Naruto: The Beautiful Uchiha is Actually Me?

Chapter 111 Strange Emotions?

With the addition of the Sarutobi clan, Madara and Hashirama have finally been able to relax.

There's no need to bother with dispatching personnel anymore; after all, a bunch of readily available laborers have arrived, so why not use them? Although the Sarutobi clan is quite strong and has a relatively solid foundation, compared to the three clans... there's clearly still a considerable gap.

Recently, because many new houses have been built in the village, from the initial relocation of some people, almost one-third of the people from various ethnic groups now reside permanently in the center of the village.

It is estimated that in the end, all clan territories will gradually migrate towards the village center.

Today is the day for the redeployment of manpower in the Takita Hui community. He has been a little tired lately, but he is very happy because he can see Yan Yi every day!

Yan Yi is so nice, so cute...

Although he seemed to care too much about that thousand-armed brat... even though he had injured Yan Yi before.

Thinking of this, Takita couldn't help but feel a pang of disappointment.

It turns out they knew each other all along, and the fighting on the battlefield was just a show; he was the only one completely unaware and kept in the dark...

"Forget it, I don't want to think about it anymore..."

Takita shook his head, composed himself, and decided he had to go back to find his brother! He had promised to bring his brother to stay with him this time.

As soon as he stepped into the gates of his family estate, Kota was already waiting to greet him at the entrance. The moment Takita saw Kota, he couldn't help but rush up and give him a huge hug.

"Brother! I'm back!"

Takita hugged Hikaru and rubbed against her for a long time, and Hikaru didn't seem to push him away at all, but just gently rubbed Takita's head.

Takita is indeed a good younger brother, but Hikaru doesn't think he's a good older brother... Hikaru often feels this way.

Although she had returned to the family, her cultivation progress still couldn't keep up with her younger brother. She wanted to help him share some of the pressure, but now it all fell on Takita's shoulders.

“Brother, come with me to the village this time! I already have a room there! We can stay together again!” Takita remembered what his brother had told him last time, so he offered this time.

"Okay, sure..."

Xiao Guang is still the same as always. Although he is not very enthusiastic or outgoing, he is very thoughtful.

He wanted to protect Takita, he wanted to take good care of Takita...

After all, he was his own younger brother, whom he had grown up in the mountains. This gave him a little more longing for the future and changed his impression of ninjas.

The more he called him "brother," the more comfortable he got with it, and it became the two words Takita used most often. Looking at this boy who was only a little taller than him and whose face was almost exactly the same as his, Takita's initial desire for a younger brother had long been forgotten.

"Then let's pack up and get ready to go together tomorrow!"

......

"Itama, I'll take you back to our clan's territory next time! There's a really delicious dumpling shop there, uh..." Yan Yi's voice trailed off as she spoke, and her expression became awkward.

"Okay, um... Yan Yi?"

Upon hearing the second half of the sentence, Itama turned his gaze curiously toward the boy beside him.

Yan Yi looked a little embarrassed, smiling apologetically while scratching her hair...

"I forgot, that shop was destroyed because of the Nine-Tails' attack last time, and it never reopened..."

Itama was taken aback for a moment, then his expression turned somewhat remorseful, his eyes trembling slightly, as if he was about to apologize at any moment.

Yan Yi realized he seemed to have triggered some unpleasant memories for him, and quickly laughed it off, saying, "It's none of your business, Mukama! What's past is past..."

"Um... thank you, Yan Yi..." Itama lowered his eyelids, his tone still not very energetic.

He always felt he had let Yan Yi down because he had done so many things to hurt her. His own clan, too... the harm they had caused the Uchiha clan, made him feel guilty and ashamed towards Yan Yi every time.

Despite her humble and weak state, Yan Yi never blamed her... He could have ignored her while she was imprisoned, but he still risked being scolded to come and see her...

This mindset persisted for so long that even now, some people still hold this belief.

"Yan Yi, I..."

Yan Yi knew what he was thinking, but she didn't know how to help him resolve his inner conflict.

For some reason, he cares about Itama much more than others... Is it because Itama was the first person to appear in his life? Yan Yi doesn't know.

Without any good words, Yan Yi simply took the hand next to her and held it in her own hand... their fingers intertwined.

Itama shuddered, raising his head to look at Yan Yi with disbelief...

Yan Yi didn't meet his gaze, her face slightly flushed, and she asked in a very soft voice, "Do you hate this gesture? Tell the truth..."

As Banma felt the warmth from his palm, his thoughts seemed to drift back to that night... the night Yan came to find him in the middle of the night, wanting to let him out.

He leaned against me, sleeping soundly and completely unguarded...

"I don't dislike it..." Itama answered softly.

Yan nodded slightly, tightened her grip on his hand, and asked, still with her head down, "So, how are you feeling...?"

Without much hesitation, Itama replied, "Very good..."

In front of Yan Yi, Itama felt even more relaxed than in front of his own brother, and even had the urge to let down all his defenses...

Yan nodded and silently withdrew her hand.

He probably already had a plan in mind, but he was still not quite sure about his feelings.

Furthermore, Itama seems to have an inexplicable dependence on her, always displaying a sense of insecurity and anxiety, which is truly heartbreaking...

It's probably psychological trauma?

Although Yan Yi wanted to rationally analyze the other party's mentality, she herself was currently in a state of confusion.

He wasn't sure if his feelings for Itama were the same as Takita's feelings for him. If they were, how should he face him?

When Itama noticed that Yan had put his hand back, a sudden sense of loss welled up inside him... but he quickly dismissed his disappointment and looked into the distance as if nothing had happened.

After a long silence, when the next gentle breeze blew by, Itama spoke again.

He mustered his courage and asked Yan Yi a question that had been weighing on his mind for a long time...

"Yan Yi... I might actually be a little strange."

"Hmm? What's wrong..."

"I...I'm so strange, because I keep having these uncontrollable fantasies about being locked up by you again...Isn't that weird? I'm sorry...You went to so much trouble to save me..."

As Banma spoke, his voice began to tremble. He dared not look Yan Yi in the eye, afraid of seeing shock, disappointment, or even disgust in Yan Yi's eyes...

"what..."

Yan Yi was genuinely startled; he hadn't expected Itama to have such thoughts. But Yan Yi instantly understood Itama's state of mind—it was probably a form of psychological trauma... perhaps similar to... Stockholm Syndrome.

If that's the case...

Yan Yi felt extremely sad at this moment, believing that his actions had undoubtedly and thoroughly affected Itama's mental state...

"I'm sorry... Itama, it's probably my fault..." Yan Yi managed to say these words with difficulty, not knowing what to do.

Looking ahead, Itama suddenly said with some relief, "Actually, I feel much better after saying it out loud... This is my own problem, so you can't blame Genichi."

He probably wasn't thinking about being locked up by Yan Yi, but rather reminiscing about the days when it was just him and Yan Yi...

Unbeknownst to him, Itama had developed unusual feelings for the boy in front of him. He himself didn't realize that what he felt might not even be simple liking, but rather a kind of dependence.

Seeing the indescribable sense of brokenness emanating from Itama, Yan Yi really wanted to hug him... But right now, what Itama probably needed more wasn't a comforting hug, but genuine understanding.

"I don't find you strange. It's already good that you were able to say it! Don't worry... I'll find a way!" Yan Yi put her hand back in Ban Jian's hand and smiled again.

Regardless of his true feelings for Itama, he felt it no longer mattered. At least he could spend time with him now, and there was still plenty of time ahead of him!

As for Itama's idea... Yan Yi already had some plans in mind, and hoped they would be useful.