Itachi was indeed very nervous.
Regarding this mysterious girl from his clan, Itachi felt a genuine desire to get to know her.
That's why he paused his shuriken training and came searching for her.
He was even worried that the girl before him might be angry, so he lied.
After all, he had searched all around the forest to find this place...
This was no mere coincidence!
Although there was a bit of luck involved, he also didn't know how the girl arranged her training schedule.
He had no idea what her family situation was like.
But fortunately, he gambled correctly.
The girl was indeed still training in this little forest.
It must be said that, despite his nervousness, Itachi felt quite happy.
Yet, his meticulous nature made him even more cautious.
"Um... if I'm interrupting you, I can train over there instead."
"I'm sorry."
Once again sincerely apologizing, Itachi slowly lifted his head and looked at Qingchuan.
At this moment, Qingchuan's eyes no longer held the initial coldness.
In fact, there was even a hint of a smile...
However, the moment Itachi lifted his head, that smile vanished instantly, replaced once more by a stance of keeping a distance from strangers.
The aloof Qingchuan line.
"Well, you can stay here; I'll just leave."
"I can't offend the eldest son of the Uchiha clan, but I can certainly avoid him."
After saying that, Qingchuan turned and walked away, his cool ponytail swaying behind him...
He acted this way for a reason.
His inspiration came from Itachi's humble demeanor.
Since he had already chosen to dress as a girl for that 30% training buff,
why not use it to his advantage?
After all, the first time Qingchuan looked in the mirror, he was startled by his own reflection!
Although it felt a bit shameful...
he also knew how much power his appearance possessed!
It wasn't an exaggeration to say that among the other anime he had seen, very few characters could match his looks in girl form!
Using it solely for training... what a waste.
His training progress was looking quite promising, but the key was that his starting point was still too low.
There were seven years left until the night of the massacre.
But the dangers during these seven years weren't limited to Itachi alone.
Moreover, as his strength increased, the disturbances during his training would likely grow even larger.
Giving himself a reasonable yet low-key identity while in girl form seemed necessary.
Sure enough, after this move by Qingchuan, the innocent Itachi's feelings of guilt peaked.
It was clear that he had been the one to intrude.
Yet this girl, because of her identity, chose to step back.
What... what did he do?!
"Um..."
"I didn't mean it like that!"
"Please give me... please give me a chance to explain, okay?!"
Nervous, Itachi's voice involuntarily rose a few decibels.
This represented his determination—he wanted to clarify himself and earn forgiveness!
In Itachi's hopeful gaze, the girl who was slowly leaving seemed to sense something and suddenly stopped.
She turned around, looking at Itachi with some confusion.
Finally, as if making a decision, she bit her lip...
"Go ahead."
...
Ten minutes later.
In the same little forest, a boy and a girl sat together on a branch, chatting.
Although the two maintained some distance, the scene was undeniably warm...
"So, you come here to train just to avoid disappointing your father?" the girl Qingchuan asked.
Itachi nodded quickly. "Sort of... I want to change some things, and I can't do that without strength."
"I see..." Qingchuan lowered her head, "You have a father who cares about you, huh?
That's nice."
Indeed.
He still couldn't understand...
The Itachi before him seemed so harmless, completely unlike the person who could kill his own parents.
But without a doubt, if things continued along that path...
On the night of the massacre, they would inevitably clash.
No.
If that truly happened...
Then this battle had already begun...
"Right... I also respect my father."
"And I work hard aiming to be like him."
After ten minutes of conversation, Itachi no longer felt the initial nervousness he had.
The girl before him remained a mystery.
Yet somehow, the feeling of distance had lessened considerably.
Itachi was happy, but he also felt even more cautious.
"Well then, let's continue training."
Qingchuan smiled slightly and jumped down from the branch.
But instead of lingering, she stepped aside, clearing the area for Itachi.
Upon seeing this, Itachi felt his unease surge again, but just then, Qingchuan spoke, instantly dispelling his anxiety.
"My name is Qing... I mean, Seiko, Uchiha Seiko."
"Let's work hard together!"