Chapter 394: Is Obito Born Evil?
"If a grandma walked past you really slowly and made your travel speed drop, would you want to hit her?" Obito asked Itachi.
After Itachi processed the words, his big eyes turned to Obito in confusion. "Why… why would I hit a grandma?"
Obito scratched at his hair. Of course a normal person would not. But you are someone who can wipe out your whole clan, so hitting a grandma should be a casual daily activity, right?
Obito thought it over and decided he needed to give Itachi options. Otherwise, this kid would answer a question with another question forever.
"You run into a slow moving grandma while crossing the street. You have three choices."
"A. Help the grandma cross the street."
"B. Ignore the grandma and go your own way."
"C. Snatch the lollipop from the grandma's hand."
After listing the options, Obito immediately added, "You are not allowed to answer with a question. You have to pick one."
Shisui watched Itachi with interest.
Obito's question was childish, but Itachi was still young and would not have many hidden motives yet. It could serve as a rough test.
Itachi stared blankly at Obito. Two minutes passed before he finally answered, "I choose B. Keep my distance and go my own way."
Obito wore an expression that said, as expected. He could tell at a glance Itachi was not a good kid. He did not even know how to respect elders and care for the weak.
He is definitely a naturally evil brat. If he is already thinking like this, in a few years he will be snatching lollipops for sure, Obito thought.
"Then why did you choose B?" Shisui asked, wanting to hear Itachi's reasoning.
"I fall a lot when I walk," Itachi answered honestly. "If I get too close, I might make grandma fall with me."
Shisui looked at Itachi in surprise. His speech was still a little unclear, yet his thinking was so clean and precise. It was possible this child truly was an extraordinary genius.
Obito's expression froze. Shisui, on the other hand, looked thoughtful.
Obito leaned in and lowered his voice, like a demon tempting someone off a cliff. "Then why not snatch the lollipop? She walks really slowly, she will not be able to catch you."
Itachi's face turned serious. "How can you take other people's things, Obito nii? Taking other people's things is very bad."
Itachi's words made Obito feel strangely flustered.
He came here to test Itachi, but somehow it felt like he was the one being judged as the naturally evil Uchiha.
"Let's not talk about that anymore, Itachi," Shisui stepped in to break the awkwardness. "Do you want to hear a story?"
Itachi shifted his gaze to Shisui and nodded.
"Once upon a time, there was a shinobi…" Shisui began, telling a very classic positive energy story.
The plot was simple. A shinobi with a tragic childhood stayed optimistic, kept climbing forward, changed his surroundings, and in the end made his country and the world better.
Just as the story ended, Fugaku returned to the living room. Seeing the harmonious scene, he smiled. "Looks like you two are getting along very well."
Shisui gave a faint smile and praised Itachi. Obito followed with a compliment as well.
Fugaku's smile widened even more.
"Thank you for your time today, Uncle Fugaku," Shisui said, preparing to leave.
Itachi was too young, and Fugaku would be watching closely. Staying too long was not suitable.
"No trouble at all," Fugaku said with a chuckle. "If you have questions in the future, come to me like you did today."
Then Fugaku looked at Itachi. "The big brothers are leaving. Do you have anything you want to say?"
Itachi nodded, then turned to Obito. "Obito nii, bullying grandma is bad."
Fugaku looked at Obito in surprise, clearly wondering why Itachi would say that.
Obito: …
You are the one who will bully grandma, Obito roared inwardly. I am a good Konoha youth who always helps grandmas cross the street.
"Itachi," Obito said out loud, forcing himself to stay calm, "I was just making a hypothesis. I was not really saying I would do that."
Itachi gave an oh and nodded.
Obito felt a wave of powerlessness, and his gaze toward Itachi shifted again.
As expected of the person who will wipe out the Uchiha clan in the future. He really cannot be underestimated, Obito thought.
"It is just a child's innocent words, Obito," Fugaku said with a smile, smoothing things over. "You do not need to take it to heart."
Obito put on a generous expression to show he did not mind, then walked out with Shisui.
After they went a bit farther, Obito could not hold back anymore.
"This Itachi is definitely not simple," Obito muttered. "Thinking like that at such a young age, maybe he used a lot of schemes during the clan massacre."
