Uchiha Izumi's Little Thoughts

Winter in Konoha arrived wrapped in frost.

The Uchiha clan.

As the cold wind swept fine snow across the eaves of the Uchiha compound, Uchiha Ao pushed open the window.

Cold air flooded the room instantly, and the white mist he exhaled condensed into tiny droplets on the windowpane. Just as he was hesitating about whether to go out, light footsteps sounded behind him.

"Little brother, what are you looking at?" Sister Izumi hugged him from behind, resting her chin on his shoulder.

She then blew a gentle breath against his ear, making Uchiha Ao feel a ticklish sensation.

"Sister Izumi, stop it," he said helplessly.

"No, I like it." Uchiha Izumi naturally refused to let her brother go, continuing to blow against his ear.

What else could Uchiha Ao do but let Sister Izumi have her way?

Looking at the vast expanse of white snow outside the window, he suddenly had a good idea. He reached back and tucked the strands of hair falling over Sister Izumi's shoulders behind her ears.

"Sister Izumi, it's so boring just watching the snow through the window," Uchiha Ao said, turning around to meet her gaze. "How about we go out and have a snowball fight?"

Although the idea was a bit childish.

But at his age, in his previous life, he would have been at the prime age for adventure!

"Little brother, did I hear that right?" Uchiha Izumi's tone held a hint of disbelief, her amber eyes widening slightly. "You're actually suggesting a snowball fight?"

She stared at Ao's serious expression and suddenly reached out to touch his forehead. "You don't have a fever, do you? Lately, you've been complaining that these things are too childish..."

Ao took the opportunity to swat her hand away. "What's wrong with that? Can't I have a snowball fight? Your dear little brother is only ten years old, after all."

Uchiha Izumi froze for a moment.

Oh right, her brother was only ten; playing this was perfectly normal.

Why did she feel it was a bit strange?

"It's all your fault for always acting so serious!" Uchiha Izumi put her hands on her hips, puffing out her cheeks in feigned anger, the pendant at her neck swaying gently with the movement. "You're only six, yet you talk and act just like Fugaku and Tekka. You've made me almost forget that you're still just a child!"

She suddenly stepped out of the room, bent down to pack a snowball, and squinted as she aimed at Uchiha Ao. "I'm going to turn you back into a kid today!"

Before the words had even faded, the snowball flew toward him with a whistling sound.

To him, this speed was no different from a turtle's pace; dodging it would have been incredibly easy.

But Uchiha Ao deliberately slowed his movements, letting the snowball "splat" against his chest, fine snow foam splashing onto his cheeks. He staggered back dramatically, clutching his chest and shouting, "Sister Izumi is murdering her own brother!"

"You dare to dodge?" Seeing that he had been hit, Uchiha Izumi laughed until she doubled over and quickly packed a second snowball.

Uchiha Ao suddenly rushed forward, reaching out as if to snatch the "weapon" from her hands.

The two of them wrestled in the snow; Sister Izumi's scarf was pulled to one side, and Uchiha Ao's hair was covered in snow particles.

Whether he could dodge or not didn't really matter anymore.

After all, what was important wasn't the snowball fight, but the time spent with Sister Izumi.

Uchiha Ao lay on the snowy ground, his face still dusted with unmelted snow.

Uchiha Izumi sat on a stone bench in the courtyard covered in white snow, toying with a pine branch in her hand, the snow on the needles falling onto her knees with a soft rustle.

The setting sun stretched her shadow, causing it to overlap perfectly with Ao's shadow on the snow, sketching a warm and cozy scene.

After resting for a while, the two returned to their room to change into dry clothes.

Uchiha Ao picked up a sweater left on the table. It was one Sister Izumi had knitted for him personally a few days ago, wrapped in crooked, clumsy stitches of warmth.

He pulled the sweater on nimbly, and amidst the rustling sound of wool fibers rubbing together, he didn't notice a thin piece of paper sliding out of his cuff and drifting silently into a gap in the floorboards.

When he pushed the door open, he saw Izumi tying her hair ribbon into a neat bow.

"Sister Izumi, let's go." Uchiha Ao gave her a smile, his hair tips still dusted with unbrushed snow.

Izumi stepped forward quickly, skillfully taking her brother's hand, the orange-red ribbon brushing against the back of his hand with a faint scent of soap.

The two walked toward the streets of Konoha, their footsteps crunching in the snow.

Not long after they left, a figure appeared at the entrance of the Uchiha compound.

Hyuga Hinata was wrapped in a thick white cloak, her hair tips covered in snow, holding a neatly folded light purple sweater tightly to her chest, her fingers turning red from gripping it for too long.

"Hehe, Ao-kun definitely won't expect me to come find him suddenly." Hyuga Hinata walked through the Uchiha clan's territory, yet no one came out to stop her.

As she stepped on the stone path covered in a thin layer of snow, her wooden sandals made a faint "clack-clack" sound, but her heart was beating so fast it felt like it might jump out of her throat.

Pushing open the half-closed wooden door of Uchiha Ao's house, the room was so quiet she could only hear her own rapid breathing.

"Ao, Ao-kun?" she called out softly, her voice sounding exceptionally thin in the empty room.

Her gaze swept over the messy tatami mats and the half-bowl of cold red bean soup left on the table by Sister Izumi, only then realizing that the room was already empty.

