"?"
Samui froze.
Confusion flashed through her eyes.
What was Yotsuki Seiji talking about?
Because of her, he might become hostile toward Kumogakure?
Had she ever done something like that?
"This isn't a good place to talk."
Seiji spoke calmly.
Suppressing the doubts in her heart, Samui led him to a private room on the second floor of the sushi shop.
Inside the room, there were only the two of them.
"Seiji, what exactly do you mean?"
Samui asked cautiously.
She had always heard that the Uchiha clan tended to behave extremely and possessed rather twisted ways of thinking. Many of the things they did were abnormal.
Could it be that after returning to the Uchiha clan, Seiji had inherited that trait as well?
"That day… I heard everything you said on the third floor."
Seiji suddenly dropped a bombshell.
Yet his tone sounded as relaxed as if he were simply talking about the weather.
Samui's pupils shrank slightly.
"…What?"
She had personally watched Seiji leave that day, and only after confirming no one was nearby did she speak with Samodo.
Could a single-tomoe Sharingan really possess such terrifying perception?
Samui stared at the boy in front of her.
He was merely a child who had just entered the Ninja Academy, someone who had luckily awakened the Uchiha clan's bloodline limit.
Seiji didn't answer.
Instead, he raised his brows slightly and silently moved his lips.
The words he mouthed were exactly what she had said that day:
"Yotsuki Seiji probably doesn't want to return to Kumogakure."
"So what? I just said it casually."
Samui replied.
"Your 'casual remark' really hurt my feelings. I originally intended to return to Kumogakure, but hearing someone speak about me like that behind my back…"
"Doesn't that mean you're questioning where my loyalties lie between the Uchiha clan and Kumogakure?"
Seiji said slowly.
"!"
Samui's face instantly turned paler.
His words were extremely forced.
So forced that it was almost making a mountain out of a molehill.
But no matter how forced it sounded…
She had indeed said those words.
Even if she herself believed Seiji didn't care much about Kumogakure, she absolutely shouldn't have said such a thing.
Some matters might seem trivial—until they were placed on the scale.
Once weighed, they could become unbearably heavy.
If the higher-ups discovered that because of her—even with only a 1% chance—Seiji decided not to return to Kumogakure…
She would definitely suffer severe consequences.
Samui herself could endure those consequences.
But she also had a younger brother—Atsui.
He would inevitably be affected as well.
He was the only family she had left.
"No matter what, I was born in the Land of Lightning. You should be someone sent by Kumogakure to recruit me, yet you show no trust in me."
"If I actually returned to Kumogakure, wouldn't everyone secretly call me a Konoha spy? How could I possibly dare to go back?"
"I just hope Samodo won't care about this matter. After all, he seemed very confident that I would return to Kumogakure."
Seiji spoke leisurely, making it sound extremely convincing.
He was deliberately exploiting the fact that Samui cared deeply about her family.
Whether in the manga or the anime, Samui always had a younger brother named Atsui.
Seiji knew his bloodline limit held great value for Kumogakure.
But not to the point where it outweighed everything else.
For example, the Eight-Tails and Two-Tails—those tailed beasts were worth far more than ten Seijis combined.
However, compared to Samui and her family…
Seiji's value was undoubtedly higher.
Silence suddenly filled the room.
"…What do you want?"
After a few breaths, Samui spoke while biting her lower lip.
Hearing this, Seiji finally smiled.
A spy from Kumogakure…
She truly understood things quickly.
"My request isn't high."
Seiji continued, lowering his voice so that only the two of them could hear.
"Give me another ninjutsu scroll."
"I want a taijutsu-type technique that can strengthen the body. As for the rank… D-rank will do."
Seiji stated his demand while staring directly at Samui.
Samui was currently a head taller than him, forcing Seiji to look up at her.
Under the dim light, two dark shadows covered his face.
"…D-rank?"
A trace of relief flashed across Samui's azure eyes.
She crossed her arms, as if supporting the full curves beneath them.
A D-rank technique was nothing.
In fact, Samui knew that if Seiji had insisted a little longer that day, Samodo might have even given him several D-rank techniques.
These were techniques meant for Genin.
They could hardly cause any serious trouble.
Many ninja with family backgrounds learned extra techniques within their clans anyway.
The only people limited to E-rank techniques at the academy stage were civilian ninja.
"Fine."
Samui agreed.
She pulled back her long gloves.
A strip of white bandage wrapped around her wrist.
Beneath the bandage were several small sealing scrolls.
Poof.
She opened one and took out a pale yellow scroll before tossing it to Seiji.
"This is a Lightning Release taijutsu technique that can activate muscle cells."
"It's called Lightning Release: Iron Body."
Seiji didn't open the scroll immediately.
Instead, he tucked it into his clothes and looked back at Samui.
Samui's face carried an exotic charm.
Her nose was high and her facial features had a sharp, three-dimensional beauty.
Then there was her full figure—her rounded, firm thighs.
Even standing there, she carried a faint fragrance.
Her figure…
was quite impressive.
Inside Seiji's brain, a certain special chakra was beginning to form.
For the Uchiha clan, awakening the Sharingan wasn't limited to the path of pain.
What it truly required was intense mental stimulation—a feeling strong enough to overwhelm the mind and make the brain tremble.
A powerful emotional fluctuation would cause the brain to secrete a special chakra.
Even awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan didn't necessarily require the death of someone close.
For example, Sasuke didn't awaken the Mangekyō immediately after killing Itachi.
It only happened later, when Obito told him the truth about Itachi's actions.
The revelation—that everything he believed had been a misunderstanding—was what truly triggered Sasuke's awakening.
Similarly, Sarada awakened her Mangekyō when no one believed her, not even her own father.
Seiji, therefore, didn't necessarily need emotions like pain, shock, protection, or guilt.
For him, experiencing beautiful things could trigger emotional fluctuations as well.
And by "beautiful things"…
He meant someone like Samui.
Perhaps because Seiji didn't bother hiding his gaze, Samui frowned slightly.
"Is this still not enough to show Kumogakure's sincerity?"
"Return to Kumogakure, and even A-rank or S-rank techniques won't be impossible."
"Thank you, Miss Samui."
Seiji replied calmly, withdrawing his gaze.
"It seems Kumogakure truly is sincere."
But there was a second half to that sentence he didn't say.
That was—
It was only sincere for today.
How could a single D-rank technique possibly satisfy Seiji?
The reason he chose a taijutsu technique was simply to strengthen his body faster.
And also because, with his current abilities, D-rank techniques were the highest level he could realistically learn.
Anything higher would only waste time and energy.
(End of Chapter)