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***
The day's classes finally came to a close, and it was time to dismiss the Ninja Academy.
"See you tomorrow, classmates," Junpei Kanhara announced, exiting the classroom.
Izumi followed closely behind, slipping out at a speed most students would struggle to match.
Itachi followed her, and the two quickly exited the Ninja Academy.
Only as they reached the street did Izumi's nervous expression gradually relax, and she breathed a sigh of relief.
"Hehe," Itachi chuckled softly.
He knew she feared the other children would pester her again after school and ask about her sudden outburst in class.
"How embarrassing," Izumi muttered to herself, watching Itachi's smile.
A faint blush adorned her fair cheeks.
It was autumn, and while the sky was still bright at the end of the school day, by the time Itachi and Izumi reached the dango shop in Konoha, the dim sunlight had already begun to fade.
They walked side by side into the small shop.
"Let's sit here," Itachi said, pointing to a table for two near the shop's entrance.
"Yeah," Izumi nodded and sat down on a stool, muttering to herself, "What's wrong with me?"
Normally, she'd feel shy about things like this, but today, this feeling of turmoil had lasted a bit too long.
Itachi sat down across from her and waved to the staff inside.
They quickly arrived at their table.
"Would you like just the three-colored dango?" Itachi asked, looking at Izumi.
Izumi nodded.
"Two skewers of tri-colored dango, please," Itachi said to the staff, who nodded and left.
"Dinner's almost here, so let's celebrate appropriately."
Itachi looked at Izumi, who still had a slightly odd expression, and said, "Alright, I didn't mean to laugh at you when I laughed just now. I just thought you were quite cute."
He was now thinking like an adult, so he didn't feel awkward saying this.
But Itachi had never said such words to a girl before, and even as they slipped out, a small thrill still fluttered within him.
Izumi's face flushed even more, but she immediately raised her eyes and whispered, "Really?"
"Yes," Itachi nodded.
With the confirmation, Izumi smiled with joy, her turbulent emotions calming down for a moment.
Soon, the staff from earlier arrived with a porcelain plate containing two skewers of tri-colored dango.
"Thank you," Itachi said politely, then picked up a skewer and handed it to Izumi, saying, "Eat quickly, and we'll leave after you're done."
Izumi obediently took the dango from Itachi's hand, but she didn't start eating right away.
Instead, she gazed intently at the food, a sweet look in her eyes.
"It tastes just like the old one," Itachi took a bite of the dango, and a wave of nostalgia washed over him.
In his mind, this was a flavor he hadn't tasted in years.
Just then, the curtain of the dango shop was drawn back, and several young men and women, wearing Konoha forehead protectors and looking about thirteen or fourteen, entered.
From where Itachi was sitting, he saw them immediately.
His gaze couldn't help but linger on them, as they were all familiar to him.
Although Itachi quickly retracted his gaze, the young man holding a senbon still noticed him.
From his position, he could immediately see the round fan family crest behind Izumi.
Uchiha clansmen often wore similar attire, so even though he couldn't see the crest on Itachi, he could already tell that these two children were members of the Uchiha clan.
He then turned his head away, not paying much attention.
"Asuma, let's sit here," said the curly-haired girl with the beautiful, ruby-like eyes.
"Yes," the young man replied.
Asuma Sarutobi, Kurenai Yuhi, Genma Shiranui, and Ebisu, these boys and girls who had just entered the dango shop, all belonged to the same batch of graduates.
And Itachi knew all of them.
He had even fought with Asuma and Kurenai when he sneaked into Konoha after the death of the Third Hokage.
Asuma and his group sat down at several tables and ordered food.
Not long after they sat down, another boy strode in.
He was wearing green tights, had a shiny black bowl cut, and his eyebrows were much thicker than those of ordinary people.
"Guy," Itachi murmured softly in his heart.
The boy's full name was Might Guy.
He was an anomaly among Konoha's ninjas because he only specialized in taijutsu.