"Eh? Where is Ao-kun?" Hyuga Hinata was a bit confused. She had clearly sent a letter to Ao-kun telling him not to go out today, saying there was a surprise waiting for him.

"How could Ao-kun..." Hyuga Hinata muttered to herself, her gaze sweeping over the envelope that had fallen into the crack between the bricks, a sudden bitterness rising in her heart.

"Oh, Lady Hinata." Uchiha Tekka's voice came from behind, startling Hyuga Hinata so much that she hurriedly hid the envelope on the ground behind her back.

"Are you looking for the Clan Head, Lady Hinata?" Uchiha Tekka asked as he looked down at the young Hyuga Hinata standing before him.

Thanks to the alliance between the Uchiha and Hyuga clans, and the fact that Hinata already knew the Uchiha Clan Head, Hiashi Hyuga had decided to let Hinata visit the two clans more frequently.

Because of this, the members of the Uchiha clan were all very familiar with Hyuga Hinata.

Privately, many clansmen even believed that she would one day become the Clan Head's wife.

Hyuga Hinata's fingers turned white as she gripped the envelope. Just as she was about to explain, she heard Tekka continue, "Unfortunately, it seems the Clan Head just left. I'm afraid he won't be back for a while."

He caught a glimpse of the light purple sweater in Hinata's arms, his gaze pausing for a moment before he added, "The Clan Head hasn't gone far yet. If you hurry, Lady Hinata, you might still be able to catch up to him."

Upon hearing this, Hyuga Hinata nodded, "Thank you, Brother Tekka."

Before the words had even faded, she turned and dashed out of the house, her white cloak fluttering slightly in the cold wind.

On the streets of Konoha.

"Little brother, wait." Uchiha Izumi suddenly stopped in her tracks, her gaze drawn to a shop on the street corner that hung various masks.

Crimson lanterns swayed in the wind and snow, casting a warm glow over the ferocious Tengu Mask and the adorable Raccoon Mask on the wall.

"Does Sister Izumi want to buy a mask?" Uchiha Ao noticed her intent, chuckled, and pulled her inside.

The steaming heat of the shop, thick with the scent of pine resin and paint, rushed to meet them.

Uchiha Ao looked up at the giant Ghost Mask hanging from the crossbeam, only to suddenly hear Izumi's cry of surprise.

She was standing on tiptoe, pointing upward, "Look, little brother! The eyes on this Raccoon Mask reflect light!" The shopkeeper smiled as he stepped onto a wooden ladder to take it down; the glazed surface of the mask shimmered with an indigo luster under the candlelight.

Uchiha Ao smiled helplessly. He didn't know why Sister Izumi was so fond of these masks, but she insisted on buying one every year at this time.

Izumi couldn't wait to press the Raccoon Mask to her face, her eyes curving into crescent moons through the cutouts, "How is it? Do I look imposing?"

She spun around in place, her orange-red hair ribbon sweeping across the shelves and stirring up a few tiny wood shavings.

"Sister Izumi looks imposing in anything!" Uchiha Ao laughed in agreement, his gaze inadvertently sweeping across the corner of the shop.

There sat a wooden mask, shaped like a swirl, with only two eye holes.

Uchiha Ao felt a sudden spark of interest.

The style of this mask was almost identical to the one Obito wore.

"Shopkeeper, how much for this one?"

The shopkeeper rubbed his hands together and grinned, "Not expensive, not expensive! Three hundred ryo, just to make a friend!"

He nimbly took the mask down from the wooden rack, though his movements paused as he handed it over. His cloudy eyes darted between Uchiha Ao and the mask, "But I'll say this first: once this mask is sold, there are no returns or exchanges."

Uchiha Izumi leaned in and pinched the material of the mask, raising an eyebrow in surprise, "It looks like ordinary wood, yet it costs three hundred ryo? Shopkeeper, are you trying to rip us off!"

Her expression turned dangerous.

Seeing this, the shopkeeper hurriedly apologized with a forced smile, beads of sweat forming on his forehead, "Miss, just look at how finely the patterns are carved! The craftsmanship alone is worth the price!"

He carefully shoved the mask into Uchiha Ao's hand, "Besides, this young master has a unique eye. This mask is fated to be with him!"

"It's fine, Sister Izumi. Three hundred is three hundred." Uchiha Ao's interest in the mask clearly outweighed the slightly inflated price.

Uchiha Ao tucked the mask away and walked out of the shop side-by-side with his sister.

The cold wind, laden with snowflakes, rushed toward them. Sister Izumi pressed her newly purchased Raccoon Mask to her face, and Uchiha Ao put on the swirl-patterned mask as well. The wooden texture pressed against his skin, inexplicably radiating a faint warmth.

Their figures merged into the wind and snow, drifting further and further away along the snow-covered street.

Just then, Hyuga Hinata came running over, wrapped in her cloak, snowflakes falling from her hair with every step.

She was so focused on searching for Ao that she brushed right past the two masked figures.

Uchiha Izumi sensed the movement and noticed the newcomer; her pupils constricted, and she hurriedly pulled her brother away.

"What's wrong, Sister Izumi?" Uchiha Ao asked.

"Nothing, I just suddenly want some Three-Color Dango."

The two walked further and further away.

Hinata stopped in her tracks, staring at the two blurry figures ahead, and muttered to herself, "Strange, why did those two feel so familiar just now..."

She shook her head, dismissing it as a trick of the light, and quickened her pace to continue the chase.