Itachi and Izumi

Sunlight spilled over the streets of Konoha, where crowds bustled back and forth. Naruto and Menma were strolling leisurely down the street. Naruto wore the Forehead Protector Uchiha Mikoto had given him, and he was still trying to convince Menma to put on the skintight outfit Might Guy had given him.

"Menma, are you really not going to wear it? It was a gift from Teacher Guy! It's so youthful!" Naruto said, still unwilling to give up.

Menma rolled his eyes. "If you like it so much, you wear it, big brother. I'm not putting it on."

Ever since Naruto and Menma's birthday, Naruto had worn the Forehead Protector Mikoto had given him every day. On top of that, he sometimes wore the skintight outfit Might Guy had given him and insisted that Menma wear one too.

Menma had flat-out refused. There was only one reason: it was way too tacky. He didn't even want to imagine how tacky they'd look if they both wore one.

As the two bickered, Menma's attention was suddenly drawn to two people up ahead. One was Uchiha Itachi, and the other was a pretty girl. Menma recognized her as Uchiha Izumi.

Itachi still looked as composed and calm as ever, while Izumi wore a faintly bashful expression. Her eyes kept drifting toward Itachi without her meaning to.

"Isn't that big brother Itachi? Who's the girl with him?" Naruto asked curiously, having spotted them too.

"Who knows? They look like they're more than just friends!" Menma whispered.

They watched Itachi and Izumi enter a weapons shop, then quietly followed them inside. The shop displayed all kinds of ninja tools. Itachi was carefully selecting shuriken, while Izumi watched him tenderly and occasionally offered her advice.

"Itachi, this shuriken's weight suits you really well," Izumi said softly.

Itachi gave a slight nod. "Yeah, I think it's pretty good too."

Menma pulled Naruto behind a row of ninja tools, where they secretly watched the pair. He noticed a special affection in the way Izumi looked at Itachi. It was more than the fondness between friends; it looked like a girl's secret crush.

After leaving the weapons shop, Itachi and Izumi went into a dessert shop. Menma and Naruto followed and sat down in a corner outside.

Through the window, they saw Izumi smile and push a piece of cake toward Itachi. He hesitated, then accepted it and began to eat. Izumi's eyes were filled with joy. She seemed to love watching Itachi eat.

Menma came up with an idea. "Big brother, let's help them out," he said to Naruto.

"Help them with what?" Naruto asked, looking confused.

"Look at the way that big sister looks at big brother Itachi. She definitely likes him. Let's get them together," Menma explained.

Menma pulled Naruto into the dessert shop. They went over to Itachi and Izumi's table, and Menma pretended to be surprised. "Big brother Itachi, what a coincidence! You're here too. Who's this big sister?"

Itachi saw them and frowned slightly, but quickly returned to his usual calm. "Hm? This is Uchiha Izumi. She's not only part of my clan but also my classmate."

Menma grinned. "Hi, big sister Izumi. Are you and big brother Itachi good friends?"

Izumi's face turned slightly red. "Yeah, we're very good friends."

Menma blinked, then looked at Uchiha Itachi and cheekily held up his pinky. "Big brother Itachi, you really are something. Isn't big sister Izumi your girlfriend yet?"

(Note: The pinky finger means girlfriend.)

Izumi blushed even harder at his words. She glanced at Itachi and saw that his face had turned a little red too, his expression slightly flustered.

Naruto seemed to understand what Menma was getting at and joined in. "Yeah, big sister Izumi, you and big brother Itachi look great together."

Itachi coughed. "You two brats, don't say things like that."

Menma wasn't intimidated. He continued, "Big brother Itachi, big sister Izumi is so good to you. You can't let her down."

At that, Izumi lowered her head shyly. Itachi looked at her, his expression shifting. Somewhat embarrassed, he said to Menma and Naruto, "Izumi and I are just ordinary friends. We're not in the kind of relationship you're talking about."

Menma and Naruto both grinned mischievously. Naruto beamed at Itachi. "Big brother Itachi's blushing!"

Their faces turned even redder at that. Itachi gripped the hem of his clothes tightly. He wanted to explain himself, but he didn't know what to say.

Izumi kept her head lowered, occasionally sneaking a glance at Itachi. She was flustered. Itachi hadn't noticed how she felt, but now the two children had figured it out and exposed her feelings right in front of him.

Seeing this, Menma knew they couldn't stay there forever, so he made up an excuse and left with Naruto.

After Naruto and Menma left, a delicate silence settled over the shop. Izumi raised her head and looked at Itachi, her affection more obvious than ever. Itachi looked back at her, as though seeing for the first time the girl who had always been by his side.

