Chapter 27 Ripples in Itachi's Heart

Dan knew he was being a third wheel. After glancing at Itachi, he said to Izumi, "Young lady, my nephew isn't feeling well. Could you please take him home?"

Izumi was taken aback, but quickly nodded like a pecking chick, "Okay... sure."

"Thank you then." Dan left these words, patted Itachi's shoulder, and walked away.

Under the streetlight, Itachi and Izumi looked at each other, both averting their gaze and falling silent. After a moment, Itachi was the first to speak.

"Sorry if my uncle's behavior scared you earlier. Don't take it to heart. He's always been like that."

"It's okay, Dan is... quite interesting," Izumi covered her mouth and giggled. Then, her eyes lit up at the sight of Itachi's clothes, "Wow, such a cute cartoon T-shirt. Itachi, I didn't expect you to wear this style."

"This was my uncle's shirt when he was a kid," Itachi's face turned red as he explained.

"Eh, what happened to your teeth? Did you have a tooth pulled, or are you not feeling well?" Izumi noticed something off about Itachi's speech and stepped forward, asking with curiosity and concern.

"I accidentally knocked it out," Itachi was very embarrassed, trying to brush it off with a lame excuse.

"Hehehe." Izumi had never seen him like this before, and she laughed happily, her eyes curving into crescents.

After some small talk, they headed towards the small park in the Uchiha compound. After a while, Itachi apologized again for his previous words. Izumi quickly waved her hands, also apologizing to Itachi.

Some time ago, Itachi had asked Izumi why she wanted to be a ninja, telling her that a girl like her shouldn't experience the horrors of the ninja world. Izumi was angry at this, saying she wanted to be a ninja because of her father, and bravely told Itachi that she wanted to walk the same path as the person she liked.

That was a confession.

But Itachi didn't respond.

In the end, Izumi left in tears, and they parted on bad terms. Now, the young boy and girl were finally back on good terms.

"By the way, I've become a Genin," Izumi pointed to her forehead protector with a smile, but quickly pouted and complained, "But it's so boring. My missions are either taking care of a Daimyo's wife's pet cat or helping officials from the Land of Fire move."

"That's how it is for all ninjas at the start," Itachi said.

When he found out that Izumi was doing non-dangerous missions, he felt relieved. They walked and laughed, chatting happily. Itachi thought Izumi was kind and understanding, much like his mother, Mikoto Uchiha.

However, when they talked about Itachi joining the Anbu, Izumi suddenly said she was scared, scared that Itachi would leave her and go further and further away.

During this process, Izumi finally lost control of her emotions and sobbed quietly in Itachi's arms. Itachi didn't know what to say, so he just held Izumi gently, waiting for her to calm down.

"I'm not going anywhere," he said.

Probably... he added in his heart.

Itachi looked up at the sky, the moon peeking out from behind the clouds, casting a bright light on his face.

During this time, his uncle and Izumi, these people who had entered his life, were like the moonlight piercing through the clouds,

shining into his heart, causing ripples in his usually calm demeanor.

After a leisurely stroll, Dan returned to the alley where the gym was located. Huh? He suddenly sensed several gazes from the darkness behind him, like needles briefly lingering on him before quickly moving away. Are they planning to make a move so soon? It seems Danzo is quite angry.

Dan didn't turn around, pretending not to notice as he pushed open the gym door.

"Starting tomorrow, I'll be leaving the village for a while to take care of some business. You should take a break and rest for a few days," he found Samui and gave her a few instructions.

"Okay, thank you, boss," Samui's face lit up, pretending to be happy about the break.

Is the boss going out to make money again?

Although Samui was curious, she had tried to follow Dan before and failed, so she didn't dare to take any risks. She initially thought Dan was just into fitness, but after seeing him in action, she had a vague idea of how the boss made money.

Most likely, he was working as a bounty hunter or something similar.

Their conversation was heard word for word by the Root ninjas lurking outside the gym.

"Good opportunity. Follow Uchiha Dan out of the village tomorrow and make a move when there's no one around," one of them said in a low voice.

The Root members exchanged glances, reaching a consensus. The night passed without a word.

Early the next morning, when the sky was just getting light and there were few people on the streets of Konoha, Dan left. He wore a large black cloak and a conical hat, covering most of his face, and quickly headed out of the village.

Two hours later, Itachi arrived. He had the day off, so after sending his younger brother Sasuke to the Ninja Academy, he went to the gym early because he was worried that Danzo would send people to trouble his uncle.

What was strange was that Itachi felt very quiet walking in the alley. The usual watching eyes hidden in the shadows were somehow all gone today.

He quickly noticed that the gym had a "temporarily closed" sign, and Samui was wearing gloves and holding a towel, cleaning the outside windows.

"Itachi, you're early today," Samui was a bit surprised to see Itachi. "The boss has gone out and won't be back for a while. But he specifically asked me to tell you that you can come and go as you please and use the equipment inside."

As she spoke, she took off her gloves and came over, ready to open the door for Itachi.

But Itachi's face changed, and he quickly asked, "When did my uncle leave?"

"He just left this morning. Is something wrong?" Samui sensed something was off and asked.

"It's nothing," Itachi didn't want Samui to worry, so he changed the subject. "Are you free this afternoon? My mother invited you to go shopping with her, and she asked me to pass on the message."

After saying this, he turned around and left, heading towards the Root's headquarters as quickly as he could.

Ten minutes later, at the entrance to the Root's underground base.

"Halt!" Two Root members blocked Uchiha Itachi, not allowing him to enter.

Without a word, Itachi activated his Sharingan.

Clang, clang, clang!

After a series of clashes between kunai and ninja swords, the two Root members fell unconscious in front of Itachi.

Stepping over the injured pair, Itachi went straight in and successfully met with Danzo.

"Danzo, please don't harm my uncle," he kneeled on one knee, bowed his head, and pleaded as soon as he saw Danzo.

Itachi's feelings for Dan were complicated.

But no matter what, Dan was his uncle. He couldn't stand by when a family member was in danger from the Root.

"Itachi, you're too late," Danzo leaned on his cane, shook his head, and said coldly, "At this point, Uchiha Dan is already dead."

...