Naraku scooped Itachi into his arms, gently patting the boy's back. "Little Itachi, what's wrong?"
"Brother..." Itachi obediently wrapped his arms around Naraku's neck, his small face still flushed. "Brother Shisui and Brother Kakashi were bullying me..."
"What did they do to Little Itachi? Tell Brother."
Itachi was so angry that he blurted out, "Brother Shisui said his and Brother Kakashi's Sealing Jutsu were the most special..."
"Eh?" Naraku was speechless.
--Which scoundrel came up with such a nasty trick?
--Itachi not crying on the spot means his mental fortitude is excellent, okay?
Recalling the personalities of the other three present besides Itachi, he couldn't help but gasp.
--No way, Kakashi and Shisui wouldn't actively bully a child, would they?
--Hiss... Could Mikoto have instigated those two?
The more he pondered, the more he felt Mikoto was the culprit. Then, he heard Itachi's somewhat unsure question from his chest.
"Brother, is my seal really the kind everyone has? Is it very ordinary?"
"...How could it be?"
Naraku guiltily bounced Itachi up a little, explaining earnestly, "Little Itachi's talent is incredibly strong. Brother put several Healing Seal: Modification (Zhen Yu Feng Yin - Gai) on you."
"Once the situation stabilizes, Brother will add other Ninjutsu for Little Itachi."
"Guaranteed to be unique, no one else will get it, only Little Itachi, okay?"
"Really?" Itachi suddenly looked up and met Naraku's gaze, his eyes full of pleasant surprise. "I want the most special one! A Sealing Jutsu that no one else has!"
"Alright, of course, I'll use the most special one for Little Itachi."
After cheering the child up, Naraku carried Itachi to the dining table. The three people opposite quickly looked at the sky, the ground, and the tabletop, just not daring to look directly at him.
Even Mikoto, his own mother, was repeatedly wiping a shiny spoon.
Naraku couldn't help but roll his eyes internally.
--Oh, now you don't dare to look at me?
--When you were playing with the child, why was each of you more enthusiastic than the last?
--And when he gets angry, I have to clean up your mess.
Sitting down with Itachi, Naraku's tone was so calm it was utterly unruffled. "Kakashi, Shisui, don't you have anything to say?"
The two scapegoats, whose names had been called, felt their scalps tighten. They couldn't betray their elder, Mikoto, so their only option was to quickly appease Itachi.
The two promised to take Itachi out to play in the snow, pledged to buy him new three-colored dango, and repeatedly called him "Lord Itachi, magnanimous," until he finally calmed down after a long while.
"Hmph, I won't bother with you."
Itachi proudly put his hands on his hips, demonstrating how broad-minded he was.
"Brother said that the Sealing Jutsu Little Itachi uses in the future will be the most special; none of you will have it."
Kakashi & Shisui were on the verge of tears: This was a huge loss.
The group finished lunch harmoniously. Naraku returned Itachi to Mikoto and went home with Kakashi. Shisui also politely took his leave shortly after.
As soon as they returned to their small courtyard, Kakashi finally had a chance to explain the truth to Naraku alone.
Unfortunately, before he could even open his mouth, Ichiro and his parents happened to come to visit, bringing many desserts.
They had come specifically to see Naraku, so Kakashi was not suitable to entertain guests with him. He could only make the tea with a bitter expression, then withdraw from the reception room.
"Sigh..."
Kakashi looked at the clouds in the sky, wondering how he could explain what had just happened to appease Naraku.
"It was just a small favor back then, there's no need for you two to always..."
In the reception room, Naraku looked at the half-meter-high stack of sweets, trying to curb the couple's enthusiasm for constantly sending gifts, but it had no effect.
The man's words were similar to before.
"You saved our family's lives and helped us find Little Kabuto. No amount of gratitude is too much!"
Hearing the familiar name, Naraku paused. "Little Kabuto? Do you mean Ichiro?"
"Precisely."
The man patted his son's shoulder, explaining the whole story. "This boy mentioned before that the orphanage director gave him a new name."
"His mother and I discussed it and felt that 'Kabuto' had a better meaning."
"After the New Year, he'll be able to enter the Ninja Academy, and a good name is more auspicious, so we changed it during the New Year."
"Kabuto... helmet, armor then."
Naraku ruffled the boy's hair. "That's a really good name."
--Indeed, 'Kabuto' sounds cooler than 'Ichiro'.
--This is quite good too.
He naturally changed his address. "Kabuto, the book I gave you before, have you finished reading it? Have you practiced?"
Kabuto's small face lifted, his tone carrying the pride of having completed his homework early.
"Yes, Lord Naraku, I've read it all. And, I've already learned to use Chakra to stop a little rabbit's bleeding."
"I told you, 'Brother' is fine."
First correcting Kabuto's address for him, Naraku then extended both hands, using a Chakra Scalpel to make a cut on his right palm.
Blood beads seeped out, one after another, falling onto the tatami.
"Eh! Brother Naraku, what are you doing?!"
Kabuto immediately rushed over, cupping Naraku's bleeding hand with both of his, a faint green light glowing in his palms.
The honest and dutiful couple also hurriedly tried to speak but were stopped by Naraku raising his hand.
Soon, the hemostatic Ninjutsu Kabuto performed stopped the bleeding and clotted the wound.
Judging by the effect, his mastery of this Ninjutsu could be described as perfect.
--So skilled in just one month, what terrifying talent.
--As expected of the Fourth Great Ninja War's boss, Yakushi Kabuto.
"You two don't need to worry; such an injury is trivial for a Ninja."
Naraku briefly explained to Kabuto's parents, then rubbed the baby fat on Kabuto's cheek with his other hand, praising his talent without reservation.
"To self-learn successfully in such a short time, Kabuto has excellent Ninjutsu talent. Plus, you are always careful and brave, making you very suitable to be a Medical Ninja."
"Really, Brother Naraku?"
Upon hearing this, Kabuto's eyes sparkled with joy.
During his amnesiac period, he deeply respected the Yakushi orphanage director who took him in, and he was very interested in the Medical Ninjutsu the director excelled at.
However, he had only just learned a little about Chakra when Naraku and Kakashi took him away, and he had always regretted not being able to delve deeper into his studies.
So, when he visited with his parents last time and received "Basic Chakra Extraction Theory" and "Principles of Elementary Hemostatic Ninjutsu Operation" from Naraku, he was incredibly excited.
That night, he stayed up all night reading in bed, and every day after that, he practiced Chakra extraction and familiarized himself with hemostatic Ninjutsu.
Now, to receive praise directly from the Ninja he admired most, Kabuto was so happy he didn't know what to say.
"Of course it's true. Among all the children I've seen, Kabuto has the highest Medical Ninjutsu talent, and he will surely achieve great things in the future."
Naraku pulled out a brand new scroll from his clothes and solemnly placed it in Kabuto's hand.
"This is 'Basic Principles and Learning Points of Healing Ninjutsu' that I summarized. You can take it back and read it carefully."
"I originally planned to give it to you after a while, once you mastered hemostatic Ninjutsu, but I didn't expect you to learn it so smoothly."
"If you don't understand anything, feel free to ask me. Never try to be strong, okay?"
"Mm!" Kabuto hugged the scroll tightly, nodding vigorously. "I understand, Brother Naraku!"
After seeing the family of three off, Naraku stood at the door, exhaling a sigh of relief, and looked up at the position of the sun in the sky.
It was probably time to start preparing dinner.