Jade Feet

As a fellow copy master, Uchiha Yashiro naturally knew what everyone meant.

At the young master's instruction, Yashiro made no attempt to hide anything and performed the Wind-Riding Sword Technique in its entirety.

As his blade flowed through the air, Chakra turned into streaks of blue light, crisscrossing the training ground.

When he finished the final move and lowered his blade, cheers erupted from the crowd as if on cue.

Uchiha Fugaku, with the air of a dependable big brother, watched it all with satisfaction.

The sun shifted westward, and the midday light turned the Naka River into a rippling ribbon of shattered gold.

Along the banks, the branches of ancient trees intertwined, filtering the sunlight into dappled shadows that swayed gently across the water.

After a whole morning of practice, Uchiha Mikoto was leaning 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 still dotted her brow and fair neck, like morning dew on newly opened petals.

Her clothes clung slightly to her from the sweat, inadvertently outlining the youthful figure that was just beginning to blossom.

The lines of her shoulders and neck were graceful and smooth, narrowing below to a waist one could barely encircle with their hands.

Even as she relaxed, she retained a ninja's supple strength and inner power.

Mikoto bent forward with practiced ease and untied the laces of her shinobi sandals, her movements touched with the languor that followed a workout.

When she freed her feet and removed her white socks, her pale, rosy-tinted ankles slipped into the clear river.

The cool water immediately washed over her skin, and ripples spread in rings, brushing against the elegant arches of her feet and slender ankles.

The girl gently swung her feet, sending up tiny splashes as the river caressed the firm curves of her calves.

Mikoto lifted her eyes toward the person she loved, who had sat down beside her, only to catch him glancing now and then at her feet in the water, his gaze somewhat distracted.

His longing stare brought a sudden blush to her cheeks.

She couldn't help remembering how he had played with her feet after catching her, and even the tips of her ears grew warm.

Mikoto instinctively tried to hide her feet, but the clear water left them in plain view.

Her embarrassment at being watched seemed to travel with the current all the way to her toes. Her ten pearly-white toes curled and pressed together, flustered.

They stirred even smaller, more unsettled ripples in the cool river.

The midday sun shone fiercely through the tangled branches, making the flush on Mikoto's cheeks all the more visible.

She even brought her legs a little closer together and tensed the graceful lines of her calves, as if that might make her seem less conspicuous beneath his heated gaze.

The girl's breathing grew unconsciously lighter, though the rise and fall of her chest became all the more noticeable.

At last, her inescapable embarrassment turned into a soft, trembling complaint.

Her lashes lowered. She didn't dare look directly at the person beside her as she murmured, "You... you bad boy. What are you looking at?"

"I'm looking at my dear big sister."

Ren answered without a moment's hesitation, his low chuckle accompanying him as he leaned closer again.

The blazing sunlight fell upon him, and his shadow nearly enveloped Mikoto.

Ignoring her faint attempt to push him away, he pressed his warm lips against her swanlike, slender, sensitive neck, which was marked with many hickeys, his tenderness firm and insistent.

Only after a long while did Uchiha Ren reluctantly end the lingering kiss and loosen his hold on the girl in his arms, who had been so thoroughly kissed that her thoughts were hazy and her body weak.

He glanced toward the nearby woods. Daju was approaching with lunch.

So Ren lightly smacked the curve of Mikoto's slender, supple waist and hips with his broad palm, then murmured,

"Madam, a cat's coming."

The warmth of her lover's breath brushed her ear, and the tingling sensation mingled with the subtle feeling where he had smacked her. Mikoto's cherry lips parted, and a short, soft gasp escaped her.

"Ah!"

But the reminder was like a cool stream flowing through her hazy mind, and she abruptly came to her senses.

Realizing she was still almost entirely nestled in his arms, and that a clan member might be approaching, Mikoto's fair cheeks instantly turned scarlet, like a sunset washing over them.

She hurriedly wriggled free of Ren's embrace and quickly straightened her slightly disheveled top and hair.

Then Mikoto looked up and glared, embarrassed and annoyed, at the boy still sitting on the ground, watching her at his ease.

Unfaded moisture shimmered in her beautiful eyes. It was less anger than a coquettish reproach.

Mikoto lightly bit her lower lip. She looked as though she wanted to scold him for his forwardness, yet lacked the resolve after their intimacy just now. In the end, all that remained was a shy, alluring glance.

Ren was about to tease her when a rustling sound suddenly came from the bushes across the river.

A familiar voice followed, cutting urgently through the leaves.

"Young master! Madam!"

"I'm here, meow!"

The bushes on the far bank shook, and Daju's round figure leaped out from behind them.

Its four furry paws seemed to skim over the flowing river, tapping out urgent ripples as it bounded across in just a few strides and reached them.

"Huff... huff..."

It stopped, its chubby body rising and falling as it panted lightly with its mouth open. The dash had clearly worn it out.

But its round cat eyes gleamed brightly, darting eagerly between Ren and Mikoto.

The fat tail behind it swung uncontrollably at such speed that it seemed ready to whip up a gust of wind.

It hurriedly took out a sealing scroll and pushed the lunch box inside toward them. Before it had even caught its breath, it eagerly announced,

"Young master, lunch! Daju brought lunch, meow!"

Daju tipped its face up, wearing an eager, ingratiating smile.

"Let's eat right away!"

"Then... then can we summon Ayan out, please?"

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

When it woke from the genjutsu and realized Ayan hadn't really left, its heart, which had been lodged in its throat, finally sank back into its chest.

Afterward, Daju secretly resolved to show off at lunch and prove to Ayan through its own abilities that it was an indispensable, valuable Ninja Cat!

Hearing Daju call her "Madam," Mikoto couldn't suppress the smile that lifted the corners of her lips, her eyes curving into lovely crescents.

She braced her hands behind her against the tree root and stretched her slender waist, lifting her jade-like feet from the cool river.

Droplets of water streamed from them like pearls slipping from a broken string, falling from her fair toes.

Beneath the bright sunlight, each droplet turned crystal-clear and sparkled like a tiny diamond as it rolled along the elegant arch of her foot and slender ankle, then fell back into the river, sending out rings of fine, golden ripples.