Fugaku took a deep breath, suppressing his annoyance, and looked at Izumi, who was completely flustered in the office.
"Uchiha Izumi."
"YES!!!"
Fugaku nearly jumped at the girl's loud shout. He kept a stern face and reminded her, "You don't need to shout so loudly."
Izumi's pretty face visibly flushed with embarrassment. It was all thanks to Senior Akainu's "training." Whenever someone called her name, she'd reflexively shout "YES!!!" loudly, terrified that a slow response would displease him.
"Even I don't know why Akainu has such a strong opinion about Itachi. Perhaps their personalities just clash?" Fugaku mused. "You don't need to take what Akainu just said to heart. I know you're one of Itachi's few friends, and he really needs a friend's companionship right now."
"Because..."
"His best friend is already gone."
Izumi knew who the "best friend" Fugaku was referring to was. Itachi had mentioned him to her before, quite often actually. And every time he spoke of someone named Uchiha Shisui, the usually quiet Itachi would become incredibly talkative.
"Uchiha Izumi..."
"YES!!!"
Fugaku: "..."
Izumi: "..."
Izumi clasped her hands together, so embarrassed she wanted to sink into the floor. She quickly bowed politely and apologized, "I'm so sorry!"
"Ahem."
Fugaku kindly offered, "If... you feel that Uchiha Akainu isn't a suitable assessment officer for you, I can make some arrangements to help you choose a more fitting one."
Fugaku worried that this young girl would be "ruined" by Uchiha Akainu. Of course, this "ruin" wasn't about her innocence, but about her life itself. Uchiha Akainu had a track record! Fugaku had lied earlier when he said Izumi was one of Itachi's few friends. After Shisui's death... Izumi was Itachi's only friend left.
Even if he was strict and harsh with his own son, even doing things that almost shattered their family bond to help Itachi awaken his Sharingan, Fugaku still saw himself as a father. A father... should at least consider his child's situation.
Izumi paused. "Change assessment officers, huh...?" She hesitated. Senior Akainu did put a lot of pressure on her, and if she wasn't careful, he'd chew her out.
But then, Izumi bit her lip, looked up, and said earnestly, "Lord Fugaku, I joined the Police Force to become a qualified enforcer! Senior Akainu might be strict, but I believe he'll train me into a competent and excellent enforcer!"
"Even though this is my first time working with Senior Akainu, he's already taught me so much. Perhaps we just need some time to get used to each other."
Izumi had never met anyone who upheld justice like Uchiha Akainu. Even if his methods were a bit extreme, even if he seemed to have some misunderstandings about Itachi, he was definitely a good person!
"Is that so..." Fugaku sighed. He had already made it clear, but Izumi still insisted on staying with Uchiha Akainu. There was nothing more he could do but warn her, "Remember, don't defy his orders. Treat him like your superior."
"Yes, Lord Fugaku!" Izumi nodded solemnly.
The next day.
Izumi dragged herself out of bed with faint dark circles under her eyes, feeling exhausted. She hadn't slept well last night, plagued by nightmares about the criminal and the child's body. She even dreamed of being scolded by Senior Akainu all day long.
She wondered how the Police Force handled the bodies of criminals and victims... And she couldn't imagine the despair of that child's mother. Her husband was dead, and her child was dead too. And the child had died at her husband's hands—that was just too tragic.
Izumi rubbed her eyes, shaking off the jumbled thoughts in her head. She tugged at her pajamas, which had slipped off her shoulders due to her restless sleep, and glanced at the alarm clock by her bed.
Izumi suddenly snapped wide awake. She nearly choked from shock.
"Oh no!"
"N-Nine o'clock! I'm doomed! I forgot to set my alarm last night! And I forgot to remind Mom to wake me up!"
There was no time to change into her Police Force uniform, let alone eat breakfast. Izumi frantically pushed open the door, barefoot, her fair face pale with fright.
Then, she saw her mother, Uchiha Hazuki, talking to her superior, Uchiha Akainu, outside the door.
Next, she watched as Senior Akainu's gaze fell upon her.
A ridiculous thought popped into Izumi's head—if she committed suicide, would it be a better way to go?
"Oh... Izumi, you're awake?" Uchiha Hazuki, a woman who had raised her daughter alone and still possessed a graceful charm, showed a hint of apology. "When Lord Akainu came looking for you, I was going to wake you up, but he told me not to. He said... he wanted to see how long you'd sleep."
Izumi's expression was blank. She felt completely disoriented. She truly believed her end was near. She should have listened to that senior Uchiha woman and written her will in advance; it would come in handy very soon.
"S-Senior..." Izumi's voice trembled.
Uchiha Akainu looked at the girl, who had lost all light in her eyes from fear and helplessness, and said expressionlessly, "Change your clothes. You're two hours late today, so you'll work four hours of overtime tonight, and you've lost all your weekend leave this month."
"Y-Yes... huh?"
"...Ah?"
Izumi froze, looking incredulously at Senior Akainu, who, according to other Police Force seniors, was practically a "great demon king who wouldn't hesitate to kill his assessment students." For a moment, Izumi felt as if she were dreaming, wondering if she hadn't woken up yet.
"Did you think I was going to kill you? Is that it?"
Izumi: "..."
She couldn't hide her thoughts from Senior Akainu at all!
Uchiha Akainu said calmly, "The day you betray justice, I will indeed kill you without hesitation. You have thirty seconds now. If you're not in front of me in thirty seconds, your assessment score will be a failing grade, and you can roll back into bed and sleep until tomorrow morning."
Izumi instantly shivered.
"Yes, Senior!"
She quickly turned and closed the door, stripping off her clothes as she ran. There was a clatter inside the room. At the twenty-ninth second, a window on the second floor opened, and Izumi quickly leaped out, landing steadily in front of Uchiha Akainu.
"Hmph, hmph..." Izumi's heart was pounding. Her Police Force uniform was put on crookedly, as if she'd just thrown it on. She stood cautiously beside Uchiha Akainu, head down, not daring to make a sound.
"Lord Akainu, Izumi is a special child. Her personality is different from the other Uchihas in the clan. If Izumi caused you any trouble, please, Lord Akainu..."
Hazuki's words were cut off by Uchiha Akainu. "I only care if she can do her job. Let's go."
Izumi clutched the hem of her clothes, meekly following behind Uchiha Akainu. Just then, she noticed her senior was carrying something. It looked like a takeaway bag from Ichiraku Ramen.
"I don't have a habit of wasting food." Uchiha Akainu casually tossed it, making Izumi quickly catch it. Izumi immediately remembered that Senior Akainu had said they were supposed to meet at Ichiraku Ramen this morning.
Izumi's eyes welled up with shame. "I'm sorry, Senior..." Her voice was a little choked up.
"Rookie, the reason you should be sorry is not just for your tardiness, but for the justice that was delayed because of it."
Izumi clutched the Ichiraku ramen, her head still bowed.
"I'm sorry..."