Itachi's heart was in turmoil. He didn't know what to say. After a long while, he seemed to make up his mind and spoke to Izumi. "Um... Izumi... I... after this, maybe we could... go for another walk?"

Itachi asked nervously. Izumi was a little nervous too. She didn't say anything, only slowly nodded. At that moment, she looked like a shy little girl.

Itachi breathed a sigh of relief and started eating his cake. After they finished, they got up and left the dessert shop. Outside, they ran into Naruto and Menma, who had been waiting for them.

Naruto and Menma grinned at Itachi and Izumi. The two of them blushed even more, both too nervous to know what to say.

Just then, someone came over. Seeing them, he called out, "Naruto! Menma! What are you doing here?"

Naruto and Menma turned toward the voice. Once they saw who it was, they greeted him too.

"Kiba? Where are you headed?" Naruto asked.

"I'm going to play in the clearing. Want to come?" Kiba replied.

Naruto looked excitedly at Kiba. "Sure! Let's go!" As he spoke, he grabbed Menma's hand and ran over.

Menma had wanted to see what would happen between Itachi and Izumi—maybe a confession or something—but now Naruto had dragged him away, and he wasn't too happy about it.

After all, he'd much rather watch the drama unfold than play with a bunch of kids. This was the kind of juicy gossip he didn't get to see every day, and he really didn't want to miss his chance.

As Naruto dragged him along, Menma couldn't help looking back at Itachi and Izumi. The two stood where they were, their cheeks still flushed, and exchanged a glance.

Kiba looked at Naruto, then at Menma, whom Naruto was pulling along. He scratched his head. "Why are those two acting so weird? Why do they keep looking back?" As he spoke, he followed their gaze and saw Itachi and Izumi.

"Oh! Big brother Itachi!" Kiba called out in greeting. Then he noticed Izumi standing beside Itachi, and suddenly it was as if he understood everything.

After Naruto and Menma reached Kiba, the three of them looked toward Itachi and Izumi together.

With the three of them staring, Itachi and Izumi grew even more embarrassed. Izumi lowered her head further, while Itachi cleared his throat, hoping to say something to break the awkward silence.

Menma noticed how awkward things had become, so he had no choice but to usher Naruto and Kiba toward the clearing, leaving the two some space. Who wouldn't feel embarrassed with three kids staring at them like that?

Once they'd gone a little way, Kiba leaned toward Naruto and Menma and asked, looking thoroughly intrigued, "What's going on with those two? I think something's up."

Menma said proudly, "Of course. Big sister Izumi likes big brother Itachi."

Kiba's eyes lit up, and he said excitedly, "Whoa, that's juicy! Have they gotten together yet?"

Naruto scratched his head. "We don't know yet, but from the way they look, I think there's a chance!"

Menma couldn't help feeling exasperated. He hadn't expected Kiba to be even more of a gossip than he was.

After the three of them left, Itachi and Izumi continued strolling along the streets of Konoha. Neither said a word, and the silence between them grew a little awkward.

Suddenly, a butterfly landed on Izumi's shoulder. She started slightly and gently raised a hand to shoo it away. Itachi reached out and gently brushed the butterfly off her shoulder. Their hands accidentally touched, and both their faces instantly turned red again.

Izumi lowered her head, her voice barely louder than a whisper. "Thank you." Itachi looked at her, his heart suddenly beating faster. He took a deep breath and worked up the courage to say, "Izumi, actually, I... I've always cared about you too." Izumi suddenly raised her head, her eyes full of delight and disbelief.

But just then, Sasuke came running over. As soon as he saw Itachi, he clung to him and demanded that he teach him how to train.

Itachi looked at Sasuke clinging to him, feeling helpless and a little guilty. He had only just worked up the courage to tell Izumi how he felt, but the interruption had made the words that were on the tip of his tongue die in his throat.

Izumi looked at Sasuke, who had suddenly appeared. A flicker of disappointment crossed her eyes, but she quickly regained her gentle smile.

"Sasuke, what are you doing here?" Itachi asked softly. Sasuke looked eager. "Big brother, I want you to teach me how to train."

Itachi looked at Izumi, then at Sasuke, his heart torn. Izumi seemed to notice his dilemma and said gently, "Itachi, go spend some time with Sasuke. Training is important to him."

Itachi gave Izumi a grateful look and said to Sasuke, "All right. Big brother will train with you now." Sasuke jumped up excitedly.

Itachi turned back to Izumi. "Izumi, once I'm done teaching Sasuke, we can continue our conversation." Izumi smiled and nodded. As she watched Itachi walk away with Sasuke, her heart held both disappointment and a faint anticipation of what they would talk about later.