The string of incomprehensible words Uchiha Yato recited at the end left civilian ninjas and ordinary villagers completely baffled. Only those from established clans with some background knowledge could vaguely grasp what Uchiha Yato was saying.
Uchiha Shisui turned to the elder beside him and asked,
"What was that thing Yato-nii just read out in front of everyone?"
"Even though I didn't understand it, it sounded really profound."
Before the elder could respond, Obito cut in,
"He's just being pretentious—don't mind him."
"I just hope he doesn't notice me, or else he'll quiz me on my studies and I'm done for."
Hearing this, Kakashi and Nohara Rin couldn't help but smile.
Obito's greatest nightmare was Uchiha Yato.
The elder then offered an explanation,
"These are just the kind of pompous rituals the upper-class nobles indulge in."
"Even I find it overly formal and unnecessary, but I have to admit, it does sound impressive and rather pleasing to the ear."
Though the elder's tone carried a hint of disdain, his words still held a degree of respect.
Amid this solemn scene, the system once again took the initiative to record the entire event—partly to earn some extra income. After all, Uchiha Yato's Emotion Coins had been completely depleted in his earlier all-in gamble. This recording would at least help lift his spirits later.
...
A week after Uzumaki Mito's funeral, within a small building in the Senju Clan Grounds, Uzumaki Kushina was recuperating.
Now bearing the new Nine-Tails seal, her body was extremely weak. Because of this, she had been unable to see Uzumaki Mito one last time.
By her side, two men and one woman tended to her.
The woman, of course, was none other than Tsunade. As a medical ninja and someone who saw Kushina as a younger sister, she naturally took on the responsibility of caring for her—she wouldn't have been able to rest easy otherwise.
The two men were Uchiha Yato and Namikaze Minato.
Minato, being Kushina's long-unacknowledged boyfriend, was an open secret among those with any insight or higher standing in the village.
Uchiha Yato's presence was also expected.
Not only had Uzumaki Mito entrusted him with her final wishes, but even when Kushina first arrived in the Hidden Leaf, she and Yato had gotten along quite well.
Back then, fresh from the trauma of war, Kushina struggled with emotional regulation.
Her bright red hair—a rarity in the Hidden Leaf—made her an easy target for ridicule.
The major clans avoided getting involved in potential conflicts, while civilian ninjas, largely ignorant of her background, often acted recklessly toward her.
And that was precisely when Uchiha Yato made his grand entrance.
With his mischievous nature and Kushina being the center of attention, Yato took great pleasure in lying in wait, ready to give any troublemakers a nasty surprise.I remember there was a civilian ninja named Kenta who deliberately mocked Uzumaki Kushina's hair color and scared the girls with bugs.
Uzumaki Kushina, who had just arrived, didn't know how to communicate with these unfamiliar people.
Not wanting to cause too much trouble for Uzumaki Mito, she could only endure silently, hiding in a small corner and crying quietly.
But for us, Uchiha Yato, this was simply the perfect motive for committing the act!
Pah!
A "righteous crusade" motive.
That civilian ninja had his hair dyed in all the colors of the rainbow by Uchiha Yato using various dyes.
(Reference can be made to a certain anime's multicolored dog (Xiao Tian Quan).)
The civilian ninja had initially thought Uchiha Yato's prank was over.
But then Uchiha Yato proposed another idea.
"Making you look like this is really embarrassing. As a member of the Uchiha Clan, I'd like to treat you to a meal as an apology."
Hearing Uchiha Yato's words, combined with the general perception of the Uchiha Clan among civilians at the time—and considering his own family's financial situation—he decided to go along with Uchiha Yato.
Only to be presented with what Uchiha Yato called a "grand feast."
To say it was extravagant would be an understatement.
Rich in protein and prepared in every conceivable way.
This grand feast was known as—the "Bug Banquet."
As the name suggests, every dish was made entirely from insects.
In the ninja world at that time, the acceptance of eating insects wasn't particularly high.
So when faced with this spectacle, the civilian ninja, Kenta, instantly panicked.
Uchiha Yato had gone to great lengths to "persuade" him to stay for the meal.
He had to treat his guest properly—otherwise, what if this civilian ninja went around saying the Uchiha Clan had poor hospitality? That would tarnish the clan's reputation!
Thus, when the Hidden Leaf's Military Police Force and some civilian ninjas arrived later, they were greeted with quite the sight.
Uchiha Yato was leisurely grilling all sorts of insects on the side.
A pot simmered with insect soup, while the cutting board displayed various insect preparations.
And piled high in front of the civilian ninja was a mountain of food.
Kenta wore a forced smile as he "enjoyed" this hard-earned "Bug Banquet."
In the end, Uchiha Yato paid him a visit to apologize and then asked Kenta why he had harmed Uzumaki Kushina.
After being tormented by Uchiha Yato, Kenta never wanted to experience hell again.
Stammering, he admitted, "Someone told me that redheads are devils who bring misfortune to the village."
After extracting more details, Uchiha Yato confirmed the mastermind behind it all.
That's right—it was none other than the Hidden Leaf Village's "Shadow of Blame" and his top lackey, Aburame Ryoma.
So Uchiha Yato thoughtfully sent Aburame Ryoma a "gift" first.
Namely, the earlier "school incident." (Refer to the initial chapters if you've forgotten.)
In Uzumaki Kushina's heart, Uchiha Yato had once been the very image of a hero.
But Uchiha Yato cracked jokes without regard for the occasion.
Eventually, his pranks even extended to Uzumaki Kushina herself.
This was the origin of her "Red Hot Habanero" nickname. With her incredible vitality and mastery of monstrous strength, she was no pushover.
She perfectly recreated the spectacle of Tsunade chasing Uchiha Yato around.
When it came to Uchiha Yato, Uzumaki Kushina truly had a love-hate relationship.
Later, Uzumaki Mito, fearing that the relationship between Uchiha Yato and Uzumaki Kushina might sour, took the time to explain to Kushina why Yato acted the way he did.It was through the release of these emotions that Uzumaki Kushina was able to better integrate into the Hidden Leaf.
...
Uchiha Yato said, "Lady Mito also asked me to take good care of you in the end."
"But with your spirited attitude, I doubt there's much care needed."
Upon hearing Uchiha Yato's words, a certain nerve in Namikaze Minato twitched slightly.
For Uchiha Yato, the reaction was even more pronounced.
After all, with his system, emotional changes were most easily reflected through Emotion Coins.
Uzumaki Kushina didn't indulge Yato either and cut straight to the point.
"Alright, thanks for your concern."
"Don't say things that could easily be misunderstood."
These two sentences were entirely directed at Minato, telling him not to get too jealous.
Thus, Uchiha Yato steered the conversation back to the main topic.
"Let me see the Nine-Tails~"