"Is it hard to accept that another version of yourself has blood of your own clan on his hands?"
Kagetsu gently patted Itachi's head. He had thought Itachi would be able to separate himself from that kind of thing, that he wouldn't be affected—but it turns out he still was.
Looking at Itachi, who was still just a child, Kagetsu felt a bit more understanding.
No matter how mature children in the ninja world seem, or how calm and composed Itachi acts, in the end, he's still a kid whose views aren't fully formed yet.
Itachi nodded. He couldn't accept that the version of himself in another world had wiped out their clan. And he felt a deep guilt toward the other world's Sasuke.
"Don't empathize with the you from another world, even if he looks exactly like you," Kagetsu said softly, looking into Itachi's eyes. "Do you know why I didn't seal away that memory of yours?"
Itachi shook his head, confused.
"Besides the fact that he belongs to a future timeline that's not ours—and that the impact on space-time is minimal—I believed you were clear-headed enough to know the difference between yourself and that other Itachi.
A person's choices are deeply shaped by the environment they live in.
The Uchiha Itachi of that world grew up under pressure and surveillance. In that environment, it's easy for a child to make extreme decisions, even if those decisions come after deep thought.
But you're not him. Our world's Uchiha are not the same as theirs. In our world, the Fourth Hokage is my teacher, Orochimaru. The Uchiha aren't being pushed out of power like they were in the other world.
You even have the potential to become the first Hokage from the Uchiha clan!
The future here is already going in a completely different direction. So everything about you, and about the Uchiha clan's future, won't be the same as his.
Your empathy is trapping you in a dead end."
Kagetsu gently flicked Itachi's forehead with a finger, helping him sort out his emotions and offering a bit of psychological guidance.
Although every Uchiha tends to become an irrational fanatic once they snap, if the emotional bond is deep enough, and if someone holds enough weight in their heart, they can still be guided.
Compared to Kagetsu, his teacher, the information from the other world clearly wasn't enough to push Itachi into paranoia.
Everything hadn't happened yet, and the future wouldn't necessarily follow the same path. Under Kagetsu's calm reasoning, Itachi quickly chose to trust and side with him as his teacher.
The worries and torment in his heart about the future hadn't completely vanished, but they no longer had the power to affect his emotions.
Unless the future truly moved toward the fearsome path he remembered.
"Looks like you've stepped out of empathy and fear," Kagetsu said, smiling when he saw that Itachi looked much more relaxed.
"Of course, if you want, I can also seal away your memories of the Roran mission and return you to your previous state."
"No, I understand now, teacher." Itachi shook his head under his father's proud gaze and looked Kagetsu in the eye. "Those memories can't affect me anymore."
"Then prepare yourself. In some time, you'll come with me to the Land of Wind," Kagetsu said as he stood up.
Indeed, kids whose personalities and minds hadn't fully developed yet should be kept close and taught directly.
He was beginning to understand why Orochimaru was always searching across the ninja world for talented children—to keep by his side and watch them grow.
Itachi obediently stood up behind his father and bowed to Kagetsu in farewell.
Walking along the streets of Konoha, Itachi could clearly feel the restlessness in his father's heart through the sweaty hand holding his.
"The Fourth Hokage being Lord Orochimaru… That's really great."
Noticing Itachi's questioning gaze, Fugaku lowered his head and glanced at him with a complicated expression, murmuring to himself.
Itachi couldn't fully understand the complex emotions behind his father's words, but in his heart, he agreed—Orochimaru being the Fourth Hokage was indeed a great thing for the Uchiha clan!
At least things weren't heading in the worst direction, like in the memories, right?
…
Konoha Hospital.
Tsunade had just finished a surgery when she saw Kagetsu sitting upright in her office, looking very serious.
"Your team is still missing one student, right?" Tsunade asked, straight to the point.
"Yes." Kagetsu was a little surprised, but knowing Tsunade had been dissatisfied with both him and his student recently, he answered briefly and honestly, not giving her any chance to get angry.
Sincere, straightforward, and obedient — answering every question without hesitation.
Right now, his team only had Itachi and Asuma.
"Then take another kid with you," Tsunade said bluntly, adding someone to Kagetsu's squad without waiting for approval.
"You're missing a medical ninja anyway, and I happen to know a kid with great talent in medical ninjutsu."
"Is it someone from the Senju clan?" Kagetsu asked carefully.
Tsunade shot her a glance and snorted coldly. "The Senju clan's kids won't be joining your squad. This one was adopted by Nonō."
"I've already told her—Kabuto will follow you to learn medical ninjutsu."
"If he's that talented in medical ninjutsu, Tsunade-san, aren't you even a little tempted? Out of the Three Legendary Sannin, you're the only one without a student right now."
Right after Kagetsu finished speaking, he saw Tsunade glare at him with anger in her eyes.
"I don't have time to train a kid!" Tsunade growled through clenched teeth. She really was swamped — countless tasks in the Medical Corps, plus the research assignments for the Resurrection Project. She hadn't even found time to gamble or drink lately.
If Orochimaru weren't even busier than her these days, she would've dragged him out for a spar just to vent all her pent-up frustration from these delayed assignments.
"I have no objections."
Faced with an emotionally unstable Tsunade, Kagetsu immediately agreed without hesitation.
After all, it was just taking care of a child. He would have to do it sooner or later anyway.
"Go find Nonō yourself." Tsunade said irritably, kicking Kagetsu out.
After Tsunade returned to the village, she brought Yakushi Nonō into her fold, making her serve as her assistant.
When Kagetsu found her, Nonō was teaching a few young children. She was showing them how to use medical ninjutsu to treat the wounds of patients at the hospital, guiding them carefully.
Ever since Kagetsu and Shizune had been trained and nurtured at the hospital, there had been a steady stream of talented children who were taught hands-on in the same way.
Some were students from the Konoha Ninja Academy, and others were orphans from the orphanage.
The Konoha Orphanage took in children from within the Land of Fire and nearby countries who had lost their families. Most of the children were brought back from the battlefield by Nonō.
Kabuto was one of them.
Compared to the others, he was luckier. He had a talent that others recognized, and he could use that talent to earn a little bit of money for the orphanage.
****
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