Reincarnated as Itachi Uchiha at the Start

Izumi Uchiha and the Daimyo's wife stepped into the private chamber, while Naori Uchiha stood guard outside, her sword resting at her side.

Kazuma, one of the Twelve Guardian Ninja assigned to security, gave Naori Uchiha a once-over and asked curiously, "I heard your name is also Naori. Are you related to the elder Naori Uchiha? Her descendant, maybe?"

Naori Uchiha: "…"

Descendant? What descendant? I am her. She is me.

Perhaps used to the Uchiha clan's cold demeanor, Kazuma kept talking to himself. "It's kind of weird though. Why does the Uchiha clan love reusing ancestor names?"

"Like Fugaku's kid—Itachi's little brother—Sasuke Uchiha. He was named after the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi's father, Sasuke Sarutobi."

"Honestly, if I were Hiruzen, I'd want to wipe your clan out too."

Naori Uchiha: "…"

"See? Fugaku picking that name is clearly a provocation. Like, 'I treat you as my subordinate but you want to step on my head and become my father?' Then asking if the name sounds cool?"

"What is wrong with your Uchiha clan?"

Naori Uchiha: "…"

"Why aren't you speaking?!"

"…"

Shing! A sharp ring of steel.

"Say one more word, and I'll kill you."

In a flash, Naori Uchiha appeared beside Kazuma, half her sword drawn, the blade pressed against his neck. Blood beaded at the edge of the cut.

Kazuma stared into the crimson glow flickering through her sunglasses. A cold chill ran down his spine, his face twisted with terror.

Almost. Just almost, and he would have died. This woman, her power is terrifying.

...

Inside the private chamber.

Izumi Uchiha quickly formed a string of hand seals—Boar, Dog, Bird, Monkey, Ram. She bit her thumb and slammed her palm against the ground.

Poof! A cloud of smoke erupted, revealing a ninja summoning cat.

"Hina, deliver this message to Itachi. After he reads it, tell him to send a reply as soon as possible," Izumi said.

"Alright. That'll be ten thousand ryō. Meow!" The ninja cat, Hina, swallowed the scroll and then extended a paw.

The Daimyo's wife's expression darkened, but she still handed over the ten thousand ryō.

"Meow!" With another puff of smoke, Hina vanished.

"Heh. I've heard your Uchiha summoning cats are a greedy, lecherous bunch. Seeing it in person... the stories weren't exaggerated," the Daimyo's wife muttered, displeased.

"Forgive me for the disgrace," Izumi replied politely.

"It's fine. Ten thousand ryō is nothing to me. I'm just curious to see what Itachi will choose" the Daimyo's wife said lightly.

"I trust him," Izumi said, her tone unwavering.

"Oh? Not even married, and already playing the loyal wife? Tsk. Looks like my little Izumi can't wait to marry Itachi," the Daimyo's wife teased.

"Eh?" Izumi blushed, her cheeks flushing.

"But Izumi, you'll need to work hard. That boy's no ordinary ninja. Just today I received intel—Hana Inuzuka has her eyes on him too. After learning he became the Uchiha clan head, she even went behind her mother's back and signed a partnership agreement with the clan. You'd better act fast," the Daimyo's wife warned.

"W-What?" Izumi panicked.

"I have to say, Hana Inuzuka is a fine girl. A Chūnin at her age, top talent of the Inuzuka clan, a veterinary medic in the medical corps, and part of the patrol squad."

"Most importantly—she's beautiful, has a great figure, and even at her age, she's broad-minded and compassionate."

"You can tell she'd make a good mother. At least her kids wouldn't go hungry."

"If I were Fugaku, I'd probably be tempted too."

"After all, when a man chases a woman, it's like climbing a mountain; but when a woman chases a man, it's like slicing through paper. If someone like her pursued my son, I'd be over the moon."

"Not to mention—marrying into the Inuzuka clan means gaining their political support. Why not?"

Izumi clenched her fists. "No. Itachi wouldn't fall for her."

The Daimyo's wife smirked at the sight. Oh, little girl. Trying to play this game with me? You're still far too green.

"But don't worry, Izumi. Sure, you're just a commoner, a Genin, usually doing grunt work."

"But Itachi likes you. As long as you work hard—and with our Daimyo's household backing you as your maternal side—you might just outshine Hana Inuzuka and even win Fugaku's approval," she said.

"Tell me, Madam, what exactly do you want me to do?" Izumi asked, lifting her head.

"It's simple. From now on, you'll be responsible for relaying intel between Konoha and the Uchiha. In return, I'll help make your dream come true—make you Itachi's wife. The future Lady Fifth Hokage. What do you say?" the Daimyo's wife asked with a gentle smile.

"That's it?" Izumi blinked, uncertain.

"That's it," the Daimyo's wife nodded.

"Alright. I agree." Izumi nodded firmly.

...

Poof!

Hina reappeared shortly after, spat out a scroll, and extended a paw.

"Twenty thousand ryō. Pay on delivery. Meow~"

The Daimyo's wife scowled again but handed over the twenty thousand ryō.

Poof!

Hina vanished once more in a puff of smoke.

Izumi opened the scroll, performed a seal to unbind it, read its contents, and immediately incinerated it with a Fire Style technique.

"What did Itachi say? Did he agree?" the Daimyo's wife asked, sipping her tea. Izumi burning the scroll didn't faze her. All she needed was confirmation.

"He agreed," Izumi said with a nod.

"Oh?" The Daimyo's wife raised her eyebrows in slight surprise.

"He said Hiruzen Sarutobi has already arranged for Asuma Sarutobi to join the Twelve Guardian Ninja. Among them—Chiriku, and the Lightning Release Four—Hokuto, Seito, Nango, and Tōmō—are all Sarutobi's people," Izumi stated.

"What?! You're saying both Chiriku and the Lightning Four are under Hiruzen Sarutobi?" The Daimyo's wife looked stunned.

"That's right," Izumi affirmed.

"You're not trying to trick me, are you? Trying to stir infighting within the Twelve Guardian Ninja?" The Daimyo's wife narrowed her eyes. It was hard to believe that half the Twelve were loyal to Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"Believe it or not—it's your call. Itachi's already handed over the intel. You're welcome to investigate it yourself," Izumi replied calmly.

The Daimyo's wife's expression shifted repeatedly. In the end, she bit her lip and chose to believe it. After all, Itachi had no reason to lie—he even revealed intel about Asuma Sarutobi.

"Fine. I believe you. I agree—if we can remove the political faction led by Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Daimyo's Estate will support Itachi Uchiha's rise to power," the Daimyo's wife said. Then, unable to wait any longer, she rushed off to report to the Daimyo.

She had to deliver this intel immediately. If Asuma Sarutobi officially joined, half of the Twelve Guardian Ninja would be Hiruzen's people—putting the Daimyo's entire household at risk.

Izumi Uchiha watched her leave and let out a cold laugh.

Madam, I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you. I'm no mere Genin. I'm an Elite Jōnin, I've mastered chakra nature transformation, and awakened the Three-Tomoe Sharingan.

And Itachi and I—we're childhood sweethearts. Innocent and inseparable. Even the late clan head Fugaku told me, "Don't give up on being with Itachi."

As for Hana Inuzuka? Has she ever shared dango with Itachi? Ever packed him a bento? Had the first cup of autumn milk tea with him? Hugged him? Kissed him?

None of it!

So what if she's got a great body? "Broad-minded"?

Hmph. I'll have a better figure than hers in the future. She's not even worth mentioning.

Yeah. That's right.

PS: Read Advance Chapters at https://www.patreon.com/c/ReadJin