An Unexpected Incident

"Itachi?" Uchiha Yan repeated.

He feigned confusion. "Clan Leader Fugaku, wasn't Itachi sent on a mission with Shisui? Why?"

Fugaku let out a soft sigh. "But Itachi has been missing for so long. I can't help worrying."

He looked at Uchiha Yan, his eyes carrying a hint of pleading. "Yan, just think of it as helping a father out."

"As clan leader, I really can't get away. Ah..."

Uchiha Yan sighed softly and nodded solemnly. "Don't worry, Clan Leader Fugaku. I'll do everything I can. Besides, Itachi went on the mission with Shisui. With Shisui there, aren't you reassured?"

He offered a feigned word of comfort.

At Uchiha Yan's words, the worry on Fugaku's face eased a little.

He nodded. "That's right. With Shisui there, what do I have to worry about? Still, please do your best, Yan."

Uchiha Yan nodded and drained the tea on the table in one go.

"Don't worry, Clan Leader Fugaku. Leave it to me."

With that, he turned and left.

Just as Uchiha Yan stepped out of the room,

a little bundle of energy ran into his leg.

Uchiha Yan looked down and saw Sasuke.

A gentle scolding soon followed.

"Sasuke, why are you being so reckless again?"

The speaker was Uchiha Mikoto. After speaking, she walked up to Uchiha Yan and bowed slightly. "I'm sorry about that."

Uchiha Yan waved it off, then patted Sasuke's head. "It's fine. He's just a kid. It's normal for him to have a little energy."

With that, he turned and left.

Watching him go, Uchiha Mikoto told Sasuke to go play by himself.

But Sasuke pouted and said, "Mom, when is Big Brother coming back?"

Mikoto's expression stiffened, but she quickly forced a smile.

She crouched down and said, "Itachi went on a mission. He'll be back soon."

Sasuke pursed his lips, but still nodded.

He went off to practice his shuriken technique in the back, completely absorbed in it.

Mikoto, meanwhile, went into the room and asked Fugaku, "How did it go?"

Fugaku nodded. "I've already asked Yan for help. Whether Itachi is alive or dead, we'll find him."

Mikoto let out a heavy sigh.

While the others were weighed down with worry,

Uchiha Yan had already returned home.

He froze slightly when he noticed the door lock had clearly been tampered with.

He soon opened the door without showing any sign that he'd noticed.

Then he closed his eyes and carefully sensed his surroundings.

When he sensed a familiar chakra, Uchiha Yan nearly laughed out loud. So it was Izumi.

He already knew what Izumi was planning.

She was probably hiding in his bedroom, waiting for him to come in so she could scare him.

With that in mind, he sat right down on the sofa and crossed one leg over the other.

He casually picked up an apple and started munching on it.

By then, Izumi was already getting impatient in the bedroom.

Normally, Uchiha Yan would definitely lie down on his bed and rest for a while after getting home.

But as the seconds ticked by,

Izumi hadn't expected that guy Uchiha Yan would still be sitting in the living room.

Her calves were even starting to ache a little.

At last, Uchiha Yan decided he'd teased his childhood friend long enough.

Only then did he saunter over to the bedroom.

Uchiha Yan deliberately slowed his steps. The moment he opened the door,

it creaked.

Izumi, who was already poised to spring, leaped out.

"Prepare to die, Yan!"

She held both hands like tiger claws and put on an intentionally fierce expression.

But to Uchiha Yan, she looked more like a little kitten and posed no threat at all.

Even so, Uchiha Yan played along, jumping backward. The apple in his hand nearly flew out.

"You scared me, Izumi! What are you doing?"

Seeing his reaction, Izumi lifted her chin triumphantly. "Yan, you need to work on your sensory skills. How could you not even notice me—Mmph!"

Uchiha Yan couldn't be bothered to answer. He simply stuffed the apple into Izumi's mouth.

Then he reached out with his wicked hands and completely messed up her hair.

After taking a bite of the apple, Izumi set it aside and tried to fight back.

In the end, Uchiha Yan mercilessly subdued her. He tickled her waist and asked, "How about it? Do you give up?"

When he touched her sensitive spot, Izumi shuddered like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, then started squirming restlessly in Uchiha Yan's arms.

"Ha... haha! Stop, stop... Yan, that's cheating!"

Izumi laughed until she was nearly in tears, and could only weakly push at Uchiha Yan's chest.

Seeing that, Uchiha Yan smoothly twisted around and pinned the "assassin" to the tatami in the bedroom.

"Do you give up? Are you going to try assassinating me in my room again?"

"I give up, I give up. Please spare me, Lord Yan," Izumi begged breathlessly, her eyes filled with tears.

After their vigorous scuffle, Izumi's clothes were already a mess.

Her collar had shifted to one side as she struggled, revealing her delicate collarbone and even a glimpse of the dark mesh armor Uchiha members often wore, tightly hugging the young girl's developing curves.

Izumi's cheeks were pale pink from the exertion and embarrassment, and fine beads of sweat dotted her forehead. A few tousled strands of hair clung to her neck, giving her a charm she never showed in everyday life.

Uchiha Yan glanced down without thinking, then his gaze seemed to lock on as naturally as a weapon's auto-aim...

Izumi also noticed something off about Uchiha Yan. She hurriedly straightened her clothes and said, "W-what are you looking at?"

Uchiha Yan said awkwardly, "I'm not looking at anything."

Izumi rolled her eyes at him and gave him a gentle shove. "Why don't you get off me? And the kunai in your pocket is digging into me."

Uchiha Yan froze. He didn't have a kunai in his pocket.

Izumi quickly realized what she'd said, and even the tips of her ears turned bright red.

She scowled in embarrassment. "Pervert."

Uchiha Yan awkwardly explained, "Um, this was an accident. Purely an accident."

With that, he sat down on the other side.

Izumi was on the other side, straightening her clothes.

Although she'd long since engraved Uchiha Yan's name in her heart,

that moment had been far too overwhelming for her.

Izumi said, "Do you use accidents like that to bully other people, too?"

Uchiha Yan suddenly thought of Kurenai.

But telling the truth now would be the stupidest possible choice.

He reached out and patted Izumi's disheveled hair. "Who else would be silly enough to hide behind a door and try to scare someone, only to get caught themselves?"

Izumi leaned closer to Uchiha Yan's large hand of her own accord.

The flush on her face had already faded quite a bit.

She rolled her eyes at him and said, "All right, I forgive you. But as compensation for this little accident, you have to buy me a new apple."