"Little Naori, over here~"
The moment they stepped out of the Hokage Building, a beautiful purple-haired woman standing not far away, accompanied by a kind-looking uncle, greeted Rikusei and Naori as they left the eye-catching hall and headed toward the Uchiha Clan Grounds.
No matter how much their children grew, they would always be children in their parents' eyes.
Naori seemed to have been cast aside. Why were Father and Mother fussing over Rikusei and completely forgetting their own daughter?!
It seemed the rumors were true—she really had been the free gift that came with the ninja tools.
Amid the nonstop, meticulous questions along the way, the fragile heart of the Uchiha Clan's first female member to awaken the Mangekyo suffered an unprecedented blow.
Fortunately, Rikusei's home was up ahead, and that irritating topic finally came to an end. Now it was time to show some concern for your precious daughter, right?!
As the door slowly shut with a creak, Naori, who had stepped into the entryway first, suddenly felt a bone-chilling coldness behind her.
Naori stiffly turned her head and stared at her father. Mother's face was obscured by shadow, but her eyes were full of questions.
"Thud—"
After a swift impact, a muffled grunt broke the stalemate. Naori saw Mother look at Father with the disappointed gaze of someone who hated to see iron fail to become steel.
Naori sensed that something was wrong. Before Mother's words could reach her ears, her eyes caught the movement of Mother's overlapping lips, and she read the unspoken words through lip-reading.
That familiar, affectionate tone uttered words that gave Naori a headache.
"This isn't the place to talk."
But she had already prepared herself mentally. She raised her hand to stop Mother and invited her upstairs for a proper discussion.
???