"Yes! I did it! Thank you so much, Izumi-nee!"
Uchiha Renji jumped with joy, his face lighting up like the fireball he had just released.
Izumi, watching him, couldn't help but feel a little awkward. Even she had never managed to learn the Great Fireball Technique. A thought crossed her mind: Is everyone who stays close to Itachi destined to be a genius? Otherwise, how could this little kid have such talent…?
Just then, a metallic voice echoed inside Renji's head:
"Ding! Side quest complete: Learned the Great Fireball Technique.Ninjutsu Exchange System unlocked.All jutsu within the host's physical capacity are now available for exchange.Ninjutsu Achievement System unlocked.Ninjutsu Mastery System unlocked."
The sudden flood of notifications left Renji momentarily dazed. Until now, whenever he had checked the system, every function had been greyed out, unavailable to him. He hadn't expected that simply mastering the Great Fireball would unlock so many benefits.
And before he could react, another prompt rang out:
"Ding! Side quest complete. Unlocking next mission: Learn Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu. Time limit: three days."
Renji's heart tightened at the words time limit. So this wasn't just a one-off—this was the first in a chain of consecutive missions.
But there was a problem. Phoenix Flower Jutsu…? I don't even have any scrolls or notes on it. How the hell am I supposed to learn that…?
"Renji, you're amazing," Izumi said warmly. "Not even a full day, and you've already mastered the Great Fireball."
Renji waved it off. "It's not that great. Big Brother Itachi could use it after seeing it just once. Compared to him, I've got a long way to go."
The two chatted casually. Maybe it was because their names sounded similar, but their relationship had always been unusually close. And thanks to Renji's persistent encouragement, Izumi had finally decided—she would confess her feelings to Itachi.
Renji, of course, couldn't help but wonder: If she really confesses… will Itachi accept her?
Since she still had Academy classes that afternoon, Izumi soon packed up and left Training Ground Seven.
"Who's there!"
Sensing another presence nearby, Izumi instantly shifted into combat readiness. But when the figure revealed herself, Izumi froze, feeling a sudden pang of guilt—as though she'd just bullied someone she shouldn't have.
From behind a large tree stepped Hinata Hyūga. Startled by Izumi's sharp tone, the young girl trembled, looking utterly lost. Her wide eyes shimmered with tears, as though she were on the verge of breaking down at any moment.
"Those eyes… you're from the Hyūga clan?" Izumi asked carefully. "What are you doing here? Did you get lost?"
The Uchiha compound lay on the very edge of Konoha. Ordinary villagers rarely came this way—much less someone from the Hyūga clan, whose estate was near the center of the village.
"I… I-I didn't…" Hinata's voice was as faint as a mosquito's buzz. Izumi only caught the first two words; the rest was swallowed up by her timid whispering. Still, one detail stood out: Hinata kept sneaking glances toward Training Ground Seven.
"You're… looking for Renji, aren't you?" Izumi said at last.
Training Ground Seven had always been Itachi and Shisui's practice field. Izumi couldn't imagine what connection a Hyūga girl would have with either of them. That left only one possibility—Renji.
The moment Hinata heard his name, her entire face turned bright crimson. She tried to retreat in a panic, but spun too quickly and smacked headfirst into the tree behind her—knocking herself clean out.
"…Seriously?" Izumi blinked in disbelief.
She hurried to Hinata's side, checked that nothing serious had happened, and sighed with relief. Before long, the little girl stirred awake. She tried desperately to run off again, but Izumi stopped her gently, and soon the two began to talk.
Time passed quickly. Three days slipped by in a flash.
During this time, Renji not only mastered the Great Fireball Technique completely, but also made impressive progress with his shurikenjutsu. Yet he remained blissfully unaware that, every single morning, a small figure had been quietly watching him train from afar.
"Big Brother Itachi! Big Brother Shisui!"
The moment Renji saw them return, he rushed forward with a grin, practically bursting with pride. "I did it! I've completely mastered the Great Fireball Jutsu!"