Steam curled gently between two cups as the afternoon light filtered through the garden.
Kushina poured, then paused, watching her daughter through the open doors. Kazane stood near the edge of the courtyard, gaze fixed upward toward the tall tree by the pond. The same tree she had been staring at since Kakashi's words the night prior.
She hadn't tried to climb it or touch it.
"She's already thinking ahead," Mikoto observed softly, following Kushina's gaze.
Kushina huffed a quiet breath. "That's what worries me."
Mikoto nodded. "Itachi does the same thing. He plans three steps forward, then prepares for the fourth in case the first three fail."
They shared a look born of familiarity.
"What did he say... did he agree to let them continue meeting?" Asked Kushina, her distaste for Fugaku's caution of her daughter crept into her tone. "We can't keep them apart forever."
"When they meet next, he wants it to be at the Uchiha compound." Mikoto explains, "He wants to observe and see it for himself. To make sure they aren't crossing any boundaries or making trouble for the clan."
"Hmph," Kushina snorted in displeasure, "They need permission to be children?"
"The whole village is watching them now," Mikoto eased softly. "If something goes wrong, the fallout will be more than just two crying children."
Kushina just bit her lip silently in response, looking out at her daughter.
---
Kazane walked alongside her mother through the Uchiha district at an unhurried pace. The compound felt different from the rest of the village, she noticed.
A unique presence in the air, a sense of pride layered so deeply into the streets and walls that it felt almost alive.
Clan crests frequently marked doorways and clothing. Every stone seemed placed with intention, as if the district itself remembered who had walked here before.
Her steps slowed, chakra drawing inward, quiet the way she had learned to keep it when around too many people, when she was near items of importance, when she had to be careful.
Mikoto was waiting for them when they arrived, Itachi standing beside her. He stood, straight-backed and composed, dark eyes taking in Kazane as thoroughly as she was taking in everything else.
"Kushina." Mikoto greeted warmly, "Kazane, it is good to see you again."
Kazane, jolted from her thoughts, quickly bowed upon hearing her name. Seeing this brought a small smile to Kushina's lips as she exchanged a few quiet words with Mikoto before stepping aside.
Itachi and Kazane went to the nearby training yard, which was within sight of their parents, who were now perched atop the balcony. The training yard behind Itachi's home felt older than the Namikaze courtyard.
The ground was worn smooth by generations of practice. Poles stood at fixed distances, their placement unchanged for years. Nearby was a large pond with a small pier stretching out above the water. Even the wind seemed to move more carefully here, threading through the space without disturbing it.
Kazane moved first, beginning the Leaf kata she had been practising.
She set her stance deliberately, feet aligning exactly as she had been taught, shoulders squared, breath measured. Her strikes were powerful, but cautious. Every movement carried weight held just short of release.
There was a fractional pause before each transition, where she checked herself before continuing, not wanting to form any bad habits.
Midway through the sequence, her foot landed slightly off-angle. Barely noticeable. She stopped immediately and restarted from the beginning. Itachi watched without comment, taking up a position across from her.
When he moved, it was quieter, his stance smaller. Cleaner, less forceful and more fluid. His chakra stayed close to his core, flowing neatly where hers pressed outward before being pulled back in. Where Kazane restrained power, Itachi conserved motion.
As they practised side by side, something subtle changed. Itachi adjusted his pace. Not dramatically. Just enough that his rhythm matched hers, slowing when she reset. Pausing between sequences so she was never behind, but never correcting her.
When she made a mistake and restarted, he simply continued. Kazane noticed.
On her third restart, she hesitated longer than usual.
"You don't have to wait," she said quietly, eyes still forward.
"I know," Itachi replied just as softly. And yet, he did."I've been practising kata longer than you," he added, trying not to discourage her.
That was when her attention shifted. From herself to him.
She noticed how his weight shifted before each strike. How his breathing never caught. How his movements softened slightly when hers grew tense. He wasn't competing... or comparing himself to her. No, he was showing.
Kazane was no stranger to learning from others, from those older and wiser than herself. This wasn't that; this was something else. He wasnt trying to teach her, he was letting her learn for herself.
An acknowledgement
Like saying I know you can do it. I'm just a little further ahead right now, but you'll easily catch up with me. We both know it.
After a time, she completed a full sequence without stopping. Then another before finishing together. They stood in the stillness that followed practice, breathing in sync without realising it.
From the edge of the courtyard, Fugaku Uchiha watched unannounced. His gaze moved between the two children with the scrutiny of a man accustomed to weighing consequences before outcomes.
He saw Kazane's power. Obvious to anyone with even a little knowledge, contained with effort rather than ease. She was determined. Hard working, he judged, eventually. She would not be a poor influence on Itachi, he decided, turning away before either child noticed him.
-
"They won't make it easy on each other," Kushina murmured, observing them from her place next to Mikoto.
"No," Mikoto replied softly. They won't
In the training yard, Kazane spoke again.
-
"Can we do it once more?"
Itachi nodded.
Hours passed before they both grew tired, deciding to stop for the day and rest. Mikoto watched them from the balcony of her home, her hands folded neatly in her sleeves.
They moved side by side through the compound, steps naturally aligning again without either noticing. Not close enough to touch. Not distant either. A shared rhythm, careful and unspoken.
Kushina exhaled. It wasn't dramatic. Just a slow release of something she had been holding since the day Kazane was born. She needs this, she thought, someone her own age.
"For the first time," Mikoto said, eyes never leaving the children, "They aren't the only ones in the room carrying something too big for themselves."
Kazane had friends before. Shizune, who knelt patiently beside her and never flinched. Kakashi, who watched without crowding and understood silence better than most adults. However, neither was the same age as Kazane, and they weren't exactly friends, more like siblings.
"And that is exactly why we must be careful," Mikoto added.
Kushina glanced at her.
Mikoto's gaze followed Itachi as he opened a small package he prepared earlier, taking out a skewer of dango to offer Kazane. She took it without comment. They sat on a low stone wall near the edge of the training ground, legs dangling, chewing quietly. No chatter. No laughter. Just the soft sounds of the village around them.
"People notice things like this," Mikoto continued. "Two children. Both gifted. Both watched."
Kushina's smile faded, just enough. "They're just kids."
"For now," Mikoto replied gently. "But the village has a way of asking its brightest stars to burn first."
Her eyes lingered on Kazane on the way the girl sat too straight, even while resting, the way her chakra stayed coiled tight against her skin, even in stillness.
Then, to Itachi, calm, composed, already practised at restraint.
"You should know that better than most."
----IMPORTANT----
There will probably be no chapters this weekend. I'm going to be busy. I will try to get something together to post; however, I won't make any promises I might be unable to keep.
As always, thank you for the time you have spent reading and for any support given.