Izumi

Uchiha Izumi—a girl who lives up to her name.

Her demeanor is as gentle as a spring breeze, her voice flows as smoothly as water, her long black hair cascades like a silken veil, and a delicate teardrop-shaped beauty mark graces the corner of her eye. She's destined to grow into a stunning traditional beauty. 

Izumi has been Denji's friend ever since they first met last year.

Denji vividly remembers that fateful day during the Nine-Tails' attack on Konoha. The massive fox loomed over the village, a force of destruction as terrifying as a natural disaster. In the chaos, Denji was ushered to an underground shelter by a team of guards. There, he happened to cross paths with a frantic Uchiha Izumi. 

Naturally, Denji took the opportunity to approach the young girl. Back then, Denji only possessed a Wind Release nature and a latent Yang Release. His current Fire Release came from none other than Izumi herself.

"Denji," Izumi said, her cheeks turning pink. She looked a little hurt as she asked, "What were you so busy with during the break? Why didn't you come to see me?"

Denji let out an exaggerated sigh, then glanced at the figure who had walked in with her. "I was busy training, Izumi. With a genius like Uchiha Itachi in my class, I have to work hard. I can't let the Shimura name be tarnished."

Accompanying Uchiha Izumi was none other than Uchiha Itachi—the most dutiful son the ninja world had ever known.

The world of shinobi had seen many orphans, but Itachi was really unique in turning himself into an orphan You had to admire that level of commitment.

"You're a genius too, Denji," Izumi said, her tone full of encouragement.

She wasn't wrong. Before Itachi had awakened his Sharingan, Denji's strength might have even exceeded his. However, once Itachi's Sharingan had awakened, he became a prodigy that few could rival, quickly rising to a Kage-level talent within a few short years.

Itachi, who had been silent until now, frowned slightly. He sensed that Denji's hostility wasn't directed at the Uchiha clan as a whole, instead, Denji's ire seemed focused entirely on him. 

Hostility towards the Uchiha clan is very common, especially after the Nine Tails Rebellion. Many people saw the Sharingan in Nine Tails' red pupils, and this phenomenon became more obvious.

But Denji was different. His hostility seemed to be only directed at Itachi. He had no prejudice against the Uchiha clan, otherwise he would not be able to get along so well with Uchiha Izumi.

Even so, Itachi remained calm. "You're just as talented as I am, Denji. Let's both keep training and contribute to the village."

With that, Itachi offered a polite nod before continuing on his way. 

Denji watched him go, wondering if the boy walking away was really Itachi or just a well-crafted Shadow Clone. He had the urge to test it out.

"What are you staring at, Denji?" Izumi asked, looking at him curiously.

"Nothing," Denji replied, snapping out of his thoughts. He turned back to her with a smile. "Sorry I didn't get to spend time with you last weekend. Want to go fishing together next week?"

Izumi's eyes lit up, and her mood instantly shifted. "Really? Where should we go? Oh! How about that small river in Forest 35? The scenery there is beautiful."

"Sure," Denji agreed. 

Despite Danzo's disapproval of Denji's friendship with Izumi—and the occasional arguments it caused—Danzo never took any drastic measures. Perhaps he deemed Izumi, as a marginal member of the Uchiha clan, too inconsequential to pose any real threat. 

Still, Danzo never missed an opportunity to plant the idea that the Uchiha were inherently untrustworthy. He repeated it so often that Denji could hardly stand it anymore.

...

Before long, the bell rang, and their homeroom teacher, Kazama Shuichi, entered the room.

"Alright, everyone, today we're learning to throw ninja tools," Shuichi announced without preamble, getting straight to the point.

Unlike the curriculum seen in future generations, today's lesson was practical, direct, and free from propaganda about the "Third Hokage being the strongest" or other such rhetoric. The times were different. Though large-scale battles had officially ended with Minato's tenure as Hokage, tensions among the villages remained high. Small skirmishes and strategic maneuvers were still commonplace. 

The students were considered reserve forces for the village. There was no time for empty slogans or ideology. The instructors focused on teaching real ninja skills.

Kazama Shuichi drew diagrams on the blackboard, explaining the mechanics of parabolic throws and offering a few tips on shuriken technique. After the theory lesson, it was time for hands-on practice.

The class moved to the training grounds, where the limited number of targets meant the students had to pair up. Naturally, Denji partnered with Izumi. Itachi ended up with another student whose name Denji didn't bother to learn.

When it was Itachi's turn, he casually tossed three shuriken. Each one struck dead center, creating a perfect cluster of hits. The other students couldn't contain their amazement.

"Wow! He hit all three!"

"As expected from a Uchiha. He's so cool."

"Itachi's amazing. Who should I choose: him or Denji?"

"You're dreaming. With all the candy you've been eating, no one's choosing you!"

Amid the chatter, Izumi stayed focused, throwing her own shuriken. Though she didn't show off with dramatic curves or trick shots, her aim was flawless. Every shuriken landed squarely in the red circle.

"Nice work, Izumi," Denji said, genuinely impressed. Izumi smiled shyly and stepped aside to give him room.

"Now it's your turn, Denji. I know you'll do even better."

Denji grinned. "Watch this."

He pulled a shuriken from his pouch. Kazama Shuichi, observing nearby, paid close attention. Both Denji and Itachi were the standouts of the class, and the teacher was eager to see if Denji's performance would match his reputation.

A split second later, a loud boom echoed across the field.

Boom~!

Several targets exploded in a burst of smoke and splinters, leaving the class in stunned silence.

Kazama Shuichi's jaw dropped. "Denji, did you just—was there an explosive tag on your shuriken?"

He saw it clearly just now, Denji's shuriken brushed past the target, and the explosive tag behind it exploded, directly destroying several nearby targets.

Denji remained calm. "It increases error tolerance. If the shuriken misses the target, the tag still ensures it hits something."

"Just tell me—did I hit the target or not?"

Kazama Shuichi blinked, utterly speechless.

Denji simply smiled, as though his actions were the most natural thing in the world.