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(A/N: About Uchiha Izumi's Settings
Uchiha Izumi, comes from the official Naruto novel "Itachi Shinden". She also appeared in the later TV animation of "Itachi Shinden".
The settings in the novel and the animation are different. In the animation, she was killed by Obito, and in manga and novels, she lived a false life in Tsukuyomi and died in Itachi's arms.
And I think the ending in the novel is more beautiful, so I will use it. As for the talent and personality of the character Izumi, I will still grasp it myself. Well, that's it.)
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Filling in the Blanks
The class about Konohagakure and its successive Hokage captivated everyone, with Junpei Kanhara spending the entire morning recounting its general outlines.
Throughout this lecture, no students were disruptive.
Everyone was entranced by the history.
Junpei's theoretical knowledge was exceptionally solid, and he excelled at presenting a child-friendly approach to Konoha's history.
"Okay, students, that concludes our morning class. Everyone, please enjoy your lunch," Junpei said with a simple smile.
Before leaving, he glanced at Itachi and Izumi, giving the latter a thankful nod.
If Izumi hadn't intervened earlier, his first class with the new students would have been a difficult one.
Izumi smiled and nodded in response.
As Junpei left, the once-quiet classroom suddenly became lively again.
"This is so exciting! I haven't heard enough!"
"Only with this kind of life experience can one be considered a true ninja!"
Many students exclaimed.
The reason the freshmen's first lesson was history was precisely to attract these children's interest in becoming ninjas.
Before this, they had mostly applied to the academy out of their parents' wishes and had no direct concept of what a ninja was.
Itachi chuckled at this.
A true ninja's life was far beyond what these children could currently imagine.
Not all of them lived the turbulent lives of the past Hokage.
The vast majority of ninjas quietly protected their villages, and some even sacrificed a great priceāsometimes even their own livesāunnoticed.
Yet, their names were not celebrated like those of the Hokage.
At this moment, the boy named Ariki Kimura, who sat in the row in front of Itachi and Izumi, turned around and exclaimed, "I never expected that blond-haired man I saw at the school gate this morning would be such a formidable figure!"
The blond-haired man he was referring to was, of course, the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze.
While the deeds of the previous Hokage were commendable, they occurred long ago.
Long since passed away, the First and Second Hokage's names and deeds have long become legends, shrouded in mystery.
For the children of Konoha today, the story of the Fourth Hokage, still alive and constantly in the public eye, held the greatest power.
This was especially true now, with the Third Shinobi World War having ended a little over a year ago.
Izumi smiled at the boy before looking at Itachi beside him and said, "Itachi-kun, let's have lunch together."
Itachi stood up, shook his head, and said, "I'm sorry. My brother Sasuke was sick last night, and he didn't look too well until this morning, before I left."
"So, I'm going to use my lunch break to go home and see him."
Izumi's face darkened, and she frowned.
"Is your brother's illness all right?"
She was genuinely concerned about Sasuke's condition, and seeing the girl's expression, Itachi's heart trembled slightly.
He smiled gently at Izumi and said, "It was just a fever, and it was almost gone by the time I left."
"That's great," Izumi finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Then go home quickly. If there's anything I can do for you, please let me know."
"Can I ask you a question?" Itachi asked, gazing into Izumi's eyes.
"You haven't even met Sasuke yet, so why are you so concerned about him?"
"Because we're friends," Izumi smiled, answering without hesitation.
"Friends understand each other's feelings. Your brother's sick, so of course I'm worried about him, too."
"Understanding each other's feelings?"
Itachi muttered to himself, his eyes shimmering with emotion.
"Thank you," he nodded to Izumi, then hurried out of the classroom.
The Ninja Academy's gates remained open at noon, and some parents, worried about their children's first day, had come to inquire about their situation.
Itachi weaved through the crowd, leaping up and sprinting towards the Uchiha clan compound.
A gentle breeze suddenly rose as he moved, caressing his cheeks like silk.
A flicker of joy flickered in the boy's bright, dark eyes.
Itachi had only been enrolled for half a day, and already, in his heart, he was beginning to feel somewhat grateful for having changed his mind.
It felt like something missing in his heart was being rapidly filled, a delightful feeling.
With Itachi's skill, traveling at full speed, he reached the outskirts of the Uchiha compound in less than ten minutes.
He returned to his courtyard and hurried into the main hall.
Mikoto was preparing lunch when she heard Itachi's footsteps and turned back.
"Mom, how's Sasuke?" Itachi asked.
Mikoto replied, "He's fully recovered and asleep now."
As a ninja, especially a descendant of the Uchiha clan, Sasuke's physique was much better than that of an average child.
"I'll go check on him," Itachi said, then walked lightly into Sasuke's room.
Seeing Sasuke's peacefully sleeping face, he felt completely relieved.
He then left and closed the door behind him.
"Come and eat," Mikoto called.
Itachi sat down across from Mikoto, clasped his hands together, and said, "Thank you for the meal. I'm starting."
During lunch.
"How's it going? Are you adjusting to life at the Ninja Academy?"Mikoto asked, placing some food in Itachi's bowl.
"Yeah," Itachi nodded.
Mikoto continued, "How are you getting along with your friends? Have you made any friends?"
Itachi paused, then nodded, "Yeah."
The involuntary joy in his eyes was clear to Mikoto.
Seeing Itachi's expression for the first time, Mikoto smiled with relief and said, "That puts my mind at ease."
"Thank you, Mom!"
Itachi finally understood why Mikoto had insisted he continue attending the Ninja Academy.
As a mother, she had long since keenly sensed what was missing from Itachi's heart.