But because of this, Guy's strength was very formidable.
It was when Itachi and his Akatsuki companion Kisame sneaked back to the village that they encountered him.
At that time, Itachi felt a subtle threat from Guy.
However, Guy didn't notice Itachi and ran to sit in front of the table where Asuma and the others were.
"That guy Kakashi still doesn't want to come?" Asuma looked at Guy.
Guy nodded and sighed, "Oh, the way that guy looks every day now is really worrying."
"You two have a really good relationship," Genma Shiranui said.
Ebisu continued, "It's been so long, and Kakashi still hasn't recovered from that incident?"
As soon as he mentioned this, the mood of Asuma and his group all became depressed.
Kurenai Yuhi frowned and said, "The deaths of those two were a tremendous blow to him."
"Such is the fate of being a ninja, especially during war," Asuma said, glancing at Itachi and Izumi.
Itachi had heard everything Asuma and the others had said about that matter.
Others might not have understood the meaning, but Itachi had once been in the Anbu, and Kakashi was his senior there.
He knew a little about the incident.
Kakashi and two others had once formed a ninja team.
Their jonin mentor was none other than Minato Namikaze, before he became the Fourth Hokage.
In the last Shinobi World War, two of Kakashi's classmates had died in the fighting.
One of those two was a member of the Uchiha clan.
In a battle with the Iwagakure, he died protecting his comrades.
Before his death, he gave Kakashi his intact Sharingan.
After the war, this incident briefly caught the attention of the clan's higher-ups.
After all, the Sharingan is a unique eye technique reserved for the Uchiha clan.
Ultimately, at his father's insistence, they chose to respect the clan member's true wishes.
Itachi had heard the name when he was very young, and according to common sense, he probably wouldn't have been able to recall it immediately.
But just as he thought of this, the name suddenly popped into his mind.
Obito Uchiha.
...
"How can I remember it so clearly?"
The name that suddenly popped up in his mind, Obito Uchiha, left Itachi somewhat stunned.
He had noticed that since his rebirth, his memories of this age had become remarkably clear, even for details that should have been hazy.
For example, he could clearly recall what his parents had done on the day of his rebirth.
While ninjas' memories are said to be far superior to those of ordinary people, he didn't know why his had become so sharp.
He didn't delve into it for now, but as he thought back, he couldn't help but feel awe for a fellow clansman like Obito.
Though Obito might have been only a Chunin, his strength wasn't particularly formidable, yet he was willing to sacrifice himself to protect his comrades.
Even after his death, he left his strength behind.
In this way, he continued to protect his comrades and Konoha.
Kakashi didn't disappoint him either.
A few years later, the fame of the "Copy Ninja" spread across the world, and Kakashi became a pillar of Konoha's new generation of ninja.
"Sometime, I should go pay my respects to them," he thought to himself.
Itachi respected more than just Obito.
He also respected all the Konoha ninja who had sacrificed their lives to protect the village during the last war.
Recovering his composure, Itachi raised his gaze.
Izumi was still gazing at the tri-colored dango in her hand with delight.
"Izumi, hurry up, get ready to go," Itachi said, quickly beginning to eat.
"Oh," Izumi replied, coming back to her senses, and immediately began to eat.
Her manners were impressive, and her speed was so fast that she finished the dango before Itachi could.
After finishing, Itachi stopped Izumi from paying and pulled out some change from his pocket.
"Let me do it. I don't usually spend the pocket money my mother gives me."
Itachi was different from other children.
At the age of five, this was the first time he had eaten snacks outside.
Mikoto usually gave Itachi some pocket money, which he would save for a while and then buy some necessities to give to the elderly in his clan who had lost children in the war.
Izumi looked embarrassed, but before she could say anything, Itachi stood up from his seat and headed out of the shop.
"Wait for me," Izumi immediately left her seat and followed Itachi's footsteps.
"Are those two children from the Uchiha clan?" Kurenai asked, looking at where Itachi and Izumi had sat.
