But unfortunately, Yeyue's intentions and Izumi's thoughts were not quite the same.

Yeyue had made this request because she understood her daughter's feelings—she knew that Izumi liked the man in front of her.

If this were merely about Izumi's future prospects, that alone wouldn't have been enough to move someone like Yeyue to action.

After all, she had already given up her position and reputation within the clan for the sake of her daughter.

She had chosen instead to raise and be present for Izumi.

If she wanted to, with her strength and connections, she could easily ensure Izumi became a clan elder someday.

Yeyue turned back to her daughter, a proud little smile appearing on her face. She raised her hand and flashed a cheerful

(＾－＾)V sign.

Izumi, upon hearing Uchiha Hikaru's answer, was so excited that her earlier shyness vanished completely.

She stood up straighter, her chest lifting with pride, unconsciously showing off her gently developing figure.

Then she bowed.

"That's wonderful! Thank you, Lord Hikaru!"

She immediately grabbed Yeyue's hand and skipped away joyfully toward home.

Even her steps radiated happiness.

Yeyue allowed herself to be pulled along by Izumi, but suddenly felt a tug on her kimono.

She glanced down and realized the hem had gotten caught between the wooden slats of the pavilion.

The pull yanked the fabric downward in an instant—her ample cleavage was suddenly exposed directly in front of Hikaru.

Hikaru froze, his vision held hostage by the sight before him for half a second—then he immediately snapped out of it and reached forward to help free the kimono hem from the wood.

"Uhh… hehe~"

"Hikaru-kun, I'll leave her in your hands from now on~"

With her back turned to him under the moonlight, Yeyue's face had flushed a deep wine-red from embarrassment, but she still waved at him with a smile.

Hikaru gave a small smile and waved back at Yeyue and Izumi.

Izumi, meanwhile, was so overwhelmed with joy that she hadn't noticed a thing. She remained completely unaware of what had just occurred behind her and was still glowing from Hikaru's approval.

…

The next morning, Uchiha Hikaru assigned Mei Terumi and Kisame to odd jobs around the village.

After all, they were still prisoners of war. He couldn't just let them laze around at home all day—they had to be put to use.

To prevent any conflict with villagers during their work, their chakra had been completely sealed.

Then, he waited until the afternoon before heading to the training field to begin Izumi's special training.

Sasuke, Hinata, Shino, and Hayate already had their training paths mapped out.

And as for paperwork, Shizune had things covered.

Itachi and Hiashi had been asked to put in extra hours.

Hikaru wasn't slacking off—he was guiding Izumi, after all. That was contributing to the village too, wasn't it?

When he arrived at the designated training ground, Hikaru spotted Izumi standing beneath a tree, looking a bit nervous.

"Izumi, over here."

The moment his voice reached her ears, Izumi's head snapped up like a startled kitten.

Then she walked stiffly toward him, her limbs a little tense.

"G-Good afternoon, Lord Hikaru!"

Hikaru found her awkward demeanor a little unusual.

He raised his hand and gently patted her head.

"You weren't this nervous when we were practicing singing before."

"Relax. I'm not going to hurt you or anything."

"It's not like I'm going to toss you into a pit of snakes."

Hearing that, Izumi immediately recalled when she and Hikaru had rehearsed together for the Police Department celebration—singing side-by-side onstage.

The memory warmed her heart and helped her relax.

That's right. I wasn't nervous then… why should I be now?

It was just a shift from singing to ninjutsu.

Soon, she mentally prepared herself and shed her earlier awkwardness.

"Alright, Lord Hikaru."

"Let's start with a spar, so you can get a sense of my current level."

She took a few steps back and swiftly drew two kunai from her pouch, holding them in a reverse grip.

She slid into a proper fighting stance—and in the blink of an eye, her black pupils morphed into the crimson Sharingan.

Seeing this, Hikaru immediately switched into instructor mode and focused intently on her movements.

As expected of an Uchiha. Once she enters combat mode, that earlier shyness vanishes completely.

If she falls for someone one day… she might end up a little yandere…

Izumi darted forward, swinging her left arm and launching a kunai toward Hikaru's right side.

Whoosh~!

Hikaru calmly leaned his right shoulder back, dodging with ease. At the same time, he drew a kunai from his own pouch with his left hand.

Clang!

The two blades collided in midair.

"Good form. You knew I'm right-handed and forced me to block with my weaker side."

"But unfortunately, the physical gap between us—caused by age and experience—is still too wide."

"In this situation, even if your opponent blocks, you won't be able to overpower them."

Before he could finish, Izumi suddenly crouched, pushing off the ground with her legs as she slashed upward with her kunai.

"Good—using the power of your whole body. Another solid instinct."

Hikaru flipped backward to create distance.

But as he landed, he noticed Izumi grinning proudly at the praise.

So, he pressed harder.

"Still… you're only at a Chunin level right now. Hayate is your age, and honestly, he might be ahead of you."

The moment those words hit her ears, the pride on Izumi's face vanished—replaced by icy seriousness.

That's the Uchiha pride.

Praise makes them glow. But criticism—even implied—ignites their fire.

Uchiha pride would never allow them to fall behind their peers.

With a sharp flick of her wrist, the fabric of her sleeve tore slightly—revealing the pale skin of her forearm beneath.

Then, ten shuriken hidden inside her sleeves flew out—guided by taut steel wires from both sides—aimed squarely at Hikaru.

At the same time, Izumi rapidly formed hand signs, her chakra building in her throat and mouth.

"Fire Style: Phoenix Claw Red!"

A large fireball—nearly a meter wide—blasted toward Hikaru. Simultaneously, ten smaller fireballs ignited along the steel wires and chased the flying shuriken.

Boom!

The explosion engulfed Hikaru completely.

Izumi's eyes lit up.

It landed!

But then realization struck—What if I really hurt him?! Her joy turned to panic.

Just as she took a step forward—

Whoosh—!

Her entire body was yanked down into the earth.

"Wha—!?"

"Earth Style: Headhunter Jutsu!"

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Send Power Stones

Bonus Chapter at 150 Power Stone

Second Bonus Chapter - 300 Power Stones

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