Chapter 41 - Conversation

A new arrival and it's about Itachi God. So, do give it a go.

And, If you're enjoying the story, please consider giving it a power stone!

Your support helps the book grow and lets me know you're excited for the next chapter.

Thank you for reading😌

***

A gleam of brilliance shone in the old man's cloudy eyes.

Others might not notice, but Itachi's movements in the training grounds could not escape his gaze.

If Itachi chose, he could defeat his opponent in a single exchange.

"He's actually managed to hide this from the eyes of every instructor in the Academy," the old man thought, narrowing his eyes.

"Deliberately holding back, concealing his true ability… this requires not just skill, but the ability to read every move his opponent makes. That's far more difficult than simply winning outright."

He watched Itachi intently until a calm, gentle voice came from behind him.

"Third Hokage."

Minato Namikaze's gaze passed beyond the old man to the Academy's training field.

The man before him was none other than Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage of Konohagakure.

"Minato, you're here."

Hiruzen turned, his slightly hunched back visible.

At the sight of Minato, the tension in his lined face eased.

Minato nodded respectfully.

His heart carried deep admiration for the man before him.

Without Hiruzen's decades of leadership, Konoha would not be what it was today.

"Are you okay?"

Minato asked, concern flickering across his features.

The old man's sunken eyes and the deep weariness etched into his face could not be hidden.

In just a month, Hiruzen seemed to have aged years—his temples already silvered.

The Third Hokage waved a hand dismissively and turned his gaze back to the training grounds.

"I understand your wish to change the village's current state. But I hope you can also understand the views of the elders. The Uchiha have brought deep pain to me—and to them. That pain still lingers."

"I understand," Minato replied seriously.

"But pain cannot be allowed to grow without end. If it does, it will only breed more hatred. The Uchiha have also suffered their share of grief. From here forward, I want to change that.

"What's more—the past should not dictate the future. The First Hokage set aside his own grievances, which allowed clans who once stood opposed to unite. That is why Konoha exists today. Why can't we learn from that same spirit?"

"But you know what happened after the village was founded," Hiruzen said, his voice heavy.

"Yes," Minato admitted, his tone firm.

"Change is never without risk. But as Hokage, I must guide that change and bear the costs. I cannot allow hatred to keep festering until it leads to disaster."

"Control, you say?" Hiruzen asked, his eyes narrowing.

"Can you truly control it?"

"It isn't a matter of confidence. It's necessity," Minato said.

"If nothing is done, the hatred will only grow—until it's too late."

Hiruzen was silent. Even he could not guarantee the future.

"Besides," Minato continued, "Change can't come from one person alone. It requires cooperation and mutual understanding. As Jiraiya-sensei has said—one day, an era of true understanding will arrive. I believe that with all my heart."

"You're still naïve," Hiruzen muttered, though a faint smile tugged at his lips.

"Perhaps," Minato admitted with a small shrug.

Hiruzen chuckled, then sighed.

"But then, I was just as naïve in my youth. Who am I to deny you your convictions?"

For a moment, regret flickered across his face.

"At least… when it came to my most important decision, I did not choose wrongly. I chose you."

"Thank you for your hard work, Minato," Hiruzen said quietly.

Though he had passed the title of Hokage to Minato, he had never fully released all of his authority.

He had not meant harm, but he knew it had placed a heavy burden on the younger man.

Perhaps now it was time to entrust him fully.

"Are you considering recruiting that boy into the ANBU someday?"

Hiruzen asked as he looked back toward the field.

Itachi's spar with Kimura Ariki had long since ended, and the young Uchiha now stood silently among the other students.

"I did think of it," Minato admitted with a faint smile.

"But now, I've decided against it."

"Why?" Hiruzen asked.

"You've already seen the reason," Minato replied.

"I don't want him subjected to the same scrutiny—or even surveillance—that Shisui faced. The elders would never leave him alone."

"Besides… I don't want the ANBU environment to shape his character. When I placed Kakashi there, I hoped he would find release from his grief by focusing on missions. Instead, it only deepened his burdens."

"I see," Hiruzen murmured, though his eyes lingered on Itachi.

He still harbored doubts—but this was Minato's decision.

He had faith the Fourth Hokage would not endanger the village.

"Very well, Yondaime," Hiruzen said at last, turning slightly.

"From this day forward, the ANBU will be under your direct authority. Exercise your full power as Hokage. I'll do what I can with the elders, though even I cannot erase mindsets forged over decades."

"Thank you," Minato said, bowing deeply.

This was the Third's ultimate sign of trust.

"Change takes time," Hiruzen said softly, his back already retreating.

"But I believe you will succeed."

The old Hokage walked away, his figure tinged with melancholy.

Minato watched him go, then turned back to the Academy grounds.

'These children… they are Konoha's future.'

A breeze stirred, setting the hem of his Hokage cloak fluttering.

In the next moment, Minato's figure vanished.

...

A few days later, on a day off.

In the Uchiha Clan's forest, Itachi carefully placed dozens of crow chicks into a pre-prepared nest and fed them.

The chicks hadn't yet grown feathers, and their eyes weren't open.

After feeding, they all fell into a deep sleep.

"Swish!"

Behind Itachi, a subtle movement echoed from the trees.

"Haha, you're doing a great job raising them," Shisui said with a faint smile.

