"Lord Yuzuru, I failed to recognize you just now. Please forgive me."
The girl's voice trembled with panic as she dropped straight to her knees.
She had never imagined that Uchiha Yuzuru would personally come to pay respects to her grandmother.
Yuzuru reached out and helped her up, smiling as he spoke. "Back before the Uchiha clan moved out of Konoha, Grandma Riko took great care of me. You don't need to be afraid."
"By the way, Mikoto mentioned… you're Grandma Riko's granddaughter?"
The girl before him had delicate features and long jet-black hair. What caught the eye most, however, was the small mole beneath the outer corner of her right eye.
Feeling Yuzuru's gaze, the girl didn't dare look up and only whispered, "In response to Lord Yuzuru, my name is Izumi. Since my mother passed away, I have lived with my grandmother."
Hearing that, Yuzuru suddenly understood.
No wonder the girl had seemed so familiar.
So it was Uchiha Izumi.
With that thought, Yuzuru smiled. "Izumi, it's getting late. Let's go get something to eat together."
Izumi nodded obediently. "Yes, Lord Yuzuru."
Seeing how restrained she was, Yuzuru did not say much more.
Grandma Riko had once shown him great kindness. He needed to learn more about Izumi's current situation.
The two made their way to a restaurant and took a private room.
Yuzuru deliberately bought over a dozen skewers of three-color dango and placed them in front of Izumi.
"Izumi, how old are you?"
"Fourteen, Lord Yuzuru."
Yuzuru nodded. "Same age as Itachi."
"Itachi?"
"My son."
"Eh?!" Izumi's eyes widened in shock. "Itachi is your child?!"
After speaking, realization dawned on her face. "No wonder… no wonder Itachi is so outstanding…"
"Lord Yuzuru, Itachi and I are classmates at the Ninja Academy."
Yuzuru had already expected this and smiled. "That really is fate."
"If you ever need anything, just tell Itachi. He'll pass the message on to me."
"If you encounter any problems in your training, I can guide you as well."
Izumi was both surprised and delighted. "Thank you very much, Lord Yuzuru!"
Given Yuzuru's current prestige, every member of the Uchiha clan regarded him as an idol.
Izumi was no exception.
To have the person she admired most show her such concern felt like a dream.
"No need to call me 'Lord.' Going by Grandma Riko's side of the family, we're of the same generation. Just call me big brother from now on."
Izumi froze for a moment, then spoke blankly, "Big Brother... Yuzuru."
"Hahaha!" Yuzuru laughed heartily. "Let's eat first."
After finishing the meal, Yuzuru escorted Izumi back.
"Izumi, you already know Itachi and Mikoto. If you need anything, just have them pass it on to me."
"Yes, Big Brother Yuzuru."
Yuzuru said nothing more and directly activated Kamui, vanishing from the spot.
Izumi stood there blankly, still unable to process what had just happened.
She had actually… become Lord Yuzuru's little sister?
This happiness had come far too suddenly!
————
————
Construction in Konoha Village continued at a feverish pace, changing with each passing day.
After reforms, the Ninja Academy reopened.
What once required graduation at twelve had now been raised to eighteen.
Because they had resettled in Konoha, Naruto, Sasuke, Itachi, Izumi, Neji, and the others all transferred to the Konoha Ninja Academy.
Hatake Sakumo and Uchiha Shisui reestablished Anbu, serving respectively as its Director and Deputy Director.
Worth mentioning was that Might Guy applied to join Anbu once again—only to be rejected yet again.
To soothe Guy's emotions, Uchiha Obito and Hatake Kakashi deliberately invited him out for barbecue.
On the way, Obito could barely hold back his grin. "Guy, Anbu really isn't as great as you imagine."
Kakashi echoed calmly, "Yeah. Being a jōnin instructor like us isn't bad either."
Guy clenched his fists and shouted, "It must be because I'm still not working hard enough that Anbu keeps rejecting me!"
"From now on, I'll train even harder, with everything I've got!"
Hearing this, Obito and Kakashi exchanged glances, the corners of their mouths twitching.
They really wanted to shout at Guy that it had nothing to do with his strength!
The three chatted as they walked and soon arrived at a barbecue restaurant.
The moment they entered, several gazes immediately turned toward them.
They looked over and found a few "old acquaintances" sitting in a corner.
"Genma! Ebisu!"
Guy's eyes lit up as he strode forward and pulled both men into a huge hug.
Back then, he, Shiranui Genma, and Ebisu had been on the same squad, fighting through several life-and-death battles together during the Third Great Ninja War.
Although Guy had later joined the Hidden Cloud, he still regarded the two as close friends.
"Guy…"
Compared to Guy's enthusiasm, Genma and Ebisu seemed somewhat distant.
They had seen Guy leading a green tide across the battlefield, cutting down enemies.
Formerly evenly matched teammates now stood on entirely different levels.
Obito and Kakashi followed behind.
Kakashi, as always, remained cool and silent, while Obito greeted a woman with face paint. "Rin, long time no see."
Rin smiled gently and nodded. "Obito, it's been a while."
Obito glanced around and spoke softly, "Kurenai Yuhi, Ibiki Morino, Aoba Yamashiro, Gekko Hayate…"
"Still all familiar faces."
The others showed faint smiles, merely nodding in greeting.
They had spent more time with Kakashi, but had only known Obito for a short dozen days back then.
After so many years, they barely counted as more than acquaintances by name.
Obito didn't mind at all and sat down on his own.
Back at the Ninja Academy, these people had always treated him as dead last.
Now that things were different, he naturally wanted to show off a little.
"Well… since it's been so long, maybe we can spar together sometime?"
The moment he said that, everyone's expressions fell.
They still vividly remembered the scene of Obito activating Susanoo and slaughtering enemies outside the village.
Sparring with him would just be asking to get beaten senseless.
And back then, they had laughed at him for being dead last—no need to think about it, he would definitely repay that embarrassment in full.
Seeing the awkward mood, Rin smiled and said, "Obito, you're so strong now. None of us are your match anymore."
Obito laughed loudly, utterly pleased with himself.
Speaking without thinking, he asked, "What about that arrogant second-generation guy from back then? I remember his name was Asuma or something?"
As soon as the words left his mouth, everyone's expressions turned strange.
After a long pause, Rin finally spoke in a low voice, "Obito… Asuma is dead."