As the first Hidden Village ever established, Konohagakure occupied a vast expanse of land within the Land of Fire.
Within its walls, the village was divided into three sections — the Outer District, the Inner District, and the Central Core.
The Outer District was where newcomers and migrants lived — those who had only recently settled in the village.
It was a bustling area filled with inns, taverns, and hotels that catered to traveling merchants and clients seeking to commission missions.
However, residents of the outer district were not eligible to enroll in the Ninja Academy, nor were they allowed entry into the central areas of Konoha.
They could live and work only within the outer and inner zones — opening small businesses, assisting in shops, or doing labor work.
For these outsiders, life was difficult.
High rents, rising prices, and low pay made daily survival a struggle.
Yet they stayed, enduring these hardships, hoping that one day they could move into the inner district—and grant their children the right to attend the Ninja Academy.
...
The Inner District housed those who had lived in Konoha for many years.
Some were descendants of minor clans from the Warring States Period who had either joined the village voluntarily or been invited to do so —clans like the Shiranui, Kurama, Hatake, Mitokado, and Nara families.
But even so, ordinary families still made up the majority of this area.
Possessing residency in the inner district came with many benefits.
During wartime, orphaned children received pensions and compensation for the loss of their parents.
But the most important privilege of all—
was eligibility to apply for the Ninja Academy entrance exams.
Many migrants who had come from across the Land of Fire lived in the outer district, dreaming that their children might one day cross that invisible line.
Over generations, some talented families had indeed risen from commoners to recognized ninja lineages—families like the Haruno, Akimoto, Mitarashi, and Moonlight clans.
---
At the very heart of the village was the Core District—
home to the Hokage's office and the residences of long-standing clans that had existed since before Konoha's founding:
the Sarutobi, Shimura, Hyūga, Nara, Akimichi families…
And, of course, the Uchiha Clan, as one of the founders of Konoha, lived within the central core as well.
—
"Mother…"
Following the returning squad through the gates of the Uchiha compound, Itachi saw a large crowd gathered in the courtyard, anxiously awaiting their return.
Among them, one familiar figure immediately caught his attention—Uchiha Mikoto, his mother.
And she had already noticed him, too.
He saw the tension and unease on her face soften the moment their eyes met.
"Itachi…"
As the formation dispersed, Mikoto stepped forward, her gentle smile no different from the one she'd worn the day he left for the battlefield.
"Welcome home."
Her voice carried a warmth he hadn't felt in so long.
For the first time in months, something stirred within Itachi's usually calm heart.
Still, he maintained his composure and bowed politely.
"I made you worry, Mother."
"You…" Mikoto sighed softly, a little disappointed that her son hadn't run into her arms or called out to her like a child.
But when she noticed the dried mud and faint bloodstains on his clothing, her heart ached instead.
"Let's go home first. I've already drawn your bath."
"After you eat something, take a nice, long soak and rest, all right?"
She reached out to take his pack.
But the instincts he had honed on the battlefield made him instinctively dodge her hand.
Seeing the flicker of surprise in her expression, he quickly apologized.
"No, Mother. I can carry it myself."
Mikoto's hands tightened slightly behind her back before she smiled again, soft and forgiving.
"…All right then. Let's go home."
Even as she smiled, a faint pang of frustration stirred in her chest.
Her son had returned from war, yet he didn't cling to her, didn't show even a trace of childish affection.
Inwardly, she blamed her husband for raising him to be so emotionally restrained.
Next time, she resolved quietly, if I have another child, I will never let his father treat him this way again.
---
Before leaving with his mother, Itachi's eyes briefly drifted toward another scene in the crowd—Uchiha Hui, the genin who had been captured earlier, was being scolded by a man who looked just as stern as he did.
The man kept smacking him on the back of the head, his mouth moving nonstop as if lecturing him harshly.
So that's what a strict father looks like…
Itachi thought absently and looked away.
--
"Your mother seems eager to speak with you."
The voice came from his right. Artoria had appeared beside him again.
"Hm?"
Puzzled, Itachi turned toward her—then noticed his mother walking a few paces ahead, her face clouded with thought, clearly searching for the right words.
She wants to talk to me?
After a moment of hesitation, he spoke first.
"Mother."
"Hm?"
Mikoto, startled from her thoughts, turned around.
When she realized the voice had truly come from her son, her eyes widened in pleasant surprise.
For a brief moment, joy flickered across her face as she asked gently,
"Itachi, what is it?"
Her son—who had always been so quiet, raised under Fugaku's strict teachings—was finally speaking to her of his own accord.
Itachi took a slow breath, steadying the turmoil inside him.
"Mother… do you know someone named Uchiha Tera?"
"…Yes."
Mikoto's smile froze. Her voice softened.
"Your father, Tera, and I… we grew up together."
Noticing her expression, Itachi understood immediately—she already knew about Tera's death.
His heart sank. He stopped walking, turning to face her fully.
"It was my fault he died."
"What?"
Mikoto's eyes widened, the color draining from her face.
...
The Uchiha compound, befitting its status as the home of the clan head, was vast—nearly four hundred square meters of traditional architecture.
Three small courtyards surrounded a grand main hall, complete with ornamental rocks, a koi pond, and a small garden waterfall.
Inside the main house, Itachi sat rigidly across from his mother in the tatami-lined living room.
"So…" Mikoto asked quietly, "you believe that by delaying the team's movements for half a day, you caused the ambush?"
Itachi nodded stiffly.
"If not for me, there wouldn't have been an ambush. Captain Tera wouldn't have died. The others wouldn't have either."
He had wrestled with this guilt the entire journey home, waiting for someone to mention it.
No one had.
But that only made the burden heavier.
All because of one thoughtless sentence—
'Father, I need some time to calm down.'
That single moment of hesitation had cost so many lives.
Hearing his confession, Mikoto stared at him silently for a long time.
Then she stood, walked over to his side, and gently wrapped her arms around him—this boy who, since he could remember, had never shown emotion, never cried,
never allowed himself to break.
Her voice trembled softly as she whispered:
"Itachi… you truly are a gentle child."