The two figures walking toward him were unmistakable.
In front was Uchiha Itachi, his short black hair swaying lightly as he walked. Beside him was a girl with long, silky black hair, a small beauty mark under her right eye, and a violet haori draped over her shoulders.
They were sharing a tricolored dango skewer, chatting and laughing softly as they strolled down the road.
Izumi's eyes curved into a bright smile.
"Itachi, consider this dango a celebration for joining the Anbu," she said warmly.
"Not everyone gets into the Anbu at eleven. You really are a genius."
The Anbu—directly under the Hokage, an elite unit hand-picked for the village's most difficult missions.
For an eleven-year-old to be accepted… it was enough to shock all of Konoha.
Itachi returned her smile.
"Thank you for celebrating with me. You're a genius as well—you've already awakened the two-tomoe Sharingan."
Izumi let out a playful laugh.
"Well, of course. I awakened my Sharingan before you, remember? And I'm great at taijutsu too."
"One day, I'll be an incredible kunoichi."
As they talked, Izumi noticed someone approaching from the side.
Uchiha Ryōsuke.
They weren't close, but he had always treated her kindly.
Her father had married a member of the Senju family, ignoring the Uchiha clan's objections. After the Nine-Tails incident took his life—and with the Senju clan essentially dissolved—Izumi's mother had no choice but to return to the Uchiha district.
There, Izumi had become a target for disdain. Many clan members looked down on her mixed heritage. A few radicals even tried to cause trouble.
But Ryōsuke—though not particularly strong—was the grandson of the Uchiha Great Elder, Uchiha Jin.
His status alone had protected her countless times.
"Izumi," she greeted in surprise. "Ryo—Ryosuke-nii? What are you doing here? Don't you have patrol duty with the Police Force?"
Itachi's calm gaze swept toward Ryōsuke.
He didn't have much interaction with him. He only knew Ryōsuke as an average Uchiha ninja—nothing remarkable.
Ryōsuke's eyes, however, landed on Itachi with a cold, distant sharpness.
So these two were childhood sweethearts.
But Itachi didn't deserve her.
Because on the night of the massacre…
With his intelligence, how could he not know Izumi was within the compound?
Yet he still swung his blade.
This kind, gentle girl—who admired him so deeply—had awakened her three-tomoe Sharingan that night.
And those eyes would ultimately be gouged out.
What a cruel fate.
What a cruel man.
The Will of Fire… had destroyed far too many lives.
A girl like Izumi deserved someone far more trustworthy.
Ryōsuke stepped forward and spoke without hesitation:
"Izumi… be with me."
Izumi froze, her lips parting slightly.
She was still a young girl—but she instantly caught the meaning behind those words.
"R–Ryosuke-nii… are you confessing to me?"
Ryōsuke nodded.
Yes.
This was a confession—and a challenge.
He would take her away from Itachi.
A man who would one day slaughter his own clan—and even kill the girl who loved him—
What right did he have to keep her by his side?
Izumi's heart fluttered unexpectedly.
Being liked… felt warm.
Ryōsuke was handsome and kind—someone she respected.
But…
She still liked Itachi more.
He was her age. He had saved her during the Nine-Tails attack.
He wasn't as outwardly charming as Ryōsuke, but he had a quiet gravity she couldn't resist.
Rejecting Ryōsuke in front of Itachi, though…
Wouldn't that be too harsh?
While she hesitated, Itachi finally spoke.
"Uchiha Ryōsuke… you've gone too far."
"Izumi isn't even of age yet. Don't play childish love games with her."
Izumi was only eleven—one year away from the Uchiha's coming-of-age at twelve.
To Itachi, Izumi was an important friend.
The thought of her being taken by another boy unsettled him more than he wanted to admit.
Ryōsuke shrugged casually.
"It's fine. I can wait until she becomes an adult."
He remembered: before the Third Ninja War, adulthood was twelve. Later, it shifted to sixteen.
But wartime marriages… were common and rushed.
Ryōsuke didn't like the idea of children marrying—
But Izumi was exceptional.
He wouldn't let her grow closer to Itachi.
The deeper her affection, the worse her ending.
A man who could slaughter his own clan—
Even the girl who cherished him—
What kind of man was that?
Trash.
Itachi hadn't expected Ryōsuke to be so direct.
But he wouldn't let anyone take what he subconsciously viewed as his.
Their gazes clashed.
Ryōsuke didn't back down. He stared straight into Itachi's eyes—and even sneered.
"You can't protect her."
Itachi's composure cracked.
"And you can? With that single-tomoe Sharingan? A bottom-rank Uchiha?"
Itachi rarely insulted anyone.
But being told he couldn't protect Izumi touched a nerve.
He was the clan's greatest prodigy since Shisui—he wouldn't allow a mediocre clansman to challenge his strength.
Ryōsuke was about to respond when—
A cold mechanical voice echoed in his mind.
"Your Sharingan senses insult. Auto-training activated. Evolving to two-tomoe Sharingan."
Ryōsuke swallowed his retort.
A tingling sensation spread through his eyes—like a spark racing across his vision.
His senses heightened in an instant.
He nearly laughed out loud.
So this was how the auto-training system worked?
With a thought, he activated his Sharingan.
His pupils turned crimson, and two jet-black tomoe spun into existence.
His world sharpened dramatically.
Even a tiny insect flying past—he could see its legs, its wings, its eyes.
Truly the eyes of insight.
Itachi's brows lifted slightly.
Ryōsuke had only awakened one tomoe before.
Now he had two?
So this was why he dared say Itachi couldn't protect her?
Still…
Two tomoe meant little to Itachi.
He prepared to open his own three-tomoe—
But before either of them could act, Izumi stepped between them.
"Please… don't fight because of me. You'll only cause trouble for yourselves."
One was the clan head's eldest son.
The other, the Great Elder's grandson.
If they started fighting because of her…
She didn't even want to imagine how big the fallout would be.
She let out a soft sigh.
When had she become so… sought after?
Being chased by two high-status Uchiha men before even reaching adulthood—
She didn't know whether to laugh or panic.