❁𝐈𝐙𝐔𝐌𝐈'𝐒 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐘- 𝘈 𝘕𝘌𝘞 𝘉𝘓𝘖𝘚𝘚𝘖𝘔 𝘖𝘍 𝘏𝘖𝘗𝘌 ✔︎

Chapter 1

A girl cried out as her mother attempted to calm them down by giving her a dango.

Izumi Uchiha, standing behind them, smiled at the sight in front of her. Waiting for her usual tri-colored dango.

"Mom, I want ice cream," she sobbed as her mother sighed loudly.

"Sweetheart, we can get some ice cream later!" Dango is still as good as ice cream..." She exhaled.

The girl collapsed to the floor, throwing a fit.

As she witnessed the event, Izumi sweated profusely. Even though Izumi adored children, they were not her specialty. They had always disliked her.

She approached the young girl and knelt before her, smiling gently. "Dango is tasty and sweet! Unlike ice cream, dango never melts in your hand. You are here now, so eat it before it loses its refreshing taste," Izumi said, getting up to grab her dango order.

The girl looked at her, puzzled. Izumi looked at her nervously.

"Who told you to butt-in? Ice cream is much better and cooler than dango!" The girl screamed and cried even more.

Izumi had failed to befriend a child again, just as she had before.

Izumi became determined to persuade the young girl to stop crying. She refused to let the mother go through this humiliation and the whole scene!

She cleared her throat and spoke once more. This time, with confidence! "Listen, dango is sweet like ice cream, but it is even better! Plus, ice cream can cause brain freezes, and all of the stands are farther away. Simply eat the dango. Many children want a sweet treat, and this could be your only chance! Who knows, dango may be sold out every day or on any day you want it. It would be better to eat it now while it is still available, right?"

The young girl beneath her wiped her eyes and looked up at her, wide-eyed.

A twenty-two-year-old is fighting with a seven-year-old over dango and ice cream. It's truly an embarrassment for Izumi.

Izumi's face flushed red as passersby's examined the commotion.

The young girl crossed her arms angrily and admitted defeat, "F-Fine."

The mother's face brightened as her daughter finally accepted the treat. "Right! One order of three tricolored dangos, please!" she exclaimed.

A white bag was quickly handed to her, and the young girl began munching on her dango stick.

Izumi smiled broadly as she maintained her distance.

All of her memories from the past flooded back.

Itachi and dango. She missed it all. However, none of this is possible anymore. They are both extremely busy and have responsibilities for the village.

Looking down at the ground, she waved goodbye to the duo before walking away with her own white bag of dango.

"Hey! Izumi!" A loud voice interrupted Izumi's thoughts, and she turned to find out what was going on. She was greeted by the one and only Sakura Haruno.

They both sat down on a bench overlooking a lake. The white bag sat between them while they ate together. "Well, how have you been?" Sakura asked as she ate her dango.

Izumi smiled at the question. "I have been doing good. You know, missions keep you busy. Not that I mind, but it would be great if I could be paired up with someone. Sometimes it feels lonely to go on solo missions."

Sakura gave her a curious look. Izumi was taken aback when Sakura looked her up and down, "U-Uh...Sakura?" Izumi asked with a red face.

"Let me guess, is it Itachi?" Sakura asked as she sat back with a wide smile. Izumi blushed furiously, attempting to stop the thought.

However, nothing could beat it. Sakura was correct; it was Itachi. "Yeah, I would like to talk to him and restart our friendship. Every time we see each other, it is awkward, and there is tension between us. Like, we have not been able to move past something." Izumi spoke as she gazed down at the floor.

Sakura giggled, "Listen, I am sure you two can work it out. You guys have a longer history than me and all of my friends! I am confident you can do it, Izumi."

Izumi smiled in response, lifting her head to look out at the lake in front of them.

Itachi had been undercover for years. He slaughtered the clan and killed every emotion in his body in order to protect the village from what the clan intended to do.

He had made significant sacrifices. For his brother and the village.

A hero, but one whom people refused to honor.

Izumi would always clear his name when people chose to disrespect him.

Sakura was correct; Izumi could do it. All she needs is confidence. That was something she lacked.