Suspect
After finishing his shuriken training, Sasuke lay panting on the ground, grumbling to Gugu. Itachi couldn't help but chuckle. He had originally planned to go home and wait for dinner, but then remembered that he finally had a day off and should check on the Uchiha shop's progress.
It's been a long time since I've had honey cake.
"It's still early for lunch, let's go buy some snacks first."
“Okay…” Sasuke nodded obediently; he wanted to play alone with his brother.
The two brothers walked side by side, Sasuke happily telling his brother about school. They walked together to the street opposite the school. The aroma there was incredibly strong, with many stalls that hadn't been there before, and there were a lot of customers.
This place isn't just for ninjas; there are also ordinary people. Just by looking at the very affordable price list, you can tell why. Itachi even saw quite a few people making and packing food, especially at the cold jelly stall. A bowl piled high with jelly was slurped up, so refreshing and cool—perfect for a hot day.
"There are fried skewers over there. They taste good without chili and with ketchup." Sasuke knew his brother was very busy and had never tasted these himself.
"What do you want to eat?" Itachi asked, taking out his wallet. When he saw the chili oil over there, he fell silent.
Itachi glanced around; several stalls were occupied by young people selling snacks—spicy strips, mala tang (a type of spicy hot pot), fried skewers, grilled sausages—all strongly flavored items. This was extremely unusual for a sweet-toothed Uchiha. Koizumi was a skilled cook, with excellent culinary skills. But… she was also a fan of sweets…
Where did they learn these foods from?
Why haven't I seen this anywhere else?
Did Koizumi have close relationships with anyone?
Intrigued, Itachi and his brother decided to investigate. As they walked, they saw the Uchiha clan renovating their place. It was across from the hospital, and it seemed to be a set meal restaurant.
"Has someone from the clan opened a shop here again?"
"Huh? I don't know." Sasuke looked completely clueless; he didn't care about these things anyway. His cheeks were bulging as he ate his fried skewers, and he thought ketchup tasted good no matter what it was spread on.
"I'll try it another day." Itachi patted his younger brother's ruffled fur and ate a bite here and there.
"OK!"
A few days later, Itachi, still harboring doubts, deliberately chose to come and help Luna and Hazuki early in the morning when they were moving raw materials. He casually asked, "The hospital has taken over another shop; what kind of food are they going to make?"
"By the way, have you changed your taste?" Itachi asked softly, seemingly casually.
Hazuki almost stopped in her tracks, her expression shifting, but thankfully no one was looking at her. She only heard her daughter's slightly dazed voice behind her, who seemed to be yawning softly, as if she hadn't fully woken up.
"Hmm? A little. I've been trying quite a few things lately to cater to the tastes of outsiders," Luna replied lazily, looking like she hadn't slept enough. Being stared at by that probing gaze, it was clear she was suspicious. She was carrying eggs, and couldn't help but complain, "Itachi-kun, the clan leader treats me like a beast of burden."
“(⊙o⊙)…Uh, sorry.” Itachi’s eyes cleared instantly as he remembered what his father had said: yesterday, when the Uchiha started taking stock of the accounts, Koizumi seemed to have been dragged over to work overtime last night.
"People are so strange. When I'm not working... I desperately want to find a job, but once I find one, I want to rest." Luna said softly and coquettishly, revealing her charming little girl nature.
"You should get more rest."
“I won’t be able to rest these days. As for the food, it’s best to cater to the general public. Now there are sweet and spicy options, so I need to open a restaurant with milder flavors. Also… in places like hospitals, people are less likely to have dietary restrictions when eating natural flavors. I’ve been trying to develop steamed dishes recently; I don’t know if you’ll like them?” Luna smiled, her fingers trembling slightly as she held the bag, and an invisible thread of sensory magic wrapped around Itachi’s wrist. A flash of blood red appeared in her narrowed eyes.
[To cater to the general public's taste!]
Itachi's mind cleared, and he breathed a sigh of relief. That's right, few other people in the village could stomach the food at Uchiha restaurants.
"Steamed dishes? Is that just steaming or boiling?"
"Yes, the flavor will be relatively light, with less salt and oil, focusing more on the original taste."
"Then start it up, I'll give it a try."
"Do you remember Uncle Sha? His child is just 12 years old this year."
Listening to the two chatting about the soon-to-open restaurant, Hazuki glanced at the 'perfect couple' behind her and couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
"Take a rest, don't overwork yourself. Our family isn't short of money now." Hazuki couldn't help but say. This child had tried so hard to make the Third Hokage and Danzo fight, but it all ended up like this. Now Itachi's probing made her feel even more sorry for him.
Luna felt this was a way to get her out of trouble, so she left Itachi behind and ran a few steps, saying in a spoiled tone, "Okay, Mom, don't worry, I'll take a nap before I go to work today."
Itachi: "..."
-_-|| Uh!
Is this something that can be said aloud?
When Itachi carried the things to the bakery, Luna simply gave him some leftover bread to get rid of him: "Itachi-kun, go to work now."
“…Hmm.” What could Itachi do? The mother and daughter had to get to work and didn’t have time to deal with him right now.
Itachi picked up the bread, opened it, and smelled the enticing aroma. He took a bite and couldn't help but smile. Koizumi changing his tastes—was it for the sake of the shop and business? What was he really thinking?
An invisible entity of longing stood quietly behind Itachi.
>>>>
With Danzo temporarily stripped of power, the Uchiha clan had a chance to catch their breath. Luna also suspended her actions against the higher-ups and focused on improving her strength.
