The morning wind still carried the sharp bite of winter, cold enough to sting the skin, but Uchiha Tsukiko felt none of it.
Her heart was far too warm.
No, warm was not enough. It was practically blazing.
She had just finished giving Kakashi a carefully prepared mental shock, planting the first seed of doubt in his heart exactly as the system demanded. The memory of his stunned expression was still fresh in her mind, and every time she replayed it, the corners of her mouth twitched upward in satisfaction.
That gloomy silver-haired genius would not have a peaceful day now.
Good.
He deserved a little chaos.
But compared to Kakashi's confusion, Tsukiko cared much more about another matter entirely.
Breakfast.
More specifically, buying breakfast for the beautiful red-haired woman still sleeping soundly in bed at the Hokage residence.
As she walked through Konoha's chilly morning streets, hands tucked into her sleeves, she thought seriously about her next move.
"Going to Minato right now would be too reckless," she told herself.
The Fourth Hokage might look gentle and easy to talk to, but he was also one of the busiest men in the village. Even during the New Year, he was probably buried under piles of paperwork in the Hokage office. If she barged in now and said, Lord Fourth, please teach me the Flying Thunder God, she would look like a lunatic.
A technique like that was not ordinary ninjutsu.
It was a top-tier, space-time technique. An S-rank move. A legendary skill with a learning curve steep enough to make most shinobi give up before they even began.
If she wanted Minato to seriously consider teaching her, she needed timing, mood, and atmosphere on her side.
Preferably a warm family setting.
Preferably when Kushina was present.
Preferably when Minato was relaxed and not thinking about village reports, border patrols, or the unstable political climate surrounding the Uchiha clan.
Tsukiko nodded to herself.
"Yes. That's the right approach."
Then her expression turned shamelessly pleased.
"So the first priority," she thought, "is still winning favor with the beauty."
The moment she settled on that plan, her steps became light.
She almost skipped as she turned into one of the busiest commercial streets in Konoha.
Even though it was still early, the village was already awake. Shopkeepers were clearing away snow from their doorways. A few children ran past with red scarves around their necks. The smell of grilled dumplings, sweet bean paste, and fresh broth drifted through the air, mixing with the crisp scent of winter.
Tsukiko headed straight for one of Konoha's most famous dessert shops.
The old signboard above the entrance read: Light of Konoha Sweets.
The place was already crowded.
A long line stretched outside the door, full of housewives, older villagers, and a few shinobi who looked like they had been sent out on breakfast duty by their families.
Tsukiko did not mind waiting.
She obediently took her place at the end of the queue, listening to the women in front of her gossiping about last night's fireworks and shrine festival. At the same time, her mind painted a very specific image.
Kushina, half awake, sitting in bed with her red hair loose around her shoulders, holding a hot bowl of red bean soup and smiling in satisfaction.
Just imagining it made Tsukiko feel absurdly motivated.
By the time it was finally her turn, she was practically glowing.
"Boss!" she called cheerfully, slapping a few folded bills onto the counter. "One extra-thick red bean soup with double mochi! And one order of three-color dumplings!"
The shop owner recognized her from the academy and laughed.
"You're buying enough for a festival."
Tsukiko grinned. "It's for someone important."
With the food packed into a heat-preserving box, she hurried back toward the Hokage residence, careful not to spill anything. Her steps were quick, but there was a ridiculous amount of care in how she held the breakfast, like she was transporting a priceless treasure.
When she quietly pushed open the bedroom door, the scene inside made her pause for a second.
Kushina was still asleep.
She had somehow rolled herself up in the blanket, turning the quilt into a soft cocoon. Only part of her face and a little of her long red hair were visible. She looked peaceful. Comfortable. Completely unaware of the danger posed by one lovestruck little Uchiha standing in the doorway.
Tsukiko set the food box gently on the bedside table and lifted the lid.
The rich, sweet aroma of hot red bean soup instantly spread through the room.
For a moment, it mixed with the lingering warmth and faint fragrance already present in the bedroom.
Kushina's nose twitched.
Then her lashes fluttered.
"Mmm…"
She shifted under the blanket and slowly opened her eyes, still heavy with sleep.
"Something smells good…" she murmured.
When her gaze settled on Tsukiko sitting beside the bed with her chin resting in her hands, watching her with obvious anticipation, Kushina blinked in surprise.
"Tsukiko? You're back already?"
Tsukiko straightened immediately and presented the bowl with all the pride of a hero returning from battle.
"Ta-da! Extra-thick red bean soup. Double mochi. Still hot."
Kushina looked at the steaming bowl, then at Tsukiko's eager face.
Her heart softened so quickly it was almost unfair.
"Tsukiko," she said, voice full of affection, "why are you so thoughtful?"
She accepted the bowl and took a sip without caring at all about elegance.
