Walking toward him were two familiar figures—Uchiha Itachi, with his short black hair and calm demeanor, and a young girl with long, flowing black hair, a beauty mark under her right eye, dressed in a purple coat. The two chatted cheerfully as they shared a skewer of tri-color dango.
With a bright smile, the girl said, "Itachi, let this dango be your celebration gift for joining the Anbu. Becoming a member at eleven years old, you really are a genius."
After all, the Anbu was directly under the Hokage's command, and its members were the elite among elites. To be chosen at just eleven was a true testament to talent.
Itachi smiled gently. "Thanks for celebrating with me."
"You're a genius too," he added. "You've already awakened the two-tomoe Sharingan."
Izumi chuckled softly. "Of course. I awakened the Sharingan before you, and my taijutsu is excellent too. I'll definitely become a powerful ninja someday."
Just then, she noticed Ryosuke approaching.
To her, Ryosuke was someone who had always treated her well. Her father had defied the Uchiha clan's opinions and married someone from the Senju clan. Tragically, he died during the Nine-Tails attack. Afterward, her mother brought her back to live in the Uchiha district, but they were met with cold stares and contempt. Some even went so far as to harass them—until Ryosuke stepped in and helped them.
Though not powerful, Ryosuke was the grandson of Uchiha Jin, the clan's great elder. His status was not something a clan outsider like her could ever match.
"Ryosuke-nii!" she greeted. "What are you doing here? Don't you have patrol duty with the Konoha Police?"
Uchiha Itachi regarded Ryosuke calmly. They didn't have much interaction, and as far as he knew, Ryosuke was just an average ninja.
But Ryosuke looked at Itachi with cold eyes. These two seemed to be childhood sweethearts—but Itachi didn't deserve her.
On the night of the massacre, Itachi was ruthless. With his intelligence, he surely knew Izumi was within the clan compound, yet he still went through with the slaughter. Even such a sweet, gentle girl wasn't spared.
Izumi had awakened her three-tomoe Sharingan that night, and her eyes were inevitably taken. It was cruel. Inhuman. The so-called "Will of Fire" was nothing but poison.
Ryosuke thought, A delicate girl like her should be protected by someone who cherishes her.
"Come with me, Izumi," he said bluntly.
Izumi was stunned. Her mouth fell open.
Was Ryosuke... confessing to her?
"Ryosuke-nii, are you confessing?" she asked, unsure.
Ryosuke nodded. "Yes. Consider it a confession."
He was determined to take her away from Itachi. A guy like him didn't deserve such a good girl.
Izumi was a little flustered. She felt a rush of emotion—being liked felt nice. Ryosuke was indeed good-looking and kind. But in her heart, she still liked Itachi more.
He had saved her during the Nine-Tails incident, and while he wasn't as handsome as Ryosuke, he was cute in his own way.
But she didn't want to hurt Ryosuke's pride by rejecting him in front of Itachi. He was a good person, and this was all too sudden.
As she hesitated, Itachi spoke up.
"Uchiha Ryosuke, that's going too far," he said. "Izumi is not yet an adult. She's not ready for games like romance."
She was only eleven. In Konoha, the age of adulthood was twelve, just a year away. Itachi considered her a dear friend and didn't want her involved with anyone else. He would feel terrible if she did.
"I don't mind waiting until she's an adult," Ryosuke said calmly.
He remembered that before the Third Shinobi War, adulthood was marked at age twelve due to the war demands—people even married and had children early. But that was then. Now it had changed to sixteen.
Though he found the twelve-year marriage norm disturbing, he had to admit—Izumi was special. He couldn't let her get closer to Itachi. The deeper the bond, the worse she would be hurt.
Even if Ryosuke saved the Uchiha clan, it would be hard to win her heart afterward. Worst of all, Itachi would eventually kill her—his own beloved—without hesitation.
Ryosuke glared at Itachi. "You're in no position to protect her," he said.
"And you are?" Itachi shot back. "You're nothing but a weakling. You've only awakened a single-tomoe Sharingan."
Itachi rarely judged others based on strength, but Ryosuke was challenging his ability to protect Izumi—that crossed a line. He was considered a true genius of the Uchiha, second only to Shisui.
Ryosuke, empowered by his dual systems, was about to argue back when a mechanical voice rang in his mind.
"Sharingan has felt provoked. Accelerated cultivation activated. Two-tomoe Sharingan unlocked."
He swallowed his comeback.
Instead, he felt a strange surge—his eyes tingled, as if electricity flowed through them. Then, joy bloomed across his face.
So this was how the automatic training system worked?
As he focused, his eyes turned crimson. Two black tomoe appeared in each eye.
His vision sharpened drastically. Even a small insect flying by—he could see its limbs, its eyes in perfect detail.
So this is the legendary Sharingan—truly worthy of being called the Eye of Insight.
Itachi was momentarily surprised. He had remembered Ryosuke only having a single tomoe before. Now, he had two.
Was this why Ryosuke claimed he could protect Izumi?
But even so, it was foolish to underestimate him. Itachi himself had already awakened the three-tomoe Sharingan.
He was just about to activate his own eyes when—
Izumi, sensing the tension, quickly stepped between them.
"Please, don't fight over me. Let's not ruin our relationships."
After all, one was the clan head's son, the other the clan elder's grandson. A fight between them over her could escalate into something ugly.
She sighed quietly.
Since when did I become so popular? she thought. I'm not even of age, yet two of the clan's most prominent heirs are fighting over me.