Sarutobi Muraki and his team bid farewell to Jiraiya and left the area.
Jiraiya watched the four figures gradually depart with a solemn expression, touching his injured foot, which had been affected by the explosion.
"I didn't expect a child to be so powerful. The Uchiha Clan, I must say, is truly formidable. No wonder the old man is so wary of them. It seems I can't casually give pointers anymore. If I get injured by going easy on a junior, that would truly be humiliating."
Izumi looked at Yamamoto Kawa, who had changed from his usual boisterous self to being incredibly quiet, and Akido Jiro, who seemed a bit dejected. She felt quite satisfied.
Yamamoto Kawa usually looked down on everyone and ordered her around. Now that he had seen the gap in strength between them, he should at least restrain himself a little, right?
"However, that really hurt. This Jiraiya is truly amazing. As expected, I'm still far from powerhouses like them. I must quickly awaken my Mangekyo Sharingan."
"This time, I revealed a bit of my strength to get the attention of the Village's higher-ups, but without arousing their suspicion. Instead, I want to be seen as someone they can recruit, someone they can provide more resources to. If I perform even better, I might even become an elite Ninja. It's worth a try."
After returning to the Village, Sarutobi Muraki once again reported everything about their journey to the Third Hokage, including Uchiha Izumi's performance.
The Third Hokage nodded and said, "Hmm, Konoha Ninja Village has produced another genius. Not bad, the Village has more and more geniuses. That brat Jiraiya still hasn't come back to see me, honestly. Muraki, next time I'll give your team a more difficult mission, let them see some blood, and make them realize the cruelty of being a Ninja. You must protect them, understand?"
"Yes, Hokage-sama, I understand."
"Hmm, alright, you may go."
Sarutobi Muraki said, "Yes!"
After he left, a figure suddenly appeared, kneeling on one knee before the Third Hokage.
The Third Hokage asked, "Is there any new movement from the Uchiha Clan?"
The ANBU Ninja replied, "They are all gathered at the Nanga Shrine. It seems they are going to hold a clan meeting. All the Ninja of the Uchiha Clan have been called there."
The Third Hokage glanced at him and said, "Is that so? I understand, you may go."
"Yes!" The ANBU Ninja's figure instantly vanished after receiving the order.
Uchiha Clan territory, Nanga Shrine.
Izumi had just arrived home when she was called over. She hadn't even had a chance to rest.
Izumi watched the Ninja of the Uchiha Clan arriving one after another, and she grew a bit impatient.
"I knew I shouldn't have come so early, ah~ I could have gotten a nap." Izumi yawned, seeing that not everyone had arrived. She looked left and right, then closed her eyes and fell asleep.
Before long, all the Ninja of the Uchiha Clan were present. The Uchiha Clan member sitting next to Izumi smiled at her adorable sleeping face, and her young age, and didn't disturb her.
Uchiha Itachi and Izumi sat in the same row, with several people between them. He saw Izumi sleeping and really wanted to wake her up, but they were a bit far apart, so he hesitated for a long time and didn't make a move.
As the clan head, Uchiha Fugaku, arrived, the Ninja of the Uchiha Clan immediately shouted loudly, "Clan head! Konoha is becoming more and more exclusive towards us! If this continues, our clan will become the target of everyone's dislike in the Village!"
Uchiha Itachi saw Izumi's body tremble from the sudden shout, then she immediately looked around and even patted her small chest. A faint smile also appeared on his face, and then he listened to the clan members' complaints with a troubled expression.
"That's right! Clan Head! We were one of the two great clans that established the Village, and now our clan is in such a position, far from the Village's center of power, and even assigned to security work like the Police Force! It's not only arduous but also thankless. We work hard to maintain order, but the people of the Village dislike us more and more! If we continue like this, we are slowly heading towards destruction!"
"Exactly! Clan Head, we cannot tolerate this any longer!"
"That's right! They are pushing their luck and bullying us too much! We are not afraid of them."
Uchiha Itachi looked at the agitated expressions of his clan members. He didn't understand why they were reacting so strongly. He disliked his clan members' arrogant demeanor. If only everyone could be as rational as him, it would be great. Besides, the Village is a collective, so what if one sacrifices a little for the collective? Since the clan members are like this, maybe I'll look at it from the Village's perspective again. I hope they are not as irrational as the clan members."
Uchiha Fugaku, as always, stood with his arms crossed and a stern face, telling them, "I will communicate with the Village. Do not cause trouble. We must resolve problems rationally."
"But!"
"You don't need to say anything more. I said we will communicate with the Village. We are always a part of the Village, there's no need to make such a fuss."
"Sigh, alright." An elder sighed and said, "I hope your communication with the Village yields results."
Uchiha Fugaku then discussed some matters concerning the Police Force, and then mentioned some issues to pay attention to, before dismissing the meeting.
Izumi stood up, stretched, and walked out of the shrine.
Suddenly, Izumi saw Uchiha Itachi. She smirked, ran behind Uchiha Itachi, and softly called out, "Itachi!"
"Ah!" Uchiha Itachi had been lost in thought. Suddenly called out to, he turned around to see Uchiha Izumi smiling at him.
His expression rarely relaxed, and he smiled, saying, "Ah, it's Izumi. Long time no see."
"Yes, long time no see." Izumi extended her hand and said, "Hand it over."
"Ah, I…" Uchiha Itachi scratched his head awkwardly and said, "I've been on missions…"
"Eh? How can that be!" Izumi said discontentedly, "Sigh, never mind. I've also been on missions recently, so I'm really busy."
Uchiha Itachi suddenly asked, "By the way, how do you feel after becoming a Ninja?"
Izumi confidently said, "That goes without saying! Who am I? A Ninja of the Uchiha Clan, of course I'm incredibly powerful!"
"It's the Uchiha Clan again! Izumi, you're just like those people, always mentioning the Uchiha Clan and putting the family first. That's why we're disliked and ostracized. It's also because of this that the arrogant clan members think about opposing the Village." Uchiha Itachi felt disappointed and displeased.
He said, "Alright, Izumi, I have something else to do, so I'll be going first."
With that, he left, looking a bit lonely.
"What the heck, he just left like that. I was still hoping to tease him." Izumi also left directly and returned home.
[ +1 chapter, 20 collection (1/5) ]