Itachi Uchiha

"The wind sure is noisy today."

Itachi Uchiha had only just arrived at the park, and upon hearing that single sentence, he couldn't help but start wondering if he should just turn around and leave.

"Good morning, Itachi."

The gentle smile on Yuzuru Hyuga's face made Itachi Uchiha take an involuntary step back. His icy expression remained taut, his calm eyes fixed squarely on the other boy.

If you keep this up, I'm leaving.

"Come on, morning training." Yuzuru Hyuga's smile vanished as he took off his black-rimmed glasses, his whole face taking on a slightly different aura.

His features bore some resemblance to Neji's in the future, but between his brows, compared to Neji's delicate handsomeness, there was a noticeably sharper edge—and this was before he had fully grown. If he ever reached seven or eight years old, the difference would probably be even more pronounced and eye-catching.

Mm, but it probably wouldn't get to the point where he'd have wrinkles at seven or eight like this guy Itachi.

Speaking of which, is that a nasolabial fold or what?

Itachi Uchiha finally sauntered over unhurriedly: "I really can't figure out why you think putting on a pair of glasses makes you look friendlier."

"As it turns out, a person's first impression is often the most crucial factor in how others perceive them. Take you, for example." Yuzuru Hyuga set his glasses aside.

Itachi Uchiha fell into thought. Upon careful reflection, what he said didn't seem unreasonable.

For instance, right now, from their very first meeting, he had already decided deep down that this guy in front of him was an extremely dangerous freak who didn't act like a four-year-old at all.

"So, if just wearing a pair of glasses can make me look more harmless, why not go for it?"

Yuzuru Hyuga rolled his shoulders and neck, stepping forward one pace at a time toward Itachi Uchiha.

Itachi Uchiha sighed, but he was used to how they interacted, so he charged forward on his own initiative.

Then, predictably, within thirty seconds, he was precisely struck in his chakra points by Yuzuru's Gentle Fist. The moment his chakra went haywire, his taijutsu became sluggish and clumsy, and the follow-up combo left him pinned to the ground without a chance to fight back.

Yuzuru Hyuga's gaze paused in midair for a moment.

[Taijutsu Fist Proficiency +32]

[Free Experience +17]

"The Hyuga clan's Gentle Fist really is impressive." Itachi Uchiha dusted himself off, his face showing no sign of disappointment.

Mainly, he was used to it.

Right now, without activating his Sharingan and limited to the Three Basic Jutsu, taijutsu, and Kunai Throwing Technique, Itachi Uchiha was still far behind the current Yuzuru Hyuga.

Yuzuru Hyuga leisurely picked up his glasses and put them back on, smiling as he jabbed at Itachi's heart with vague, teasing words.

"Itachi, have you ever considered that maybe you're just too weak right now?"

Itachi Uchiha stayed silent, but in the end, he didn't have the composure of his future self. He couldn't help lifting his head with a sharp look: "Then I'll leave?"

"I'll treat you to some dumplings." Yuzuru Hyuga knew when to stop. Even though he thoroughly enjoyed bullying Itachi (childhood limited edition), he understood that too much was as bad as too little.

Itachi Uchiha puffed out his cheeks in a huff, unaware that this expression was exactly what made him so amusing to Yuzuru Hyuga. About eighty or ninety percent of the fun in teasing him came from getting to enjoy that cute look.

"You're really cute."

Yuzuru Hyuga was an honest man—he couldn't hide his thoughts.

Itachi Uchiha instantly froze into an icy mask—yes, he only ever tried to keep a straight face around Yuzuru Hyuga.

The way this guy said those four words was just too annoying!

"Let's go. Ingredients in the village have been tight lately, so dumplings are only easy to buy when they first go on sale. If we're late, we won't get any."

The moment Yuzuru Hyuga finished speaking, Itachi Uchiha grumpily pulled out a piece of paper covered in dense handwriting from behind him, as if it were a treasure.

"The ninjutsu scroll was too long, so I copied it by hand onto paper."

"Father said sealing techniques only need a basic understanding—this type of jutsu requires talent and time to master."

Yuzuru Hyuga took the densely written paper like it was a precious find, devouring every word as he read, while casually remarking, "Compared to that, Itachi, you should work on your handwriting."

"I copied it in the dark by feel!" he snapped.

"Sure, sure."

Yuzuru Hyuga's pupils focused intently as he rapidly scanned the words on the paper.

[You have mastered the sealing technique: Finger Seal.]

[Finger Seal (C): Level 1 (0/400)]

Yuzuru Hyuga's smile was radiant. The moment the system notification appeared, he handed the paper back to Itachi Uchiha.

