Uchiha District
Mikoto was preparing dinner. Sako was helping out without complaint, staying home instead of going out.
The reason? Her brother was keeping too close an eye on her.
Was it an illusion?
He seemed to harbor great hostility towards Naruto.
— Like the other villagers.
It was surely because he didn't know him yet!
Sako was convinced of it.
They had to take it slow. With time, her brother would see his good qualities and let her play with him.
"Itachi..."
In the courtyard, Shisui's voice rang out.
Sako rushed to look.
Shisui urgently took her brother away.
Was something happening?
"Your brother joined the ANBU," Mikoto told her.
"Really? He's so strong!"
The ANBU... those weird guys with masks.
"He'll probably miss dinner."
Mikoto thought for a moment.
"Good! I'm going out too! I'm going to see that famous 'Priestess' everyone's talking about."
Sako wiped her hands, grabbed her bag, and ran off.
"That child... She's mostly going to meet Naruto. She's spending more and more time with him."
Mikoto smiled.
For her, it was a good thing.
It was what Fugaku, she herself... and even Kushina had hoped for.
No matter what the future held, Sako and Naruto would end up together.
So, they might as well let them get along as they saw fit.
On the outskirts of the Uchiha clan territory.
Shisui sat on a chair at the tea shop, seriously discussing a certain matter with Itachi.
"Itachi, I learned from the Hokage that you're soon going to be transferred under Danzo's command..."
Shisui was deeply concerned, as this was not good news.
Danzo was the ANBU commander, theoretically responsible for all secret units.
But within the ANBU itself, there was a special branch... called "ANBU directly under the Hokage's command."
Now, the Hokage was placing Itachi under Danzo's authority. What did that mean?
"Is there a problem?"
Itachi, who didn't yet realize the gravity of the situation, saw nothing wrong with it.
Danzo was a high dignitary of Konoha, ANBU commander, Hokage's advisor, village elder... With all these titles, he clearly seemed to be part of the Hokage's faction.
"Danzo... is nicknamed 'The Shadow of the Ninja.' His darkness is definitely not something we should approach..." Shisui explained.
"Darkness or not, Shisui, you're sometimes too soft."
Itachi was about to reply when a familiar voice interrupted them:
"Itachi~! Shisui-san~!"
A young girl waved to them, with a radiant face and a gentle aura. It was Izumi.
Having been a Genin for a while, she seemed to be just returning from a mission.
"We'll talk later..."
Shisui stood up, patted Itachi's shoulder, and the latter easily perceived the worry in his gaze.
Once Shisui left, Izumi approached, ordered a cup of tea, and began to recount her mission.
Learning that she was tasked with watching over the Priestess and her daughter, Itachi frowned.
Izumi, enthusiastic, described her daily life without realizing the dangers of the shinobi world.
The Priestess protection mission aimed to counter attacks from the Land of Demons ninja.
Their combat methods were archaic and brutal, very different from those of modern ninja.
Asuma's team had suffered heavy losses against them.
"Izumi..."
Itachi interrupted her as she described—or rather, verbally cuddled him.
As a true "iron man," he found it annoying.
"Why are you becoming a kunoichi?"
He indirectly approached the question to understand the core of it.
"Huh?"
"Becoming a kunoichi means facing death, painful things... Those memories aren't for a girl like you."
In a way, much like his traditionalist father, Itachi had a rather chauvinistic mentality.
Of course, his younger sister Sako was an exception.
"Because... my father was a ninja..." Izumi tried to explain.
"Your father was a ninja, so you have to become one too?"
When Itachi's gaze met that of his sister, who was running out of the clan district with a package in her hand, his mood flared.
"My sister... Where is she going?!"
A gift in her hand?!
Immediately, Itachi thought of that damned blond kid—the dangerous fox-demon, Uzumaki Naruto!
Itachi's suddenly vehement tone sounded like criticism to Izumi's ears.
"Wanting to walk the same path as the person you love... Is that so wrong?"
It was almost a declaration. For such a shy girl, uttering these words was already an achievement.
Although they had known each other since childhood, Itachi had never confessed his feelings to her.
"Goodbye..."
Eyes shining with tears, Izumi offered a fragile smile—her last pride.
Then she left, leaving a trail of tears behind her.
Itachi's words only strengthened her resolve: to become a strong kunoichi, so he would never underestimate her again.
Planning to go home, Izumi changed her mind and went directly back to take care of the Priestess and her daughter…
Meanwhile, Itachi wondered: "Where did my sister go?"