After all, in the end, she still had to rely on force; she couldn't expect anyone's protection.
However, to avoid attracting Itachi's attention, she first focused on improving her eye power and mental strength, while continuing her struggle against the rabbit. To build muscle, she now eats beef regularly and exercises daily.
Her Mangekyou Sharingan pattern is quite unique. Unlike other Sharingan patterns, it's a vertical ∑ (swastika), with the right eye having the same pattern in the opposite direction. However, there are two black dots above and in the middle of the ∑, which together resemble a simple butterfly drawing.
【Illusion】is her kaleidoscope, perhaps awakened in a different direction than the original owner, and looks somewhat asymmetrical, unlike a standard Uchiha.
With the help of the Kaleidoscope, she can now create a physical clone using a large amount of magic, similar to a shadow clone, just like some powerful beings. Her only advantage is in distance; the clone can travel more than half a continent away from her.
During her practice of dream weaving, she discovered that her eyes could turn illusions into reality. This was somewhat similar to the traditional Uchiha genjutsu, Izanagi. However, that came at the cost of blindness, while she… only needed to expend a small amount of her eye power and a variably reduced amount of vision to use it once.
"Ugh!" Luna covered her stinging eyes, her vision blurring. She smelled rust and her palms felt sticky.
Oops!
This is clearly not going to work.
Luna knew she was a novice and many of her techniques required experimentation. Without treatment or relief, she would rapidly develop nearsightedness.
Luna's first thought was the White Zetsu. She dispatched a spirit with half the magic power and the ability to touch people's thoughts. She quickly sent the spirit to the war-torn land, intending to bring back a few White Zetsu for research.
Bang!
Luna's mental form crashed into the transparent wall. She stood there, stunned, and gritted her teeth, punching the air.
"What's going on? I never said I was going to run away!"
Since White Zetsu wasn't an option, she had to think of other ways. Her lost eye power needed replenishment, so she'd have to rely on the eyes of other Uchiha. Using living people was clearly out of the question, and they wouldn't give them to her anyway. Therefore, she'd have to use the Uchiha's eye bank.
"Koizumi, it was you who wouldn't let me go get the White Zetsu," Luna said calmly. You can't blame her for stealing the Uchiha's eye bank.
Besides, she's working hard for the Uchiha clan; the Uchiha can't just take the benefits without contributing anything, can they?
So, as usual, Luna used her mental form to infiltrate the Eye Library without any obstacles. She moved around to make sure there were no other traps or mechanisms nearby, then used summoning magic to bring her real body in, thus achieving a silent infiltration.
This is not a warehouse in the traditional sense; it's more like a cold, silent tombstone. The surrounding air is stagnant, carrying a strange, heavy smell mixed with the pungent odor of formaldehyde.
Unlike before, the current eye bank contains numerous scientific instruments. Floating within cylindrical glass containers are special liquids, and pairs of red eyeballs appear rather eerie. A dim emergency light illuminates the surrounding area, behind which stand heavy stone doors and sealing spells.
Within those liquids, the Sharingan eyes, dormant for an unknown period, had their nerve bundles at their ends swaying slowly like pale tentacles. Their sheer number was enough to send chills down one's spine. These eyes were meticulously placed on the walls, the ceiling, and even on countless columnar crystals rising from the ground. Each pair of points of light was an eyeball that had once reflected the Sharingan's magnificent patterns.
Luna stood in a somewhat eerie place, her eyes wide open as she looked around. Her magic spread out, allowing her mental energy to cover the entire eye bank and connect with each pair of eyeballs.
"The Uchiha clan is on the verge of extinction, and I need your help. I will do everything in my power to avert this crisis."
Legend has it that the Sharingan of the Uchiha clan possesses a spirit; those with exceptional mental strength leave behind obsessions and curses before their deaths. If someone other than a blood relative occupies one of their eyes, that person will be cursed to death.
Legend has it that the Sharingan of the Uchiha clan possesses a spirit, and when someone wants to entrust their eyes to their beloved, they will leave behind their sincerest blessings and the strongest protective power within them.
"But I don't believe it. Rather than divine punishment and retribution, I believe I am retribution." Luna's Sharingan turned crimson as she smiled at the eyeballs. The most terrifying thing about mental magicians is their ability to manipulate the mental power of others, even if only a tiny bit remains.
The pair of eyes closest to the center reacted first, and as their mental energy connected, pupil power gradually flowed into their eye sockets. However, these were only two tomoe, and their power was not very strong.
Her forehead was covered in a fine sheen of sweat; the feeling of this intrusion of eye power was anything but gentle. Or rather, this act of forcibly seizing another Sharingan was certainly not as simple as eating.
Luna's eyes were sore and swollen, as if she were hallucinating, seeing several figures. She didn't want to listen carefully to what they were saying, focusing instead on absorbing the power of her eyes.
Time passed slowly, and Luna absorbed the power of five pairs of eyes, replenishing her eye power. The massive surge of eye power broke through the shackles of her gradually sealed Sharingan, restoring her vision.
In the silent darkness, the five pairs of eyes lost their blood color, turning into inky black. Luna's breathing became heavy, trying to ease the discomfort in her pupils. She glanced at the Sharingan eyes filling the 'wallcase', and a slight smile appeared on her lips:
"I'll come again next time. The Uchiha... will not perish."
As for the future?
That depends on whether the next generation lives up to expectations.
Glug!
After she left, bubbles rose from the medicine, as if they were saying something.
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