Everyone Loved Sweets

Konoha belonged to everyone—at least for now.

This place was not Uchiha Itachi's private territory. Of course he could not drive Izumi away, especially since they were clansmen who knew each other...

"Huh? That's from the sweets shop on Central Street! Itachi, do you like their sweets too?" Uchiha Izumi immediately spotted the food bag hooked on the crow's claws and said in delight, "I often go there to buy Three-Color Dango too, but they're hard to get..."

"Yes, their Three-Color Dango usually sold out by the afternoon..." Uchiha Itachi knew the sweets shop's business inside and out.

The crow stared gloomily at the bag in its claws. She really took every opportunity... But did she think this meant they had found a shared hobby?

Little girl, a five-year-old mind was still far too immature...

"Caw?"

Kitahara knew all too well about Uchiha Itachi's obsession with sweets. It had to give him a friendly reminder! At a time like this... what a man should do was not make idle conversation, but share the sweets in the bag with the little girl.

"Ah, is that so?" Uchiha Itachi's little face immediately filled with conflict. He looked at Izumi somewhat awkwardly. "I didn't buy much Three-Color Dango... Izumi, do you like rice dumplings?"

Uchiha Izumi: "..."

"Caw~" The crow chirped lightly.

Was that something a man should say? Because I didn't buy much Three-Color Dango, you shouldn't compete with me for it... Give up, little girl! A man who could not bear to share even one skewer of dumplings with you... You deserved better in the future!

"...Huff... huff..."

The only sound left in the air was Sasuke snoring and blowing bubbles, sleeping happily and unknowingly in his brother's arms...

"Is the one in Itachi's arms your little sister?"

Uchiha Izumi was not the first to say that, and certainly would not be the last. Their words did not prove that Sasuke was particularly pretty; they only proved that he looked rather feminine as a child...

Uchiha Itachi remained unruffled and explained patiently. There was an inexplicable hint of pride when he introduced his younger brother. "He's my little brother. His name is Sasuke..."

"Do you need me to hold him for a while?" Izumi secretly gritted her teeth. The sight of a little boy carrying his brother in a sling was simply unbearable... It was like seeing a handsome guy sniff his socks to decide whether he could wear them again the next day...

"Sasuke only just fell asleep..." Uchiha Itachi secretly glanced at Kitahara before continuing, "...Forget it. If someone else holds him, he'll cry easily."

What did you mean by that, brat?

Uchiha Izumi persisted. "...I'll be very gentle..."

Perhaps believing that women had a natural advantage in this regard and could easily earn a child's trust, Itachi reluctantly removed the sling and handed his brother over to Izumi...

Then he picked up the food bag and pulled out a skewer of Three-Color Dango... This way... perhaps he would not have to share any with Izumi?

"...Waaah... waaah..."

Sasuke lived up to expectations and burst into tears in an unfamiliar embrace. The little girl's expression gradually went blank... What the hell was this?!

Uchiha Itachi hurried over to soothe the child... but a crow was faster than he was, landing in front of Sasuke. "Caw!"

"...Pfft... pfft..."

"Caw!"

Damn it... Could you do anything besides spit? Kitahara flew into a rage.

Uchiha Itachi suddenly did not feel quite so inclined to take him back... Anyway, whenever Sasuke and Kitahara got into it, neither paid attention to him. So it did not matter whose arms Sasuke was in, right?

Izumi watched the little boy's movements, and her smile looked strangely twisted. "Itachi, what should we do now? Should I give him back to you?"

"It's fine... Once Sasuke gets tired of crying, he'll fall asleep..." The little boy glanced at the crow again and continued, "Or once Kitahara gets hungry, it'll be over."

"..."

This should have been their last visit here before moving. The Uchiha clan's new compound would soon be completed, and winter was just around the corner... After the New Year, Uchiha Itachi and Izumi would both be old enough to enter the Ninja Academy.