And that missing piece needed something to fill it.
Itachi had possessed that something long ago, but after Shisui's death, he had gradually forgotten it, eventually ignoring it.
That crucial something: companionship.
...
After confirming Sasuke was alright and finishing his meal, Itachi immediately returned to school.
It was still some time before the afternoon classes began.
Itachi entered the classroom and headed straight for his seat.
He immediately noticed that the table he and Izumi were sitting at was already surrounded by many boys.
Izumi had been admitted as the top freshman, tied with Itachi.
Her kind, gentle personality and lovely looks naturally attracted the boys' attention.
Itachi noticed that although Izumi was trying her best to be patient, she was already growing increasingly annoyed by the boys' constant pestering.
Even with her good temper, this was a bit much.
Just then, several girls approached Itachi and surrounded him.
"What's going on?" Itachi asked, glancing at the group.
The girl standing before him hesitated, then mustered up the courage to say, "We all want to be your friends. Please!"
The girls surrounding Itachi also looked at him with a mix of shyness and expectation.
Itachi couldn't help but chuckle inwardly.
He realized his current situation was similar to Izumi's.
It was no wonder.
He remembered that when Sasuke was little, almost every girl in his class liked him.
Itachi, as Sasuke's older brother, had inherited Mikoto's excellent genes.
With excellent grades and a handsome appearance, he had already gained considerable popularity among the new female students, even though he hadn't realized it.
Naturally, Itachi didn't feel proud of this, but rather a sense of helplessness.
Still, he glanced at the girls around him and replied, "Okay."
His response was a pleasant surprise to the girls.
The girl standing before him smiled and began to speak her name, but Itachi interrupted her.
"Your name is Hitoshi Izumi," he said, before glancing at each of the other girls and calling out their names: "Mei Mochizuki, Meiko Motomiya, Suzuai Maeda."
It was just a matter of memorizing names, a task that was, of course, incredibly easy for Itachi.
"I've memorized the names of everyone in the class, and I'd love to be friends with everyone," Itachi said with a smile, glancing at the other freshmen who were watching him.
"I have some things to take care of now. See you later."
With that, Itachi glanced at Izumi and quickly left the classroom.
He found a quiet spot in the school and stayed there for a while, returning to the classroom as class neared.
By then, the number of boys surrounding Izumi had finally dwindled.
Itachi returned to his seat, and soon after, his homeroom teacher, Junpei Kanhara, entered.
Afternoon classes had begun.
The initial portion of freshman classes was mostly theoretical.
At the podium, Junpei began his lecture.
Izumi held a book upright in front of her, shielding herself.
She turned to look at Itachi and whispered, "How's your brother's illness?"
"He's completely healed," Itachi replied.
"That's good!"
Izumi nodded, then a wave of hesitation crossed her face.
She hesitated for a moment, then said, "Itachi, about what happened just now..."
Seeing Izumi's embarrassment, Itachi shook his head.
"You don't have to explain. I understand. It's normal for a girl like you to want to be friends with everyone as soon as possible."
"Aren't you angry?" Izumi couldn't help but smile at Itachi's praise.
She looked at the boy's calm profile beside her, fearing he might misunderstand her.
But Itachi didn't see it that way. He chuckled and said, "Why should I be angry? It's just that sometimes you have to learn to say no, or you'll be in a lot of trouble."
Izumi was too gentle, so even if someone did something that upset her, she usually kept it to herself.
"Yes, I'll correct it." Izumi nodded heavily, assuring Itachi.
"You don't have to be like this," Itachi whispered.
"Oh."
Izumi nodded like a well-behaved little rabbit, then suddenly asked, "I remember when you introduced yourself today, you didn't seem to mention what your favorite food was."
"What kind of food do you like? Tell me, okay?"
Itachi observed Izumi's expectant expression, his eyes flickering again.
Because his favorite food, like the girl before him, was the same: tri-colored dango.
The first tri-colored dango Itachi had ever tasted was given to him by this very girl.
Seeing Itachi's lack of response, Izumi didn't press the issue.
Instead, she looked at him expectantly and said, "To celebrate our friendship, how about we go to the dango shop in the village?"
"It's been ages since I've had a good tri-colored dango. Have you tried it, Itachi-kun?"
Itachi didn't directly answer her question but frowned slightly.
"But I have to train tonight."
While the Ninja Academy had brought Itachi unprecedented joy, he certainly wouldn't let it get him off the leash.
"Let's go together, please."
But Izumi refused to give up, her clear, bright eyes fixed on Itachi.
True to Itachi's nature, he would never change his mind about a plan.
But as he looked at the girl's expectant expression, perhaps still lingering guilt towards Izumi, Itachi nodded and said, "Okay, I promise, but I can't delay too long."
"Yeah!"
Itachi's sudden change of heart delighted Izumi, who yelled, a little unable to control her emotions.
Then, her homeroom teacher, Junpei Kanhara, and the surrounding students turned to look at her.
Itachi hadn't expected Izumi's sudden reaction, but he immediately shook the table, causing the book propped up in front of her, shielding her face, to fall over.
Izumi, realizing her gaffe, shrank her head and said apologetically, "Sorry for disturbing everyone."
"Izumi-san, please pay attention," Junpei said, frowning but not blaming Izumi because of what happened that morning.
But many of the new students still glanced at Izumi and Itachi.
Izumi felt embarassed.
She folded her arms across the table, half her face buried in them, and cautiously looked around.
These occasional glances naturally had no effect on Itachi.
He looked at Izumi's adorable, awkward state beside him, and a smile crept onto his face.
.....
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