Scenes from the past continuously flashed through Izumi's mind.
Itachi was always the most outstanding and popular one, so Izumi rarely had time alone with him.
When Itachi graduated early and became a Ninja due to his excellent performance, Izumi and Itachi sat by the river, chatting about their likes and dislikes.
Izumi remembered when she handed Itachi a three-color dango, his eyes showed refusal, but after taking a bite, he seemed to fall in love with its sweet taste.
His eyes were a bit evasive, and his face even showed some shyness.
At this time, Itachi-san, who had just become a Ninja, everything should not have been a disguise.
Izumi traced back further, to a conversation with Itachi.
During the Nine-Tails Disturbance, Izumi was separated from her family in a panic, helpless and despairing alone.
"Quick, follow me!"
A child holding a baby, his face full of anxiety, reached out his hand to Izumi.
At that time, Itachi-san was truly brave, kind, and gentle.
Time rewound again.
Izumi and a group of friends were playing games when a silent, somewhat unsociable child walked past them. Izumi looked at the unique back and felt a strong curiosity.
Itachi-san, you must have been very lonely then!
Izumi was immersed in the memories in her mind. Yes, this is it!
In her mind, Izumi directly replaced her younger self, no longer just standing there out of curiosity.
She strode to catch up with that somewhat lonely figure and gently patted his shoulder.
"Hello, Uchiha Izumi!"
Itachi turned his head in surprise, looking at the girl who was about the same age as him.
Strangely, Itachi saw a fervent emotion in her eyes, as well as a maturity far beyond her age.
Izumi looked at the adorable and somewhat foolish Itachi and asked,
"What? Did I scare you?"
Itachi, a bit flustered and embarrassed, quickly said,
"No, hello, Uchiha Itachi."
At the same time, he extended his right hand to Izumi. Izumi smiled, also extended her right hand, and firmly grasped Itachi's hand.
I've got you, Itachi!
.....
More than thirty years passed.
Izumi meticulously tidied Itachi's golden-edged, red-bordered Hokage robe, muttering as she did so.
"There can't be any flaws, you know. The Fifth Hokage values his image the most. Also, pay attention to your walking posture later, find the microphone when speaking, after all, you don't have the Fifth Hokage's ocular jutsu, and don't forget..."
"Alright, Izumi, you've said that many times!"
"What, are you trying to assert your Hokage's authority already, my Sixth Hokage?"
"No, how could I, impossible, don't talk nonsense!"
"Itachi, say it again, you're not allowed to copy the Fifth Hokage's catchphrase!"
....
More than fifty years passed.
Izumi gazed blankly at Itachi, who lay quietly on the bed. A very cute child innocently asked,
"Great-grandma, why doesn't great-grandpa talk to me anymore?"
Izumi, her face covered with wrinkles and age spots, held the child in her arms and said dotingly,
"Great-grandpa went to a very beautiful place and was captivated by the scenery there."
In an instant in the outside world, Izumi had lived a lifetime with Itachi in her mind.
Fugaku looked at Izumi, whose eyes were unfocused and whose lips were curved into a smile, feeling a bit confused. But in the next instant, Fugaku's pupils contracted sharply.
From Fugaku's perspective, after he finished speaking, Izumi on the opposite side seemed to be in a daze as if she had suffered a major blow, like she had gone silly.
Next, she should react the same way Mikoto did.
However, contrary to Fugaku's guess, Izumi on the opposite side smiled, and the next moment, she shocked Fugaku even more.
In Izumi's opened eyes, her Sharingan automatically activated, three tomoe rapidly spinning before merging into a complex shape.
Mangekyo Sharingan!
So that's it, is this why you wanted me to say that, Yuuki-sama!
Fugaku, also a Mangekyo Sharingan user, knew how difficult it was to awaken the Mangekyo. The impact and shock brought by Yuuki's almost devilish, perfectly calculated actions were immense.
Even his address for Yuuki in his mind unconsciously took on a respectful title.
This is the advantage of communicating with someone intelligent. Yuuki truly didn't expect Izumi to awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan so easily.
It was merely based on the fact that she could awaken the Three Tomoe Sharingan in her teens in the original work, and her Sharingan was praised by Tsuchiko-ge.
Yuuki naturally focused some attention on Izumi, this little fangirl of Itachi, who, according to the material, was not very fond of fighting.
This personality, in the original work, could still awaken the Three Tomoe Sharingan, which already indicated a talent not inferior to Itachi's.
Yuuki, thinking there was no harm in trying, sowed a few seeds, and unexpectedly, they bore fruit.
As for Fugaku's admiration and praise, it was purely a result of his own imagination.
It indirectly showed that Fugaku's mind was still sharp enough to fill in the blanks himself.
After a long while, Izumi, who had already lived who knows how many lifetimes with Itachi, turned her gaze back to Fugaku.
Fugaku felt a bit of regret; such a good girl should have been his daughter-in-law, but everything was already irreversible.
Izumi, having regained her senses, gave Fugaku a profound feeling, not of strength, but of mindset or something even more ethereal.
That feeling, as if everything in the world was fleeting, especially her eyes, dark and deep like bottomless abysses.
Fugaku had only experienced a similar feeling inadvertently from Yuuki.
"Izumi, accompany me to see the Clan Head tomorrow morning."
"Okay!"
-------------------------------
I've already uploaded 40 chapters of this story on Patreon!
If you enjoy it, come check out the latest chapters in advance.
[patreon.com/TripleCrown07]
Thank you so much for your support!!!
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"