Tajima: Who owned that robe?

The birds Yanbai had sent guided Madara Uchiha, helping him avoid the Hagoromo Clan's pursuers as best they could.

Despite taking a long detour, Madara returned safely to the Uchiha Clan Compound.

Once Madara and Izuna were out of mortal danger,

the Uchiha Clan launched an all-out assault on the Hagoromo Clan.

With their hatred over the pursuit of Madara Uchiha and Uchiha Izuna fueling them, the Uchiha Clan struck with ruthless brutality.

The Hagoromo Clan was no match for the powerful Uchiha Clan. This would be a one-sided slaughter.

However...

Even after they returned safely to the Clan Grounds, Madara Uchiha and Uchiha Izuna's circumstances did not improve.

Madara Uchiha's injuries were so severe that he passed out upon returning to the Uchiha Clan Compound.

Although Madara Uchiha had received healing from the gem Yanbai gave him, it had only restored a little of his mobility, ensuring he had the strength to flee. His injuries remained serious.

Uchiha Izuna had been well protected by his older brother and suffered only scrapes. Once his wounds were cleaned and simply bandaged, a few days of rest would suffice.

Precisely because of that, Uchiha Izuna's situation was even worse.

The Uchiha Clan Head's residence.

In the study, Uchiha Tajima sat at his desk.

Behind Tajima hung the clan's fan emblem and a piece of calligraphy bearing the word "Uchiha" in bold, vigorous strokes.

Uchiha Izuna, who had already changed his clothes and was undergoing routine questioning, knelt in the center of the room, his head bowed before his imposing father.

Gloom enveloped the entire study, and the atmosphere was icy.

"Izuna, I heard you awakened the Two-Tomoe Sharingan. Is that true?" Uchiha Tajima watched his younger son, seated opposite him, with cold eyes.

Uchiha Izuna's youthful face had already lost the liveliness a boy his age should have possessed. He answered steadily, "Yes, Father."

Hearing this, Uchiha Tajima asked with seeming casualness, "Was it because of your battle with the Hagoromo Clan?"

Uchiha Izuna's expression did not change. He nodded without hesitation. "Yes..."

"You lied to me, Izuna!"

Upon receiving that affirmative answer, Uchiha Tajima suddenly glared at Uchiha Izuna. "You actually lied to your father."

Uchiha Izuna's eyes widened. He was at a loss, unable to speak.

Uchiha Izuna was bold and perceptive. From those few words, he had already realized what he was about to face, and that realization made him close his eyes in anguish.

Uchiha Tajima had been smiling all along, but there was no trace of amusement in his eyes. His voice was quiet and eerie. "Heh... Since when did even you start lying to your father?"

Uchiha Izuna lowered his head. His hands, resting on his knees, unconsciously clenched into fists. His youthful face twisted despite himself, and even his Sharingan activated involuntarily.

Uchiha Tajima did not let him off. Instead, he pressed harder. "Izuna, staying silent doesn't mean this matter will simply go away."

"Father..." Uchiha Izuna finally could not help calling out softly. His mind was in turmoil.

Having been saved by Yanbai so many times, Uchiha Izuna's resolve had already wavered.

Now, Uchiha Tajima's questioning, coming without any warning, left Uchiha Izuna deeply conflicted.

Should he tell his beloved father everything, or hold something back to protect Yanbai?

That was not something Uchiha Izuna could decide.

Because they were the Uchiha Clan...

His little schemes had nowhere to hide beneath his father's Sharingan.

Uchiha Tajima lowered his eyes and spoke at an unhurried pace. "The clansmen guarding you did everything they could to help you escape as soon as they discovered you had awakened the Two-Tomoe Sharingan. You had clearly awakened your eyes before encountering the Hagoromo Clan. What is it? Is the process so difficult to speak of that you have to hide it even from your own father?"

At those words, Uchiha Izuna involuntarily recalled the pain of the Great Fireball Technique backfiring.

No one could understand the agony Uchiha Izuna had endured then, not even his father.

That prolonged brush with death had been cruel and plunged him into despair.

Even recalling it now nearly brought tears spilling from his eyes.

Uchiha Izuna fought desperately to endure it, as though resisting some invisible force.

The flames that had turned against him, the girl's singing-he remembered crying then, weeping bitterly over his own helplessness and the sensation of dying.

And now...

Unable to defy his father, he was about to expose the benefactor who had repeatedly saved him and his brother from danger, putting him at risk.

Dread of the unknown future nearly stopped Uchiha Izuna's heart, and his body began trembling uncontrollably.

The Uchiha Clan's members had extraordinarily sensitive emotions. Precisely because of that, they had to seal those emotions away.

Uchiha Tajima was no inexperienced youngster. Naturally, he could sense the changes in Izuna before him.

To awaken a Two-Tomoe Sharingan from the outset, one must have undergone an experience beyond an ordinary person's comprehension.

Uchiha Tajima knew he could not remain silent any longer.

Keeping the conversation going would at least stop Izuna from imagining things for the moment.

Uchiha Tajima continued:

"They said that when you appeared, you were wearing an unfamiliar outer robe. Since it was so different from our clan's dark clothing, we can be certain it wasn't yours."

At those words, Uchiha Izuna's eyes widened, and his mind went blank.

But because he could no longer think, Uchiha Izuna stopped endlessly imagining what might happen, and his body stopped trembling as well.

Maintaining the same cadence, Uchiha Tajima gently coaxed him. "That robe... where did it go?"

Uchiha Izuna stared blankly without responding. He was struggling to restart the breathing that had momentarily stopped.

Uchiha Tajima narrowed his eyes. His voice remained unchanged as he asked softly, "Or let me ask a different question. Who owned that robe?"

Uchiha Izuna had barely forced himself to breathe again when courage, morality, revulsion, and a tangle of other emotions flooded his consciousness all at once.

Ahhhhh-

What should I do?

What am I supposed to do?

How am I supposed to answer Father's questions?

Should I tell him?

Should I reveal that extraordinary woman just like that?

Would she keep helping us, the way she helped my brother before?

Uchiha Tajima was very patient. He could feel it: after he mentioned the robe's owner, Izuna's emotions became extremely unstable.

Uchiha Tajima had guessed that the robe belonged to the silver-haired girl. He merely wanted to confirm his suspicions through Izuna's reaction.

Uchiha Tajima cautiously pressed on. "That robe belongs to her, doesn't it?"

Uchiha Izuna maintained his outward panic, but inwardly, he gradually began to calm down.

Uchiha Tajima still did not give up. He continued, "The girl who made Madara awaken his Sharingan-you met her too, and then awakened your eyes because of her..."

At those words, Uchiha Izuna suddenly saw that his father's feet, clad in white socks, had come right up to him. Under that oppressive presence, Uchiha Izuna abruptly raised his head.

Uchiha Izuna gathered every ounce of strength into his throat. He wanted to say something, only to meet Uchiha Tajima's scarlet Sharingan.

Before he lost consciousness entirely, Uchiha Izuna heard his father's gentle, loving voice gradually drifting away.

"Izuna, two tomoe at your age... even I wouldn't dare dream of it."

"Now I'm curious. Just what sort of girl is she? What exactly did she do to you brothers?"

"Since the process was so painful-so painful you can't bring yourself to speak of it-then don't. Sleep... Izuna. I'll find the answer myself..."