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Shisui: "..."
Itachi: "..."
The smiles on their faces froze for a moment before they reluctantly ended their brief reunion after such a long time apart.
Shisui let out an awkward laugh and said,
"I still have a lot of work to handle at the cram school. Let's catch up next time."
"Alright."
Itachi knew that the next time they'd meet was uncertain.
These days, Shisui had completely thrown himself into teaching at the cram school, rarely even taking on clan missions anymore.
He left early and returned late, which meant their opportunities to meet were few and far between.
But was Shisui the only one who was busy?
When Itachi suddenly realized this, the smile on his lips turned somewhat bitter.
After waving goodbye to Shisui, he suppressed the strange emotions welling up inside him, took a deep breath, and knocked on the office door.
"Come in."
Once granted permission, Itachi opened the door, stepped inside, and bowed respectfully. "Elder."
The moment Itachi spoke, Kazuki immediately knew he was here for Sasuke.
If it were official business, Itachi would have addressed him as "Advisor-sama" rather than "Elder."
Calling him "Elder" meant this was a private matter—and the only private matter Itachi would come to him about was Sasuke.
"You're here about Sasuke, right?"
"Yes."
Itachi raised his head and replied respectfully,
"Aside from the matter of Sasuke's teacher, I also have a personal issue I'd like to discuss with you, Elder."
"Oh?"
You, Itachi, have personal business with me?
Could it be that you're having second thoughts about being the sacrificial lamb for the clan's interests?
Kazuki studied him with interest.
Admittedly, Itachi at fourteen or fifteen was strikingly handsome—almost as much as he was.
After a few seconds of scrutiny, Kazuki spoke frankly.
"Regarding Sasuke's teacher being Orochimaru, there's no need to say more. I know exactly what kind of person Orochimaru is. I assigned him as Sasuke's teacher for Sasuke's own good. You don't need to worry about Orochimaru doing anything harmful to him. On the contrary, he'll treat Sasuke well and train him meticulously. Though his methods might be a bit... intense. But that was under my suggestion, so you don't have to worry."
"Intense?"
What kind of training methods could be considered intense?
Itachi suddenly had a bad feeling.
Kazuki's next words confirmed his suspicions.
"Sasuke's talent surpasses most in the clan—that much I can confirm. But due to the influence of his family and the clan, his growth has been somewhat stunted. That's why I handed him over to Orochimaru. Orochimaru knows exactly how to cultivate him. Orochimaru may be a madman, but as long as you can keep him under control, he's a useful ally. If you don't trust him, at least trust me, no? Sasuke has already awakened his Sharingan. This is the perfect time for specialized training, which is why I sent him to Orochimaru."
"Sasuke has awakened his Sharingan?"
Itachi was stunned. Sasuke hadn't mentioned this earlier at home.
Worried about Orochimaru's intentions, Itachi had rushed straight here without getting the full story from Sasuke.
"Yes, he's awakened it."
The way Sasuke had awakened his Sharingan almost made Kazuki laugh.
"He rejected a girl named Sakura who asked him to have lunch together at school. Then, because Naruto likes this girl, seeing her upset, he went and provoked Sasuke. After repeated taunts, Sasuke couldn't hold back and fought him—right in the classroom. He kept knocking Naruto down, but Naruto kept getting back up. In the end, Naruto won. Maybe Sasuke couldn't accept the defeat, so the emotional shock was strong enough to awaken his Sharingan. You could say he got so angry after losing a fight that he unlocked his Sharingan. That's pretty much what happened. Pfft—Hhahah!"
Kazuki couldn't help but burst into laughter mid-explanation.
Itachi's expression turned odd.
It was true that intense emotional stimulation could trigger the awakening or evolution of the Sharingan in Uchiha clansmen.
But the stimulus for Sasuke's awakening... wasn't it a bit too trivial?
Wait, how did I awaken mine again?
Recalling his own Sharingan awakening, Itachi suddenly had nothing to say.
If Sasuke's awakening was ridiculous, his own had been utterly mundane.
"Ah, my apologies. I shouldn't have laughed, but it was just too amusing. I couldn't help it."
"..."
Please stop explaining.
Itachi's face darkened.
After laughing for a bit, Kazuki quickly composed himself.
Mocking someone's younger brother in front of an older brother with a serious sibling complex wasn't the best idea.
"Anyway, this matter is already decided. There's no room for reconsideration. You don't need to worry about Sasuke's safety—Orochimaru wouldn't dare lay a hand on him. On the contrary, he'll do everything in his power to train Sasuke properly."
"...Understood."
Itachi didn't trust Orochimaru—that slippery, black-hearted snake—but he trusted Kazuki.
If Kazuki had given his word multiple times and Itachi still refused to accept it, that would make him the unreasonable one.
"Now that Sasuke's matter is settled, what's yours?"
Kazuki was genuinely curious about what private matter Itachi wanted to discuss.
Itachi didn't speak. Instead, he closed his eyes.
No way.
Seeing this, Kazuki's heart skipped a beat.
The Mangekyō?
But that can't be! Shisui is alive and well, and Itachi hasn't suffered any major trauma. How could he just randomly awaken the Mangekyō?
Are talented people really this reckless?
Come to think of it, Shisui's own Mangekyō awakening had been pretty mysterious too.
From what Kazuki recalled, Shisui had described it as feeling resentful one moment, then his eyes bleeding the next—and boom, Mangekyō.
Comparing that to his own experiences, Kazuki could only conclude that the gap between people was just too vast.
Thankfully, he was a cheat himself—otherwise, he'd have no way to compete with these absurd geniuses.
Those few seconds felt like an eternity.
When Itachi finally opened his eyes—
The Mangekyō Sharingan stared back at Kazuki.
The pattern was the same as in the original story, but Kazuki couldn't be sure if the abilities were identical.
After a careful look, Kazuki spoke.
"When did it evolve? How many people know?"
"Five nights ago. As of now, only you know, Elder."
Despite possessing the Mangekyō, Itachi hadn't told a soul. Kazuki was the first to know—even before Fugaku or Shisui.
Looks like all that effort in raising this little wolf pup wasn't wasted.
For some reason, Kazuki felt a strange sense of pride.
"My Mangekyō's abilities are Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi. Tsukuyomi bears some resemblance to your own ocular techniques..."
Itachi voluntarily disclosed all the details of his Mangekyō without holding anything back.
The abilities were exactly the same as in the original storyline—no deviations.
"Good."
Kazuki nodded calmly before warning Itachi,
"Once you return, confess this to your father. Also, avoid using the Mangekyō unless absolutely necessary. Overuse will drain your ocular power, and eventually, you'll go blind. Another thing... Never mind. For now, that's all. Try to talk with your father more often—his eyesight isn't in the best condition."