The sweet warmth hit her tongue, and her expression lit up instantly.
"Delicious!"
Her entire face relaxed.
"This really is the best red bean soup in the village."
Seeing her reaction, Tsukiko felt a deep and ridiculous sense of accomplishment.
For a few moments she just sat there, watching Kushina eat happily, looking as pleased as if she herself had been rewarded.
Then she remembered the other matter she needed to handle.
"…Sister," she said reluctantly, "I need to go home for a while."
Kushina looked up at once. "Eh? So soon?"
Tsukiko scratched her cheek.
"I didn't go back last night. If I stay away much longer, my father will probably assume I was kidnapped, and then he'll make a huge scene."
Kushina could already imagine it.
An anxious Uchiha parent storming all over the village during New Year's morning.
She laughed softly, though the reluctance in her face remained.
"That's true. You should go back and let them know you're safe."
Then she added immediately, "But come back later. We'll have dinner together."
Tsukiko nodded without hesitation.
"Of course. I'll definitely come back tonight."
That answer seemed to satisfy Kushina a little. After saying goodbye, Tsukiko left the Hokage residence and headed toward the Uchiha compound.
The atmosphere there was different from the main village.
It was festive, but there was still a natural seriousness in the air, something unique to the clan. Lanterns bearing the Uchiha fan crest hung outside the houses, and the snow-covered streets were quiet and orderly.
The moment she stepped through the gate of her home, she spotted her adoptive father, Uchiha Iwao, pacing anxiously in the yard with a broom in hand.
The expression on his face made it look like he had lost his mind.
Or his favorite tea set.
"Old man!" Tsukiko called out. "I'm back!"
He snapped his head toward her so fast that the broom slipped from his hand and hit the ground.
In two long strides he was in front of her, grabbing her shoulders and inspecting her from head to toe as though confirming she still had all her limbs.
Only after making sure she was completely fine did he let out a breath of relief.
Then his face hardened at once.
"You brat! Where did you go all night?" he demanded. "Do you know how worried I was? I almost thought some enemy spy had taken you!"
Tsukiko, who had expected exactly this reaction, only grinned shamelessly.
"Relax. I stayed at the Hokage's house."
Iwao stared.
"…What?"
Tsukiko puffed out her chest.
"Sister Kushina invited me. I slept there."
For a moment, her father looked like his soul had left his body.
"The Hokage's residence?" he repeated weakly. "You? Stayed there?"
He looked ready to ask whether she had accidentally broken state secrets, insulted the Hokage, or knocked over something priceless.
Tsukiko rolled her eyes and pulled out the spare key Kushina had given her, letting it dangle proudly in front of him.
"See? I'm practically an honorary member of the household now."
Iwao stared at the key.
Then at her.
Then back at the key.
His expression became so complicated that Tsukiko nearly laughed.
In the end, he just sighed, reached out, and roughly ruffled her hair.
"You're impossible," he muttered. "As long as you didn't cause trouble."
Then he added, almost as an afterthought, "By the way, Itachi was here earlier looking for you."
Tsukiko stopped halfway through taking off her shoes.
"Itachi?"
Iwao nodded and picked up the broom again.
"He said he wanted to ask you for guidance."
Tsukiko sat down on the engawa, one eyebrow rising.
"Guidance? From me?"
She clicked her tongue in disbelief.
"That little genius wants my help?"
Iwao shot her a look.
"He was very polite. Said he heard about your performance in the academy graduation exam. Especially your shuriken skills."
Tsukiko leaned back and groaned internally.
Of course.
So Itachi had noticed.
That brat was far too sharp.
Her shuriken performance at the academy had looked flashy enough to impress others, but to a true Uchiha talent like Itachi, it probably raised more questions than admiration.
He had likely already guessed that there was something unusual behind it.
Tsukiko lay back on the floor dramatically, staring at the ceiling.
"Wonderful," she thought. "The child prodigy is investigating me."
Still, she understood one thing clearly.
Itachi would not come merely because of ordinary shurikenjutsu.
No.
He was curious about something deeper.
Maybe her strange precision. Maybe the possibility of advanced ocular power. Maybe both.
And that made him dangerous in a very annoying way.
A soft, measured knock came from the door.
"Excuse me," came a calm voice from outside. "Is Sister Tsukiko back?"
Tsukiko closed her eyes for a second and sighed.
There he was.
"Come in," she called. "The door's open."
The sliding door moved aside.
Uchiha Itachi stepped in, wearing a neat high-collared clan outfit. A small sword was strapped to his back. His posture was straight, his face calm, and his eyes far too serious for a child.
He bowed politely.
"Pardon the intrusion, Sister Tsukiko."
Then he lifted his head and looked directly at her.
"At the academy, I heard that your shuriken changed direction in mid-air without using standard deflection methods. I wanted to ask… does that technique require a more advanced eye?"
