Footsteps sounded outside the door—three sets. Wooden clogs clicked softly against the stone paving, drawing closer.
Ayame's voice came from outside.
"Lord Yongye, we're back."
"And we brought your favorite breakfast!"
"Open the door. I'll bring it in."
Then came the Shanyue sisters' chatter and laughter, as noisy as two early birds fighting over a worm.
Yongye rose from the Tatami. The blanket slipped from his waist and pooled around his feet.
A cold glint flashed through his eyes. Smiling to himself, he pretended to be half asleep, yawning as he padded barefoot across the Tatami. He reached the door and slid it open.
Morning light spilled in and fell across his face.
The three women stood in a row outside.
Ayame stood in the middle, carrying a tightly lidded woven-bamboo food box. The Shanyue sisters flanked her, each holding a handful of wildflowers freshly picked from the courtyard, dew still clinging to the petals.
All three bowed at once.
"Good morning, Lord Yongye!"
Their voices and movements were perfectly synchronized. Even the angle of their bows was identical.
The twin sisters kept their heads down, staring at their toes.
Ayame bowed too, but she tilted her head up, peering at Yongye through her lowered brow.
In that instant, her eyes turned scarlet!
Three Tomoe appeared in her pupils and began spinning wildly. Faster and faster they went, blurring together until their edges vanished. At the center of the whirl, a triangular pinwheel slowly emerged.
The Mangekyō Sharingan was about to fully awaken!
That was not Ayame. It was Uchiha Itachi!
Yongye moved faster than Uchiha Itachi!
He raised his right hand, fingers spread, palm aimed at Ayame—no, at Uchiha Itachi.
Immobility Technique!
Invisible power surged from Yongye's fingertips. Like countless unseen threads, it shot through the air and bound