> "Eat all that by yourself?"
**Uchiha Izumi** blinked in disbelief. Had she heard that right?
Haruki said he'd eat the **entire backpack** of food—by himself? That same backpack weighed nearly as much as the boy carrying it!
But then... she started to understand.
Maybe he had brought all that food hoping to share it with the other kids—hoping to make friends. But they mocked him, excluded him.
This wasn't pride. It was spite.
And for a moment, Izumi felt a pang of sympathy deep in her heart.
> "Of course I'll eat it all!" Haruki muttered, pulling out another juicy roast chicken. "I don't even have enough for myself—why should I share with people who look down on me?"
Before she could respond, he was already tearing through the meal.
One drumstick down. Then a second. Then the entire bird.
Izumi, standing nearby, was stunned. Was this the speed at which a **three-year-old** should eat?
She remembered being three—barely able to finish a slice of bread—and here was this kid, chewing through chicken with the hunger of a wild beast.
Before she could process what was happening, Haruki had devoured an entire roast chicken… then started on the next… and then another.
She watched dumbfounded as he reached for a batch of **three** pig's trotters.
> (H-he's serious...)
By the time Haruki picked up his lunchbox and finished that too, Izumi was speechless. Her throat involuntarily swallowed as she looked at the boy's completely satisfied—but not full—expression.
This boy wasn't just hungry…
He was a **glutton**.
Even the Akimichi clan might lose in an eating contest against tiny Haruki!
> "Haruki… would you like this roast chicken too?" she offered nervously, noticing him eyeing her food with lingering desire.
Haruki shook his head firmly.
> "I don't take back what I give away. It's yours."
His voice was childish, but his tone was firm—like an adult's.
Izumi chuckled. He looked like such a serious little man that she wanted to pinch his chubby cheeks.
Then, without another word, Haruki leaned back against the tree and resumed his training.
He crossed his legs and began refining chakra in silence.
Izumi wanted to say more… but seeing him so focused, she quietly stepped back.
> "Izumi, what are you doing here?" a cold voice asked from behind her.
She froze.
Turning, she saw **Uchiha Itachi** standing there, expression unreadable as always.
> "I just came to check on this little boy… It's his first day. I thought he might feel lonely," she explained.
> "He's just another defect in the clan. Don't waste your time thinking about him."
Itachi cast an icy glance toward Haruki under the tree, his tone distant and flat.
> "Come on. Back to training."
> "But…" Izumi hesitated for a moment. But under Itachi's gaze, she gave a solemn nod. "Little brother—I'm going to train now, okay?"
With that, she turned and walked away with Itachi.
> "Tch. Itachi—you really are cold."
Haruki's eyes opened again, and a mocking smile tugged at his lips as he watched them walk away.
**That guy...**
He was the same person who would go on to **slaughter the entire Uchiha clan**. Haruki had no fondness for him—in fact, deep contempt.
Sure, he spared Sasuke… but what about all the other families? The children? The parents?
> (The so-called Will of Fire… What a joke. And Itachi? A bigger joke.)
Haruki shook the thoughts away and closed his eyes, diving back into his training.
By late afternoon—
> "Haruki, come with me. I'll start showing you the basics of shuriken throwing."
**Uchiha Masaru** ruffled his hair gently, picking him up and walking him toward the main field.
> "Why him?"
> "He seriously thinks he can throw shuriken?"
> "Hah! Delusional freak."
> "Backwards bloodline!"
As the children saw Haruki approach, the teasing and mockery resumed. Most moved away from him on purpose, as if to make their contempt clear.
Even Sasuke, who had been looking on curiously, was pulled aside by Itachi to keep some distance.
But among all the voices, one stood out.
> "Little Haruki," Izumi smiled warmly, "the coach will have us take a skills test after today's practice. Keep your chin up, okay? It's your first time—don't worry even if you miss a few throws."
Her voice was full of encouragement.
> "Don't worry," Haruki replied with a slight grin. "Just watching him throw once will be enough for me to learn it."
Such confidence.
But he wasn't bluffing.
He truly believed it.
Over the past few days, Haruki's body had adapted thanks to being constantly refined by chakra. And with his **Byakugan-like vision**, he could perfectly observe every muscle movement.
> "Huh, what a joke."
> "This guy really said he can learn just by watching?"
> "Seriously, what nerve!"
> "Delusional freak…"
The ridicule echoed on, and even Itachi sneered quietly from the side.
> "Hah… Shuriken throwing takes years to engrain into your body's reflexes. He thinks he can just figure it out by watching?" he muttered.
> "Sasuke, you'd better stay far away from him."
Even Masaru and the other instructor were exasperated.
They didn't want to discourage the boy, but clearly, he didn't understand what true training entailed.
> (He's just too spoiled...)
> "Alright, everyone listen up," Masaru announced. "Today I'll go over key elements of shuriken throwing. Watch closely and remember everything I teach you."
He began demonstrating slowly step by step, breaking down posture, grip, wrist movement, and trajectory control.
Most kids listened intently.
None noticed Haruki's eyes flickering.
Because… right at that moment, deep inside his double pupils—
A pair of **magatama** began to spin into form.
🌀 One magatama per each of his four pupils—**four in total.**
But because of his double-pupil structure, each "layer" of his pupils replicated the same activation. In truth…
Each eye now glowed with *six magatama.*
> (What the—? My vision… I can *slow down* his movement in real time?)
He squinted, watching Masaru's throw again. It moved as if in slow motion. Step after step, frame by frame.
> "I can see every transition… every pivot point… and even the chakra flow to his fingertips," Haruki whispered.
> (I can **replicate** this...)
Could this be another ability of the double pupils?
A sort of built-in observation + mimicry technique?
> (If I push this further… even learning ninjutsu wouldn't be hard.)
Haruki hadn't even realized it yet…
This was the moment when he awakened his **first tomoe**. And not like ordinary Uchiha whose eyes required trauma or life-or-death stress.
No—his eyes opened *naturally,* through cultivation and observation alone.
A miracle within the Uchiha bloodline.
Not even the clan elders knew of such a thing.
> "Alright! Who remembers the throwing stance?" Masaru clapped. "Time to test what you've learned!"
> 📝 *Author's Note:*
I've never liked Itachi.
No matter how noble his reason, anyone who slaughters their entire clan—including children and elders—is not a "hero."
The Uchiha never wronged him. His actions will always stand as unforgivable in my eyes.
**(End of Chapter 4)**