Classes ended just before dusk.
The Academy gates opened, and a wave of children spilled into the street where parents waited in loose clusters. Conversations overlapped. Laughter drifted through the warm afternoon air.
Itsuki stepped outside and immediately spotted familiar figures.
Uchiha Kaede stood near the gate, composed as always. Uchiha Daichi waited beside her, arms folded.
And next to them—
An elderly man with sharp features and silvered hair tied neatly at the back.
Uchiha Kazuma.
His grandfather.
Itsuki paused.
So it's reached him already.
Of course it had. News traveled faster than wind when it concerned the Sharingan.
He walked over and bowed his head lightly.
"Grandfather. Mother. Father."
Kazuma's stern expression softened almost imperceptibly.
"My grandson's first day at the Academy," he said. "Did you think I would not come?"
"I can walk home on my own," Itsuki replied evenly. "I'm not a toddler."
Several nearby parents glanced at him with faint amusement.
Five years old and already protesting being escorted.
Kazuma let out a low chuckle.
"Confidence is good."
Without warning, he lifted Itsuki into his arms.
Itsuki stiffened in reflex before resigning himself to it.
He had faced the Sharingan's awakening without flinching.
Being carried through the street was somehow more humiliating.
Uchiha Daichi watched with open envy.
"Father never carried me like that," he muttered under his breath.
Kaede hid a smile.
As they began walking, a small voice called out from behind.
"Itsuki-kun. See you tomorrow."
He turned.
Yuhi Kurenai stood a few steps away, hands clasped together. A faint blush colored her cheeks, but her gaze was steady.
Beside her stood Yuhi Shinku, his posture relaxed but eyes sharp.
The jonin's gaze lingered on Itsuki a moment too long.
Assessing.
Measuring.
Itsuki returned the look calmly before nodding to Kurenai.
"Tomorrow."
Shinku placed a hand on his daughter's shoulder and guided her away without a word.
Kaede leaned closer once they resumed walking.
"That girl is sweet," she said lightly. "Very polite."
Daichi nodded. "Strong bloodline too. Genjutsu runs deep in that family."
"Mother," Itsuki said flatly, sensing where this was heading.
Kaede smiled with dangerous warmth. "Just an observation."
He chose not to respond.
Kazuma, meanwhile, said nothing.
But Itsuki could feel it.
His grandfather's chakra was quiet, disciplined, and heavy like an old blade kept sheathed.
They were not walking home.
They were heading toward the Uchiha compound's central residence.
The main hall was already occupied.
Lantern light flickered against polished wood. Several senior members of the clan were present. The atmosphere was formal but not tense.
Uchiha Hayato, the clan head, stood near the center. Beside him was his son, Uchiha Fugaku, still young but already carrying himself with measured restraint.
A handful of jonin lined the edges of the room.
Itsuki understood immediately.
This was not a family dinner.
This was confirmation.
Kazuma set him down at last.
Before he could steady himself, elders approached one by one.
"Well done, little Itsuki," one said, pressing a sealed envelope into his hands.
Another offered a scroll.
A third presented a long lacquered box.
Praise followed.
Not exaggerated.
But unmistakably pleased.
Itsuki accepted each gift with a polite nod.
The pile in his arms grew heavy quickly.
So this is what potential looks like to them.
Not a child.
An investment.
Kaede stepped forward and relieved him of the growing burden, offering quiet thanks to the elders.
When the murmur finally settled, Uchiha Hayato stepped closer.
The room quieted.
"Itsuki," he said, voice steady. "We have heard many things today."
His eyes were sharp, but not hostile.
"Did you truly awaken the Sharingan?"
Silence settled across the hall.
Every gaze fixed on him.
Expectation.
Hope.
Pride.
Itsuki met Hayato's eyes calmly.
He understood what this moment represented.
Within the Uchiha, early awakening was not merely talent.
It was validation.
He let a measured breath leave his lungs.
Chakra gathered behind his eyes.
Controlled.
Precise.
Scarlet bloomed.
Two tomoe rotated slowly in each pupil.
The lantern light reflected off crimson irises, casting faint shadows against the wooden floor.
A collective inhale passed through the hall.
No cheers.
No applause.
Only a subtle shift in the room's atmosphere.
Recognition.
Kazuma's expression did not change, but something in his gaze grew deeper.
Fugaku watched intently, silent.
Hayato studied him for several seconds before nodding once.
"Well done."
Itsuki allowed the chakra to recede.
The scarlet faded.
The room relaxed, though not entirely.
He could feel it.
Something had solidified.
Not just in their perception of him.
But in his place within the clan.
Talent would shield him for now.
But it would also bind him tighter.
The Uchiha did not let their brightest burn alone.