Uchiha Training Grounds.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!!!
Shuriken and kunai whistled through the air, nailing the bullseye with precision.
Izumi Uchiha wore a cold expression. She crossed her hands, eight kunai appearing between her fingers, and threw again.
All hits!
Such skill was rarely seen in the hands of a Genin.
Yet, there was no joy on her face. She simply repeated the motion, over and over.
"Izumi, that's enough." A familiar voice called out. Izumi turned to see Itachi Uchiha standing at the edge of the training ground.
"You've been training for two hours. If you continue, your hands won't be able to take it."
"I know my own body," Izumi retorted, continuing to throw.
"Izumi, I heard you just completed a B-rank mission. You're the first team from your graduating class to do so. I haven't congratulated you yet."
"Heh. Does the great Itachi Uchiha even care about a Genin's mission?" Izumi shot back coldly.
Itachi was slightly confused.
A moment later, he formed a hypothesis.
She's probably upset because I've been neglecting her.
It's normal. Izumi is just an ordinary girl, after all.
Since joining the Anbu, the heavy mission load and the pressure from both the village and the clan had stripped away his usual gentle demeanor, making him more withdrawn.
Whatever tenderness and patience he had left were mostly reserved for Sasuke.
So, he didn't find Izumi's sudden attitude change particularly strange.
For him, coming over to check on his "girlfriend" had already exhausted his patience.
Right now, he had no mind for romance.
"Keep training then, but watch your health. I'm leaving; Lord Hokage has a mission for me." He said his piece and turned to leave. As for the angry Izumi? She would adjust on her own.
What to do when your girlfriend is unhappy?
Just let her calm down by herself.
As the quintessential Sigma Male of the Ninja World, Itachi thought this was perfectly reasonable.
Sasuke's growth, his father Fugaku's orders, the unbearable clan members, the Hokage's missions, and the tension between village and clan stretched to the breaking point...
These things tested his capacity.
Girls didn't occupy much space in his mind right now.
"Wait!" Izumi called out to him.
Itachi thought she realized her mistake or wanted to talk more.
Izumi asked, "You know Musashi Ryomiya well, right?"
Itachi was surprised.
The image of that green figure surfaced in his mind.
Ever since he was blackmailed for the Shadow Clone Jutsu, they had met less and less. After he graduated, their meetings became rare.
Although every time they did meet, that guy acted overly familiar and passionate, which made Itachi uncomfortable.
And in recent years, whenever they met, Musashi would drape an arm around his shoulder and talk about weird stuff—sometimes the "Will of Fire," sometimes Daimyo politics, sometimes the history of the ninja world.
Weird guy.
He thought for a moment.
"We're alright."
Outside of family like Sasuke and Shisui, this was the highest evaluation he gave.
"What kind of person do you think he is?"
Few people asked him questions like this.
But since it was Izumi, Itachi gave it some thought.
Although the guy always wore that hideous green spandex and shouted about "Youth" and "Training," Itachi knew a hidden side of him.
He slacked off on the battlefield, yet privately threatened Itachi for forbidden jutsu.
"An ordinary ninja with some clever tricks," Itachi concluded. "Izumi, why do you ask?"
"Nothing. Never mind." Izumi lost interest and returned to her practice.
Itachi didn't understand, but it didn't matter.
"I'm leaving then, Izumi."
It was time to go home and see Sasuke.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!!!
Kunai slammed into the target viciously, as if stabbing a certain person.
Izumi's eyes were filled with frustration.
Even Itachi doesn't know about that guy?
When did he master a jutsu of that power?
And I called him a Dead Last.
Damn it! He must be laughing at me inside!
The more she thought, the more irritated she became. When she ran out of ninja tools, she formed seals.
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
Raging flames reduced the target to ash.
Izumi sat on the ground, but she didn't feel any relief.
After the battle with the Iwa Jonin, Musashi used the excuse "I saved your life" to make her promise to hide the incident.
His reason: staying low-profile meant fewer missions and more training time.
He told her to forget what happened.
But she couldn't forget.
Whenever she stopped, the events of that day replayed in her mind.
