Ryosuke noticed Izumi stepping between him and Itachi. He knew that if he tried to fight Itachi now, it would only anger her.
After all, Izumi clearly favored Itachi far more than she favored him.
Besides, even if he activated his two-tomoe Sharingan, he was almost certainly no match for Itachi.
Itachi was already eleven, and had joined the Anbu—an organization made up of only the most elite shinobi of Konoha.
Such a waste, Ryosuke thought. That kind of talent and strength, yet not put to use for the clan.
And then there was Uchiha Shisui. No doubt he had already awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, and was filling Itachi's head with his so-called great ideals.
"To fight for the village."
That phrase wasn't wrong in itself—but not at the cost of the clan's destruction.
Without the Uchiha, there was no Konoha.
And without the Uchiha, what worth was Konoha at all?
If not for the scheming of the higher-ups, why would the Uchiha ever think of rebellion?
If they had wanted to rebel, they would have followed Uchiha Madara from the very beginning.
But no—they had chosen a peaceful life.
Ryosuke exhaled slowly, and the tomoe faded from his eyes. His Sharingan vanished, his pupils returning to their normal color.
Izumi finally let out a sigh of relief. At least the two of them hadn't come to blows.
"Ryosuke-nii, let's wait until I'm an adult before you ask me that again, okay?"
She dared not provoke him further. What if he grew angry again and activated his Sharingan?
"…Fine."
Ryosuke, of course, didn't believe she would so easily agree to his request. And truthfully, her delicate frame didn't seem suited for bearing children anyway. Best to look for another target.
With that, he turned and left, heading toward the village center.
Still, he felt strangely satisfied. To stand before Itachi and openly try to take away his childhood companion—it had vented much of the fire smoldering in his chest.
Left behind, Izumi's face was full of puzzlement.
Until now, she had only ever seen Ryosuke treat her as a younger sister. Never had he shown her that kind of look between a man and a woman.
As a girl, her sensitivity told her something had changed.
Could it be that she was nearly of age now, and her womanly charm was beginning to show?
The thought brought a faint smile to her lips.
Itachi caught that smile and frowned slightly in concern.
"You're not actually thinking of accepting Uchiha Ryosuke's request, are you?"
Izumi chuckled softly.
"Ryosuke-nii is a good man, and handsome too… but how could he ever be as cute as you?"
Itachi's cheeks flushed red. Cute? His Anbu comrades already saw him as a grown man, yet Izumi called him that…
Still, her words eased his heart. At least she wouldn't slip away from him.
After all, he had so few friends. Perhaps it was because he had never been good at connecting with others.
But now he spoke with rare solemnity.
"Izumi, Ryosuke said I couldn't protect you. I promise you now—I will always protect you."
His talent was undeniable. Though still a Chūnin, his strength already rivaled many Jōnin. He had even awakened the three-tomoe Sharingan.
Once his chakra and body caught up, he would be considered among the strongest of Jōnin.
Of course he could protect Izumi.
Uchiha Ryosuke was wrong.
Izumi's heart fluttered with joy at his words.
Her own talent was high, yes—but she was still a girl, weaker in physique and chakra than Itachi.
Itachi was a true genius. At just eleven, he had awakened the full three-tomoe Sharingan.
With him by her side, she believed no danger could touch her.
"Then Itachi… if I ever face danger, you must protect me well."
"Of course."
Meanwhile, Uchiha Ryosuke continued walking. After more than ten minutes, he reached the very heart of the village.
On the road, passersby instinctively stepped aside when they saw his Uchiha attire.
In their eyes flickered both disdain and fear.
The disdain came from the Nine-Tails' Rampage not long ago. To them, it must have been the work of the Uchiha.
Even if it wasn't directly their doing, surely the Uchiha had something to do with it.
After all, only the Uchiha could use the Sharingan to control the Nine-Tails.
Hadn't the traitor Uchiha Madara once unleashed the beast upon the village? If not for the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama, Konoha would have been wiped off the map back then.
But the First Hokage was long dead.
In the recent battle with the Nine-Tails, even the Fourth Hokage had fallen, leaving the village devastated.
Countless houses were destroyed, civilians and shinobi alike slaughtered.
And the blame for it all? Laid at the feet of the Uchiha.
Yet no one dared speak out openly. The clan was still Konoha's most powerful family and held control of the Police Force.
Anyone who cursed them publicly risked being thrown in jail.
Uchiha Ryosuke, however, noticed those wary, hostile glances.
The fear. The dislike.
So this was how low the Uchiha's reputation had sunk in Konoha.
He sneered inwardly. What a bunch of fools.
The villagers' ignorance was bad enough.
But what truly angered him was that the village leadership allowed such baseless suspicions to spread.
In the original history, after the Nine-Tails' Rampage, the Third Hokage himself stationed men outside the Uchiha compound to keep watch, fearing rebellion.
Even when Uchiha Fugaku volunteered to join the battle, Hiruzen had coldly refused.
That idiot.
Instead of bolstering Minato against the Nine-Tails, he chose to suppress his own strongest force.
What, was he afraid the Fourth Hokage wouldn't die quickly enough?
If Fugaku had fought alongside Hiruzen and Minato, they might have had a chance at subduing the beast.
Minato Namikaze had been a promising, brilliant leader, a man of light and justice.
Had he survived, perhaps the Uchiha's relationship with Konoha would never have deteriorated to this point.
Such a pity.
And then there was another "shadow" of Konoha, another so-called power in the village—always so quick to vanish when real crises came. The kind who excelled only at internal politics.
If he had stepped up at that crucial moment, perhaps the Uchiha's reputation wouldn't be so ruined.
How could such a man ever command true respect?
Ryosuke shook his head, exasperated by the memory.
At that moment, he found himself standing before a ramen shop.
Ichiraku Ramen.
Since I've come to this world, how could I not enjoy a proper bowl?
He stepped inside.
"Boss, one bowl of ramen."
"Alright, customer. Want any toppings?"
"Bean curd sticks. Tofu."
"Got it. Please sit tight, it'll be ready in a moment."
Ryosuke sat down at an empty seat and waited.
Soon, the steaming bowl was set before him.
"Enjoy your meal."
He picked up the noodles with his chopsticks and slurped them down.
The noodles were springy, the broth rich and fragrant.
Delicious.
Within minutes, he had nearly finished the bowl.
Leaning back, he rested for a moment.
Just then, a clamor rose from outside, drawing his attention.
Curious, he stood and headed out—just in time to see what was going on.
A good chance to stretch his legs and digest.