"Haha, rushing to pay? That Uchiha kid is quite a gentleman, isn't he?" Genma Shiranui smiled.
From his seat, he had a clear view of Itachi and Izumi's every move.
Then, smiling at Asuma, he said, "That's something I should learn from."
"Agree," echoed Ebisu.
"What are you two talking about?"
Kurenai Yuhi asked shyly, a blush forming on her cheeks.
"It's incredible, someone like you could actually serve as the Hokage's personal guard," Asuma Sarutobi said, holding his forehead.
"Order whatever you want, I'll treat you to dinner today."
"Hehe," Genma and Leitong exchanged a look of triumph.
Izumi and Itachi quickly reached the Uchiha area.
In front of the Uchiha clan gate, Itachi waved at Izumi.
"Izumi, see you tomorrow." Their homes were on opposite sides of the village.
"Yeah," Izumi nodded, but she didn't move immediately.
By then, Itachi had already turned, swiftly going around the left side of the gate and disappearing from sight.
She watched Itachi leave, then paused for a moment before heading home.
By the time Itachi reached the front door, the sun had already set, and the sky had turned pitch black.
"I'm back!"
Itachi walked into the main hall.
Fugaku was already home, sitting at the table reading the newspaper.
"Why are you back so late?" Fugaku looked up from his newspaper and looked at Itachi.
Itachi wasn't very good at expressing himself, so he didn't know how to start.
Just then, Mikoto, wearing an apron, came out from the side hall and said with a smile, "Itachi made friends at school today. He must have gone out to play with them, right?"
"Did you make friends?" Fugaku looked at Itachi.
"Yeah."
Facing his parents' gazes, Itachi nodded slightly stiffly.
"I'll go see Sasuke," Itachi said immediately, then scurried into Sasuke's room.
Fugaku raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised.
"The child seems to have changed."
"Yes," Mikoto replied with a look of delight.
"But this is a good thing for Itachi, isn't it?"
Fugaku shrugged noncommittally.
"You're the child's mother, so it's only natural that you can't be wrong."
"Actually, you think the same thing as me, don't you?" Mikoto smiled faintly.
Fugaku wasn't one to show his emotions, but as a father, he had long been aware of Itachi's problems.
And now, seeing the change in Itachi, Fugaku must have been happy.
The next day.
"I'm going out," Itachi waved to Mikoto, who was holding Sasuke.
Mikoto smiled, and Sasuke waved back.
After leaving home, Itachi walked to the end of the street in front of his house.
Izumi was standing under a lamppost on the side of the road, as if she had been waiting for a long time.
Izumi also noticed Itachi and smiled at him.
Itachi greeted her with a smile. "Good morning."
He stretched out his hand.
"Yeah, good morning."
Izumi replied softly.
"Then let's go." Itachi said calmly, and then walked forward.
Izumi followed him with a happy smile on her face.
In this way, Izumi and Itachi went to and from school together every morning.
It was the sixth day of school at the Ninja Academy, Saturday, and today was a day off.
For morning exercises this morning, Itachi walked out of the clan and headed towards the cemetery in the village that was specially built for the martyrs who died in the war.
On the way, Itachi also bought a bunch of white lilies for the memorial.
Itachi walked slowly into the cemetery with a bouquet of flowers in his hand.
In the cemetery, rows of tombstones stood in solemn reverence.
Itachi couldn't help but feel a sense of awe when he thought that each tombstone represented the soul of a hero who had sacrificed his life for Konoha.
It's called a representation, not a burial, because not every tombstone holds a body.
After the war, not every ninja's remains could be recovered.
Swish!
Just as he was about to enter the cemetery to pay his respects, a figure suddenly darted by, dodging a few steps before stopping in front of a tombstone.
The figure was so agile that Itachi didn't notice him until he stopped.
Then, when he saw clearly who had suddenly darted into the cemetery, he muttered to himself,
"Kakashi?!"
.....
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