[Body Hardening Gift Pack: Thirteen Iron Body Techniques!]
The Thirteen Iron Body Techniques include:
Iron-Head Technique
Iron-Sand Palm Technique
Iron-Fist Technique
Eagle-Claw Technique
Iron-Arm Technique
Golden-Bell-Armor / Iron-Cloth Shirt Technique
Linked Iron-Elbow Technique
Diamond-Leg Technique
Iron-Knee Technique
Iron-Shoulder Technique
Diamond Acupoint-Finger Technique
Iron-Teeth Technique
Iron-Groin Technique
[Before full mastery, one must remain a virgin. Once purity is broken, the technique collapses instantly.]
[Armor yourself thick and take every blow—each strike makes you stronger. "Come at me then, fool!"]
[Note: This technique can be taught to others. The harder the recipient is beaten, the stronger you become.]
Itachi's eyes twitched.
System, please spare Sasuke. He's just a child!
"Don't worry. Losing isn't the end. We Uchiha do have our own secret jutsu. Go back—brother will teach you a few. Soon you'll outshine everyone in the Academy," Itachi said with a gentle smile.
"Okay! Thanks, Nii‑san!" Sasuke beamed like a kitten, delighted by the praise and the forehead tap.
Shino Aburame and Nara Shikamaru watched Itachi breathe gently, stunned.
*"Is that… Uchiha Itachi—Sasuke's big brother?
*"Seven years old: crushed Academy's top ranks and graduated as a genin.
*Ten years old: passed the Chūnin Exams alone.
*Eleven: promoted to Jōnin and joined ANBU.
Thirteen: became Root squad captain and head of the Uchiha clan!"
It wasn't just rumor—it was legend. Uchiha Itachi's reputation was alive in every household.
He cast a shadow over every shinobi system.
They whispered, "Oh, if only our children could be as gifted as Shisui."
Then, "Or as prodigious as Uchiha Itachi."
The Uchiha clan's brilliance loomed large—and at least they had Sasuke to root for… for now.
Still, they knew: when Sasuke masters the clan's secret arts, things will get serious.
So for now—since they could—they took every chance to hassle him.
"Lord Hokage!" An ANBU captain rushed in, panting for breath, eyes urgent. Hiruzen faced him immediately.
"Speak," Hiruzen ordered. "Itachi is one of us—no worry about leaking secrets."
"Yes!" The captain quickly reported the incident at Konoha's Memorial Monument.
"You mean your ANBU went to Confront Danzo in Root?" Hiruzen frowned.
"That's right. Emotions ran high—I couldn't stop them. And some from the Sealing team joined."
"Let them go," Hiruzen said. "This is on Danzo—his misdeeds are too many to count."
"Before, the other two advisors pulled on my heartstrings, citing our old bonds. I tolerated him for the sake of camaraderie. But not anymore."
"This time, I'll make sure he's brought to justice!" Hiruzen's voice was deep and resolute.
Inside, he couldn't help but feel satisfaction—he hadn't expected that kind of support.
He also felt a flicker of regret: If only I'd acted sooner…
While remembering the promises he made to Itachi, he felt a pang.
"By the way, the old man you mentioned earlier—"
"Right. Mr. Tree, or Tree-Gege—as everyone calls him," Hiruzen prompted.
"Yes. The villagers call him Grandpa Tree. It was his generous self-sacrifice that awakened their conscience."
"Especially his words: 'If we do not erupt in silence, we perish in silence.'"
"It struck them like lightning—like waking from a bad dream. Truly golden words!" the captain said, eyes full of admiration.
"Indeed, one speech was worth ten years of study. Hearing it shook me to my core—resonated deep inside."
"It's a pity, Lord Hokage, that you didn't get to meet him."
"It was ruined by Danzo and Root," Hiruzen shook his head.
"If only I'd been firmer—maybe the old man would still be alive."
Itachi listened in silence.
No wonder they call him Master Lu—paired with talk-no-jutsu, his words are practically an all-purpose weapon in the shinobi world.
In Master Lu's era, the people suffered terribly. He first studied medicine in the Land of Rivers to save lives. Later, he saw that people's hearts were already numb. Even if cured physically, their minds were dead. He abandoned medicine for literature, aiming to change people's base nature—their thoughts.
So all his life, he fought with a pen—unafraid of sacrifice, power, old forces. His writing was bold and courageous, like the piercing eyes of an owl at night. He recorded the injustices of society, crafting classics, forging immortality.
Likewise, after the Third Shinobi War and the Nine-Tails attack, Konoha's civilians had suffered too. With internal strife, human experiments, and the Nine-Tails' rampage, hope seemed a luxury. Fear and helplessness dominated.
Then Grandpa Tree's words pierced their collective despair—he woke them all up!
They refused to stay silent. They decided to fight for a future.
"I was lucky enough to meet Grandpa Tree," Itachi added reverently. "When I was young, at the Konoha Memorial Stone, I heard him say:"
"In this world of shinobi, whether living or dead… life is hard, but being a ghost is harder—because even from purity, they're ripped back into bloodied tools of war."
"At the time, I didn't understand. Itachi's voice grew softer. Later, in ANBU, I finally grasped his meaning. To live is hard—but to die and be resurrected and weaponized is far worse."
"Itachi," Hiruzen interrupted, frowning. "That quote about 'not perishing in silence'—don't apply it to Konoha today."
He leaned in, eyes hard. "To say it remains true now would mean the speaker still lives in suffering. You're not free of pain—but none of it compares to the Warring States era or the Great Shinobi Wars."
"There were spies everywhere back then. Now? You can go to school, learn freely. You have safety—a roof over your head, future in your hands."
"If anything, people today lament lack of material wealth or power—only because they've never had to survive for the basics. If they could fight a war, they'd appreciate peace."
"And under my rule, Konoha really is at historic peace—even after two great wars. No one terrorizes the streets."
"As long as you're capable, you can earn wealth, raise a family, join any department. Konoha welcomes skill."
"And those still complaining? They're probably not skilled enough. If they were, they'd be busy building, not whining."
He let it land. Then sternly:
"I'm telling you once more—don't use Grandpa Tree's slogan about darkness here. Because today's Konoha will only grow stronger. There is no darkness here."
"Root and Danzo are only fading echoes. With me and the other two advisors working hard, Root can be wiped out with a flick of a finger."
"This Konoha we live in is peaceful—literally unprecedented."
"Therefore, I do not wish to hear such inappropriate remarks in Konoha! Do you understand what I mean?" Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes flashed with a cold light.
"Yes!" Itachi Uchiha and the Anbu captain replied, lowering their heads.