"Ah! It's finally finished!" Izumi looked at the necklace in her hand and nodded in satisfaction.
"Very good, this will do, hehehe..."
The necklace in Izumi's hand was made of several jade stones and was very beautiful.
Just then, her mother peered out from behind her, covering her mouth and laughing, "Oh my, Izumi actually made a necklace herself, and put so much effort into it. Is it for a boy?"
"Ah! Mom! You're so annoying, you startled me!" Izumi said discontentedly, "Really, just don't bother me."
"Alright, alright, sigh, Izumi has reached the age where she has her own little secrets, unwilling to tell her mother anything anymore. Sigh." Uchiha Hazuki stroked her cheek, sighing, appearing very sad.
Izumi laboriously pushed Uchiha Hazuki out of her room, then huffily returned to her own room and placed the necklace in its box.
A few days later, Izumi finally saw Uchiha Itachi, and she immediately greeted him, "Itachi!"
Uchiha Itachi stopped upon seeing Izumi, a sorrowful expression showing on his usually cool face as he said, "Izumi!"
"Long time no see, is your mission over?" Izumi looked at Itachi, who had grown quite a bit, and couldn't help but sigh that he had matured a lot in the time they hadn't seen each other, though he seemed to be in a bad mood.
Itachi nodded sadly, "Yes, the mission is over, but my comrade died, and I awakened my Sharingan."
Izumi raised her eyebrows slightly and said to him, "I see. Congratulations, Itachi, on awakening your Sharingan. However, I also hope you'll pull yourself together and not wallow in sadness, otherwise you'll become more and more extreme. You should know that sadness and anger become the nourishment for our Uchiha's evolution. Every growing Uchiha grows under such circumstances."
Itachi nodded, "Yes, only you would tell me not to be sad. Everyone else, including Father, congratulated me with smiles. Thank you."
"Tch, what's with the act? Do you expect the whole world to revolve around you? Kid." Izumi thought this, but didn't say it aloud.
She said to him, "Itachi, don't blame them. Every Uchiha who has awakened their eyes has gone through this. Everyone has become numb to it, they're all used to such things. Only those of us who are young would care so much, after all, humans are creatures that must look forward, and tomorrow continues."
Itachi fell silent. He looked at Izumi, his heart filled with disappointment: "Izumi, I thought you and I were the same kind of people. But it turns out you're just like them, you don't understand the meaning of life. This has nothing to do with age, Izumi."
He said sadly, "But I still can't understand what the meaning of life truly is."
Izumi smiled, "You'll understand when you grow up, after all, people are always growing. Oh, by the way, Itachi, this is my gift for you, the gift for when you graduated and became a Genin."
Izumi took out the box and gave it to him.
Uchiha Itachi took the box and asked, "Can I open it now?"
Izumi nodded. Uchiha Itachi opened the box, saw the necklace inside, took it out, and stared at it for a long time.
Izumi asked, "Ah? Don't you like it?"
Uchiha Itachi shook his head, "No, it's just the first time I've received a gift from someone other than my parents."
"Eh eh eh?" Izumi leaned closer to Uchiha Itachi and asked, "I'm the first person to give you a gift?"
Seeing Izumi's face so close to him, Uchiha Itachi immediately took a few steps back. He stammered, "Ah, yes, yes."
Izumi giggled and said, "Then put it on."
Uchiha Itachi put it on. Izumi looked him over and said with a smile, "Hmm, not bad. Do you like it?"
Uchiha Itachi said softly, "Mm."
"Huh? What did you say!" Izumi deliberately put her hand to her ear, turned sideways, and leaned closer to him, asking, "Your voice is too quiet, I can't hear you."
"I like it!" Uchiha Itachi shouted loudly, then immediately turned his head away.
"Hahahahaha..." Izumi couldn't help but laugh.
Just then, a beautiful woman walked over.
Upon seeing her, Itachi immediately called out, "Mom."
"Mm." Uchiha Mikoto walked over to Itachi. Upon seeing Izumi, her eyes lit up, and then she asked, "Itachi, is this your friend? She's so cute."
Uchiha Itachi immediately introduced her, "Yes, her name is Uchiha Izumi, my classmate from the Ninja Academy."
Izumi also introduced herself, "Hello, my name is Uchiha Izumi, I am Uchiha Hazuki's daughter."
"Oh oh oh, Hazuki's daughter, you've grown so much!" Uchiha Mikoto said in surprise, covering her mouth, "Time flies so fast. Your mother and I used to play together often when we were little, but then she got married and I haven't seen her much since she returned to the clan compound."
Upon seeing Itachi's necklace, Uchiha Mikoto happily asked, "Itachi, did she give you that necklace?"
Uchiha Itachi nodded, "Yes, it's her graduation gift to me."
"Oh my, how kind." Uchiha Mikoto squatted down and stroked Izumi's face, exclaiming, "So cute."
She turned back and said, "Itachi, hurry up and thank her."
Uchiha Itachi immediately bowed, "Thank you!"
Izumi smiled, "No need, we're all friends. Well then, Auntie, Itachi, I won't bother you anymore! I'll be going now!"
"Eh? Leaving already? Why don't you come to my house for a bit?"
"No, Itachi just finished his mission, and I need to get home quickly too. Goodbye then." Izumi bowed politely, waved her hand, and left.
Mikoto said with a beaming smile, "Truly my son. Hmm? Why does that sound so familiar? It's just like Fugaku. Ah, really, but, well done, Itachi!"
She gave Uchiha Itachi a thumbs up.
Uchiha Itachi had a look of confusion. What was wrong with his mother?
Izumi was currently on her way home, her face beaming with an irrepressible smile.
"It's done." Izumi skipped and hopped all the way home.
Her mother saw Izumi's happy expression and asked, "Did you give the necklace away?"
"Hmph!" Izumi said, "Of course, would something I made not be given away?"
Uchiha Hazuki asked, "Who did you give it to?"
Izumi said impatiently, "Oh, it's Uchiha Itachi. Didn't he save me before? Plus, he graduated, so I gave him a gift."
"Oh, him." Her mother nodded, "Oh. Then you really should give him something."
"But Izumi, you're so young and already planning for your future. The clan leader's son, very handsome, a genius Ninja who graduated early after only one year of school. Ah, no matter how you look at it, he's the best choice for a future husband."
Izumi waved her hand and said, "But his personality is too extreme. He's an arrogant person who likes to overthink things. I estimate the Uchiha clan will be ruined by him in the future!"
"Oh?" Uchiha Hazuki said in surprise, "I didn't expect you to have such an evaluation."
[ +1 Chapter, collection 4/5 ]