Itachi and Izumi

Genya clenched his fist tightly!

The chakra test paper split apart.

"You have the Wind nature too?" Fugaku was surprised this time.

Wind-nature chakra possessed incredible cutting power.

Moreover, combining Fire and Wind chakra could unleash terrifying power.

It was far stronger than combining Fire with any of the other three chakra natures.

They continued testing.

What happened next left Fugaku utterly stunned.

The Lightning-nature chakra test paper wrinkled.

The Earth-nature chakra test paper crumbled.

The Water-nature chakra test paper became wet.

Genya possessed all five chakra natures: Fire, Wind, Lightning, Water, and Earth...

Beside him, Fugaku's eyes went wide and his mouth fell open. He wanted to say something, but swallowed the words back down.

He found it unbelievable and rubbed his eyes in discomposure.

Fugaku asked uncertainly, "You have chakra of all five natures?"

Genya answered uncertainly, "I think so..."

He was not entirely sure whether the chakra test papers had become unreliable from "old age and disrepair."

To be safe, Fugaku had Genya test himself twice more.

It was still all five natures!

Fugaku muttered in shock, "My heavens, this is unbelievable!"

The Uchiha clan had a long history.

Geniuses with all five chakra natures were exceedingly rare.

As far as he remembered,

only their ancestor Uchiha Madara had awakened chakra of all five natures.

Genya was the second!

After taking a full seven or eight seconds to compose himself, Fugaku said, "You are still young. Unless your life is in danger, do not reveal any chakra nature other than Fire."

Konoha was not as safe and peaceful as it appeared.

The major clans were also secretly competing against one another.

The tallest tree in the forest was the first to be toppled by the wind.

Genya needed to grow first.

At the very least, he needed the strength of a Jonin.

Only then would he possess enough ability to protect himself.

"I will!" Genya nodded.

Being too dazzling could easily provoke others' envy.

Considering Genya was still young and would bite off more than he could chew with too many ninjutsu, Fugaku suggested that he first choose two C-rank techniques, such as Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique and Wind Release: Gale!

The reason Fugaku still had Genya choose a Wind Release technique

was so that at a critical moment,

he could combine Fire Style and Wind Style

and possess a trump card of his own.

Fugaku's suggestion was good, and Genya accepted it. He said slowly, "Uncle Fugaku, I would like to choose a Genjutsu."

After thinking for a moment, Fugaku replied, "Only after awakening the Sharingan can you unleash the full power of Genjutsu. You still haven't—"

Before he could finish speaking,

Genya's pupils turned blood-red.

A single tomoe slowly appeared in his eyes.

"Uncle Fugaku, can I learn Genjutsu?"

Fugaku was stunned once again...

Itachi and Izumi

Itachi wandered aimlessly down the street.

His eyes were filled with confusion.

Ever since he was little, Itachi had performed exceptionally well. He had grown up amid the praise of his clansmen, and even Fugaku had been deeply satisfied with him.

Yet in just the past day or two,

Genya's performance, whether in his thinking and insight or his combat talent, had far surpassed his own.

This dealt a heavy blow to proud Itachi's heart, leaving him with an inexplicable sense of defeat.

Perhaps he was far from worthy of being called a Uchiha genius?

"Heh heh..."

Itachi walked on listlessly, his eyes vacant and his spirit dejected.

At that moment,

he seemed unable to find a direction.

Nor could he find himself.

As he walked,

Itachi arrived at the clan's lake.

He remembered

how his father had once practiced Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique with him here.

Because he had learned it after watching only once, he earned his father's praise. "As expected of my son."

It felt as though it had all happened yesterday.

Following the wooden steps over the lake,

Itachi slowly walked out before sitting down.

A gentle breeze blew.

It carried a cool, comfortable feeling.

He did not know how long he had been sitting there.

Then, a sweet voice suddenly sounded behind him.

"Itachi, long time no see."

Before him stood a cute young girl wearing a purple top.

Her jet-black hair reached her waist, and there was a beauty mark beneath the corner of her eye, lending her an extra touch of playful charm.

"So it's Izumi." Seeing the girl, Itachi spoke softly.

On the night of the Nine-Tails Incident, Itachi had saved the panicked Uchiha Izumi. Since then, a small connection had formed between them.

Itachi was usually busy training.

Even though they belonged to the same clan, they rarely had the chance to meet.

Seeing that Itachi was in low spirits, Izumi pursed her lips before breaking into a broad smile and saying,

"Itachi, you look unhappy. If something is bothering you, you'll feel better if you say it out loud."

"I can keep a secret. I promise I won't tell anyone!" Izumi made a gesture of covering her mouth.

Izumi could tell that Itachi was unhappy, so she intended to comfort him.

"No." Itachi shook his head slightly in denial.

Itachi was someone who kept his emotions locked away and never deliberately revealed his thoughts.

Just as later, even in death, Itachi would bear the infamy and keep Konoha's secrets safe.

"I see." Itachi's answer left Izumi slightly discouraged. His personality was still somewhat strange, and it was not easy for him to open his heart.

Izumi took a box from a green bag. Inside were several skewers of Three-Color Dango.

"These are my mother's favorite Three-Color Dango. She says eating sweets when you're unhappy can make you feel better."

"Itachi, would you like to try some Three-Color Dango?"

Izumi held out a skewer of Three-Color Dango to Itachi.

"But Itachi is excellent at taijutsu in school, gets great grades, and is one of our Uchiha clan's elite youths. He probably doesn't like sweets!"

"Sorry, I was being presumptuous."

The moment Izumi held out the Three-Color Dango, she realized that aloof Itachi might not like such little snacks.

She took it back on her own, bit into one dango, and began eating in big mouthfuls.

"It's so good!"

After finishing one dango,

Izumi turned around and found Itachi staring at her.

He even swallowed unconsciously.

After Izumi noticed his embarrassed state, Itachi pretended to be aloof and turned his head away, letting out a quiet snort.

His tsundere side was on full display!

"Could Itachi like Three-Color Dango???"

Izumi was a little dumbfounded too.

She gave an awkward laugh, then handed a skewer of Three-Color Dango to Itachi. After hesitating for a moment, he accepted it and began eating as well. The tightly furrowed brows on his face gradually relaxed.

Itachi muttered quietly, "It's really good!"

No matter how aloof

or inhuman Itachi would become in the future,

at this moment, he was still only a child of a little over six.

The two quickly finished sharing several skewers of Three-Color Dango.

"Izumi, your Three-Color Dango was delicious. Thank you!" After finishing, a hint of a smile finally appeared on Itachi's face, as though his feelings after today's defeat had improved somewhat.

"You're welcome. If you like them, Itachi, I can buy more in the future." Izumi smiled sweetly.

"Mm, thank you!" Itachi nodded and returned her gratitude with a smile.

"Then it's a promise!" Izumi said with a smile as well.

After chatting a while longer, the two went home separately.

The moment Itachi returned home, he saw Sasuke rushing toward him. "Big brother, play with me!"

As a child, Sasuke had been extremely attached to Itachi.

He was even more attached to him than to Fugaku and Mikoto.

"Was Sasuke good today?" Itachi picked Sasuke up and affectionately bumped his forehead against Sasuke's.

"I ate two bowls of rice at noon today, and Mother praised me for being so good." Little Sasuke held up two fingers and told Itachi proudly, as if asking for praise.

"Sasuke is amazing!" Itachi rubbed Sasuke's little head. After receiving his praise, Sasuke lifted his chin slightly.