"Can't these crazy Hyuga clan members tell that we've been actively avoiding them? Did they finally dig out their brains and throw them away?" The red-haired teenager, with quite a few wounds on his body, looked rather exasperated as he kicked a corpse on the ground. "They provoked the Uchiha clan just a few months ago, and now they're provoking the Uzumaki clan again so soon. Do they want their clan to be exterminated?"
"Don't talk like that, Yang. They've been brain-dead for ages..." The red-haired teenager with shorter hair shook off the blood on his blade. Only a bit of the enemy's blood had stained his clothes. "Besides, they're already dead. Don't complain about them so much—unless you want to pull their souls back from the Underworld and whip their corpses."
"Do you think I've gone as brain-dead as them?" Uzumaki Yang rolled his eyes fiercely upon hearing this and used [Medical Ninjutsu - Mystical Palm Technique] to treat his own wounds. "Would I be so bored that I'd pull someone back from the Underworld and whip their corpse just because I find them annoying?"
"Haha, that ritual is indeed so complicated that it gives one a headache. But Yang could do it if he wanted to, right?"
"Just shut up," Uzumaki Yang clicked his tongue and looked at the last person in the group. "Hey, Hashirama, are you hurt?"
The young boy who was named nodded after a brief moment of stupefaction, looking full of apology. "Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry for causing trouble for Brother Yi and Brother Yang."
"It's nothing. Anyway, we're both interested in the Uchiha clan," Uzumaki Yang waved his hand. The wounds on his body had already completely healed. "But why are you interested in the Uchiha clan? Has Lord Butsuma sent you to the front-line battlefield already?"
"No, it'll probably be some time before that happens." Hashirama forced a laugh and scratched his itchy scalp because of the dye. "Actually, I'm not really interested in the Uchiha clan. It's just that..."
"Alright, alright. If Hashirama doesn't want to talk, then stop prying," Uzumaki Yi reached out and ruffled the kid's hair. "And even if he doesn't say, I can guess. Hashirama must have been charmed by Uchiha Ryo, right? We can understand. After all, I'm also smitten with him!"
"Ah... What?" Hashirama looked up in surprise and stammered. "Smitten?"
"Yeah, although we haven't fought each other many times, I'm completely smitten with him," Uzumaki Yi stroked his chin. "No, I should say that kind of enthusiastic and cheerful Uchiha is bound to be popular, right?"
"Hey, if you say Uchiha Ryo is good-looking, I'll whole-heartedly agree. After all, the Uchiha clan members are really good-looking," Uzumaki Yang stood up and stretched his joints. "But if you say he's enthusiastic and cheerful... Are you guys blind?
"And every time you meet, it's on the battlefield, right? Do you call chasing and slashing at you enthusiasm? Or do you call aiming for fatal blows every time cheerfulness?"
"
"Alas, you guys who haven't fought against Uchiha Ryo won't understand. A Uchiha like him, who fights in an upright manner, is truly rare..."
Uzumaki Yi shook his head with a look of regret. At the same time, he quickly disposed of the body by burying it using Earth - Attribute Ninjutsu. "He's the kind of guy who, even if he truly wants you dead, won't carry a shred of hostility..."
Hashirama was taken aback and couldn't help but ask, "Even on the battlefield, he only has a killing intent without any hostility?"
"Oh? So, Hashirama, you were also attracted to Ryo because of this?" Uzumaki Yi raised an eyebrow, and his smile seemed even happier. "That's right. He's a guy who hardly ever bears hostility towards others. Well, though he never shows mercy when it comes to taking lives."
As he spoke, Uzumaki Yi showed Hashirama the scars on his left arm and chest. "Look, these are the souvenirs he left me."
Hashirama looked at the two scars and his voice caught in his throat. "Is it really possible to cause such injuries without any hostility?"
"Yeah, not a bit. Isn't it amazing?" Uzumaki Yi pulled his clothes back down. "Actually, I've only met Ryo three times. Apart from the first time when we were evenly matched, I lost the last two times."
"The most recent time was on the battlefield in the Country of Grass nearly two years ago. I was at a disadvantage everywhere. But just when he had sliced open my abdomen and could have taken my life with the next strike. At that moment, he chose to sheathe his sword and retreat. Even when I almost shattered his spine with a single blow, he still went to support another clan member on the verge of death..."
Hashirama carefully observed Uzumaki Yi's expression and found no hatred in his eyes. Instead, they were filled with nostalgia and emotion. He couldn't help but be a bit confused. "Brother Yi... Don't you hate him?"
"Well, my feelings for him are quite complicated," Uzumaki Yi smiled. "In our first fight, I only saw him as an opponent that neither of us could defeat."
"But in the second fight, I almost had my arm cut off because of my preconceived impression. At that time, I really did hate him. So, even after my left hand recovered, I started training with a two - handed sword, determined to avenge this humiliation."
"Who would have thought that when we met for the third time, he could still happily say, 'What a surprise to meet you again. How about exchanging names? I'll remember you. If this chaotic world can end in our lifetimes, how about having a drink together?'..."
"After that, I was firmly attracted to him. Such sincere feelings shouldn't be ignored. So, I went back and learned a lot of dangerous Sealing Jutsu, planning to subdue him in the next battle, have a drink with him, and then send him on his way. It's a pity that he went blind after that..."
Looking at Uzumaki Yi's sighing appearance, Hashirama felt even more confused. Generally speaking, saying such things on the battlefield should be regarded as a provocation, right? What's there to be happy about?
Seeing that Uzumaki Yi was once again lost in his own thoughts, Uzumaki Yang, who had been watching from the side, kindly explained things to Hashirama, "Our Uzumaki Clan has a kind of sensory ninjutsu called Kagura's Mind's Eye. After closing your eyes and opening the Mind's Eye, you can use chakra perception to detect any abnormal movements within a radius of dozens of kilometers.
When you are familiar with a specific chakra, you can not only sense the flow direction of the chakra in the opponent's body, but also master their pulse rate and the force exerted by their muscles. When you're close enough, you can even sense their emotions. So, besides using it to gather information by perceiving the surrounding chakra, we also use it in battles.
However, using Kagura's Mind's Eye in battle consumes a great deal of chakra and leaves you exposed. So, usually, it's only used for reconnaissance. Only a small number of clan members can master the combat style using Kagura's Mind's Eye, and Yi is one of them.
This guy simply can't resist others' kindness. Once he senses it, he'll surely respond, even if the other person is an enemy. And as you can see, this guy is completely smitten now."