Although Uchiha Izumi was a wonderful girl, if she truly had feelings for Uchiha Itachi, and Itachi himself wasn't yet brainwashed by the so-called Will of Fire, then Ryosuke had no interest in interfering in their relationship. After all, there were plenty of beautiful women in the shinobi world. Now that he had transmigrated into the body of "Uchiha Ryosuke," he intended to live up to that name and become a man who "drives a big car"—a metaphor for taking charge and doing big things.
Besides, his Many Children, Much Fortune System rewarded him more generously the stronger the women he fathered children with. And who was one of the strongest kunoichi in the entire shinobi world? Naturally, it had to be Tsunade, one of the Legendary Sannin. She was in her thirties right now—arguably at her most mature and alluring stage.
In the original Naruto storyline, Tsunade lived a lonely life. That was far too cruel for a woman like her. A woman without a man was no less pitiful than a man without a woman.
Thus, one of Ryosuke's goals was to "rescue" Tsunade—maybe even give her a proper maternity leave.
If he were bold enough, he'd even dream of giving Ōtsutsuki Kaguya maternity leave someday.
Of course, that sounded like wishful thinking for now—but it wasn't completely impossible.
At the same time, Uchiha Itachi stood nearby, his dislike for Ryosuke still lingering. Their first meeting had left a bad taste, especially because Ryosuke had behaved possessively toward Izumi. That alone made Itachi extremely uncomfortable. He didn't trust Ryosuke around Izumi at all. The Uchiha clan was notorious for producing radical types, and Itachi feared what someone like Ryosuke might do to a kind girl like Izumi.
Sensing the tension, Izumi cheerfully tried to defuse it.
"Ryosuke-nii, I asked Itachi to teach me how to throw kunai properly. Why don't you join us?" she offered with a smile. "I could use your guidance too!"
She hoped that, by getting the two boys to work together, their relationship might improve.
Ryosuke agreed without hesitation. This was the perfect opportunity to speak with Itachi privately and try to sway him from the ideology that would one day lead to the massacre of their clan.
Itachi, expressionless as always, didn't say much. In his mind, Ryosuke was nothing more than a two-tomoe Sharingan holder—hardly a threat or rival. As far as he was concerned, his priority now was helping Izumi with her training. After all, Ryosuke could never match his skill.
Itachi's shurikenjutsu (throwing weapon skills) was so precise it could even bend trajectories midair. That technique was far too complex for Izumi right now, so he focused on teaching her the basics.
He took a kunai, demonstrated the grip and posture.
"Izumi," he explained, "the trick is to grip the kunai tightly, tilt your body slightly, and generate power from your waist. Your arm helps guide the direction, but most of the strength comes from the core."
"That's how you throw quickly, accurately, and powerfully."
"Got it?" he asked.
Izumi shook her head slightly—still struggling to fully grasp the mechanics.
Patiently, Itachi broke it down further and demonstrated in slow motion. When he threw the kunai, it struck dead center of the tree in front of them.
Izumi was amazed by his precision.
His explanation was more detailed and patient than any instructor at the Academy. It helped her patch the gaps in her understanding.
She pulled out a kunai of her own and mimicked his actions. Though her throw didn't hit the bullseye, it landed solidly on the tree trunk. That alone showed she was improving.
"Wow, Itachi! That was amazing," she said excitedly. "With your method, I think I can hit the target reliably with just a little more practice. You're a genius!"
Itachi smiled faintly. Seeing Izumi smile warmed his heart.
He replied modestly, "This is just the basics."
From the side, Ryosuke had been observing quietly. He already understood the technique just by listening, but in his view, kunai throwing wasn't all that useful in large-scale battles. Just like the Fireball Jutsu, it served mostly as a feint—cover for real jutsu like clones or substitutions.
Izumi turned toward Ryosuke.
"Ryosuke-nii, do you want to give it a try?"
He didn't refuse. He was interested in trying the weapon himself.
He reached out his palm in a gesture for Izumi to hand him a kunai.
She hesitated for a moment before pulling one from her bag and handing it over.
Ryosuke positioned himself as Itachi had instructed, then carefully adjusted his stance and aimed. With a swift motion, he flung the kunai—and it landed squarely in the center of the target tree.
"Ryosuke-nii, you're amazing too!" Izumi exclaimed.
Ryosuke laughed lightly. "Once you reach chunin level, you'll be this accurate too. I just used Itachi's method. He's pretty good."
Itachi was stunned by the compliment. Their last encounter had been full of tension, yet now Ryosuke was… praising him? It felt strange and made Itachi slightly uncomfortable.
Still, Izumi looked happy to see the two getting along, which made the effort worthwhile.
She resumed her training, throwing kunai one after the other. Occasionally, a few would fly off-target deep into the forest, prompting her to sigh in frustration.
"That one missed badly."
Itachi reassured her, "With more practice, that won't happen again."
She nodded, and after using up all her kunai, turned to them and said, "I'm going to go collect them."
Then she bounded into the woods like a rabbit. Her family wasn't wealthy enough to simply lose ninja tools.
Now, only Ryosuke and Itachi remained in the clearing.
The forest fell silent.
Ryosuke knew this was the moment to speak. What he was about to ask wasn't something Izumi should hear. She was still too young and innocent to be burdened by such complicated matters of the clan and village politics.
Looking calmly at Itachi, Ryosuke asked with a smile:
"If a conflict ever breaks out between our clan and the village leadership… whose side would you take?"
Itachi's heart skipped a beat.
He was currently a member of the Anbu, technically assigned to spy on the Hokage on behalf of the Uchiha. But in truth, he had betrayed that mission—he had already agreed to become the Hokage's mole within the Uchiha, leaking clan secrets to the leadership.
The Hokage had promised him they would handle things peacefully.
Itachi's true motive was always peace. He wanted to protect the village, to avoid war and conflict. And now, Ryosuke's question struck too close to home.
He couldn't reveal the truth—not yet, not to anyone. Whether Ryosuke was from the moderate faction or the radical one, Itachi's true allegiance was a secret.
So he forced a smile and replied:
"Of course I'd side with the clan. I'm an Uchiha, after all."