Shisui shook his head and offered a different view. "I think we should not look at the current Itachi through the lens of future events."
"The future Itachi, no matter what reason or difficulty he faced, committed an unforgivable sin by carrying out the clan massacre. But that is the future Itachi."
"The current Itachi is just a child who still speaks unclearly. He does not necessarily carry that kind of malice."
Shisui felt judging someone across time was not wise. You could not pin future crimes onto a child in the present.
Obito scratched his head. "What you said makes sense, Shisui. But what do we do? We cannot just sit and do nothing, right?"
"Of course we have to intervene," Shisui said firmly. "We can guide him toward good."
Shisui planned to guide Itachi as a senior. He wanted to help Itachi become a shinobi who loved his clan and village, and who carried a strong sense of responsibility.
… …
Tsunade's courtyard.
Mugetsu and Tsunade sat on the stone benches, while Shizune and Rin stood neatly in front of them.
Six months ago, Mugetsu and Tsunade had made an agreement to exchange disciples for half a year.
Although Rin went out on missions occasionally, overall she spent most of that half year studying medical ninjutsu under Tsunade.
Today was the day to test the results.
"Rin," Tsunade said with confidence, arms crossed, "show me what you have learned."
Rin had outstanding talent in medical ninjutsu and studied diligently. After half a year of instruction, Tsunade was extremely optimistic about Rin's future.
Based on Rin's current level, Tsunade believed Rin could definitely be promoted to special jonin.
As for full jonin, there was still some distance, since Rin lacked direct combat strength.
"Okay, Lady Tsunade," Rin replied, nodding.
She walked to the stone table and picked up a fish that was still covered in blood.
"Mystical Palm Technique."
Rin gathered a large amount of chakra into her palm, then used Yang Release chakra nature transformation to alter its nature.
A rich green glow burst from her hand, wrapping around the injured fish.
Under the effect of the Yang Release chakra, the wounds on the fish rapidly closed. Not even a scar remained.
The fish, fully healed, immediately regained its vitality and struggled wildly in Rin's grip.
Mugetsu nodded.
That fish had truly been on the verge of death. If Rin had been even slightly slower, it would have died.
Next, Rin picked up a purple pill from the stone table and placed it into the fish's mouth.
The fish, which had been lively and struggling, grew weaker and weaker after swallowing it. Ominous purple patterns gradually spread across its body.
"Detoxification is also a required course for medical ninja," Tsunade explained. "If you do not detoxify first in poison cases, then all treatment is meaningless."
The reason Tsunade was the strongest medical ninja was not just her healing speed. She also possessed the strongest detoxification ability in the shinobi world. The Hidden Sand, who loved using poison, found Tsunade's existence extremely troublesome.
"Delicate Illness Extraction Technique."
Rin held the poisoned fish firmly and activated the technique to locate the source of the poison.
After confirming the position, Rin kept the fish steady with her left hand and slightly raised her right.
"Chakra Scalpel."
Rin condensed a large amount of chakra, sharpening her hand until it was like a blade. The moment it touched the fish's body, it left a fine cut.
She precisely extracted the toxin, then treated the fish again.
In truth, Rin had also learned how to prepare antidotes, but that took longer and was not suitable for a quick demonstration.
After that, Rin used several more basic medical techniques, such as hemostasis and recovery, showing a solid foundation.
When she finished, Rin took two breaths and looked at Mugetsu with anticipation.
Reaching this level was the result of desperate effort. She had only mastered Chakra Scalpel a few days ago.
"Very good," Mugetsu praised her without holding back. "Even some jonin who have mastered medical ninjutsu could not do better."
To keep up with Kakashi and Obito, Rin had truly worked hard, and Mugetsu had seen all of it.
Rin's tense heart immediately relaxed, and she smiled brightly.
Rin respected Tsunade deeply, but in her heart, Mugetsu was her true teacher. His approval was what she wanted most.
"I have truly troubled you, Lady Tsunade," Mugetsu said with a smile, thanking Tsunade.
Medical ninjutsu really had to rely on Tsunade. Even with the teaching skill buff, Mugetsu's instruction was still limited by his own knowledge.