"Itachi, you'll definitely become a ninja someday, right... Will you attend the Ninja Academy?" Uchiha Izumi tugged at her little braid and said softly, "You should be able to apply to become a genin directly, right?"

The crow looked at Izumi as if she were an idiot... Wasn't that obvious? His Sharingan had already awakened. If he did not become a ninja, was he supposed to switch careers and become a cook?

Uchiha Itachi answered seriously, "I'm unfamiliar with much of the knowledge a ninja needs. I have to attend the Ninja Academy and study its courses."

"Then we should be able to meet at the Ninja Academy next year! Please take care of me, Itachi... I'll become a ninja too!"

A light breeze swept past, brushing through the little girl's long hair. Izumi's cheeks were faintly flushed. She had obtained the information she wanted and said what she had wanted to say.

Kitahara glanced at Izumi, sitting there gently, then turned back toward the little boy whose expression had changed slightly. At last, it realized what was wrong...

Uchiha Itachi had not met many women. Aside from Uzumaki Kushina, the hot-tempered aunt who was always ready to beat someone up, there was only his gentle mother at home.

Therefore, he showed tremendous tolerance toward women who were outwardly gentle as water but inwardly resolute and strong... Izumi happened to fit that description perfectly...

"...I should go home..." After spacing out for a moment, Uchiha Itachi hurriedly picked up Sasuke and beckoned for the crow to come over.

Uchiha Izumi froze for a moment, her face gradually twisting. "...What kind of person was he..."

Kitahara stood on Itachi's shoulder and looked back at Izumi, who still could not grasp the situation. This girl might turn out to be a hopelessly dense straight woman!

As long as they eliminated the Uchiha clan's crisis, the future would surely become much more interesting, right?

It was still too early. It had to wait a little longer—at least until Uchiha Itachi awakened his three-tomoe Sharingan, or even the Mangekyō Sharingan! Once he understood that the village and the clan were irreconcilable, then it could begin its plan!

Kitahara recalled Hatake Kakashi's lifeless state when they had seen him today... That proved there was actually an excellent opportunity right now to delay things a little...

"Caw..."

"You want to go out by yourself tomorrow? You can't go too far... No, I need to go home and ask Mom..."

The little boy clearly did not dare make the decision about the crow going out alone... But Kitahara did not seem to intend to discuss it with someone who could not make the decision. "...Caw..."

"Impossible. We have to tell Mom about this... If she doesn't agree, there's absolutely no way I'll let you go out by yourself!" Uchiha Itachi stubbornly shook his head.

Kitahara fell silent for a while, then leaned weakly against him... You would not even help cover for me, brat. You were becoming more and more disappointing...

At dinnertime, when Uchiha Mikoto learned that Kitahara wanted to go out alone, she thought for a while, asked about its itinerary, and actually agreed quite seriously.

When Fugaku heard about it, his eyes held a trace of disbelief. "It's a crow! Why would it want to go out sightseeing..."

"Well, Kitahara is a bird... It wants to go out and see the scenery too..." Uchiha Mikoto smiled as she ladled out a bowl of soup and set it before Kitahara. "Besides, didn't it say it would only be gone for one day?"

The crow looked at Uchiha Mikoto's smile and nodded vigorously, not daring to object...

Fugaku sighed. "That's true. We've been very busy lately and haven't had a chance to take it out anywhere. How about I ask around in the police force..."

"The clan members will have objections..."

"Could we ask Shisui?" Uchiha Itachi looked at his parents' troubled expressions, put down his chopsticks, and raised his hand to speak.

Kitahara glared darkly at the little boy. Could you stop ruining my plans?

The next morning, there were two extra boxed lunches on the table at home... along with a genius chūnin waiting for the crow to wake up.

On My Lifelong Nemesis

Part One: An Analysis of Ingredients for Crow Soup

Part Two: How to Prevent Teenage Puppy Love

Part Three: Advanced Cooking Techniques for Shark Fin Soup

By Second Pillar

To be continued