Direct.
Sharp.
Exactly what she expected.
Tsukiko stood and walked over to him, then reached out and pinched his cheek hard.
Itachi blinked, startled but too polite to resist immediately.
"So you really came to ask about that," she said, amused. "Then just say it clearly next time. Don't circle around the point like some old clan elder."
Itachi rubbed his cheek in silence.
Tsukiko crossed her arms.
"I can't teach you anything about the eye itself," she said. "That part is my secret. But I can show you a little of the shuriken technique."
Itachi's eyes sharpened instantly.
Tsukiko leaned in and lowered her voice.
"But there's a fee."
"A fee?" Itachi echoed.
She raised one finger.
"First, you keep anything related to my eyes completely secret."
A second finger.
"Second, you praise me more often in front of Fugaku."
A third finger.
"And third, you buy me three-color dumplings whenever I ask."
There was a brief silence.
Itachi seemed to consider whether she was joking.
Unfortunately for him, she was not.
"…Understood," he said at last.
Tsukiko grinned.
"Good. Let's go to the back mountain."
They walked out of the compound one after the other, heading toward the forest deeper within clan territory. Snow crunched beneath their sandals. Sunlight filtered through the branches overhead, but much of the ground was still covered in white.
When they reached a small clearing, Tsukiko stopped and leaned casually against an old tree.
"This is far enough."
Itachi stood opposite her, completely focused.
Tsukiko reached into her pouch and pulled out three ordinary shuriken.
"Watch carefully," she said. "Though honestly, even if you blink, you still won't understand."
With a flick of her wrist, the three shuriken flew forward in a clean triangular pattern.
At first, everything seemed normal.
Then—
The air trembled.
It was subtle, almost impossible to notice.
And in the next instant, the three shuriken made sharp, impossible turns in mid-air, as if the world itself had bent for them. They bypassed the tree in front, looped around from an absurd angle, and embedded themselves into another trunk behind her.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
The forest went silent.
Itachi stood frozen.
Then his Sharingan spun to life, the tomoe in his eyes rotating as he searched desperately for chakra threads, hidden wires, reflected angles—anything that could explain what he had just seen.
But there was nothing.
No visible trick.
No obvious mechanism.
Just an impossible result.
"This… shouldn't be possible," he murmured.
He rushed toward the tree and inspected the shuriken closely, as though expecting them to dissolve into smoke.
"They really changed direction…"
Tsukiko folded her arms and fought down a laugh.
Of course he could not understand it.
During that tiny instant, she had used her ability to erase a sliver of time and manually alter the flight path herself. From Itachi's perspective, it looked like the shuriken had broken reality.
It was a perfect cheat against a technical genius.
"Can't figure it out?" she asked smugly.
Itachi looked back at her, eyes filled with shock and admiration.
"How did you do it?"
Tsukiko walked over and patted his shoulder with the most serious expression she could manage.
"In this world, little Itachi, there are things beyond technique. Things beyond simple training."
She lowered her voice wisely.
"When your chakra and your eyes become one, even the air can become your stepping stone."
Itachi stared at her.
She could almost see the nonsense being written directly into his soul.
"Because my eye isn't mature enough," he said slowly, "I still cannot perceive that stepping stone… is that right?"
Tsukiko nearly choked.
But she kept a straight face.
"…You could say that."
Itachi lowered his head thoughtfully, taking her words with absolute seriousness.
For a moment Tsukiko felt a tiny spark of guilt.
Only a tiny one.
Then it passed.
He was too easy to fool.
This terrifying future genius, this boy who would one day shake the shinobi world, was currently standing in the woods accepting her improvised nonsense as though she had handed him a sacred scroll.
It was almost too funny.
She cleared her throat.
"Remember. Everything you saw today is my secret technique. You tell no one. Not a word."
Itachi straightened immediately.
"I understand."
Then he added with full sincerity, "I will also buy the three-color dumplings."
Tsukiko brightened.
"Good boy."
She reached out to pinch his cheek again, but this time he dodged neatly.
"Since you've shown me the technique," Itachi said, pulling out a kunai, "could you also supervise my basic rapid-fire training?"
Tsukiko stared at him.
Then at the kunai.
Then back at him.
She had already started planning how quickly she could escape back to Kushina's side.
"I should go rest," she said weakly. "I had a very busy morning."
Itachi did not move.
His eyes simply fixed on her with quiet determination.
The message was clear.
If you refuse, I will keep standing here until you agree.
Tsukiko sighed like someone carrying the weight of the world.
"Fine. Ten minutes."
Itachi's expression did not change much, but the light in his eyes sharpened with excitement.
And just like that, Uchiha Tsukiko realized that the greatest genius of the Uchiha clan, at this age, was still just a very earnest little boy.
A frighteningly talented one.
But also—
absurdly easy to fool.
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