Even in her dreams, the scene would surface.
Tyrannical, violent chakra!
The shattered earth!
And those fists and feet flashing with lightning, unstoppable even by powerful ninjas!
How is it possible?!
Invincible Taijutsu!
A powerful ninja who literally buried an Iwa Jonin alive.
How could that be Musashi?!
Memories surfaced.
The dirty little beggar outside Ichiraku Ramen.
The classmate in green who laughed and said "I'm Itachi's Big Bro" on the first day of school.
"I am Musashi Ryomiya. I like training that burns with Youth..."
"Teacher, can I forfeit immediately?"
"Even if Itachi really ignores you, if worst comes to worst... I guess I could settle for being with you. Big Brother Guy told me..."
She couldn't figure it out. It didn't make sense.
Itachi being a monster was one thing.
But that guy in the green spandex, whose grades were always consistently mediocre—how could he be this strong?!
It was so shameful that she had called him a Dead Last.
It felt so hopeless. How could she ever catch up to a guy like that?
Under the shade of the trees, an Uchiha girl began to feel lost in the cold reality.
---
Konoha High Council Office.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzo Shimura, Homura Mitokado, and Koharu Utatane sat together.
Everyone looked grim.
Hiruzen puffed on his pipe, filling the office with smoke.
After a long silence, Koharu spoke. "Recently, the atmosphere within the Uchiha clan has become increasingly tense."
"Many ninja clans are complaining that the Uchiha Police Force is becoming too harsh in their enforcement."
Hiruzen nodded. "Yes. Clan representatives have come to me with complaints. They say the Police Force is abusing its power and their attitude toward villagers is terrible."
Homura's eyes were cold. "What are they doing?! Are they using this to express dissatisfaction with the village?"
Hiruzen sighed. "Ever since the Nine-Tails attack, when the Uchiha district was moved to the outskirts, they've been unhappy. Over the years, that dissatisfaction hasn't faded; it's become unbearable. We must find a way to alleviate the situation."
Danzo spoke coldly. "Hiruzen, we must increase restrictions on the Uchiha!"
"Years ago, the Nine-Tails was controlled by a Sharingan. The Uchiha haven't cleared their suspicion on that matter!"
"The Uchiha's power must be strictly controlled. No relaxation is allowed."
Hiruzen countered, "No. If we do that, the opposition between the clan and the village will only get worse."
Danzo snapped, "Hiruzen, you hesitate too much!"
Hiruzen thought for a moment, then proposed, "How about we let the Uchiha take on more missions within the village?"
"It's been so long. We can't keep excluding them from the village core forever."
While Koharu and Homura considered it, Danzo loudly objected.
"No!"
"Hiruzen, you are too soft!"
"The Uchiha's hostility toward the village is clearly growing, and other clans are complaining about them. Why would you increase their power now?"
"I believe we must comprehensively strengthen control over the Uchiha and monitor their every move. The Uchiha clan is too dangerous. As they are now, they pose a severe threat to the village."
Koharu felt Danzo was being too pessimistic. "Has it really reached that point? Danzo, full surveillance of a clan is too extreme. Why not consider Hiruzen's proposal?"
"Send a positive signal to the Uchiha and see if it eases the tension."
Danzo insisted, "I object. The evil power of the Uchiha cannot be left unchecked!"
"Alright, alright," Homura interjected. "Things haven't reached the point of no return yet. Let's wait and see."
In the end, they couldn't decide on a final strategy for the Uchiha.
Danzo walked out of the office with a dark expression, not looking back.
His disappointment in the others grew deeper.
Hiruzen, Koharu... you are all too soft.
In your hands, the village will never improve.
It's a pity I am not the Hokage.
Otherwise, I would never have let the Uchiha develop to this point.
Walking to a secluded spot, Danzo suddenly stopped.
"It seems... only my own power is truly reliable."
Danzo muttered to himself.
"I need to strengthen Root first. Yamanaka, Nara, Aburame... I need to recruit more talented seeds."
"Perhaps, the Uchiha problem can only be solved by me."
"The village... can never be without its Root."