"Does Sasuke have something important to do?" Itachi asked curiously.
"Not really!" Sasuke replied somewhat nervously, quickly changing the topic. "Hey, Brother, why don't you invite Izumi to come home with us? Since I misunderstood her the other day, today can be like an apology!"
"You don't need to say things like 'apology,' Sasuke. I understand that you were just worried about someone stealing Itachi's attention—it's perfectly normal behavior!" Izumi Uchiha said casually with a smile. She didn't hold any grudge over Sasuke's outburst at her before, and she could easily understand his deep attachment to his older brother.
"Nope! If Izumi doesn't come back with us, I'll feel uneasy!" Determined to help his older brother and Izumi grow closer together, Sasuke immediately pulled out his ultimate tactic—grabbing Itachi's hand and shaking it eagerly. "Brother, won't you say something too? Invite Izumi to our house for dinner, okay?"
As an older brother who doted on his younger sibling without limits, Itachi naturally wouldn't refuse Sasuke's request. Although he had no idea what exactly was going on in Sasuke's mind, he still proactively extended the invitation.
This time, Izumi didn't refuse. An invitation from Itachi—it was something she had dreamed of countless times, and now finally came true.
Shisui wisely gave them space without interrupting, heading home by himself.
Left at the scene were only Sakura and Naruto. Seeing that Naruto was still excited, Sakura grabbed his hand tightly and ran toward the vegetable market in Konoha. Her parents had been so busy lately they barely had time for dinner at home, and eating alone made Sakura feel kind of lonely. Since Naruto lived by himself too, Sakura decided right away to drag him along and prepare some food at his place.
Back at the Uchiha district in Sasuke's house, Fugaku and Mikoto Uchiha, as parents, almost thought their eyes were playing tricks on them. Their eldest son—who usually never smiled at strangers—had actually brought along a girl, looking quite familiar with her. Could it really be...their son was finally opening up?
The couple had open minds; after all, bringing a girl home wasn't such a bad thing. They'd long hoped for this very situation—they'd secretly worried about Itachi's marital future for quite some time. No matter how mature their son was, they would always worry quietly behind the scenes whether Itachi might end up alone forever. Now everything felt better—concerns about Itachi's age? Well, obviously there was no rush to get married or have children. After all, love takes time. Once Itachi came of age in a few years, he could proudly bring the girl home and marry her openly.
Itachi himself had no idea that his parents had already imagined many years ahead after only one glance—and had even started discussing what to name the next generation.
"Dad, Mom, this is Izumi. She's my big brother's childhood friend!" As Sakura advised earlier, Sasuke quickly defined the relationship between Izumi and Itachi. "They're really close!"
"We know, sweetheart. Come in, dear!" Mikoto warmly welcomed, gesturing for Izumi to enter.
Mikoto Uchiha observed Izumi Uchiha with great satisfaction. Not bad at all—her appearance was lovely, and she seemed gentle too. Most importantly, having known Itachi since childhood made it easier for them to develop feelings for each other.
"I'll just call you Izumi then!" Mikoto took Izumi's hand and began chatting. "Itachi isn't very good at taking care of himself. He's kind of awkward and not great at cheering girls up either. I hope you can look after him from now on!"
Itachi Uchiha looked bewildered. Why did it feel like his mother was actually criticizing him?
Meanwhile, Izumi Uchiha was equally confused. What kind of rhythm is this? This was supposed to be an ordinary visit, so why did it suddenly feel like meeting the parents?!
"Great! You've got my style!" Fugaku Uchiha laughed heartily while patting his son's shoulder.
Itachi Uchiha: ???
"It was a childhood arranged marriage between me and your mother, and we grew up together as childhood friends," Fugaku said contentedly. His son had finally come around and found himself a girlfriend. "You're really my son—knowing even to learn from me when choosing a girlfriend."
Until dinner ended and he was sent out to accompany Izumi Uchiha back home, Itachi still hadn't figured out what exactly had happened. The two equally dazed young people walked side by side down the quiet path. Beneath the moonlight, the quiet pair somehow fit together more than expected.
Chapter 49: Konoha Academy Begins [Part 1] [First Update]
Spring turned into autumn; before they knew it, one year had already passed. Looking back on the past year, Sakura felt as though she were living in a dream. At first, she had simply hoped to survive and follow the original story closely enough to safely make it through until the finale. However, her unexpectedly late "plot device" had completely set her down a different path.
But thinking about all the changes she had brought during this past year, Sakura couldn't help feeling a sense of accomplishment.
Hizashi Hyuga survived and was now working hard with Hiashi Hyuga to reform the Hyuga clan's traditions, striving to abolish the Caged Bird Seal system. Neji no longer immersed himself in fatalistic beliefs nor harbored resentment against the Main House due to his father's death. Instead, he had become an undeniable little-sister complex type who adored Hinata and constantly followed her around, calling her "Onee-sama" this and that. His sister complex had even outdone Sasuke's brother complex.
Lee entered Guy's tutelage early on and started training in the Eight Gates technique and Taijutsu under Guy's guidance. Although he continued being called a dead-last at school for being unable to use Ninjutsu or Genjutsu, Lee didn't let such mockery get to him thanks to friends like Neji and Tenten, along with Guy, whose quirks oddly reminded people of his dad's.
Following Sakura's suggestion, Tenten chose an early path focusing on ninja artifacts as support tools. After hearing the tale of Hanzo's Flying Daggers from Sakura, she developed her self-proclaimed "[Tenten Flying Daggers]"—a skill refined with help from Itachi and Shisui Uchiha. Using the famed throwing techniques of the Uchiha clan, Tenten became the star student in shuriken arts at the Ninja Academy. Though not quite matching Neji's overall combat skills, Tenten unquestionably topped her class in projectile weapon training.
Ever since Neji took such a protective stance toward her, Hinata's grown into a much more outgoing person than in the original storyline. She doesn't blush and stammer as much as she used to. During training, though, she still won't throw the first punch—she'd rather keep her guard up than go on the offensive. It's gotten Hiashi Hyuga so worked up that he's practically going gray from stress.
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