Talking Izumi Uchiha into It

"Are... are you really Uchiha Sasuke?"

As they walked, Izumi looked at the boy beside her, who was a full head shorter than she was, and asked hesitantly.

"Of course. I'm Uchiha Sasuke, genuine and guaranteed!"

Sasuke turned to her with a sunny smile.

"But what's with that terrifying strength of yours? Yashiro is a well-known jonin in the clan, yet you took him down so easily!"

"Even your genius brother, Uchiha Itachi, couldn't have done something like that at your age, right?"

Izumi looked like curiosity incarnate, utterly baffled that such a small body could contain such terrifying power.

"Izumi, let me ask you something. Do you believe in fate?"

Sasuke's expression turned serious, and he lowered his voice.

"Fate?"

Izumi pressed a finger to her lips, thought carefully for a moment, then shook her head.

"I don't believe in something like fate. Nothing is destined from the very beginning. As long as you work hard enough, anything supposedly predetermined can be changed!"

"Is that so? Looks like you don't believe in predestination, Izumi."

Sasuke chuckled.

It was a positive way of thinking, but unfortunately, the Ninja World was a place ruled by fate and destiny.

Take Might Guy from the original story. He spent his whole life striving and training. Though his final kick nearly ended everything, nearly was still nearly.

In the end, didn't he still need that old man Sage of Six Paths' cheat to save the day?

If Sasuke hadn't had the system backing him up, wouldn't he have had to follow the fate arranged for the original owner of this body?

"Hmm! Why are you suddenly asking me that, Sasuke?"

Izumi turned toward him in confusion. "Could it have something to do with your sudden increase in strength?"

"Yes! Exactly!"

Sasuke's face abruptly became solemn as he began to spout utter nonsense... explain in all seriousness.

"Originally, I didn't believe in fate either, until one day, I had a dream. A very strange dream."

"A dream? What kind of strange dream?"

Izumi obediently picked up where he left off.

"While I was asleep, I dreamed of an old man dressed in white robes with a very long beard. At the same time, I was clearly aware that I was dreaming, but no matter what I did, I couldn't escape it."

"At first, I was pretty scared. I thought someone had trapped me in a genjutsu."

"But soon, the bearded old man told me that he was the founder of Ninshū... the Sage of Six Paths. He told me not to be afraid, and then..."

"What?! The Sage of Six Paths? Isn't he a legendary figure?!"

Izumi looked deeply skeptical, disbelief written all over her face.

"Cough!"

Sasuke coughed lightly. Her sudden outburst had nearly interrupted the train of thought he had just made up.

"At first, I didn't believe him either, until the old man told me that I was actually the reincarnation of his son, Indra, and taught me how to awaken the power of my previous life."

"With half-belief and half-doubt, I tried the method he gave me. Sure enough, it instantly granted me incomparable power."

"So I believed him. I believed that he was the legendary Sage of Six Paths."

"After all, aside from the legendary Sage of Six Paths, no one else could possibly do something like that."

"And the reason he wanted me to awaken the power of my past life was because he hoped I could stop the catastrophe that was about to wipe out the Uchiha clan."

"What?!"

"Wipe out the clan?!"

"You're saying our Uchiha clan will be wiped out? How is that possible?!"

Izumi's face was full of disbelief.

"Although I can clearly feel that the atmosphere in the clan has been strange these past few days, it can't possibly reach the point of extermination, can it?"

She was merely an ordinary member of the Uchiha clan and had no access to the matters discussed by the higher-ups, but she still thought the clan's destruction sounded utterly absurd.

After all, the Uchiha clan was Konoha's largest clan and an indispensable source of strength. How could they possibly be wiped out?

Heh!

Impossible? How could it be impossible?

Sasuke sneered inwardly.

That old bastard, the Third Hokage—so long as someone threatened his position as Hokage, whether they were Konoha's greatest clan or some Konoha hero... like Sakumo Hatake, for instance—he would use schemes and plots to destroy them in one stroke.

And the butcher responsible for this clan massacre would be none other than your beloved, Uchiha Itachi!

And he would even watch you get killed with his own eyes!

Of course, Sasuke did not reveal that cruel truth.

After all, the girl in front of him genuinely liked Itachi.

Knowing that Itachi liked dango, she had learned to cook and made dango for him with her own hands.

Yet all she got in return was Itachi's cold and heartless indifference.

Thinking about it that way, damn it, the things Itachi did in the original story were truly inhuman.

Watching the girl who liked him get killed with his own eyes—how the hell could he do that?

But this time, Sasuke would not allow something like that to happen again.

Realizing his thoughts had drifted too far, Sasuke quickly reined them in and explained to Izumi:

"Yes, the Uchiha clan will be wiped out, and the mastermind behind it is that sanctimonious Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi!"

"Ah! How could Lord Third do that? Why would he do such a thing?"

Izumi covered her mouth with both hands in shock, her eyes filled with disbelief.

At that moment, the image of the kind old grandfather she had held in her heart completely collapsed.

"Well... the reasons behind it are complicated. All I can say is, those who understand will understand. If you don't, I won't explain further. Think it over yourself."

"And don't dig too deeply into it. The interests involved are too great. It won't do either of us any good if I say more. Just pretend you don't know. All I can say is that the waters run deep, and there are many things involved. You'll have a hard time finding the details. Most of the evidence within the clan has already been destroyed, so all I can say is, those who understand will understand!"

Izumi: "..."

If I could beat you, I'd really like to slap you across the face. What the hell are you even talking about?!

"Cough!"

Sasuke coughed lightly. He stopped rambling and said seriously:

"Anyway, it's complicated. Just remember that the Third Hokage, that old bastard, is no good person!"

"Fine, I understand. Even if I knew the truth, I couldn't change anything. I'm too weak, after all."

Izumi silently lowered her head, looking somewhat helpless.

"Don't lose heart, Izumi. You're still young. You're only thirteen, and you have plenty of room to improve. One day, you'll naturally become as strong as I am."

Sasuke reached out, patted Izumi on the shoulder, and encouraged her.

Izumi: "???"

She looked at Sasuke, who was a full head shorter than her, and felt that something about this was very strange.

But she quickly tossed those jumbled thoughts out of her mind and instead stared intently at Sasuke's little face.

"Uh... what is it, Izumi? Don't tell me you've fallen for me and have feelings for me?"

"No, no. I'm a man of principles. I won't steal Itachi's girlfriend."

"What nonsense are you talking about, brat?!"

Izumi smacked Sasuke irritably, her face growing a little hot.

Perhaps hearing the words "Itachi's girlfriend" had made her feel embarrassed.

Sigh!

What a pure little girl!

Seeing her reaction, Sasuke could not help sighing inwardly.

"According to what you just said, you're the reincarnation of that Indra or whatever, right? So are you Uchiha Sasuke now, or that Indra?"

Izumi looked into Sasuke's eyes and asked with a serious expression.