"No… it's okay, I don't blame you. Little Sasuke really is a handful. Ha… haha."
Izumi looked slightly disoriented as she saw Itachi retract his hand. Although the moment had passed, the warmth in her face hadn't faded, and her eyes darted away as she smiled awkwardly.
I'm the older sister type here! Why am I the one getting flustered? Why didn't I just touch him back? Kurozawa Ren stared at Izumi, who was blushing and practically steaming, and couldn't help but complain inwardly.
But clearly, Izumi didn't get the hint. Neither did Itachi.
"Ahem… yes, Sasuke has been quite mischievous lately."
Itachi turned his head away, clearly flustered too.
Hopeless. Totally hopeless. If you're too shy to take action yourself, don't go blaming Sasuke. Stupid Nissan, Ren grumbled mentally, utterly unimpressed by Itachi's lack of initiative.
The two stood awkwardly in silence for a moment until Izumi spoke up.
"Itachi-kun, let's go get some dango! I heard the three-color dango from the shop in the east district is delicious. Want to go try it with me?"
Itachi's eyes lit up at the mention of dango, and he answered without hesitation, "Sure!"
Finally! Ren thought. She's figured out how to bait him with food. Took her long enough. Although in truth, Izumi had only discovered Itachi's fondness for dango recently.
And so, the two of them went to the dango shop together. As usual, Kurozawa Ren was handed off to Itachi to tag along. Neither of them talked much during the walk, and Ren eventually settled into silent meditation to pass the time.
After enjoying the dango, the two parted ways, and Itachi brought Ren back home.
From that point on, Kurozawa Ren fell into a daily routine of eating, meditating, and sleeping—occasionally serving as a wingman for his Nissan. However, since both Izumi and Itachi were hopelessly dense, his efforts barely moved things forward.
Just like that, two years passed in the world of Naruto. During that time, Ren picked up quite a bit about Konoha's condition from his parents' conversations. For one, Minato Namikaze had survived and became the Jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails, while Kushina Uzumaki had perished during the attack.
The Uchiha clan, however, remained as stubborn and arrogant as ever, offending people left and right. Luckily, Minato, now the Hokage, was doing everything he could to integrate them more fully into the village. But with Danzo Shimura constantly interfering behind the scenes, not much had changed in the clan's standing.
Interestingly, with the Fourth Hokage still alive, Naruto Uzumaki had become the village's "golden child," beloved by nearly everyone in Konoha—a far cry from how things played out in the original timeline.
A year ago, Itachi had enrolled in the Ninja Academy at age six. But Ren knew that most of the time, Itachi sent shadow clones to class while he went off to train with Shisui Uchiha in secret.
As for Kurozawa Ren himself, his system had rewarded him over the last two years with mastery-level guides in Kido and Hakuda—spiritual arts from the Shinigami cultivation system in the Bleach world.
His spiritual pressure had reached 7,826, while his chakra capacity had risen to 500, roughly half a standard unit in his system.
He could now wield Ryūjin Jakka (Flowing Blade-like Flame) with his own power—though for less than a minute before exhausting his spiritual energy. Fortunately, his proficiency in Kido, particularly in lower-level Bakudō and Hadō up to level 30, was far more stable. Many of the higher-level spells remained untouched, waiting for him to unlock them through cultivation.
As for ninjutsu? He hadn't even started learning it yet.
At the Uchiha household, the family had just finished dinner.
"Sasuke, I'm free this afternoon. Let's go train together. I can teach you the new shuriken technique Shisui showed me. Sound good?"
Itachi looked at Sasuke expectantly.
Ren observed silently. This version of Itachi seemed different from the one in the original timeline—less cold and aloof, and more eager to engage with others. Sasuke, too, wasn't the clingy little brother as in the original. In fact, it was starting to feel like the roles had reversed.
Is Itachi acting like this because I've been cold to him lately? Ren wondered.
Still, he had no plans to join them for shuriken practice. He was focused on honing his Kido and Hakuda skills. Frankly, he considered those far more useful.
So Ren simply reached out and flicked his two fingers against Itachi's forehead.
"Sorry, Nissan. Maybe next time. I want to train solo today."
That flick to the forehead gave him immense satisfaction. Heh. So this is how it feels to poke someone in the head like you used to do, huh?
Itachi rubbed his forehead with a sigh, while Mikoto chuckled softly at the scene.
Then Fugaku spoke up.
"As it happens, I have time as well. I'll train with you for a bit."
Fugaku had recently heard that his youngest son had been secretly training hard. Pleased by Sasuke's diligence, he hoped the boy could one day match Itachi. Of course, he was still unaware of Ren's hidden strength—Ren had never shown it openly.
"Then, can you teach me a new ninjutsu, Dad?"
Itachi asked hopefully. Most of his techniques had come from Shisui, not his father.
"I can."
Fugaku replied, and Itachi's eyes gleamed with anticipation.
"Alright," Ren replied calmly, making no effort to hide his capabilities from them this time.
The three of them arrived at a secluded Uchiha training ground—only to find Izumi already there.
Not that it was a surprise. Ren had mentioned the spot to her before. She probably figured out that Itachi was free that afternoon and came hoping to see him.
"Itachi! What a coincidence! Are you here to train too?"
Izumi spotted him immediately and ran over, ignoring the two other figures beside him.
Only once she reached him did she realize who else was present.
Σ⊙▃⊙ chuan
"Cl-Clan Head!? You… you're here too? I-I'm sorry! I didn't see you there!"
Izumi bowed deeply to Fugaku, her face bright red with embarrassment.
"It's alright. I'm just here to observe them training. No need to be so formal."
Fugaku gave a rare smile, first looking at Itachi, then Izumi.
"Oh… then, is it okay if I join Itachi?"
Seeing Fugaku wasn't intimidating, Izumi mustered her courage.
"Of course."
Fugaku nodded. Overjoyed, Izumi took her place beside Itachi right away.
"Now, Itachi, Sasuke—show me what you've got. Let me see your current level so I know how to guide you."
Fugaku said calmly.
"How do you want us to show you? Should we spar one-on-one?"
Ren asked, tilting his head.
"No," Fugaku shook his head. "You're not experienced enough yet. A direct fight could be dangerous. Instead, take turns attacking me with everything you've got. Hold nothing back—come at me with full killing intent."
"Then Itachi, you go first."
He gestured for Itachi to step forward and made his way to the center of the training field. Itachi nodded silently and followed.