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In the Land of Keys, within the small and hidden village of Jomae, the morning smoke rose gently into the air.
Accompanied by the recently rhythmic sounds of iron forging, children had already run out onto the streets to play and laugh.
Sasuke, wearing a blue kimono, stepped out of his courtyard and onto the street, patiently waiting for a group of kids playing ninja games to pass by before continuing towards the direction of the forging sounds.
"Sasuke."
A familiar female voice suddenly called out to him.
Sasuke turned his head to see Izumi, who appeared to be the owner of a nearby dango shop, smiling and waving at him.
"Come and try the mitarashi dango I made."
"Mitarashi dango?"
Sasuke seemed to remember something, obediently walked over, took the dango from Izumi's hand, and quickly ate it, nodding in approval.
"Not bad."
"Really? How does it compare to the mitarashi dango shop in Konoha?" Izumi asked expectantly.
"It's... about the same, I guess." Sasuke, who usually didn't eat dango often, still gave his honest opinion seeing Izumi's eager expression.
"That's good." Izumi breathed a sigh of relief.
Seeing Sasuke's slight confusion about why she was running a shop, Izumi glanced around at the decorations similar to those in Konoha and smiled nostalgically as she explained:
"After coming to Jomae Village, besides missing my mother, grandmother, and clan members, I found myself missing Konoha's mitarashi dango. But no one in Jomae made dango or knew how to make it."
"So, one day after training, I decided to try making mitarashi dango myself. Since you say it's about the same, it looks like I've succeeded."
Izumi's words were full of joy, but Sasuke listened in silence.
He was well aware of the reason Izumi could no longer enjoy Konoha's mitarashi dango and had to make it herself.
That man.
His own closest relative by blood.
"Sasuke? Sasuke?" Izumi's call brought Sasuke back to reality.
Sasuke immediately apologized, "Sorry, I was a bit lost in thought."
Such an attitude would never have happened to Sasuke during his time in Konoha.
Only in front of his "lost and found" clan members would he show his true inner gentleness.
Izumi didn't mind, taking a step back and seriously observing the current Sasuke, she smiled warmly and said:
"It's been a while since I last saw you. You've grown quite a bit taller."
At the age of twelve or thirteen, he was indeed in the growing phase. With intense training, Sasuke had grown both taller and stronger since he first arrived.
Sasuke, being the subject, didn't notice much difference. However, when Izumi mentioned that the clan would make a batch of larger Uchiha clothing for him to avoid not having suitable clothes as he grew, he sincerely thanked her.
"Sasuke, where are you heading? I rarely see you walking this way." Izumi handed a few more dango sticks to Sasuke, advising him to eat enough before asking.
To be honest, Sasuke didn't particularly like sweets.
Izumi's dango had a lot of sweet sauce brushed on them.
He could only "force a smile" and quickly finish them, not wanting to waste the kindness of Izumi, who acted like an elder sister to him. Then he answered her question:
"I ordered a ninja sword from the captured craftsmen in the village, and I'm going to pick it up today."
"A ninja sword."
Looking at Sasuke, who now exuded an aura as sharp as an unsheathed blade, Izumi sighed slightly.
Unlike other clan members who looked forward to Sasuke's role in future revenge, Izumi, upon seeing Sasuke again in that dark room, hoped this boy, whose eyes were filled with hatred, would find something or someone else to devote himself to.
She sincerely advised, "Don't put too much pressure on yourself. Sasuke, your life isn't just about revenge. There's a long road ahead. Sometimes, think more about living with someone you care about."
"Sasuke, do you have someone you like?"
"No."
Sasuke, with no thoughts of romance, shook his head decisively.
He understood Izumi's good intentions.
But his resolve would not waver.
"Izumi-nee, I have to go."
Seeing Izumi about to grab more dango, Sasuke quickly walked away.
"Wait! I almost forgot to tell you. The day after tomorrow, Uchiha Zanki is getting married. Make sure to come." Izumi called after him.
"Zanki-nii?" Sasuke stopped and turned back, full of curiosity, "Who is he marrying?"
Sasuke had a good impression of Zanki, who spoke bluntly, enjoyed fighting, and liked to help the clan members.
In the past six months, he often sparred with Zanki.
But he hadn't heard anything about him having a girlfriend, let alone getting married.
Izumi answered, "A beautiful girl from the Hagoromo clan. Zanki is quite lucky."
"A girl from the Hagoromo clan?"
Knowing what "Hagoromo" meant, Sasuke had no objections.
Thanks to Gensou's high status in his heart, Sasuke even thought that after fulfilling his revenge, if he couldn't return to Konoha, he might marry a girl from the Hagoromo clan.
However, this idea was quickly dismissed as it didn't fit his character.
"I'll be there the day after tomorrow."
Sasuke waved to show he understood and quickly left.
Seeing Sasuke agree, Izumi returned to the shop in a good mood, quickly devouring the freshly made dango, her eyes lighting up with delight.
Ding! Ding! Ding! The sound of iron forging echoed continuously from the newly established ninja tool shop.
If you got closer, you could hear a series of repetitive, despairing shouts:
"I am the ultimate ninja tool! I was meant to conquer the ninja world... I am the ultimate ninja tool! I was meant to conquer the ninja world..."
When Sasuke entered the shop, he saw a strange young man who looked like a master craftsman. His movements were filled with artistic flair, impressively crafting one ninja tool after another, while his eyes were vacant and he muttered neurotically.
"This guy is the founder of the Craftsmen Village, Seimei?"
As Gensou's disciple, Sasuke held a high status in Jomae Village and knew many secrets.
Seeing Sasuke arrive, Kujaku, one of the Four Celestial Symbols Men who had barely survived, immediately came forward and respectfully said:
"Sasuke-sama, your ninja sword is ready."
(End of Chapter)