Itachi repeated the words softly.
"The blue bird will eventually fly free of its cage... the Uchiha sky shouldn't hold only the blood-red of the Sharingan."
His gaze grew more thoughtful as he looked at Genya.
"Itachi, let's practice."
Genya walked over to the sound equipment and adjusted the drum machine.
"You play the drums. You've read the score, right? I'll sing so you can get familiar with the rhythm. Tomorrow, we officially start rehearsing with the girl group."
Itachi nodded and sat down at the drum machine.
Although he had never formally studied drumming, a ninja's bodily control and sense of rhythm far surpassed those of ordinary people.
After reading through the score once, he had already mastered the basic rhythm.
Genya turned to Sasuke, who was still watching from the sidelines, and gave him a meaningful smile.
"Hehe, Sasuke, there's a part for you too."
Sasuke snapped out of his daze, set his little face in a stern expression, and snorted at Genya.
"Hmph! Don't think this means I don't hate you! I'll surpass you sooner or later!"
Genya: "..."
Hehe, you stubborn little brat. Just you wait! I'll make sure you're dressed up all pretty!
I'll make everyone in Konoha think you're a girl...
Watching the two children of the same age bicker, Fugaku and Mikoto couldn't help laughing.
Mikoto gently stroked Sasuke's head.
"Little Sasuke, be sure to listen to your big brother Genya. This performance is very important to the clan, and Mommy is proud that you're taking part."
Sasuke turned his face away, his cheeks blazing red.
"I'm older than him! I'm the big brother!"
"All right, let's begin."
Genya cleared his throat and signaled to Itachi.
Only a kid would stand here arguing with him over who was the big brother...
Itachi drew a deep breath, and a rhythmic drumbeat began.
Genya steadied his breathing, and his clear, powerful singing rang out into the night sky.
If I spread my wings and fly high
I said I would never return
My destination is that Azure Sky
Before I could remember that sorrow
I began to understand anguish
These feelings I hold for you
Now turn into a thousand words
Awakening from a dream of an unknown world
I spread my wings and fly toward the sky
If I spread my wings and fly high
I said I would never return
My destination is those Snow-White Clouds
Genya's clear voice had a penetrating quality. Though it was still a child's voice, it carried an emotional depth beyond his years.
Accompanied by Itachi's precise, powerful drumbeats, it echoed through the night sky above the Uchiha.
Everyone was stunned by his singing.
Fugaku and Sosuke exchanged a glance, each seeing astonishment in the other's eyes.
They had never heard a song like this.
The melody was stirring, yet tinged with faint sorrow, and the lyrics were filled with a yearning for freedom and the determination to break free of their shackles.
It was almost as though... the song had been written just for the Uchiha!
Izumi covered her mouth, tears shining in her eyes.
She heard the longing for freedom in his voice, the hope for the future.
As a mother, how she wished her son-and all the Uchiha children-could fly toward the Azure Sky, just as the song described.
Mikoto was deeply moved as well. She gently wrapped an arm around Sasuke's shoulders and felt her son's body trembling.
And Sasuke... the little boy who had stubbornly insisted that he hated Genya.
Now he was utterly captivated by the singing, staring at Genya without blinking.
Shock and... a certain resonance he couldn't put into words.
As for Itachi...
His hands were still beating out the rhythm, but the song had struck him straight through the heart.
How many years had it been?
He had remained trapped between the impossible choices of "clan" and "village," like a bird locked in a cage, struggling to find a way out, only to batter himself bloody against the bars.
But now, Genya's singing was like a ray of light piercing the fog in his heart.
"My destination is that Azure Sky..."
The Uchiha sky shouldn't hold only the blood-red of the Sharingan, nor should it hold only coup plots and the village's suspicions.
Perhaps Genya's proposed path-using art and culture to change their image and carve out room to survive-really could work?
Perhaps Sasuke's generation really could have a different future?
The final note faded.
Only after a long silence did Fugaku speak, his voice hoarse.
"This song... did you write it?"
Genya nodded.
"The inspiration came from the Uchiha's current situation. We're like birds shut in a cage, longing to fly, yet always bound by invisible shackles."
Sosuke drew a deep breath.
"A genius... a true genius. Not just a genius at ninjutsu, but at art as well."
Tears were already streaming down Izumi's face. She rushed over and hugged her son tightly.
"Little Genya... Mommy is proud of you... truly..."
Mikoto wiped the corners of her eyes as well.
"That singing... it was so moving. I've never heard a song like it."
Sasuke stood where he was and opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to say something, but in the end he merely turned his face away and muttered.
"I-it wasn't bad..."
But everyone could see that the little boy had been won over.
And Itachi...
He stood up, walked over to Genya, and looked deeply at his six-year-old clansman.
"Tomorrow, I'll request leave from the Hokage. For the foreseeable future, I'll give your plan my full support."
"We can leave matters outside to Shisui for now. This performance... is important."
Far away, Shisui was busy drawing hostility toward himself.
"..."
Genya smiled.
He knew he had gained not only a girl group, but Uchiha Itachi as well.
The wholehearted support of the clan's most important genius.
"Then I'm counting on you, Itachi."
Genya spoke solemnly.
Sasuke stamped his feet anxiously, ran over, grabbed Genya's sleeve, and pressed him for an answer.
"Genya! Just tell me already! What exactly am I supposed to do?"
Seeing the little boy's impatience, everyone around them couldn't help laughing.
Even Uchiha Itachi shook his head with a helpless smile.
Genya winked mysteriously, deliberately drawing out his words.
"Don't be so impatient, little Sasuke. You'll find out when the time comes! I promise it'll be a big surprise~"
Sasuke:
"..."
He let go in a huff.
"Hmph! Fine, don't tell me! Like I care!"
The next day.
The same time, the same place.
All fifteen female members arrived on time, already dressed in their costumes.
The three lead singers...
Chinatsu, Akari, and Akane stood in front, while the other twelve dancers lined up neatly.
Uchiha Itachi sat behind the drum machine, having already adjusted the equipment in advance.
Though he remained expressionless, he had clearly settled into work mode.
The familiar audience had all arrived as well.
Fugaku, Sosuke, Izumi, and Mikoto sat on a bench to one side. Even Sasuke had brought over a little stool and sat beside his mother.
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