Evening,
Itachi had just returned home from his ANBU mission.
As soon as he stepped inside, Sasuke came running toward him with his pair of short little legs.
"Brother,"
"Can you teach me throwing?"
Sasuke looked up at him with big, bright onyx eyes the same eyes that, in the manga, always softened Itachi's heart.
Itachi was a little surprised.
Because under his guidance, Sasuke's throwing skill was already excellent.
He had even mastered the mid-air directional-change shuriken technique the same trick Itachi himself once used during clan training.
At Sasuke's age, this level was not only impressive among peers;
Even compared to older academy students,
It was extremely good!
So Itachi asked him why.
Sasuke recalled what had happened at school earlier and explained everything, frustration and irritation clear on his face.
"Here's what happened…"
After hearing the whole story, Itachi was shocked.
He hadn't expected that there would be such a genius in the new school!
"I'm back."
At that moment, Uchiha Fugaku returned home with a tired expression.
He had just stepped down as Clan Head and hadn't yet had time to enjoy retirement
and yet…
Not long ago,
Chiya had suddenly appointed him as the Vice Principal of the new academy.
Although the title had a "vice,"
It was practically the principal's job!
Because Chiya, as clan patriarch, needed to handle clan-wide duties and couldn't stay at the school all day.
Therefore,
Almost everything in the academy fell onto Fugaku's shoulders!
But even though he was physically exhausted,
Being able to personally witness the young clan members growing stronger day by day—
he still felt genuinely happy inside.
"Father,"
"What's the origin of that kid named Shiro?"
"Isn't the new school only for members of the Uchiha clan?"
Sasuke asked unhappily.
Itachi subtly perked up at the question.
His intuition and ANBU instinct told him that this might be important information.
Hearing Sasuke's words, Fugaku's expression stiffened for a moment.
He subconsciously glanced at Itachi, then answered:
"Shiro is part of Teacher Zabuza's family. Because he has no other relatives, he came to the village together with Zabuza. Right now, he's only an auditor at the school, not an official student."
Sasuke snorted unhappily,
"No matter where that guy came from, the next time we'll see! The one who wins will definitely be me!"
After saying so, he dashed back outside to continue practicing his throwing.
Itachi quietly recalled the brief, cautious look Fugaku had given him earlier
a look filled with doubt and hesitation.
In that moment, Itachi understood perfectly:
His father no longer trusted him completely.
A faint sense of loneliness spread through his heart…
After Sasuke ran out, only two people remained in the room Itachi and Fugaku and the atmosphere instantly became heavy and awkward.
Itachi rose quietly, intending to leave as well, moving with the calm, precise steps typical of an ANBU captain trained from childhood.
But just as he stood up
"Itachi, what do you think of the changes in the clan during this time?"
Fugaku suddenly asked, his deep voice carrying the authority of the former Uchiha patriarch.
"Very well…"
After a long silence, Itachi finally replied.
These two words were not perfunctory.
They came from genuine observation.
The Uchiha clan that once simmered with resentment constantly clashing with the village's upper echelons, brimming with frustration after the police force's isolation—had changed drastically.
Now, the clan wasn't filled with anger.
People were focused, busy, hopeful.
Children trained seriously at the new school. Adults contributed, taught, and worked with a renewed sense of purpose. The oppressive gloom that had once hovered over the compound was gone.
Just as Itachi was thinking this, Fugaku spoke again:
"You've been passing information to the village leadership… haven't you?"
Instant tension.
The air froze.
After a long, suffocating pause
Itachi: "…Yes."
Fugaku silently reached for the katana hanging on the wall the same ceremonial blade used by Uchiha heads during important clan decisions. He unsheathed it halfway, the metal reflecting a cold gleam, then slowly slid it back into its scabbard.
He sighed.
Then, with a bitter smile that held both helplessness and understanding, he said:
"Although we are father and son, our philosophies have become completely different."
"If this were before… perhaps I would have agreed with your ideals to some degree."
"But now, after witnessing how Uchiha is changing how the children are finally smiling, how the clan is finally respected I understand clearly: it was never Uchiha who was wrong… but the village's high-level leadership."
He looked at Itachi, eyes heavy.
"Since we walk different paths, all we can do is hope the day we stand opposed… will come as late as possible."
With that, Fugaku turned and walked out.
Itachi remained motionless, fully understanding the weight of those words.
If one day came when the village and the clan could no longer coexist
Then father and son would no longer stand as family.
They would stand as enemies.
---
Hokage's Office
Kakashi, still in his standard jōnin uniform with Sharingan covered, finished reporting everything he had seen at the new Uchiha school. Curiously, for reasons even he didn't articulate, he chose not to mention Shiro's existence perhaps because the child's aura and bloodline were… abnormal, or perhaps because something about Shiro reminded him of the children he once failed to protect.
After Kakashi finished, the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, exhaled a long stream of pipe smoke, the room hazy with the familiar scent of tobacco.
"So this is their version of elite education… Impressive. Very impressive."
He was genuinely intrigued.
Where had that Thousand Nights boy found so many specialists?
Even a teacher skilled in puppetry, a discipline largely associated with Sunagakure?
A child of Uchiha shouldn't be able to leave the village to recruit instructors…
Unless preparations had been made long in advance.
Yet, despite the irritation rising in his chest, Sarutobi also felt regret.
He should have set clearer restrictions when approving the school specifically forbidding the use of non-Uchiha teachers.
But now that the school had gained momentum, adding such a rule would cause backlash… and be too late.
After a moment of thought, Sarutobi straightened, his tone firm:
"Since they are pursuing elite education, then we cannot afford to fall behind."
"Issue an order: double the curriculum standards at the Academy. Upgrade every piece of equipment that can be upgraded."
"The Academy must match or surpass the scale of Uchiha's school no exceptions."
A ninja academy that had existed for more than fifty years being overshadowed by a newly built Uchiha institution?
That would be humiliating for the Hokage himself.
---
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