Hearing this, Izumi's eyes lit up as if stars had fallen into them. Nodding vigorously, the ends of her hair brushed her shoulders, stirring a faint scent of gardenia: 'Okay!'
Her fingertips unconsciously twisted the hem of her purple short jacket. The fabric was still damp with thin sweat, but her heart felt like it held a piece of sun-warmed jade, incredibly soothed.
Being perceptive, she had long noticed the change in the clansmen's eyes… the previously cold, exclusionary gazes had now softened considerably.
It went without saying that this was because of Makoto's two claps earlier and his current unreserved closeness.
If Makoto wanted, probably the entire clan would be scrambling to teach him Taijutsu, considering it an honor.
Sunlight cut diagonally through the gap between them, Makoto's shadow falling on Izumi's small feet.
She suddenly remembered when Makoto was little, held in Itachi's arms, crawling towards her chest, and couldn't help but press her lips together in a smile.
That little one back then had unknowingly grown to an age where he could stand up for her.
…
Sasuke, watching from the side, rolled his eyes, his small brows furrowing into a knot. He couldn't help but let out a soft snort, muttering inwardly.
'Hmph! Always sticking close to girls, how utterly boring.'
'And if he wants to learn Taijutsu, why not have Nii-san teach him? This guy Makoto is really becoming more and more degenerate!'
He still remembered Makoto often saying when they were little, 'With no women in the heart, drawing the sword becomes divine!' Who would have thought he'd forget it himself.
The sunlight made Sasuke feel hot all over, as if covered with a hot towel.
Sasuke secretly glared at the two huddled together talking. Izumi was listening to whatever Makoto was saying with her head lowered, the corners of her mouth curved like crescent moons, even the roots of her ears tinged light red.
'No! I have to knock some sense into Makoto!'
'I can't let him degenerate any further! Only with no women in the heart can one become an excellent Shinobi!'
Thinking this, Sasuke suddenly felt filled with motivation, as if the sun above was giving him strength.
He secretly flexed his wrists, the knuckles making crisp 'crack, crack' sounds, his eyes shining brightly enough to blind, even more intense than the sun in the sky.
For over half a year, Sasuke had tried every possible method but couldn't awaken his Sharingan.
However, he hadn't chosen to waste his time idly! He had been diligently training his Taijutsu!
And he had done it behind Makoto's back, all for this day. Right now, he felt terrifyingly strong!
Thinking this, after psyching himself up repeatedly, Sasuke suddenly stood up. His small feet stomped 'thump, thump' on the bluestone slabs, and he charged onto the training ground like a little lion with its fur puffed up.
He turned around, his chest heaving dramatically, and shouted at Makoto: "I want to spar with you!"
"?"
Seeing this, Makoto couldn't help but tilt his head, pointing at his own nose tip, his mind full of question marks, puzzled: 'You want to spar with me?'
"Yes!" Sasuke nodded vigorously, the strands of hair on his forehead bouncing along, his small chest puffed out like a door plank.
Makoto looked at Sasuke bathed in sunlight, musing inwardly: 'He's evolved into Second Pillar already at this age?'
The clansmen at the sidelines instantly perked up, leaning forward, the anticipation in their eyes almost overflowing.
They had occasionally seen Makoto in various training grounds within the clan but had never seen him actually fight.
Seeing Sasuke's determination, as his older brother, Makoto naturally wouldn't refuse him.
Makoto reached out and ruffled Izumi's head. Her hair was soft and fluffy, like marshmallow just pulled from a sugar jar.
She shrank back from the touch, her beautiful eyes glaring at Makoto, but there wasn't a trace of anger in them. She couldn't help but think inwardly.
'Before, it was always me ruffling Makoto's little head. Who would have thought it would be reversed so soon.'
Makoto walked onto the training ground, looking at the confident Sasuke, and asked with his head tilted: "You sure you want to spar with me?"
"Let's be clear upfront, if it hurts, you can't cry."
"I won't cry!" Sasuke stiffened his neck, his chin held high: "Even if I, Sasuke, haven't awakened my Sharingan yet, and my arms are sore, my Taijutsu is still unmatched among my peers!"
As the words fell, Sasuke clenched his fists, his small face full of the seriousness of 'I want to save you'.
"Makoto, you've fallen. I need to knock some sense into you. 'With no women in the heart, drawing the sword becomes divine'… you were the one who told me that!"
Makoto raised an eyebrow, barely holding back a laugh. He had said that back when his memories hadn't fully returned.
That was purely from immaturity. If a rich older sister could see through his façade now, he'd definitely seize the opportunity.
Looking at the confident Sasuke, the corner of Makoto's mouth suddenly lifted slightly. He kindly reminded him.
"Then you better steady yourself. Don't get too excited, stay calm!"
As the words fell, in front of all the surrounding clansmen, two flashes of crimson suddenly erupted in his pupils. Two tomoe slowly rotated within his eyes, like two drops of ink falling on red silk, eerie and flamboyant.
The sunlight fell on Makoto's face, making that crimson hue even clearer, even the shadows of his eyelashes tinged light red.
He had just bought this Two Tomoe Sharingan, saved up for over half a year. If he didn't show off after buying it, wouldn't that be a waste?
Given Makoto's personality, if he had the Mangekyo Sharingan right now, he'd probably keep it active all the time.
"Hiss…"
The scene instantly erupted with the sound of sharply drawn breaths. The temperature of the entire training ground seemed to rise abruptly.
"Two Tomoe Sharingan?"
"How old is he?"
"Makoto-sama has the makings of a Hokage!!"
The clansmen's discussions surged like a tide, the very air buzzing with excited heat.
Sasuke didn't react at first, muttering inwardly: 'It's just the Sharingan. I'll awaken it sooner or later. I'm not jealous at all!'
But when he saw the two spinning tomoe in Makoto's eyes, his eyes widened sharply, his mouth falling open involuntarily.
"One?"
"No, it's two!"
"Two Tomoe Sharingan?"
"You've got to be kidding me…!?"
Sasuke's voice trembled slightly, carrying a hint of a sob, 'I hadn't even awakened my Sharingan yet, and Makoto already had the Two Tomoe?'
This blow hurt more than if Makoto had beaten him up a hundred times, no, ten thousand times!
The huge emotional impact was like a rock thrown into a small pond. Sasuke only felt the world spin around him, the scene before him growing increasingly blurry.
Finally, with a 'thud', he fell straight back onto the ground, raising a small cloud of dust.
The sidelines instantly fell so quiet you could hear a leaf drop. Even the wind seemed to stop. The surrounding clansmen were also stunned by this scene...