Grilled Fish

The smoke of war over Falling Cherry Valley gradually cleared with the relentless rain.

The atmosphere in the Uchiha Clan's forward camp, however, held not the slightest hint of joy, despite the supply line crisis having been resolved.

"Is it confirmed?"

"Reporting to the Great Elder, our spies among the Senju and Sarutobi have sent back reliable intelligence."

The jonin kneeling on one knee before them kept his head bowed and spoke quickly. "It has been confirmed that those two 'weapons' were sealed. We have yet to locate the exact place."

"Fools."

The Second Elder gave a cold snort, undisguised disgust flashing in his eyes. "They couldn't even handle such a simple task, and they cost us two Mangekyō Sharingan! This is a massive loss for the clan!"

"Still, the disturbance they caused before they died did create a breach in Falling Cherry Valley's sealing array. Our subsequent supply convoy has already managed to slip through," another senior member added coolly.

"Now that the supply line is open, those two tools at least died for a purpose."

The Great Elder didn't even raise his eyelids. He waved a hand. "Erase their code names from the roster and cut off supplies to that shabby tent of theirs. Also, pass down the order to bring out the latest batch of expendables from the dungeon—the ones who just awakened the Three Tomoe. The Spring of Returning Light must continue. Let's see if we can reproduce a few more useful blades."

In that dark tent, the deaths of two peerless geniuses who had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan and risked their lives for the clan didn't even earn a second of silence in mourning.

All they discussed was the attrition rate of their tools and the replacement of the next batch of expendables.

In the shadows not far outside the tent, Zhi Uchiha stood hunched over, listening quietly to everything.

Deep sorrow flashed through her profound eyes.

"Hikari... Yue..."

Those two young lives—one cold, one boisterous, both spitting fireballs in front of her that very morning—had died without a sound, caught between the clan's internal strife and the enemy's calculated scheme.

The Uchiha... were beyond saving.

A chill flashed in Zhi's eyes, and the Three Tomoe in her remaining eye began to spin.

This couldn't go on. The Uchiha couldn't be destroyed here.

It was a world away from the suffocating cold of the Uchiha camp.

Hundreds of miles from Falling Cherry Valley, deep in a natural cavern hidden behind a curtain of waterfall, a warm fire glowed, bringing a touch of homeliness to the darkness.

"Cough, cough, cough... What are you doing?! Stop! Cough..."

Yue Uchiha jumped up beside the fire, covered in soot. His remaining right eye went wide as he snatched from Uchiha Hikari the stick that was still giving off a strange black smoke.

Hikari crouched blankly beside the fire, two smudges of soot streaking her pale little face and making her look a bit comical.

She blinked her beautiful, somewhat vacant black eyes. A rare hint of confusion and innocence colored her voice.

"Grilled fish. I saw you heat food this way before. But it wouldn't cook, so I added just a tiny bit more..."

"You call that a tiny bit more?!"

Yue stared at the completely charred lump on the stick, which was still giving off a faint aura of Amaterasu. He was so furious he nearly had a stroke.

"Who taught you to use Amaterasu to grill fish?! Don't you know black flames never go out? If I hadn't reacted fast enough to knock it away with gravity, you would've burned those plump fish we worked so hard to catch to ashes—and set fire to this cave we struggled to find!"

Hikari lowered her head and stared at her hands, smudged with mud and tiny fish scales. She pressed her lips tightly together.

In the more than ten years of her life, her hands had only ever formed Hand Seals, gripped weapons, and killed. This was the first time she had tried doing anything beyond "killing"—like making an ordinary meal.

But clearly, as the "ultimate weapon," her ability to take care of herself was practically nonexistent.

"I'm sorry..." Hikari's voice was as soft as a mosquito's, with a hint of hurt she hadn't even noticed herself. "This tool... doesn't have a cooking function."

At Yue's command, Hikari had promised never to call herself a tool again. Hikari was Hikari, and she would only call herself Hikari.

"Stop, stop. That's enough!"

Yue reached out without hesitation and lightly flicked her forehead with a bent finger. "Thunk!"

Hikari felt the sting, clutched her forehead, and backed away.

"Never mind. It's been a long time since I've had the time to show off my grilling skills."

Yue skewered two cleaned fish and set them over the fire, turning them with practiced ease.

"Sizzle—"

Fish oil dripped onto the coals, releasing an enticing aroma.

Yue produced a small handful of coarse salt from somewhere and sprinkled it sparingly over the golden, crispy fish skin.

There wasn't much, but he spread it evenly.

"Here, take it. Careful, it's hot."

Yue shoved the best-grilled fish into Hikari's hands, then picked up the slightly burnt one and wolfed it down without a care for appearances.

Hikari cradled the steaming grilled fish and took a cautious bite.

Crispy on the outside and tender within, it had a hint of salt and the aroma of woodsmoke.

There was none of the nauseating bitterness of soldier pills, nor any trace of blood.

"Is it good?" Yue asked around a mouthful.

Hikari didn't answer. She only began chewing faster, like a starving kitten, gnawing even the fish bones until they were clean.

Her eyes reddened slightly in the firelight. She didn't know whether it was the smoke or the warmth of this thing called "everyday life," which burned too intensely.

After eating her fill, Hikari hugged her knees and leaned against the warm rock wall. Listening to the faint sound of the waterfall outside, she was suddenly overcome by a drowsiness she had never felt before. Her brain, which supposedly "didn't need sleep," slipped into a deep slumber.

Yue glanced at the sleeping Hikari and casually draped a reasonably clean jacket over her.

The firelight danced, dispelling most of the chill in the cavern.

Yue Uchiha sat quietly by the fire, listening to Uchiha Hikari's soft, steady breathing beside him.

For this "weapon," who had always been wound tight, this might have been the most peaceful sleep of her life.

Yue tossed another piece of dry wood onto the fire. The deep light in his remaining right eye flickered with the flames.

"Faking my death and escaping was only the first step. There's still a lot to do," Yue silently considered the road ahead.

In this Warring States Period, where human life was worth less than grass, leaving the protection of the clan meant losing every source of information and resources.

He had gained the freedom he had dreamed of, but his completely blind left eye and the chakra he had exhausted to maintain his fake-death plan mercilessly reminded him of one fact.

He was in very poor condition.

Without a way to restore his ocular powers, finding the Dragon Vein and traveling back to the future was out of the question. Even surviving in this era was uncertain.

He quickly sorted out the three most urgent priorities in his mind.