearls on a broken string, falling one after another from her fair toes.

Each droplet became crystal clear under the bright sunlight, shimmering like crushed diamonds as they rolled down the gracefully arched insteps and slender ankles, merging back into the river and rippling out in tiny, golden circles.