Shingetsu's day always began with sleeping in.
"Shingetsu, time to get up!"
Wearing an apron over his clan attire, Hōkaku set breakfast on the table, then hurried over to knock on Shingetsu's bedroom door.
Inside, Shingetsu remained utterly unmoved. She simply buried her head under the covers and kept snoozing like a lazy little kitten.
"Stop calling. Shingetsu isn't getting up."
Hōkaku's relentless knocking failed to wake Shingetsu, but it did wake Tōka.
Yawning, she put on her uniform and picked up the newspaper, steadily gulping coffee with her other hand-the very picture of an ordinary senior official worn down by work.
Soon, Tōka finished her coffee and polished off all the meat on the table, leaving only vegetables and natto, before returning to watch Hōkaku's futile efforts.
He had been trying to wake Shingetsu for years, and not once had she obediently gotten up.
Tōka checked the time, slowly unfolded her newspaper, and calmly continued drinking coffee.
Mm, the Uchiha brothers should be here about now.
Sure enough, someone kicked the front door open. Uchiha Izuna rushed inside, his light footsteps pattering as he headed straight upstairs.
He shoved Hōkaku aside and knocked.
"Shingetsu, time to get up for breakfast!"
"Cousin Izuna, you-you-I..."
Having his daughter stolen away yet again left Hōkaku trembling with anger. Like a thoroughly wronged young wife, his eyes brimmed with tears as he swayed in the cold wind.
His unheeded cry of "I'm Shingetsu's father!" simply faded into the wind.
Meanwhile, the Uchiha Clan Head's Mansion was livelier than ever-excessively so, in fact.
Over the past few days, passing clan members had regularly heard children making a racket inside, interspersed with Lord Madara's furious scolding.
Two young black-haired boys raced from the courtyard into the living room like colts that had slipped their reins.