Ryōsuke noticed Izumi stepping between him and Itachi.
If he attacked now, she'd be upset—and right now, it was obvious Izumi liked Itachi far more than him.
Besides, even with his newly awakened two-tomoe Sharingan…
He was nowhere near Itachi's level.
Itachi was eleven and already in the Anbu—an organization that only accepted Konoha's elite.
Such overwhelming talent… yet wasted on someone who would one day abandon the clan.
And Shisui—the clan's brightest prodigy—had likely already awakened the Mangekyō.
He'd been feeding Itachi endless speeches about peace, loyalty, and protecting the village.
There was nothing wrong with those words alone.
The problem was the price:
If "protecting the village" meant sacrificing the entire Uchiha clan—
Then those ideals were poison.
Without the Uchiha, there would be no Konoha.
A Konoha without the Uchiha wasn't worth defending.
If the higher-ups hadn't cornered them, why would the clan even consider rebellion?
If they'd wanted to betray Konoha, they would've followed Madara long ago.
But they hadn't.
Because they wanted peace.
Ryōsuke exhaled slowly, letting his Sharingan fade. His eyes returned to normal.
Izumi visibly relaxed.
She was relieved they hadn't actually fought.
"Ryosuke-nii… your request…" Izumi hesitated, her voice soft. "Let's talk about it when I'm an adult."
She didn't want to anger him—what if he activated his Sharingan again?
"Fine," Ryōsuke replied.
Not that he believed she would accept him.
And she was far too delicate to even consider childbearing yet.
He should start looking at other potential partners anyway.
He turned and walked toward the village.
Still, confessing in front of Itachi had felt satisfying.
The irritation boiling in his chest had evaporated instantly.
Izumi remained behind, puzzled.
Ryōsuke had always treated her like a younger sister.
He'd never shown the slightest romantic interest.
But as a young girl, she was sensitive to these things.
Could it be… now that she was almost of age, her feminine charm was finally showing?
The thought made her lips curl slightly.
Itachi noticed her small smile and asked cautiously,
"You're not actually considering Ryosuke's proposal… are you?"
Izumi giggled.
"Ryosuke-nii is a good person, and he's very handsome. But compared to you… he's nowhere near as cute."
A faint blush dusted Itachi's cheeks.
Cute?
His colleagues in the Anbu already treated him as an adult.
Still, hearing her answer eased him.
He didn't need to worry about losing her.
"Izumi," he said seriously, "Ryosuke said I can't protect you. I'll prove him wrong. I swear I'll protect you from now on."
His talent was undeniable.
Though officially still a chūnin, his strength rivaled many jōnin.
He had already awakened the three-tomoe Sharingan.
Once his body and chakra matured, he would be among the strongest in the village.
Protecting her was easy.
"Then Itachi," Izumi said softly, eyes shining, "if I'm ever in danger… you must protect me well."
"Of course."
—
Meanwhile, Ryōsuke walked toward the village center, arriving after ten minutes.
Villagers stepped aside when they saw his Uchiha attire.
Their eyes held a mix of disdain… and fear.
Disdain—because the Nine-Tails attack had occurred not long ago.
Many believed the Uchiha were responsible.
Even if they weren't the ones controlling the Nine-Tails, the public assumed the Uchiha had to be involved.
After all, only the Uchiha could control the beast.
Madara had done so years ago, and it was only thanks to Hashirama that Konoha had survived.
But Hashirama was long gone.
And during the latest attack, even the Fourth Hokage had given his life.
The village had been devastated—homes destroyed, civilians and shinobi killed.
To the masses, everything pointed back to the Uchiha.
Yet none dared voice their hatred.
The Uchiha were still a powerful clan with political influence.
They oversaw the Police Force.
Insulting them could land someone behind bars.
Ryōsuke noticed the villagers' expressions:
Fear.
Disgust.
The Uchiha had truly fallen from grace in Konoha.
He snorted inwardly.
These villagers were ignorant—but what was worse was how the village leadership let these suspicions fester.
In the original timeline, Hiruzen had personally ordered the Uchiha to be monitored after the Nine-Tails attack.
Even when Fugaku offered to help restrain the beast, Hiruzen refused.
That old fool…
Instead of supporting the Fourth, he held back Konoha's strongest bloodline.
Had Fugaku joined Minato, they might have subdued the Nine-Tails together.
Minato had been a beacon of hope—a righteous man.
If he'd lived, maybe the Uchiha and Konoha wouldn't have drifted so far apart.
And then there was Danzo—
The "other Hokage."
A man who hid whenever danger appeared, only showing up when it was time for internal politics.
Ryōsuke felt tired just thinking about them.
He shook his head. No point dwelling on it.
He continued walking—until he found himself in front of a familiar shop.
Ichiraku Ramen.
Of course he had to try it.
He stepped inside.
"Owner, one bowl of ramen."
The old man looked up with a friendly smile. "Alright, customer. Any toppings you'd like to add?"
"Tofu skin and tofu."
"No problem! It'll be ready soon."
Ryōsuke took an empty seat.
Moments later, a steaming bowl was placed before him.
"Please enjoy."
He picked up the noodles and took a bite.
Firm texture.
Rich broth.
Perfectly fragrant.
Delicious.
A few minutes later, he finished the entire bowl.
He leaned back, relaxing contentedly.
That was when a loud commotion erupted outside the shop.
Ryōsuke raised an eyebrow.
A good opportunity to help digest his meal.
He stood and stepped toward the door—
ready to see what kind of spectacle was unfolding outside.