Uchiha Zuho (Part 1)

After thanking the staff at the Shanxi Bathhouse, Hyuga Shinichi draped his arms around the shoulders of the two Hyuga brothers and led them to his private room.

The male attendant at the entrance gazed at Hyuga Shinichi with eyes full of admiration; it was rare to see someone so young capable of de-escalating a conflict between two major clans.

As soon as they entered the room, Hyuga Hiashi still sounded rather indignant.

"Shinichi, you shouldn't have stopped me back there. They were clearly the ones in the wrong."

"Brother Hiashi, why bother lowering yourself to their level? Besides, didn't Uchiha Zuho end up taking his people and leaving anyway?" Hyuga Shinichi reasoned.

"Hiashi, I'm fine. But what I find strange is that the Uchiha Clan is usually so arrogant. To think they actually backed down this time—the sun must be rising in the west," Hizashi Hyuga added from the side.

"Alright, both of you, hurry up and enjoy the hot spring. Who knows, they might just bring more people back to cause trouble later," Hyuga Shinichi said with a smile. He then began introducing his own companions; since they were all of similar age, they quickly became acquainted and began to enjoy the hot spring with laughter and chatter.

Leaning against the edge of the hot spring, Hyuga Shinichi sipped the drink that had just been delivered, his mind pondering the strange behavior of Uchiha Zuho.

As the social butterfly of the Ninja Academy, he had interacted with many members of the Uchiha Clan, even though they usually paid no mind to him, a member of the Hyuga Clan.

There was one exception, however: that fellow Uchiha Zuho, who would occasionally trade barbs with him. Yet, even when he couldn't win an argument, he had never slunk away in such a defeated manner as he did today.

Recalling the moment he saw him standing among the Uchiha group, his gaze fixed intently on Hiashi—who had been backing up Hizashi—he had seemed to fall into a daze.

It wasn't until Shinichi called out to him that he snapped out of it, as if waking from a dream.

When he realized it was Shinichi, he merely offered a cold, mocking remark before turning and leading his people away without another word.

This left him feeling incredibly curious: what could possibly cause Uchiha Zuho, who loved to argue with him, to become so reticent?

Could it be! Did he take a fancy to Brother Hiashi? After all, Hiashi standing up for Hizashi was quite dashing.

But I'm clearly much more handsome than Brother Hiashi... No! That's not it!

I can't believe my mind went there. I know Uchiha Zuho well enough to know he couldn't possibly have a penchant for men... right?

Sigh, the more I think about it, the more confused I get. Forget that guy; I'm here to soak in the hot spring. Mmm~ this is truly comfortable.

On the other side, Uchiha Zuho, who had lost all interest in the hot spring halfway through, bid farewell to his peers and left the Shanxi Bathhouse alone.

As he walked home, the warmth of the hot spring provided no comfort; instead, the evening breeze made him feel a chill.

He didn't know why he had suddenly lost his mood. Was it because of those two brothers from the Hyuga Clan? Or because he had run into that guy, Hyuga Shinichi? No, perhaps it was just that too many things had happened recently, leaving him feeling utterly exhausted.

With a mind full of tangled thoughts, Uchiha Zuho wandered into the commercial district, watching the crowds of people—mostly adults out with their children.

His gaze drifted aimlessly, as if searching for something, or perhaps just wandering without a destination.

Just like that, he passed through the bustling commercial district and arrived at a secluded street.

The atmosphere here was exceptionally quiet, the buildings on both sides slightly dilapidated, with almost no pedestrians on the road. As he walked past the reach of a streetlamp, Uchiha Zuho stopped, turned around, and stood silently, looking back at the path he had come from.

At this moment, he stood quietly in the darkness beyond the reach of the streetlamp's glow, his figure completely blending into the ink-black night. He was like a lone wolf standing on a mountain, watching the distant, brightly lit, and noisy commercial district through the light.

In the neon-flickering commercial district, the crowd flowed like a river, a scene of prosperity and joy everywhere.

Yet, all of this seemed to have nothing to do with Uchiha Zuho; he watched from afar, as if he were in another world.

In this quiet environment, his figure was both small and lonely; no one would ever notice him.

Uchiha Zuho didn't know what he was looking for, or perhaps he wanted to see something he desired within this bustling commercial district.

Just as he was about to turn and continue home, Uchiha Zuho was interrupted by a sudden cry of "Brother."

Two children ran out from an alley nearby. The older one was running fast, and the one calling "Brother" was the younger one trailing behind.

"Brother! Slow down! I can't keep up with you!"

The younger child stopped in the night air, panting just like him, while the older child stood under the streetlamp, looking back at his brother who had stopped because he couldn't keep up.

"Sigh, there's no helping you. Come! Take my hand."

The older brother helplessly walked to his younger brother's side, reached out a warm, strong little hand, and gripped his brother's slightly thin hand tightly, as if afraid that if he let go, his brother would disappear.

Then, the older brother gave a firm tug, pulling his brother into the area illuminated by the bright light.

"Like this, you won't fall behind anymore."

"Then Brother, you have to walk slower too. I'm afraid I can't keep up with your speed."

"Sigh, let's go, let's go. I'll tell you, there are so many new things in the commercial district lately, and also..."

Uchiha Zuho stood silently in place, his gaze following the two children as they walked hand in hand, bathed in the warm light, moving slowly along the path he had just traveled.

Their laughter drifted from afar, as if the whole world belonged only to them at that moment.

Time ticked by, and the two children had long since vanished from sight, but Uchiha Zuho remained motionless in the darkness outside the light.

His eyes were dull and lost, staring straight in the direction the children had left, as if drawn by an invisible force.

He didn't know how much time had passed before Uchiha Zuho finally snapped out of it. He took a deep breath, exhaled, and turned to walk into the alley the two children had emerged from.

The alley was silent and dark, with only the faint sound of the wind and his own footsteps echoing within.

In a dark corner that Uchiha Zuho did not notice, a figure as black as ink, shaped like a phantom, quietly emerged from the ground.

His sinister eyes were fixed on the receding figure of Uchiha Zuho, and a nauseating, wicked smile curled at the corners of his mouth.

"Hehe, perhaps this is another fellow who can be utilized. Relying solely on Uchiha Madara might not be enough to ensure everything goes perfectly, but I still need to observe and consider a bit more. Hehehe."

In the blink of an eye, this black shadow dived into the ground like a ghost and vanished without a trace, as if it had never appeared at all, leaving behind only silence and darkness.