At that moment, Uchiha Chen had no idea that others were already on their way.
He had successfully opened the cave. As a soft shower of sand and stones tumbled down, Uchiha Izumi, who had been sitting inside with her eyes closed, raised a hand to shield them from the dazzling sunlight streaming in through the entrance.
Only when a tall figure slowly entered the cave, blocking the light, did she gently lift her head.
The person before her was none other than Uchiha Chen, covered in dust.
Seeing that his clothes were somewhat dirty from the fight, Uchiha Izumi froze for a moment. Then a delighted smile blossomed across her face.
Without hesitation, she opened her arms and hugged Uchiha Chen tightly.
In the sunlight, the beauty mark beneath Uchiha Izumi's eye glimmered faintly, illuminating her lovely, endearing face.
Yet for some reason, a crystalline tear slid from the corner of her eye. It held a hint of sorrow, but that soon turned to resolve, and at last, calm.
Seeing Uchiha Izumi crying out of fear, Uchiha Chen felt even more tenderness toward her.
Uchiha Chen wrapped his arms around her and held her tight. He was about to comfort the frightened little girl when Uchiha Izumi spoke first. "Big Brother Chen, are you hurt?"
Uchiha Chen heard the concern in her voice, muffled and carrying a faint, almost imperceptible rasp.
He didn't think much of it. His arms simply tightened around her on their own.
All he felt now was concern for Uchiha Izumi, along with a trace of gratitude toward Shimura Danzō.
If not for the incident he had set in motion, who knew whether their relationship could have been mended? And they certainly wouldn't be holding each other so closely now.
Thinking of this, Uchiha Chen quickly replied, "I'm fine, Izumi. Don't be afraid. I killed both of the people who came to assassinate me, and destroyed their bodies too."
As soon as he finished speaking, he felt the person in his arms tremble.
He immediately regretted it. He wished he could slap himself. How could he have said something like that?
Although Uchiha Izumi had been working tirelessly to become a ninja, she was still just a child. How could he tell her about something like this?
Filled with regret, Uchiha Chen did his best to comfort her. "I'm sorry, Izumi. I shouldn't have told you about such awful things. Don't be afraid. I'll always be here to protect you."
As he spoke, he gently patted her back.
Gradually, Uchiha Chen felt the person in his arms begin to calm down. He released her and looked down at Uchiha Izumi's tear-streaked face, gently wiping the tears away with his hand.
Then he stood up, took Uchiha Izumi's hand, and prepared to leave.
As they walked, Uchiha Chen kept thinking about how he could comfort Izumi.
Suddenly, his eyes were drawn to a dainty little daisy around a distant corner.
The daisy seemed to have escaped the fierce battle. Its petals trembled in the breeze, like a shy girl smiling and nodding at him.
Uchiha Chen thought that if he tucked the flower behind Izumi's ear, it might cheer her up.
So Uchiha Chen stopped and turned to Uchiha Izumi, who had almost calmed down. "Izumi, wait here a moment. I'll be right back with a surprise for you."
With Uchiha Izumi watching him expectantly, he turned and ran toward the daisy.
Uchiha Chen had nearly exhausted all his chakra while dealing with the aftermath of the fight. As soon as he turned around, the full extent of his weakness became obvious.
But not long after he ran off, Uchiha Izumi seemed unable to contain her eagerness. She followed quietly in his footsteps, apparently desperate to find out what this so-called "surprise" was.
Meanwhile, Uchiha Chen, still somewhat weak, finally recovered a little chakra with the help of his Sage Body.
But he didn't rush to use it. After all, running on his own two feet was more sincere than using chakra to speed himself along.
Thinking this, Uchiha Chen quickened his pace and soon reached the daisy. He crouched down slightly and reached out to pick it.
Just then, he heard a faint sound of footsteps beside him.
The footsteps didn't sound like the two men's backup, but to be safe, Uchiha Chen carefully shielded the flower in his hand and waited quietly for whoever it was to appear.
As he waited, he suddenly realized the footsteps sounded familiar. He was just about to listen closely and figure out who they belonged to.
The person was already standing before him. A closer look revealed that it was Uchiha Izumi, who should have stayed behind.
Seeing Uchiha Izumi standing before him, slightly out of breath from running, Uchiha Chen unconsciously overlooked the odd state of her clothes. He lifted the flower, the corners of his mouth curling into a faint smile, ready to tease her for being so eager to find out what the surprise was.
But just as he was about to speak, something suddenly felt wrong. He noticed the person before him rushing toward him with a look of terror. And ever since she had first seen him, her expression had changed several times.
At first, she had looked anxious. When she saw him, relief and joy had crossed her face, but then she had become terrified of something behind him.
At the same time, Uchiha Chen heard Uchiha Izumi cry out urgently, "Run! Senpai, behind you..." Her voice was full of fear and tension, as if a venomous snake were secretly flicking its tongue behind him.
Before Uchiha Izumi could finish, a chill swept across Uchiha Chen's back and chest.
Then a searing pain tore through his entire body, and he couldn't help spitting out a mouthful of blood. His body pitched forward uncontrollably, and he collapsed into the arms of Uchiha Izumi, who had rushed up to him.
Uchiha Izumi held Uchiha Chen tightly, her face full of panic and worry.
She tried to press her hands against Uchiha Chen's bleeding wounds, but blood kept welling between her fingers. Tears streamed down her face as she called his name in a trembling voice, hoping he would stay conscious.
At this critical moment, the atmosphere around them grew oppressively heavy, as if time itself had frozen.
Uchiha Chen endured the agony and struggled to open his eyes. Relying on the Sage Body's powerful vitality and the chakra he had just gathered, he clung desperately to the last thread of his life.
Looking at Uchiha Izumi, her face stained with blood and filled with anxiety, Uchiha Chen struggled to speak. "Don't worry. I'm not going to die." Then he laboriously turned his head, trying to see who had stabbed him in the back.