At that moment, she looked at the young man before her—the boy she had once thought of as a little brother.
The boy she had been determined to protect.
Now, he possessed such incredible strength.
He had not only led most of the clan in a defection from the Hidden Leaf Village; he had even built a new village from nothing.
He had built a new home for his people.
Just how powerful did that make him?
As for her, ever since becoming a Genin, she had started slacking off.
At work, she did little more than look after the Daimyo's wife's pets or help officials in the Land of Fire move house.
She spent all day loafing around, and her strength improved at a snail's pace.
It was truly shameful!
"Little Brother Natsume, I..."
"Do you think our clan shouldn't have defected from Konoha, Izumi?"
Natsume asked with a grin, happily tucking into his food.
His cousin Izumi had been through a lot, too.
Age five: during the Nine-Tails Incident, her father died before her eyes while protecting her, and she awakened her Sharingan.
Age seven: during lunch break at school, she stood up for Itachi when older students bullied him, and ended up collapsing unconscious.
Age eleven: Itachi told her outright that, as a girl, she shouldn't become a ninja. They argued and parted on bad terms.
Age twelve: after Shisui's suicide, she braved the rain and went to the clan head's home to find Itachi. Itachi wasn't there, but Fugaku saw her and told her, "Itachi doesn't have many friends. I hope you won't give up on him." She agreed.
Age thirteen: at a clan gathering, Itachi was ostracized and scorned by the clan members, and an argument broke out. She was caught in the middle...
And then came the night of the massacre.
This sensitive, brave, stubborn, gentle, and thoughtful girl had died at the hands of the man she loved, never knowing why.
Wasn't that a tragedy?
Now, Natsume's actions had rewritten that tragedy.
But Uchiha Izumi...
Was still caught between her lover and her clan, with no way out.
After all, she had always been firmly on Konoha's side.
Her father was a ninja from another clan, and her mother was an Uchiha. Having lost loved ones in the turmoil, she understood all too well the pain the people of Konoha had suffered during the Nine-Tails Incident, and the resentment that had built up.
She had talent, but she was no genius like Shisui or Itachi. In the Uchiha Clan, she had no say.
She supported Konoha, yet in the face of the whole clan's surging defiance, she was powerless and insignificant.
She hoped Itachi could turn things around, and begged him to talk to the clan members again. But Itachi couldn't persuade the enemy either, and had no choice but to take an even more brutal path.
This was the helplessness of being caught between two sides, the sorrow of the weak.
In this cruel Ninja World,
weakness was a sin!
"At first, I thought defecting was wrong, too!"
"But in the few days since I arrived, I've seen the clan members filled with more enthusiasm than ever before. I've seen the children break into genuine smiles, and I've seen a place brimming with life..."
"Maybe defecting from Konoha wasn't the wrong choice after all..."
Compared to before, these past few days had made Izumi grow up quite a bit.
And the thriving Flame Hidden Village had shaken the beliefs she'd held all her life.
Everything here, so full of life, seemed to prove it.
Konoha was wrong! It was evil!
The Uchiha Clan should have defected long ago! They should have fought back long ago...
Natsume glanced at Izumi.
He'd thought it would take a lot of effort to convince her.
He hadn't expected the changes in the village and among the clan members to have already done the job for him.
That meant there was only one person Izumi still couldn't let go of.
"Then, Izumi, you're worried about Itachi, aren't you?"
"Ah! Little Brother Natsume, you—you know?"
Izumi was startled, her youthful cheeks turning faintly red.
Natsume pursed his lips.
"Do I look that stupid?"
"Besides, Itachi is my cousin, after all! I can tell when something's up..."
"Th-then..."
Natsume waved a hand.
"Don't worry. Itachi and the clan head won't be in any danger for a while."
"Because we succeeded in defecting, Konoha won't dare lay a hand on the clan members who remain in the village. We're a constant threat to them."
"Besides, if we hadn't defected, Itachi would probably have raised his blade against the clan members by now."
"Ah! How could that be? Itachi..."
"He didn't have much choice. The Konoha High Command was threatening him from one side, while the clan's hardliners were attacking him from the other..."
"Be glad we escaped successfully. Otherwise, he'd already be a criminal with the blood of his own people on his hands."
Izumi stared blankly.
Natsume's shocking revelation left her almost unable to think.
She had always known that Itachi, caught between Konoha and the clan, was in terrible pain.
But she'd never imagined that Konoha would force him into such a cruel and bloody decision.
If Itachi had really taken that step, she would probably have fallen apart, too!
"Enough, Izumi. Don't dwell on it."
"What you need to do now is look after Aunt Hazuki and help build our new village."
"And work hard to grow stronger!"
"Only by becoming strong enough can you protect your family and your village when danger comes!"
Natsume's words gradually cleared the confusion from Izumi's eyes.
That was right!
If she had enough strength, if she could become as powerful as Little Brother Natsume,
then no matter what danger came, she'd be able to face it calmly, wouldn't she?
At the very least,
she could become a pillar of support for her clan, for Itachi, and for Natsume and the others!
"I understand! Thank you, Natsume."
"By the way, I'll also make contact with the clan members left behind in Konoha and make arrangements for them."
"I'll find a way to get them all out..."
"Really?"
Izumi's face lit up, her eyes shining.
"Of course."
"That's wonderful! Little Brother Natsume, you're the best!"
Izumi cheerfully came over to Natsume and ruffled her little brother's hair.
Then she turned and left, beaming.
"I'm heading back, then! Make sure you eat well!"
"Hey, Izumi! I want teriyaki chicken tomorrow!"
"Sure thing!"
Watching Izumi happily leave, Natsume shook his head with a smile.
But he hadn't lied to her.
Later, when Konoha forced the Uchiha Clan members who remained to hunt them down,
the Flame Hidden Village would inevitably come into contact with the clan head, Fugaku, Itachi...and the others.
When that happened, he'd naturally make good use of the opportunity.
After all,
if he wanted to bring down Konoha and overturn the entire Ninja World,
he couldn't do it alone!
Besides, with Itachi's talent, he could still shine brilliantly even without experiencing the night of the massacre.
"Whatever. I'll think about that later."
"First, time to eat!"
"Aunt Hazuki's cooking is just as delicious as ever!"
Natsume happily shoveled down the rest of his dinner.
Soon,
just as he'd finished eating, news came in.
Orochi had returned with Kabuto.
A few minutes later,
Natsume had put away the dishes.
He sat cross-legged in his room.
Before him, Kabuto and Nonō knelt, waiting to hear their fate.
Neither of them harbored any thoughts of escape.
Although they had no idea how strong the young man before them was,
or how he had come to command an entire ninja village,
or how he had even gotten one of the famous Sannin of the Ninja World, Orochimaru, to work for him,
they both knew there was no way they could defeat him!
Escape meant certain death!
"My name is Uchiha Natsume, Young Clan Head of the Flame Hidden Village. Good evening, you two."
"Greetings, Lord Natsume!"
"No need to be so formal. Look up when you speak."
"Well, Headmistress Nonō, Kabuto...Orochimaru told you the details, right?"
"What do you think? Or rather, what's your opinion of Konoha's betrayal?"
"Speak freely. You'll be safe here!"
Natsume raised an eyebrow, asking with keen interest.
Before you continue