Seeing Izumi step between them, Ryosuke knew that if he fought Uchiha Itachi now, she would surely be upset. After all, she clearly liked Itachi more than him right now. Besides, even with his newly awakened two-tomoe Sharingan, he was probably still no match for Itachi.
At only eleven, Itachi had already joined the Anbu—a unit that only Konoha's elite could enter. What a waste that someone so powerful wouldn't use his strength to support the Uchiha clan.
More frustrating was Uchiha Shisui. That guy had probably already awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan and was now teaching Itachi his noble nonsense. "Fight for the village" sounded good on paper, but not when it came at the cost of destroying your own clan.
Without the Uchiha, there would be no Konoha. A Konoha without Uchiha wasn't worth a damn. If not for the village leadership's constant targeting, the Uchiha would never have rebelled. If they really wanted to rebel, they would've left with Madara long ago. But they didn't—they wanted peace.
Ryosuke exhaled slowly, letting the tomoe in his pupils fade away. His eyes returned to their normal color. Seeing this, Izumi finally relaxed. She was glad the two didn't end up fighting.
"Ryosuke-nii," she said softly, "let's wait until I'm of age before we talk about… that."
She didn't want to upset him—what if he got angry again and activated his Sharingan?
"Alright," Ryosuke replied.
Of course, he didn't expect her to accept his proposal so easily. Besides, she looked too frail to bear children right now. He would have to look for other potential candidates.
With that, he turned and walked away, heading toward the village center.
He was feeling quite satisfied—after all, he had just challenged Itachi in front of Izumi and made a bold confession. The simmering anger in his heart had cooled quite a bit.
Izumi, still standing there, was full of doubt. Ryosuke-nii had always treated her like a younger sister—why did he suddenly act like this? As a girl, she was sensitive to such things.
Maybe it's because I'm almost of age, she thought. Am I starting to become more… womanly?
A small smile crept onto her lips.
Seeing that, Itachi frowned and asked seriously, "You're not really thinking about accepting Uchiha Ryosuke's proposal, are you?"
Izumi chuckled. "Ryosuke-nii is a good man and very handsome. But how could he ever be as cute as you?"
Itachi's face flushed. Cute? His Anbu teammates already saw him as a mature adult. Still, her words reassured him. He didn't need to worry about losing her—at least, not yet.
"Izumi," he said solemnly, "Ryosuke said I couldn't protect you. I promise you—no matter what happens, I will protect you."
His talent was exceptional. Though still a chunin, his power could rival many jonin. He had even awakened the three-tomoe Sharingan. Once his chakra and physical endurance caught up, he'd be among the strongest.
Uchiha Ryosuke was wrong.
Izumi beamed. She may have had a strong talent, but she was still a girl. Her chakra reserves and stamina couldn't compare to Itachi's.
He was a genius—only eleven and already wielding a full three-tomoe Sharingan. With him around, she would always be safe.
"Then Itachi, if danger comes, you must protect me well."
"Of course," he said without hesitation.
Meanwhile, Ryosuke made his way toward the heart of the village. It took him more than ten minutes to reach it. Along the way, passersby gave him strange looks—some wary, some filled with contempt.
Their eyes showed fear and disdain.
Disdain, because of the Nine-Tails' attack not long ago—everyone believed the Uchiha were behind it. Even if they weren't the direct cause, they surely had some involvement. After all, only the Uchiha could use the Sharingan to control the Nine-Tails.
The infamous Uchiha Madara had once used the beast to attack the village. Luckily, the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, had stopped him. But now that Hashirama was long dead, during the recent Nine-Tails attack, even the Fourth Hokage had died in the battle. The village had suffered terribly.
Countless homes were destroyed. Civilians and ninja alike had died. All of it tied, in one way or another, to the Uchiha.
Despite their suspicions, no one dared openly curse the clan. The Uchiha were one of Konoha's major powers—and they controlled the Konoha Police Force. Anyone who lashed out would likely find themselves behind bars.
Ryosuke noticed the villagers' fearful and hateful gazes. So this is what they think of us. The Uchiha name means nothing to them.
He sneered inwardly. Fools.
But more foolish than the villagers were the higher-ups, who allowed such baseless speculation to fester.
In the original story, the Third Hokage had even sent people to monitor the Uchiha compound after the Nine-Tails incident—afraid of a rebellion. When Clan Head Fugaku offered to join the battle, he was coldly refused.
That old man was a damn fool.
Rather than unite forces to deal with the Nine-Tails, they feared their own allies. If Fugaku, Hiruzen, and Minato had fought together, they might have defeated the Nine-Tails more cleanly.
Minato Namikaze had been a bright and just leader. Had he lived, perhaps the Uchiha's relationship with the village wouldn't have soured this way. What a pity.
And then there was the other so-called "Kage-level" elder in the village. That coward was great at politics and nowhere to be seen during the crisis. If he had stepped up even once, maybe the Uchiha wouldn't have such a bad reputation today.
Thinking about it all just made Ryosuke sigh.
Soon, he arrived at a familiar storefront—Ichiraku Ramen.
How could I not eat a bowl of ramen after coming to this world?
He stepped inside.
"One bowl of ramen, please."
"Sure thing! What toppings would you like?"
"Yuba and tofu."
"Coming right up. Please take a seat."
Ryosuke found a seat and waited.
Not long after, the steaming bowl was placed before him.
"Enjoy your meal!"
He picked up his chopsticks and slurped the noodles.
The texture was perfect, the broth rich and fragrant.
Delicious.
Within minutes, the bowl was nearly empty.
He leaned back to rest for a moment when a noisy commotion erupted outside the shop.
Curious, Ryosuke stood up to take a look.
A bit of drama to help digest the food, he thought, stepping outside.