"Mom, I'm home," Izumi said, opening the door and stepping inside.
Her mother immediately ran over, then touched Izumi's cheek, smiling happily and saying, "You're back? You seem to have grown taller, but you've gotten thinner. What do you want to eat tonight?"
Izumi said, "I want seafood."
Uchiha Hazuki nodded and said, "Okay, I'll prepare it for you! You should rest quickly, or it won't be good if you get too tired."
"Mom, I'm a Ninja, not an ordinary person."
"You still need to rest."
"Alright."
After Izumi finished her meal, she went to the park for a walk.
"He's here too," Izumi said, seeing Uchiha Itachi, then licked her lips and shouted, "Itachi!"
Itachi saw Izumi, who was extending her hand and beckoning, so Itachi slowly walked over.
Izumi greeted him, "Itachi, long time no see. You didn't prepare a gift again, did you?"
Uchiha Itachi nodded and said, "Yes, that... I'm sorry."
"It's okay," Izumi was about to continue speaking when Uchiha Itachi directly said, "I'm sorry about last time!"
"Huh?" Izumi asked, puzzled, "What's wrong?"
Uchiha Itachi said, "I didn't express myself clearly last time and said things I shouldn't have. I'm sorry."
"Oh, you mean last time," Izumi said with a smile, "You don't need to apologize to me at all. I also had my faults and threw a tantrum. Let's continue to be friends in the future."
"Mm-hmm," Uchiha Itachi smiled and nodded.
The two walked and chatted in the park.
Uchiha Itachi asked, "Izumi, how was your mission?"
Izumi said, "It was similar to before: guarding the Daimyo's wife, doing her beauty treatments, taking care of her pets, and also helping the Daimyo. The Daimyo even asked me to deliver a message to the Clan Head, wanting the Uchiha Clan to send people to protect him, and the Daimyo would speak well of the Uchiha.
But the Clan Head severely scolded me, saying that I shouldn't have directly contacted the Daimyo by bypassing the Village, as this would make the Village even more suspicious of the Uchiha. Sigh, as expected, we children shouldn't think about resolving conflicts for the Village and the Uchiha; we'll only make things worse. The adults will handle these matters."
Uchiha Itachi stopped walking. He looked at Izumi and said, "What you did was indeed not quite right; you should have communicated with the Village first. The Hokage would be very unhappy if he knew, and if I were your father, I would scold you too. However, your effort for the family is commendable."
"Tch, what's he putting on!" Izumi muttered to herself, then said awkwardly, "I heard you're doing very well in the Anbu. The whole clan knows about it, and everyone is very happy."
Uchiha Itachi said, "Sigh, but it's just a mission given by the adults."
Izumi immediately covered his mouth, then leaned close to him and said, "Don't say these things to me. If others find out, you'll be punished, right?"
Uchiha Itachi looked at Izumi's nervous expression, took her hand down, and said, "It's okay, no one knows what I said."
Uchiha Itachi watched Izumi look at his hand. He also followed her gaze and realized that Uchiha Itachi had been holding her hand the whole time.
Uchiha Itachi immediately let go of her hand and said, "I-I'm sorry."
Uchiha Itachi's hand still occasionally clenched, recalling the feeling of her hand just now, and he couldn't help but think, "So soft, so smooth."
"Hahaha..." Izumi let out a laugh like silver bells. She leaned close to Itachi and said, "Are you shy?"
"N-no," Uchiha Itachi looked at Izumi, who was so close to him. He felt a bit uncomfortable, a bit flustered, so he immediately shook his head.
Izumi smiled, staring at him, and he couldn't help but turn his head away.
Izumi thought, "Was there a scene like this in the original story? It seems like there was. Izumi hugged him first, and their relationship improved because of it."
Izumi looked at the somewhat flustered Itachi, gave a mischievous smile, and thought, "I'll give you a little reward."
Izumi directly hugged him, and continuously stroked his back with her hand, while also caressing the necklace on Uchiha Itachi's neck. Izumi gently said, "Don't put too much pressure on yourself. You need to judge right from wrong for yourself, think carefully, and just don't do anything you'll regret."
"Mm-hmm."
Izumi nodded in satisfaction.
"Eh?" Just as Izumi was about to let go, she found herself being held tightly by him.
Uchiha Itachi realized that the girl in front of him might like him. He also hugged Izumi, and he could feel the girl in his arms suddenly stiffen.
So he stroked Izumi's hair, letting her body gradually relax, and then also smiled gently, saying, "Mm-hmm, Izumi, I will. You also need to work hard."
Finally, the two released each other. Uchiha Itachi saw Izumi's face was flushed, and she looked at him with dissatisfaction. He cautiously asked, "Uh, Izumi, what's wrong?"
"Hmmph--" Izumi pouted and said, crossing her arms and leaning back, expressing her dissatisfaction, "I can't believe you're that kind of person! If that's the case, then you should be more proactive and not make me hug you first! How embarrassing!"
"Huh? What do you mean? That kind of person? What do you mean?" Itachi was a little confused.
Izumi said, "Hmph, a woman's words are for a man to guess, hmph."
Uchiha Itachi scratched his head, then couldn't help but say, "I'm sorry, I don't know why, but I just didn't want to let go."
"Pervert."
"Huh?"
Uchiha Izumi stared at him and said, "Pervert."
Uchiha Itachi scratched his head, asking in confusion, "Huh~ What do you mean?"
"I said, you, are. A. Pervert."
Uchiha Itachi became even more confused. He said, "But you hugged me first just now!"
"That's still not allowed!"
Uchiha Itachi said awkwardly, "My mother said that when a girl your age hugs you, you should hug her back; it will increase affection..."
"Ah ah ah ah ah! He really is a pervert! See you next time! I'm going back first." Izumi ran back directly.
Uchiha Itachi looked at Izumi's hurried appearance and asked in confusion, "So, was what Mom said true or false?"
However, he still savored that hug; it truly felt wonderful.
Uchiha Izumi walked home huffily. Along the way, she said angrily, "Damn it, I originally thought of following the plot and giving him a reward, but instead, he flirted with me! Why am I blushing?" Izumi touched her face and said, "And why am I nervous? As expected, no matter the gender, the first time being hugged by the opposite sex makes one nervous."
Izumi then thought of her previous life, having no girlfriend and never being hugged like that. In this life, she wanted to leave a deep impression on a boy by hugging him, but instead, she was held tightly in his arms. Ah ah ah ah, how embarrassing!
When Izumi returned home, her mother saw that Izumi's face was a bit red, so she asked, "What's wrong?"
Izumi quickly waved her hand and said, "Nothing."
Uchiha Hazuki covered her mouth and chuckled, "Something must have happened, otherwise why would your face be red? Heh heh heh..."
Uchiha Hazuki leaned close to Izumi and quickly asked, "Tell me about it."
Izumi would absolutely not talk about such a thing.
Uchiha Hazuki complained, "Izumi doesn't tell me anything anymore since she grew up. She has her own little secrets now."
"There's absolutely nothing! Nothing at all!" Izumi rolled her eyes at her speechlessly, then went straight back into her room.
Uchiha Hazuki smiled, then continued to busy herself with her own matters.