Since Minato's men had recently incorporated the ANBU who were directly under the Third Hokage, their manpower had increased significantly, and they had a lot less to do.

"I might have to bother you every day for a while," Itachi said, turning from the treetops and smiling.

After a month of feeding, the crow chicks no longer needed care and were able to take care of themselves.

Shisui paused, staring at Itachi and saying, "You've changed a lot since you woke up."

In the past, it was rare to see a smile on Itachi's face.

"Perhaps."

Itachi himself had come to realize that during his two years in bed, while his body had been immobilized, his mind had remained largely clear.

Under such circumstances, two years was plenty of time for one to think clearly about many things.

As history changed, Itachi himself was also trying to change.

Some of his former behavior had made him seem inaccessible.

"You're free—are you interested in a sparring match?" Shisui asked.

"Me?"

Itachi was only seven years old now, and even though he was almost familiar with the power of his current body, there was still a significant gap between him and the Shisui of today.

"It's been a long time since I practiced shuriken techniques. How about we compete in that?"

Shisui said, not treating Itachi like an ordinary Academy student.

Even now, he hadn't realized Itachi's secrets.

"Okay!"

Itachi agreed.

A mere shuriken contest wouldn't affect the difference in their abilities.

The two landed directly in the forest.

Itachi had planned to train there after settling the young crows, so he had already laid out numerous targets.

"I'll go first."

Shisui glanced around, several kunai appearing in his hands.

He leaped up and flung all of them.

Undoubtedly, every one of Shisui's kunai hit the bull's-eye.

"Your turn," Shisui said, tilting his head and smiling at Itachi.

Itachi landed right where Shisui was standing, and the latter stepped back.

The young boy clenched his kunai, paused for a moment, then leaped up, his ninja tools flying.

...

Spring passed, autumn passed, and another eight or nine months went by.

Today was the day of the final exams at the Ninja Academy.

Clang!

During training, several wooden kunai shot out, transforming into wisps of light before landing on targets in different directions.

"Izumi Uchiha, full marks!"

Kanhara Junpei announced with a chuckle, observing the kunai that had hit the bull's-eye.

Everyone was accustomed to Izumi's performance.

After her exam concluded, Izumi looked around but couldn't see Itachi.

She made her way through the crowd and into the classroom but found no sign of him.

"He must have gone to see those little guys again," Izumi's eyes curved slightly, and she chuckled softly.

Itachi's exams had finished earlier than hers, and the subsequent compilation and ranking of the results would take some time.

So, after the exams were completed, students could leave the school on their own.

"Swish!"

Izumi flew out of the school, sprinting toward the Uchiha Clan.

"Ah, ah, ah!"

But shortly after leaving the school, she heard a series of caws.

She looked up and saw a black flock of crows soaring across the sky.

She immediately followed the crows' flight, heading toward the bustling part of the village.

Following the crows, Izumi soon spotted Itachi, following the flock, bouncing across the rooftops.

As she approached, Itachi noticed and glanced over.

"You've finished your exams too,"

Itachi said, meeting Izumi with a smile.

He didn't need to ask how Izumi did—based on her level, she was sure to get a perfect score.

"Yeah."

Izumi nodded, then turned her gaze to Itachi's crows.

By then, the crows had already flown over the faces of Konoha's four Hokages.

They circled above the Fourth Hokage's face and began to caw again.

Izumi lowered her gaze, narrowing it slightly as she spotted two small figures standing there.

"Sasuke and Naruto—what are they doing there?" Izumi asked, looking over.

"Let's go take a look," Itachi said.

The two of them flew toward the Fourth Hokage's face.

"Those are the crows my brother keeps," Sasuke said, raising his head as he heard the cries from above the Hokage Rock.

"Don't change the subject," Naruto stared at him, then lowered his gaze to the ground directly below the face.

"If you don't dare, just admit defeat."

"Who said I don't dare?"

Sasuke snapped back, somewhat angry at being provoked.

Even so, as he looked down like Naruto, a flicker of fear passed through his eyes.

Seeing Sasuke like this, Naruto felt secretly pleased.

"If that's the case, I'll go down first!"

With that, Naruto leaped directly from the Fourth Hokage's face.

"Danger!"

When Izumi and Itachi saw Naruto's movements and tried to stop him, it was too late.

The Hokage Rock was several dozen meters above the ground below.

This height wouldn't be a problem for an ordinary ninja, or even an older Academy student.

But Naruto was still just a child, barely three years old.

Naruto jumped close to the stone wall of the Hokage Rock, rubbing his feet against it vigorously to increase friction and prolong his descent.

However, this posture would be difficult for most people to maintain.

Yet whenever Naruto's body began to lose control, he immediately stomped against the stone wall.

The wall where Naruto stepped left shallow footprints.

Itachi, who was approaching quickly, observed Naruto's movements in shock.

"Concentrating all his chakra into his lower body to stabilize himself?"

Naruto's method was essentially the same principle as a ninja channeling chakra to their feet in order to walk on trees or water.

However, Naruto obviously had not yet learned how to continuously release chakra to maintain adhesion.

His method was simply using chakra to buffer the impact.

This immature application of chakra could not have been taught to him by his parents.

Therefore, this technique must have been figured out by Naruto himself.

That was what truly surprised Itachi.

....

By the way, don't forget to throw power stones and leave a review to motivate me :)