"Very well. I'll grant your request," the Third Hokage said at last. "From now on, you'll work under Gin's command and assist him in his missions."
"Thank you, Lord Third. I'll take my leave." Izumi bowed and departed from the Hokage's office. At that moment, all he wanted was to rest.
Once the boy was gone, Hiruzen glanced at Gin. "What do you think of that child?"
At the question, the ANBU operative removed his mask. If Izumi had been present, he would have cried out in shock—for "Gin" was none other than Konoha's famed Copy Ninja, Kakashi Hatake.
"Lord Third, he's promising," Kakashi said after a pause. "But… I'm not sure he'll get through this unscathed. Maybe it's because he's far too young." His single visible eye followed the boy's retreating figure, its half-lidded, lazy look belying the weight behind it.
Izumi had intended to return home, but before he realized it, his steps had carried him to Training Ground Seven. There, he found Itachi. Shisui was away on a mission.
"Izumi?" Itachi blinked, surprised. Something in the younger boy's expression was… wrong.
"Big Brother Itachi, I…"
He didn't know why, but the moment he saw Itachi, everything inside him broke loose. Izumi flung himself into his friend's arms and began to sob—loud, unrestrained, and raw.
Just then, Izumi Mie happened to arrive, pausing in confusion at the sight. If she hadn't known Itachi's character, she might have thought he'd done something to bully the boy.
Izumi didn't notice her. Between sobs, he poured out everything about the mission—every detail. Itachi and Mie listened in shock; neither had imagined that the two days Izumi had been absent could have contained something so harrowing. Watching him cry like that stirred something deep in both of them.
Mie even considered telling Fugaku, to demand justice for Izumi. After all, sending a four-year-old on such a mission was far beyond reason. But Itachi stopped her; if she acted rashly, things could spiral in a dangerous direction.
When his tears finally ran dry, Izumi sagged into Mie's arms. To her, this boy—five years her junior—was already someone she thought of as a little brother.
In his sleep, Izumi didn't know that Itachi's current mission had, in a sense, already been fulfilled, and that a new one now awaited him. When he saw the details of this new task, he would once again feel the urge to strangle the so-called "system" that governed his fate.
The next morning, Izumi awoke in his own bed. The familiar surroundings eased him, until his memories of yesterday returned—memories of clutching Itachi and Mie and crying his heart out. His cheeks burned crimson.
After all, while his body was four years old, his soul had lived nearly twenty years. Including the time he had already spent in the Naruto world, he was over twenty in mind. For someone that age to cry into the arms of two nine-year-olds… it was mortifying. Thankfully, no one had seen it.
(No one except the system, which—Izumi was certain—had witnessed everything.)
Later, he returned to Training Ground Seven, waiting for Itachi and Shisui. Neither came; they were likely occupied with their missions. But before long, he sensed someone approaching.
Mie emerged into the clearing. At the sight of her, Izumi felt an even deeper embarrassment.
"Izumi, are you alright now?" she asked.
"Um… Sister Mie… about yesterday—you didn't see anything, right?"
Perhaps, he thought, he could still fool himself into believing that.