The White and Tender Girl Is Always Black When Cut Open

Shazo was annoyed.

He had encountered a massive problem, and despite struggling with it for two years, he had been dragging his feet and failing to resolve it.

With the arrival of early summer in Year 55 of Konoha, this major problem was on the verge of escalating into a major crisis.

Shazo sighed repeatedly in his anxiety: "Sigh, this is really driving me crazy!"

The young girl with large eyes and hair like black silk heard Shazo's words, rolled her eyes in a cute manner, and complained in a sweet voice: "Why do I feel like you aren't anxious at all, brother?"

Shazo could not accept his sister's slander: "Izumi, I am truly anxious. Look, I even have a blister on my lip."

The girl, Izumi, pouted: "That's because you're eating grilled rice cakes one after another, brother, and you burned your mouth."

Shazo let out an "oh," picked up another grilled rice cake, took a bite, and swallowed it in two or three gulps.

After finishing the hot, fragrant, and sticky grilled rice cake, he finally spoke: "Izumi, no matter how anxious you are, you have to eat first. You can't do anything on an empty stomach."

The girl sighed helplessly: "Sigh, seriously, why are Mom and Dad so stubborn?"

Shazo shook his head: "There's no helping it. The Uchiha Clan is so powerful, so influential, and they have money; they are extremely generous to clansmen who awaken the Sharingan."

"Izumi, you've received quite a few benefits over these past two years, haven't you?"

The girl nodded and said: "Mhm, Jonin guidance, high-quality ninja tools and weapons, ninjutsu scrolls, and money—lots and lots of money."

"Hehe, I even graduated early and became a Genin before you did, brother."

Shazo smiled dotingly: "It is precisely because of the Uchiha Clan's generosity that Aunt Miko and Uncle Heishiro are convinced that you have a brighter future within the Uchiha Clan."

"The strength of the Uchiha Clan is too great; no matter how you look at it, there is no possibility of them being wiped out."

"They are only refusing to move back because they are thinking of your future."

Izumi said distressfully: "I know. After you reminded me, brother, I realized it too."

"Actually, neither Mom nor Dad likes the Uchiha compound."

"It's just too remote, too far from the center of Konoha. Dad can't continue his previous work and just sits at home all day."

"Mom has also complained in secret that the Uchiha ninjas look down on her, while the Uchiha civilians avoid her. It's been two years and she doesn't even know her new neighbors."

The girl sighed: "Mom and Dad are only gritting their teeth and living there for my sake."

Shazo ate another rice cake and sighed: "They refuse to leave for your sake, and you can't return for theirs—it's a deadlock."

Helplessness, depression, and worry filled the girl's heart, causing her mood to plummet.

Stimulated by these emotions, eerie chakra generated from the depths of the girl's mind, pouring continuously into her eyes.

Her pitch-black, spirited pupils suddenly turned the color of fresh blood, and then two black tomoe emerged—it was none other than the Uchiha Clan's Sharingan.

Shazo suddenly reached out, pressed his hand against Izumi's forehead, and carefully injected his own chakra to suppress the changes in the girl's emotions, preventing her thoughts from spiraling into impulsivity.

Shazo asked with a sigh: "When did you awaken the two-tomoe?"

The girl, Izumi—that is, Uchiha Izumi—cautiously looked at Shazo, and only after confirming he wasn't angry did she pat her chest and heave a sigh of relief.

She replied: "During our last mission, Teacher Tekka led us to raid a bandit stronghold, and he demanded that we all kill."

"I felt so scared and disgusted at the time, I wanted to vomit, but I didn't expect to awaken the two-tomoe Sharingan after we returned."

"Brother, is there something wrong with my eyes?"

Shazo shook his head: "There is nothing wrong with your eyes, but awakening the Sharingan at 11 is a bit early, and awakening the two-tomoe Sharingan just after turning 13 is simply too early."

Uchiha Izumi asked curiously: "But the clansmen all say that the earlier you awaken the Sharingan, the better..."

Shazo sneered: "Heh, what a foolish and short-sighted idea."

"Such a powerful Kekkei Genkai as the Sharingan requires a massive amount of chakra from the user and places a tremendous burden on the body. How could it possibly be better to awaken it earlier?"

The strongest ninja of the Uchiha Clan in a century, Madara Uchiha, was 14 when he opened his eyes, which didn't hinder his rise or his eventual awakening of the Mangekyo Sharingan.

Meanwhile, Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Sasuke, who opened their eyes before the age of 10, were both riddled with injuries and chronic illnesses.

Uchiha Itachi went blind and died young in his early twenties, and Uchiha Sasuke didn't fare much better; if not for the care of the Sage of Six Paths, he might have died even younger than his brother.

Shazo said: "With your 13-year-old frame, you simply cannot handle the burden of the two-tomoe Sharingan."

"Izumi, after awakening the two-tomoe, don't you feel that your body gets tired very easily, your eyes often feel dry, and it's difficult to activate, yet even harder to deactivate once opened?"

Uchiha Izumi nodded like a chick pecking at grain: "You're absolutely right, brother, I have all those symptoms."

Shazo instructed: "Do not activate the Sharingan again for the time being."

"Go to the hospital later, use the excuse of dry eyes to get some medicine, and use the topical treatment for half a month; it will make you feel better."

Uchiha Izumi agreed: "Okay, brother, I'll go to the hospital in a bit."

Shazo nodded, satisfied with his sister's obedience.

He deepened his tone and solemnly warned: "Izumi, you must be careful. You must control your emotions over the next few years; you cannot let an emotional breakdown lead to the awakening of the three-tomoe Sharingan."

"Otherwise, you are very likely to contract the Kekkei Genkai illness."

Uchiha Izumi smiled bitterly: "Brother, we have to solve the problem with Mom and Dad first, otherwise, when the Uchiha catastrophe erupts, there is no way I can keep my emotions stable."

Shazo rubbed his chin, feeling the fuzz graze his fingertips, and suddenly said: "Izumi, what do you think about me faking an illness?"

Uchiha Izumi blinked, looking at her brother from another mother with a puzzled expression.

Shazo smiled and asked, "If Aunt Miko and Uncle Heishiro hear that I'm sick, do you think they might move back in to take care of me for a while?"

Uchiha Izumi's face lit up with surprise, then she looked at Shazo and shifted into an embarrassed expression, shuffling over to his side with small steps.

With her hands behind her back, she silently fished a small hammer out of her ninja tool pouch.

The young girl's movements were very gentle, but Shazo still noticed them.

He made a face like the confused subway old man meme: "Izumi, you took out a hammer... what kind of bad idea are you cooking up?"

Uchiha Izumi said sheepishly, "Brother, I was thinking that if you broke your leg, Mom would worry that you couldn't take care of yourself, and she would probably move back in to look after you."

Shazo pinched the bridge of his nose, unable to hold back a sigh.

She used to be so soft, fair, and tender when she was little, a neighbor's younger sister as cute as a kitten.

When did she turn into a girl who was pitch-black on the inside?