Grilled Fish

The smoke of war in Falling Cherry Valley gradually dissipated along with the persistent, drizzling rain.

Within the front-line base of the Uchiha Clan, the atmosphere held not a shred of joy despite the resolution of the supply line crisis.

"Is it confirmed?"

"Reporting to the Great Elder, the eyes we planted among the Senju and Sarutobi have sent back definitive intelligence."

The jonin kneeling on one knee below kept his head bowed, his speech rapid, "Those two 'weapons' have been confirmed as sealed. The specific location has yet to be tracked."

"Idiots."

The Second Elder let out a cold snort, a flash of undisguised disgust crossing his eyes. "They couldn't even handle such a simple task, and we lost two pairs of Mangekyō in the process! It is a massive loss for the clan!"

"However, the chaos they triggered before their deaths did indeed create a gap in the sealing array of Falling Cherry Valley. Our follow-up supply teams have successfully slipped through," another high-ranking member added indifferently.

"Since the supply line is open, those two tools died for a worthy cause."

The Great Elder did not even lift his eyelids as he waved a hand. "Go and strike their codenames from the roster, and cut off the supply rations for that dilapidated tent of theirs. Furthermore, pass down the order to bring out that batch of 'consumables' in the dungeon who have newly awakened their Three Tomoe. The Spring of Returning Light must not stop; we shall see if we can replicate a few more useful blades."

In this gloomy command tent, the fall of two supreme geniuses who had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan and bled for the clan did not even earn a single second of mourning.

All they discussed was the depreciation rate of tools and the replenishment of the next batch of consumables.

Meanwhile, in the shadows not far outside the tent, Zhi Uchiha stood with a hunched frame, listening quietly to it all.

A profound and agonizing sorrow flickered within her deep, dark eyes.

"Hikari... Yue..."

Those two young lives—who had been spitting fireballs in front of her just that morning, one cold and aloof, the other boisterous—had died so silently amidst the infighting of the clan and the calculated schemes of their enemies.

The Uchiha... were beyond saving.

A cold glint passed through Zhi's eyes, and the Three Tomoe in her one remaining eye began to rotate.

This could not continue; the Uchiha must not be buried here.

In stark contrast to the suffocating chill of the Uchiha base.

Hundreds of miles away from Falling Cherry Valley, deep within a highly concealed natural limestone cave perfectly hidden by a waterfall, a warm, flickering fire rose with a hint of domestic comfort.

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

Yue Uchiha jumped up from beside the fire, looking disheveled. His only remaining right eye widened as he snatched the wooden stick—which was emitting an eerie black smoke—out of Hikari Uchiha's hand.

Hikari sat blankly by the fire, two streaks of soot smeared across her pale, small face, looking rather comical.

She blinked those beautiful yet somewhat hollow black eyes, her tone carrying a rare, genuine sense of confusion and innocence.

"Grilling fish. I saw you heat food like this before. But it wouldn't cook, so I added just a little bit..."

"You call that adding a little bit?!"

Yue looked at the lump of completely carbonized matter on the stick, which was still emitting a faint aura of Amaterasu, and was so angry he nearly suffered a brain hemorrhage.

"Who taught you to use Amaterasu to grill fish?! Do you have any idea that black flames never burn out? If I hadn't reacted quickly and used gravity to flick it away, you wouldn't have just burned these fat fish we worked so hard to catch into ash—you would have set this cave we finally found on fire too!"

Hikari lowered her head, looking at her own hands stained with mud and small fish scales, and pressed her lips tightly together.

In the past dozen years of her life, her hands had only been used for weaving hand signs, gripping blades, and killing. This was her first attempt at touching something other than "slaughter"—such as preparing a simple meal.

But clearly, as an "ultimate weapon," her ability to care for herself was practically non-existent.

"I'm sorry..." Hikari's voice was as thin as a mosquito's, carrying a hint of grievance she herself hadn't noticed. "Tool... Hikari does not have the function for cooking."

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

"Stop, stop, cut it out!"

Yue reached out without ceremony, curled his finger, and flicked her forehead lightly. "Thump!"

Feeling the sting, Hikari covered her forehead and retreated to the side.

"Fine, let me try my hand at grilling fish. It's been a long time since I've had the time to do this."

Yue skewered two cleaned, fresh fish again and set them over the fire, expertly turning them as they roasted.

"Sizzle—"

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

Yue pulled a small pinch of coarse salt from somewhere and sprinkled it with extreme stinginess over the golden, crispy fish skin.

The amount was small, but it was distributed perfectly evenly.

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

Yue shoved the most perfectly grilled fish into Hikari's hand, then picked up the slightly charred one for himself, biting into it heartily without a care for his image.

Hikari held the steaming fish and took a cautious bite.

It was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, carrying a faint saltiness and the scent of firewood.

There was none of the nauseating bitterness of military rations, nor the metallic tang of blood.

"Is it good?" Yue Uchiha asked, his words muffled.

Hikari Uchiha did not speak, merely accelerating her chewing like a famished kitten, gnawing even the fish bones clean.

Her eyes turned slightly red in the glow of the fire, though it was unclear if it was from the smoke or because the warmth of this thing called "daily life" was simply too searing.

Once full, Hikari pulled her knees to her chest and leaned against the warm rock wall. Listening to the faint sound of the waterfall outside the cave, an unprecedented wave of drowsiness swept over a brain that was supposed to "not require sleep," and she drifted into a deep slumber.

Yue glanced at the sleeping Hikari and casually draped a relatively clean outer garment over her.

The flickering firelight chased away most of the chill within the limestone cave.

Yue Uchiha sat quietly by the fire, listening to the light, steady rhythm of Hikari Uchiha's breathing.

For a "weapon" who had kept her nerves tightly coiled for so long, this was perhaps the most peaceful sleep of her life.

Yue tossed a piece of dry firewood into the flames, his remaining right eye glinting with profound depth in the dancing light.

Faking my death to escape was only the first step; there is still much to be done. Yue secretly calculated the path ahead in his heart.

In this Warring States period where human life was as cheap as grass, leaving the protection of the clan meant severing all sources of intelligence and resources.

Although he had obtained the freedom he had dreamed of, his completely blinded left eye and the chakra he had overdrawn to maintain the faked-death plan were ruthlessly reminding him of one fact.

His current state was extremely weak.

If he could not find a way to restore his ocular power, let alone find the Dragon Vein to travel back to the future, even surviving in this era was an uncertainty.

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