By the time the two of them were nearing the place where he had been training, they could already see the riverbank in the distance, ravaged by ninjutsu and left in a terrible state. The damage caused by Fire Release and Lightning Release spread across a hundred-meter radius, a shocking sight. Seeing it, they quickened their pace.
Uchiha Itachi furrowed his brow slightly and studied the scene before him. He could feel that the warmth left behind by the extinguished Fire Release had yet to fade, while the tingling sensation lingering from the Lightning Release was enough to make anyone wary.
After a moment, he turned to Izumi and spoke softly. "A Jonin skilled in both Fire Release and Lightning Release must have been practicing ninjutsu here. Judging by the state of things, they seem to have noticed us approaching and hurried away.
This place is very close to the Uchiha Clan, so that senior must be from the Uchiha Clan." After saying this, the two exchanged a glance, each privately thinking that the person might not have gone far, but had refrained from confronting them because they had rudely interrupted their training. So both sides chose to remain silent.
A moment later, Izumi broke the silence first. "We should get going too. Didn't we agree to train together?" Before she had even finished speaking, she glanced at Itachi and gave a light wave before turning to leave.
Itachi didn't say much in response. He simply followed Izumi as she walked farther and farther away. After all, the incident had been nothing more than an ordinary training session, and there was no real harm done.
Only after watching them disappear into the distance did Uchiha Chen emerge from his hiding place. He wasn't in a hurry to approach them and strike up a conversation. There was still plenty of time, and the future held endless possibilities!
Besides, judging by the way they interacted and the atmosphere between them, the two were only at the early stage of developing feelings for each other. There was no need to rush into stealing her away~ So Uchiha Chen decided to resume the training that had just been interrupted.
It didn't take long for him to finish!
Now, as Uchiha Chen examined the area before him, which had not expanded much despite the attacks, he couldn't help but fall into thought.
He had already mastered the techniques for using his current power fairly well, but it still seemed unrealistic to unleash it without restraint in the village... After all, he wasn't mentally prepared to reveal himself in public just yet!
That being the case, perhaps he could only wait until he went out on a mission to find a chance to properly put his abilities to the test!
After a short rest, he set off toward the village. His dedicated training had lasted until noon, and his uncooperative stomach was already growling. Driven by intense hunger, Uchiha Chen hurried back to the village to find something to eat!
He had originally planned to stop by and sample a bowl of the famous Ichiraku Ramen, made by Otsutsuki Ichiraku himself, and maybe tease Ayame, the petite young lady from the original story. But just then, he spotted a lonely figure sitting by herself in a dango shop by the road. Taking a closer look, he realized it was none other than Uchiha Izumi!
One look at her petite figure, puffed up with anger, was enough to tell that Itachi had stood her up. After all, it didn't take much thought to figure out that the only person who would leave his childhood friend without warning and make her this angry was probably that brother-obsessed Uchiha Itachi.
His gaze swept over the already full shop, and an idea immediately came to mind: wasn't this the perfect opportunity handed to him by fate? So Uchiha Chen stood across from her, the corners of his mouth lifting in a faint smile, and asked gently, "Would you mind if I shared your table?"
The sudden question startled Izumi, who had been silently fuming to herself. She shuddered, but when she saw that it was Uchiha Chen, she relaxed a little. Parting her lips, she replied softly, "Oh, it's you, Senior Chen. Please, sit down." As she spoke, she started to get up to leave.
He hurriedly wiped the smile from his face and put on a stern expression. "Sit down. This meal's on me. If you rush off like that, people will think I'm trying to drive you away!"
At the sight of Uchiha Chen's solemn expression, Izumi's little face grew awkward. She slowly sat back down, muttering to herself, Why is Senior suddenly so serious...?
When he saw her obediently return to her seat, Uchiha Chen stopped frowning, and a warm smile reappeared on his face. He asked cheerfully, "What would you like to eat? Order whatever you want. It's my treat today."
He beckoned, and a waiter quickly came over. Looking at the wide selection on the menu, Izumi couldn't refuse, so she ordered two skewers of dango.
By then, Uchiha Chen was so hungry he could barely stand, so he ordered a huge amount of food without holding back. While they waited for the dishes, he turned to Izumi and asked curiously, "Why are you alone today? Aren't you usually with Itachi?"
Izumi was startled by my question, but she quickly recovered. Fiddling with the utensils in her hands, she sighed helplessly and began pouring out her grievances to me.
After all, we belonged to the same clan, and by seniority, Izumi was my junior.
Though we hadn't interacted much, she felt there was something subtly different about the way this senior was acting today. Still, she didn't give it much thought.
Everyone knew that she often trained with Itachi, so seeing her by herself today was unusual. The senior had probably just not seen her alone in a long time, which was why he was curious to find her on her own today.
Speaking of Itachi, ever since his younger brother was born, he had changed completely.
Izumi lamented that she hadn't managed to get Itachi to go out with her in a long time.
Today, she had finally managed to get him to train with her. But who could have guessed that not long after they started, he would be called away because something seemed to have happened to his younger brother? He told me to continue training by myself, then hurried off, leaving me all alone.
As she said this, Izumi's face darkened again. Puffed up with anger, she looked like the cutest little steamed bun, making anyone want to take a bite.
Looking at her lively, adorable face and all the expressive little looks she wore, Uchiha Chen found himself liking this cheerful young girl more and more.
Yet when he thought of the tragic fate and ending she might face in the future, a tender feeling rose in his heart.
Only after she had finally finished her long rant about Itachi did Uchiha Chen chime in with a few words of agreement. Even so, he didn't say too much to tarnish the beautiful image of Itachi she held in her heart.
There was still plenty of time! Perhaps he'd get a chance to slowly change how she felt about Itachi later!
Before long, all the food had been served. As I dug in, I smiled at her and asked, "Since Itachi left early, how did your training go today? Would you like me to give you some pointers?"
Izumi froze at Uchiha Chen's sudden question. A blush quickly spread across her cheeks, and she lowered her head shyly. "Would that really be all right, Senior...? Wouldn't it interrupt your training?"
At her tentative question, Uchiha Chen gently set down the skewer in his mouth before answering unhurriedly, "Of course! I've been a Jonin for a while now, and my training speed and efficiency aren't especially impressive these days. I just stick to my routine and practice every day, mostly to maintain my condition~ Besides, I'd be more than happy to give pointers to a cute girl like you!"
After hearing Uchiha Chen's words, Izumi seemed to notice that something about him had changed. The senior she remembered had always worn a cold expression that made people afraid to approach him, but now he often smiled and seemed much more approachable than before.
Though he had changed quite a bit, she felt more at ease around this version of him.