Uchiha training ground.
Whoosh whoosh!
Several Shuriken flew out from the bushes, shooting from behind towards the man on guard on the tree trunk.
Swish!
Thud thud!
In just a blink of an eye, the man disappeared, and the Shuriken were embedded in the tree trunk.
Clang!
Uchiha Shisui instantly appeared behind Uchiha Itachi, holding his Katana to his neck.
"You lost."
Uchiha Itachi's eyes moved slightly.
His figure slowly distorted.
"You were careless, Shisui," Itachi said, pressing a Kunai against Shisui's back.
Shisui's eyes were full of praise.
Bang!
He turned into wood.
This made Itachi's expression freeze for a moment.
Whoosh whoosh!
It was just that moment of distraction when an iron wire trap bound him completely, making him unable to move.
Whoosh!
Shisui squatted on the tree trunk, looking at Itachi and smiling: "Congratulations on joining the Anbu, and your Genjutsu, Taijutsu, and Ninjutsu have all surpassed mine from back then!"
"Shisui, you're being too humble. I still have a long way to go."
Itachi didn't take him seriously; the strongest Ninja in the Uchiha clan currently was still Uchiha Shisui.
He still had a ways to go.
...
Itachi and Shisui leaned against a large rock, eating sweets and smiling as they watched the Naka River flow before them.
"Shisui, can the family's situation not be eased any further?"
Itachi asked after enjoying the tranquillity.
During this time, the radical faction's ideology within the family had become increasingly active, causing him worry. As he grew older, gained more status, and understood more, he felt more and more uneasy about the current situation.
"I'm afraid not. Although I've tried my best to act as a buffer between the family and the Village,
The family elders don't agree with my approach.
They want to gain more power in the Village,
Instead of being constantly monitored by the Village as they are now.
Lord Third Hokage hopes that either you or I can act as a buffer between the Village and the family,
But that requires consistent ideology between both sides,
not just a unilateral concession from the Village.
Since the Nine-Tailed incident, the Village has found it impossible to trust the Uchiha without reservation,
because only the Uchiha's Dojutsu can control the Nine-Tailed.
The distrust from the Village's high-level officials, and the distrust from the Uchiha's high-level officials,
has become a vicious cycle.
Only my thoughts, your thoughts, and Lord Third Hokage's thoughts are not enough to resolve the conflict between the two sides.
We can only try our best to alleviate it, hoping that in the journey of time,
Other future generations will find a way to resolve the conflict."
Uchiha Shisui slowly voiced his thoughts.
Despite being known as the strongest Ninja in the Uchiha, he was only a high-ranking member of the Uchiha; he didn't have the power to dictate, nor enough prestige to make all Uchiha listen to him.
Everyone had their thoughts.
Uchiha Itachi clenched his fists; Shisui's words were exactly what he had been thinking.
"Yes, my father also wants to resolve the conflict.
His thinking is correct; he wants to resolve the conflict between the Village and the family,
But his methods are no different from those of the family's high-ranking officials.
The Uchiha's hostility has been provoked to this extent.
Even if I become a high-ranking member of the Anbu and gain some power,
This conflict will not disappear. He thinks too simply."
Uchiha Fugaku, his father and clan head, was also trying to ease the situation.
His solution was to have clan members become high-ranking officials in the Village and gain power to balance things.
Itachi knew this was impossible.
"I will try my best to ease it, at least to buy time for the new generation,
for you or them, to find a solution.
You don't need to worry; just focus on training and getting stronger. Maybe you can come up with a solution.
I believe in your intelligence."
Uchiha Shisui chose to believe in Itachi's intelligence, as well as other clan members who desired peace.
These words instantly increased Itachi's pressure.
But he knew Shisui wasn't trying to pressure him, but genuinely believed in him.
"Mm, I heard Sasuke has also started school. How is he?
Is he more of a genius than you?" Shisui changed the subject.
They were out to relax today, not to accumulate pressure.
At the mention of Sasuke, Itachi's face once again broke into a smile: "I think he's someone who will surpass both me and Shisui. Maybe he'll be the one to propose the solution."
Sasuke had been in school for a month, and his grades were among the top in his entire grade, with only one person able to compete with him.
It hadn't been long, but it already showed Sasuke's talent.
"That's good. If Sasuke can do it, that would truly be great.
As his older brother, you must educate him well."
Shisui said with a smile upon hearing this.
"Mm."
...
Ninja School.
First-grade Shuriken's first practical training class.
Thud thud!
Several Shuriken accurately landed on the targets several meters away.
"So cool, Sasuke."
"As expected of the Uchiha genius."
"Sasuke, my mom made this bento, would you like to try some?"
Uchiha Sasuke smiled.
However, he didn't accept the girls' affections, but instead walked to the side, making way for other classmates.
He put his right hand into his bag and felt his brother's figurine.
"Did you see that, brother? I will surpass you and earn my father's approval."
Having always been compared to his brother by his father, Sasuke had a dream from a young age: to surpass his brother and gain his father's approval.
"It's my turn."
Among the classmates, Naruto looked at Sasuke receiving so much attention from the girls, his face full of defiance.
"Go Naruto! If you want to be my minion, you can't be too bad!"
Behind him, Inuzuka Kiba, with Akamaru on his head, shouted.
Woof woof~
Akamaru also chimed in.
"Bastard, who wants to be your minion? Don't be so conceited, okay?
I'm the man who's going to be Hokage! By then, it'll be more like you being my minion!"
Naruto cursed loudly upon hearing this, spewing colourful language.
Although Kiba was one of the few who didn't look at him with strange eyes, his mouth was too foul, which still annoyed him.
He pulled up his pants, rolled up his sleeves, picked up a Shuriken, and his eyes became serious.
"I'm going to be Hokage in the future and gain everyone's approval,
I can't let Kiba look down on me."
Following the teacher's instructions, he gripped the Shuriken and flicked his small hand.
Thud thud thud!
"Oh yeah! I hit them all!" Naruto jumped up happily, seeing the Shuriken on the targets.
"See, Kiba? I hit them all!"
He smiled and said to Kiba, even shooting a challenging glance at Sasuke.
However, he quickly noticed that his classmates' gazes were off.
"Whirlpool Naruto, zero points."
Iruka announced Naruto's score, speechless.
"Eh, why?"
"Because you hit the targets next to them."
Kiba pointed to the adjacent targets. Naruto looked, and his face instantly fell.
"Darn it! I followed what Iruka Sensei taught!" He looked dejected and wanted to try again.
However, Iruka stopped him.
"Hmph, as expected of the demon fox, so useless."
"He'd better not become a Ninja."
"Next, Inuzuka Kiba."
As Naruto endured the bombardment of negative energy from his classmates, it was finally Kiba's turn.
Naruto sat on the ground, pouting as he watched Kiba.
"Hmph, if I can't do it, neither can you."