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Itachi wandered aimlessly down the street.
There was a distant, unfocused look in his eyes.
Ever since he was little, he'd stood out—praised by his clan, admired by everyone around him. Even Fugaku had always been proud of him.
But over the past couple of days…
Ken's performance—his insight, his judgment, his raw combat talent—had completely outclassed him.
For someone as proud as Itachi, it hit hard. A strange sense of defeat settled deep in his chest.
Maybe… he didn't deserve to be called a genius of the Uchiha after all.
"Heh…"
He let out a hollow laugh, walking like a lost soul.
At that moment, he couldn't find his direction.
Couldn't even find himself.
Before he knew it, his steps carried him to the clan's lake.
He remembered…
This was where his father had once taught him the Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique.
He'd mastered it after watching just once, earning a rare word of praise—"As expected of my son."
It felt like it had only happened yesterday.
Following the wooden steps out over the water, Itachi walked to the end and sat down.
A gentle breeze brushed past him, cool and refreshing.
He didn't know how long he'd been sitting there when suddenly—
"Itachi-kun, long time no see."
A sweet voice sounded behind him.
He turned and saw a girl in a purple top, her face bright and cute.
Her long black hair fell to her waist, and a small beauty mark near the corner of her eye gave her a playful charm.
"Izumi," Itachi said quietly.
Back during the Nine-Tails attack, he had saved a panicked Izumi Uchiha. Since then, the two of them had a faint connection.
But Itachi was always busy training.
Even though they were from the same clan, they rarely ran into each other.
Noticing his low mood, Izumi pressed her lips together, then broke into a big smile.
"Itachi-kun, you don't look so great. If something's bothering you, talking about it might help."
"I'm good at keeping secrets, I promise!" she added, covering her mouth dramatically.
She could tell he was upset, so she wanted to cheer him up.
"It's nothing," Itachi said, shaking his head.
He was the type to lock his feelings away. He never shared what was on his mind.
Just like later—even if it meant dying, he'd carry all the blame himself to protect Konoha's secrets.
"Oh… okay." His answer deflated her a little. He really wasn't the easiest person to open up to.
Still, she reached into a green bag and pulled out a small box. Inside were several skewers of dango.
"These are my mom's favorite—three-color dango. She says sweets can make you feel better when you're down."
"Itachi-kun, want to try one?"
She held out a skewer to him.
"But… you're so good at taijutsu, and your grades are amazing, and you're one of the Uchiha's elite. You probably don't even like sweets, right?"
"Sorry, that was kind of random…"
Realizing he might not be into snacks like this, she awkwardly pulled her hand back and took a bite herself.
"So good!"
After finishing one dumpling, she turned—
And saw Itachi staring at her.
He even swallowed unconsciously.
When their eyes met, Itachi quickly turned his head away with a small huff, pretending to stay cool.
The tsundere energy was impossible to miss.
"Wait… does Itachi actually like dango???"
Izumi blinked, a little confused.
She gave a sheepish smile, then offered him a skewer again.
This time, after a brief hesitation, he took it.
As he started eating, the tight frown on his face slowly eased.
"It's… really good," he muttered under his breath.
No matter how cold or ruthless he might become in the future—
Right now, he was still just a six-year-old kid.
Before long, they finished all the dango together.
"Izumi, your dango was great. Thank you," Itachi said, a faint smile finally appearing on his face. The weight of his earlier defeat seemed lighter now.
"No need to thank me! If you like them, I can bring more next time," Izumi said sweetly.
"Mm. Thanks," he nodded, smiling back.
"Then it's a promise!"
After chatting for a bit longer, they went their separate ways.
As soon as Itachi got home, Sasuke came running toward him.
"Big brother! Play with me!"
Back then, Sasuke was incredibly attached to Itachi—more than to either Fugaku or Mikoto.
"Were you a good boy today, Sasuke?" Itachi asked, picking him up and gently bumping their foreheads together.
"I ate two whole bowls of rice at lunch! Mom said I was very good!" Sasuke held up two fingers proudly.
"That's amazing, Sasuke!" Itachi ruffled his hair.
Sasuke puffed up with pride, his round little face glowing with a barely contained smile.
After playing for a while, Itachi said, "Be good, Sasuke. I'm going to help Mom with dinner. Go play on your own for a bit."
"But you just started playing with me…" Sasuke pouted, eyes welling up with tears.
"Come here."
When Sasuke stepped closer, Itachi lightly flicked his forehead with his finger.
"Be good. You're growing up—you need to be more mature."
Sasuke looked aggrieved, but he didn't know how to argue back. In the end, he could only go off and play with his ball alone.
Itachi headed into the kitchen to help wash and prepare the ingredients.
Soon, night fell.
Fugaku returned home, and with his usual sharp eye, he quickly noticed something off about his son.
Dinner passed in near silence.
Afterward, Fugaku called Itachi into the study.
Looking at his downcast son, Fugaku let out a quiet sigh.
"You're upset about losing to Ken today, aren't you?"
A bitter smile touched Itachi's lips as he shook his head. "Ken is strong. Losing to him… I accept it."
Itachi had his own pride.
Losing to someone previously unknown—it would be a lie to say it didn't bother him.
Fugaku knew that if he didn't guide him now, it could affect his training, even if Itachi didn't completely lose heart.
"Come here," Fugaku said.
When Itachi stepped closer, Fugaku pulled him into an embrace.
He gently patted his head—
Just like Itachi did with Sasuke.
"You've had things too easy until now," Fugaku said softly. "This failure might be a good thing. It's a reminder that there's always someone stronger out there."
"Only by facing defeat head-on can you climb higher."
"No matter what you become in the future, you and Sasuke will always be our pride."
All his life, Fugaku had been a strict, distant father. He'd never shown affection like this before.
That single embrace…
It shook Itachi to his core.
The gloom from his defeat vanished completely.
"Father… I'll work harder!"
A determined light slowly returned to Itachi's eyes.
He made a silent vow—
To become someone his father could truly be proud of.
At that moment…
Itachi finally found his path forward.
"....."