Naruto: Becoming Stronger through Bonds

Chapter 19: Ayame

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On a grassy field elsewhere in the village, Ervin lay side by side with another young Uchiha, both staring at the sky.

Ervin's voice broke the silence.

"Actually... awakening the Sharingan too early isn't always a blessing."

"Why?" Izumi asked curiously.

Izumi had also attended the duel earlier that morning, but seeing so many Jōnin and even the Hokage present, she became timid and chose to hide under a large tree, watching quietly from a distance.

As they talked about Itachi awakening his Sharingan, Izumi couldn't help but express her envy.

For any Uchiha, awakening the Sharingan was a moment of pride and significance. Yet, looking at Ervin, it seemed he didn't share the same sentiment.

"Because he's too young," Ervin replied, reaching out to ruffle Izumi's soft black hair. Izumi had been growing her hair since childhood—it was long, smooth, and silky to the touch.

Izumi pouted and quickly pulled Ervin's hand away. She had spent a long time that morning carefully tending to her hair, and now it was instantly disheveled.

Ervin chuckled and continued to explain. "There are many benefits to awakening the Sharingan, but we're still children. Our bodies are not fully developed, and this is a critical period of rapid growth. If the Sharingan is awakened too early, it disrupts the balance between the spirit and the body. It's like forcing the body to overexert itself, which can lead to serious consequences, including illness."

Ervin strongly suspected that Itachi's frail appearance in the future was directly related to awakening his Sharingan—and later, his Mangekyō—at such a young age.

The human cells in this world seemed to develop faster, but opening the Sharingan at six or seven years old was still far too early, a clear case of overloading the body.

During his year at the ninja academy, Ervin had observed that Itachi appeared strong and healthy with no signs of illness. He suspected this was because Itachi, as a child, didn't fully understand the value of his Sharingan and therefore didn't overuse it. However, by the time he grew older and relied on his eyes more frequently, the toll on his body became evident.

Hearing Ervin's serious explanation, Izumi shrank back, curling her petite body into a ball. The envy she had felt for Itachi disappeared immediately, replaced by a sense of unease.

But her curiosity soon returned. "Ervin, how do you know so much? The elders in the clan never mentioned any of this. In fact, they always encourage us to awaken our Sharingan as soon as possible."

Ervin replied calmly, "My grandfather told me. He's the Hokage's assistant, after all. He knows a lot."

"Oh, I see," Izumi said, her eyes lighting up with understanding.

As expected of Danzo-sama—anything he said was easy for her to believe.

When lunchtime arrived, Ervin took Izumi to Konoha's famous Ichiraku Ramen.

The joke about "Ōtsutsuki Ichiraku" was well-known among their peers, but in truth, Teuchi was just an ordinary ramen chef. Calling him an "old man" wasn't entirely fair either—there were still more than ten years before the events of the main story, so he was likely only in his thirties.

But one thing was undeniable—his cooking skills were impeccable.

Ervin and Izumi were regular customers at Ichiraku Ramen. Every time, Ervin would order a large bowl of char siu ramen with two extra croquettes, while Izumi, with her smaller appetite, was content with a standard bowl.

However, this time, something caught Ervin's attention.

In the kitchen, a child about their age was kneading dough by hand. She carefully added water to the mix, hesitating as if worried she might add too much.

Shouda turned around and noticed Ervin staring at her daughter. Smiling, she introduced her, "This is my daughter, Ayame. She doesn't have the talent to be a ninja like you, so she didn't attend the ninja academy. Instead, she's learning the family craft here at the shop."

Ayame shyly hid behind Shouda but managed to nod politely at Ervin and Izumi.

In her heart, she was thinking, - This boy is so handsome.

In truth, Ervin inherited excellent genes from his parents. His mother had a classic oval face, while his father...

Well, don't let Danzo's current face fool you—it might look like a disaster now, but when he was younger, he was a famously handsome man in the surrounding villages. He even managed to make Tsunade and Shizune blush back in the day.

With both parents contributing their best traits, Ervin's appearance was a refined and optimized combination.

It was clear that when little Ervin grew up, he was destined to be another "devastating beauty."

After dinner, Ervin walked Izumi back to the Uchiha compound before heading home to reflect on the day's gains.

The crushing victory over Itachi had brought him substantial benefits. Especially since the audience was composed of special Jōnin and full Jōnin, all of whom left with a deep impression of him, the quality of the rewards was remarkably high.

[Host establishes a bond with Gekkou Hayabusa: Rewarded with three standard Chūnin Chakras.]

[Host establishes a bond with Sarutobi Shinnosuke: Rewarded with Fire Chakra Nature Transformation (Excellent).]

[Host establishes a bond with Raido Namiashi: Rewarded with Space Ninjutsu Talent (1/3).]

[...]

There were more than ten rewards in total, most of which were first-stage bonuses.

The most valuable, of course, was the Space Ninjutsu Talent. This was the second fragment of the Space Talent he had obtained.

The first fragment—also one-third—had been a reward for reaching the second stage of his bond with Izumi.

Ervin recalled that Raido Namiashi was a special Jōnin in the village. He, along with Shiranui Genma and Tatami Iwashi, had served as the Fourth Hokage's guards. The trio could activate the Flying Thunder God Formation together, so it made sense that he had space-related talents.

What surprised Ervin was that he could receive a Space Talent fragment as a first-stage reward. He could only chalk it up to incredible luck that day.

With one more fragment, he would be able to attempt practicing the Flying Thunder God Technique.

Without the powers of the Six Paths, few could threaten the life of a ninja who mastered the Flying Thunder God. Such individuals could only be restrained by highly specific tactics.

---

[Status Panel]

Name: Shimura Ervin

Gender: Male

Age: 7 years old

Date of Birth: April 1, Year 46 of the Konoha Calendar

Chakra Attributes:

Fire (Ultimate), Wind (Ultimate), Earth (Genius), Water (Genius), Thunder (Genius) Yin (Genius), Yang (Genius)

Total Chakra: 5 cards (One card is approximately equal to five standard Jōnin Chakras)

Chakra Control Talent: Genius

Mastered Ninjutsu: Three Body Technique (Proficient), Conventional Five Attribute Ninjutsu, etc.

Nature Transformations:

Wind Chakra (Grandmaster), Fire Chakra (Proficient) , Earth Chakra (Proficient), Water Chakra (Proficient)

Special Talents:

- Hope for Success

- Mom Loves You

- Senju Bloodline (Thin, Under Development)

- Swordsmanship Genius

- Darkness of the Ninja World

- Mother-in-Law's Expectation

- Space Talent (2/3)

- Uchiha Bloodline (Rich)

Evaluation: Jōnin with weaknesses; focus on leveraging strengths in battle.

Ervin was admiring the luxurious attribute panel he had built over the past year when he suddenly heard a commotion at the gate.

Looking up, he saw Danzo entering the courtyard, holding a ninja forehead protector in his hand.