Izumi Uchiha and Itachi walked side by side along the streets of Konoha.
It was painfully obvious how deep the villagers' misunderstanding of the Uchiha clan ran. From time to time, resentful gazes swept over Izumi and Itachi—simply because the Uchiha clan crest was emblazoned on their clothes.
Itachi didn't mind it at all, but Izumi was different. She couldn't maintain the same calm, detached state of mind that Itachi did.
Izumi suddenly grabbed Itachi's hand and began running, pulling him along until they reached a forest devoid of people.
Panting, Izumi complained, "Hah… I really can't stand the way they look at us!"
"Izumi, are you alright?" Itachi asked.
"I'm fine. I just don't understand what's been happening lately. Companions who used to have my back are distancing themselves from me, villagers glare at us with hatred, and even the atmosphere within the clan feels strange. It's like something big is about to happen."
As a genin, Izumi didn't know what was going on between the Uchiha clan and Konoha's higher-ups. She was also one of the people Itachi wanted to take away from the village.
"You don't need to worry about it," Itachi said softly. "Izumi, just keep living the way you are now."
Izumi sensed that Itachi knew more than he was letting on. "Itachi… do you know something? What exactly is going—"
Itachi raised a finger to his lips. "It's a secret."
Izumi puffed out her cheeks in dissatisfaction. "Fine. You're probably going to say it's a confidential mission or something and you can't tell me. I get it."
The two continued walking through the forest and eventually sat down beside a small river.
Izumi glanced at Itachi's profile. Her cheeks unconsciously flushed as her thoughts began to wander.
Does this count as a date? It probably does…
"Itachi," she asked softly, "will we always walk the same path together?"
"Hm? Why would you ask that? Haven't we always been walking the same path?"
Izumi gently shook her head, staring at the shimmering surface of the river as she spoke in a lonely tone.
"Even though you're by my side right now, I feel like you're so far away. I want to keep up with you, but no matter how hard I try, it feels like I can never catch up."
"Don't overthink it, Izumi," Itachi replied. "I'm always here."
"Itachi… do you know why I became a ninja?"
Itachi turned his gaze toward her.
Izumi pressed her lips together briefly, then spoke softly, "Because I wanted to walk the same path as the person I love."
Itachi's body stiffened in an instant, unsure how to respond.
Izumi suddenly smiled. "I'm just joking—don't worry about it."
She stood up and brushed the dust from her clothes. "Alright, it's about time we head back. Sasuke is probably already waiting for you."
At the Uchiha compound, Izumi and Itachi parted ways.
Izumi watched Itachi's departing figure with a sense of loss and murmured softly to herself,
"I meant every word…"
Grass Country, Kusagakure.
Yōsuke, who was traveling through the area, was having a meal in a tavern with Deidara.
Yōsuke lifted his cup and took a leisurely sip of wine, while Deidara wolfed down the food on the table.
"Slow down," Yōsuke said. "No one's trying to steal it from you."
"@! ¥! @#"
Yōsuke's face darkened. "Swallow what's in your mouth before you talk!"
After struggling to gulp down the food, Deidara said, "I can't waste time eating. I still have to work on my art!"
Rubbing his throbbing temples, Yōsuke replied, "Can you calm down for once? The last time we passed through the capital of the Land of Birds, we got chased out because you used clay bombs recklessly."
Deidara shrugged indifferently. "They were so weak. Why did we have to run? We could've just wiped them out."
"Having strength doesn't mean you can do whatever you want…"
Seeing Yōsuke about to lecture him, Deidara covered his ears and continued shoveling food into his mouth like a starving dog.
Veins bulged on Yōsuke's forehead. "Forget it!"
Deidara lowered his hands and continued eating.
Ever since bringing Deidara along, Yōsuke felt like his blood pressure had never gone down. If he weren't immortal, he'd seriously worry about being angered to death by Deidara one day.
Suddenly, a commotion erupted outside the tavern. The patrons hurriedly fled.
Yōsuke stopped one of them and asked, "Excuse me, what happened?"
"Kusagakure was attacked by ninja from Takigakure. There are heavy casualties. We're going to take shelter!"
Yōsuke casually grabbed Deidara and left the tavern.
On the streets, Kusagakure's villagers were fleeing in panic, while shinobi wearing forehead protectors rushed toward the outskirts of the village.
Yōsuke frowned and muttered, "Just our luck. Looks like it's time to leave."
He had no intention of interfering in conflicts between villages—it had nothing to do with him.
Just as Yōsuke was about to leave Kusagakure with Deidara, he suddenly sensed a familiar chakra.
Following the sensation, he arrived at a desolate corner where a small red-haired girl was crouched helplessly at the entrance of a dilapidated house, hugging her knees.
The chakra she emitted felt identical to that of Kushina Uzumaki.
"An Uzumaki clan survivor left behind…" Yōsuke murmured.
He stepped forward and asked gently, "Did something happen?"
Through sobs, the red-haired girl said, "They took my mother away."
"Took her away? Can you explain in more detail?"
From the girl, Yōsuke learned that her name was Karin Uzumaki, and her mother was Chizuru Uzumaki.
After the destruction of the Land of Whirlpools, they wandered until reaching the Land of Grass. In order to stop drifting from place to place, Karin's mother made a deal with Kusagakure's ninja—using the Uzumaki clan's healing vitality to treat and restore injured shinobi in exchange for permission to stay in the village.
Just moments ago, because of Takigakure's surprise attack, Kusagakure suffered heavy casualties. Karin's mother was forcibly taken away to heal the wounded.
With her special sensory abilities, Karin sensed that her mother's condition was extremely weak. Fearing something might happen to her, she could only crouch helplessly outside the house.
Yōsuke knelt down and extended a hand gently.
"I know Kushina Uzumaki. She's a friend of mine. If you trust me, I can take you to find your mother."
Karin looked at him in surprise. "Really?"
"Of course."
Karin grabbed Yōsuke's hand, eager to take him straight to the Kusagakure hospital.
But a Kusagakure ninja suddenly blocked her path and shouted roughly,
"Uzumaki Karin! Come with me now! There are countless wounded in the village—your mother alone isn't enough!"
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