"By yourself…?"
Uchiha Izumi blinked, certain she had misheard.
The backpack alone weighed almost as much as Kuroha did. Enough food for several grown adults, let alone one small child.
Then it clicked.
She softened her expression. In her mind, the explanation was simple. Kuroha must have brought the food intending to share it, only to be ignored and mocked. The words he'd spoken were probably said out of frustration.
She felt a pang of sympathy.
"Of course I eat it myself," Kuroha replied flatly.
As if to prove his point, he tore into another piece of roasted meat. He ate quickly, without hesitation or ceremony.
"I'm barely full as it is," he added between bites. "Why would I give food to people who don't want me around?"
A drumstick disappeared. Then another.
Izumi stared, stunned. This wasn't a child picking at food. This was efficient consumption. Relentless.
By the time she processed it, one full roast was gone.
Then another.
Then pork knuckles.
Her shock only deepened as Kuroha calmly finished the lunch box she had given him, looking mildly dissatisfied when it was empty.
This isn't normal, she thought.
Even members of the Akimichi clan didn't eat like this at his age.
"Um… you can have mine too, if you want?" she offered hesitantly, holding up the remaining food.
Kuroha shook his head immediately. "I don't take back what I give."
The words were childish in tone, but not in intent.
Izumi laughed quietly, resisting the urge to pinch his cheek.
Without another word, Kuroha leaned back against the tree and closed his eyes.
Chakra circulation resumed.
Izumi recognized the posture and fell silent, stepping back to avoid interrupting him.
"Why are you here?"
A cool voice spoke behind her.
Izumi stiffened. "Itachi… I was just checking on him. It's his first day."
"He's an unnecessary variable," Uchiha Itachi said without hesitation. His gaze passed briefly over Kuroha before turning away. "Don't waste attention."
He adjusted Sasuke's training position with one hand.
"Come back. Training isn't done."
Izumi hesitated, then nodded reluctantly. "I'll see you later."
They left together.
"Cold as expected."
Kuroha opened his eyes as their footsteps faded. His gaze lingered briefly on Itachi's back, unreadable.
You really believe that, he thought. That being useful excuses everything.
He closed his eyes again.
Training came first.
Evening approached.
"Kuroha," Uchiha Shin called, interrupting his meditation. "We're starting shuriken practice. Join the group."
Kuroha allowed himself to be pulled to his feet and guided back toward the field.
The moment he arrived, the atmosphere shifted.
"Why is he included?"
"I don't want to stand next to him."
"He won't hit anything anyway."
Sasuke was quietly pulled farther away by Itachi.
Only Izumi stayed close.
"Kuroha," she said gently, "the instructor will test us afterward. Don't worry if you miss. It's your first day."
She lowered her voice, clearly worried he'd be discouraged.
Kuroha smiled faintly. "It's just throwing techniques. I only need to see it once."
A beat of silence followed.
Then laughter.
"That's ridiculous."
"Watching once and learning?"
"He really thinks that?"
Even Itachi's expression cooled further. "Technique becomes instinct only through repetition," he said quietly. "Don't copy arrogance you haven't earned."
The instructors exchanged looks. No one corrected him. To them, Kuroha sounded like a spoiled child speaking without understanding.
"Enough," Uchiha Shin said. "Watch carefully. Those who've learned this before, revise. Everyone else, pay attention."
He demonstrated the stance. The rotation of the shoulder. The fine release of the wrist.
As he did, no one noticed the subtle change in Kuroha's eyes.
Within the layered pupils, something stirred.
A single tomoe formed.
The world slowed.
Not time itself, but motion. Muscle tension. Joint angles. Micro-adjustments in balance and grip.
Kuroha saw it all.
Shin's movements unfolded in precise fragments, each action broken down into components his mind could catalogue instantly.
So that's how it's structured, he realized. Not magic. Just efficiency.
His eyes burned faintly.
Chakra fed the process instinctively, far more than expected.
He didn't yet realize what had changed.
Only that when the demonstration ended, he already knew the answer.
"Have you memorized it?" Shin asked.
Kuroha nodded once.
The tomoe faded as quietly as it had appeared.