"You know that, so make more delicious food to reward me," Tsunade replied bluntly, then listed several of her favorite dishes.
Tsunade did not do hints. If Mugetsu pretended not to understand, she would be the one losing out.
Mugetsu agreed readily. For him, cooking was simple.
"Lady Tsunade," Mugetsu said after thinking, "you know Shizune's strength best, so you should test Shizune's results as well."
Changes in strength were hard to judge by observation alone. Shizune had not learned any high power ninjutsu, so combat was the best way to measure progress.
"Shadow Clone Technique."
Tsunade formed a hand seal and created a shadow clone, sending it to test Shizune.
"Shizune," Tsunade's shadow clone said casually, "attack me with all your strength. Do not worry about anything."
Shizune nodded, then immediately entered the Total Concentration Breathing state to boost her abilities.
"Lady Tsunade, please watch out," Shizune warned.
Then she erupted with chakra and used Soru to dash forward.
Even though she could not defeat Tsunade's shadow clone with her strength, respect still mattered.
Whoosh.
Shizune's figure flickered. In an instant, she appeared at the side of Tsunade's shadow clone.
Her right leg, already condensed with a heavy mass of chakra, slammed toward Tsunade.
Bang.
At the moment Shizune was about to connect, Tsunade's shadow clone retreated at extreme speed. Shizune's monstrous kick struck the ground instead and shattered it.
Tsunade, watching from the side, looked surprised.
Shizune's speed and the sharpness of her offense made her look like a taijutsu specialist.
But six months ago, Shizune's taijutsu was not even outstanding among genin.
Shizune did not get discouraged by the miss. She quickly reorganized her second wave of offense, and the edge of her Chakra Scalpel even cut down a large tree in Tsunade's courtyard.
Unlike Rin, who needed to come to Tsunade for medical knowledge, Shizune had lived with Tsunade for a long time and already learned a great deal.
Mugetsu's teaching of monstrous strength and Chakra Scalpel went exceptionally smoothly for her.
For the first two minutes, Tsunade's shadow clone did not attack. It only dodged, letting Shizune display her offensive ability.
After two minutes, Tsunade's shadow clone revealed part of its strength and immediately reversed offense and defense.
Shizune was forced back steadily, yet she did not panic. She defended as best she could and searched for openings.
Of course, the gap was too large. In the end, Shizune fell under Tsunade's hand blade.
After canceling the shadow clone, Tsunade looked at Shizune. "Shizune, were you slacking when you trained with me before?"
"Of course not," Shizune replied quickly, brushing dust off herself. "I studied seriously, Lady Tsunade."
"All right, I was joking," Tsunade said with a laugh when she saw how eager Shizune was to explain.
Then Tsunade turned to Mugetsu. "You really are a good teacher. Let Shizune train with you for another year. Make her capable of one punching a jonin."
"Another year is fine," Mugetsu replied, "but I cannot guarantee Shizune will be able to one punch a jonin after one year."
"Lady Tsunade, please do not make it difficult for Mugetsu sensei," Shizune said helplessly.
One punching a jonin was not something you could demand. Even Tsunade herself might not be able to do that.
If it was a single ordinary jonin, Tsunade could deal with it easily. But if she faced dozens of jonin at once, she definitely could not leisurely one punch every single one.
"You have only studied with Mugetsu for half a year and you are already siding with him," Tsunade said, dissatisfied, then pinched Shizune's soft cheek.
"Mmm hmm," Shizune tried to explain, but the pinch made her words unclear.
Shizune's half year training plan ended there.
After that, Mugetsu took time to check Asuma's training and give guidance.
When training finished, Mugetsu used the excuse that he needed to ask Hiruzen about ninjutsu, and went to Hiruzen's home together with Asuma.
As for the real reasons, first, it was to let Hiruzen know he had successfully mastered Flying Thunder God, raising his visible strength and polishing his genius image even further.
Second, it was to use Transformation to record Hiruzen's panel.
<><><><><>
[Check Out My Patreon For +40 Advance Chapters On All My Fanfics!]
[[email protected]/FanficLord03]
[Join Our Discord Community For Updates & Events]
[https://discord.gg/MntqcdpRZ9]