Itachi Uchiha blinked: "You don't need it? Yeah, I guess this sealing technique really is pretty useless."

Finger Seal was an extremely obscure sealing technique with minimal practical use. In the anime, its only appearance was when Jiraiya used it to write on Fukasaku's back before his death.

In other words, it was just a jutsu for carving characters with one's finger, leaving text or patterns on hard surfaces or skin—and nothing more.

"No, I was just curious about what sealing techniques are, so I wanted to take a look." Yuzuru Hyuga put on a teasing expression.

"Huh?" Itachi Uchiha couldn't hold it together.

He glared at Yuzuru Hyuga, fuming: "You!"

"I'm from the Hyuga Branch House. Contact with sealing techniques isn't allowed in the first place." Yuzuru Hyuga explained, his expression still carrying that light, gentle smile.

Itachi Uchiha frowned slightly. "Why can't I get close to you?"

"There's no explicit ban, but still, it's not something I can do." Yuzuru Hyuga pointed to the Caged Bird on his forehead, then turned his head to look at him, speaking softly. "It's like how your father doesn't want us to get too close."

Itachi Uchiha fell silent.

He furrowed his brow, his expression downcast. "I don't understand."

"Itachi." Yuzuru Hyuga reached out and placed his hand on his head. Though they were the same age, Yuzuru Hyuga had developed a bit faster than Itachi Uchiha, standing just slightly taller.

Itachi Uchiha turned his head, looking at Yuzuru Hyuga, waiting for him to speak.

Yuzuru Hyuga looked back at him, his white eyes hidden behind his lenses, revealing no discernible emotion.

"All living things believe in some existence superior to themselves."

"Humans are no different."

"When someone worthy of reliance appears, all humans who yearn for support will spontaneously follow them. That's how what we call a clan is born."

"To escape the heavy pressure of being trusted, those trusted ones seek out those in higher positions."

"And so, a village is born."

"Thus, a village is like a larger clan, and every clan within it should be like family to one another—worthy of trust, worthy of entrustment."

Yuzuru Hyuga looked at Itachi Uchiha. "What do you think?"

"I think that's exactly how it should be," Itachi Uchiha answered honestly.

Yuzuru Hyuga gave a faint smile but made no reply.

The topic ended there, and Itachi Uchiha clearly fell into deep thought. As a precocious child, he was far more sensitive and contemplative than his peers.

Soon, he noticed that everything Yuzuru Hyuga had said seemed somewhat at odds with the current state of Konoha.

The Senju Clan's reputation was fading. According to the grand vision of the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, they had cast aside the Senju name and merged into the collective of Konoha—no clans, only the village.

The Hyuga Clan's reputation was not insignificant, but within the clan, they were divided into the Main House and the Branch House. Though Itachi Uchiha did not yet know the true difference between them, he understood that Yuzuru Hyuga disliked the green markings on his forehead that symbolized the Branch House.

And the Uchiha Clan—though clearly a part of Konoha—the adults at home disliked him playing with anyone outside the Uchiha, and those outside the Uchiha also disliked the Uchiha.

Even among the other small clans, there was no harmony between them.

So then, what was the reason for all of this?

"Four skewers of dango!"

"Alright!"

It wasn't until Yuzuru Hyuga stuffed the colorful, beautiful dango into Itachi Uchiha's mouth that he snapped back to reality.

Itachi Uchiha looked around furtively, as if eating something so sweet and sticky was a bit embarrassing.

Yuzuru Hyuga bit into the dango—shaped like candied hawthorn skewers but soft and sweet in flavor—chewed a few times, and found it a bit cloying.

"Thanks," Itachi Uchiha mumbled indistinctly as he ate the dango.

Perhaps the sweetness went to his head, and for a moment, he set aside the troubling questions that had been bothering him.

The two walked to the end of the street. The Uchiha house was to the left, the Hyuga house to the right.

"Um, I need to go back."

Itachi Uchiha seemed hesitant.

Yuzuru Hyuga adjusted his glasses and casually tossed away the skewer.

"Did something come up?"

He saw through Itachi's thoughts.

Seeing this, Itachi Uchiha stopped pretending. He glanced around uneasily, then lowered his voice. "Father said he's taking me to the battlefield to broaden my horizons."

"Ha, as expected of an Uchiha." Itachi Uchiha couldn't tell what emotion lay behind Yuzuru Hyuga's words.

He hung his head. "Should I refuse?"

"If you're not afraid of disappointing your father." Yuzuru Hyuga paused, then spoke expressionlessly. "But I think just watching is fine. The Uchiha Clan Head isn't so incapable that he can't even protect his own child."

"You don't seem to like him." Itachi Uchiha finally caught the sarcasm in his words.

"The meaning of a clan is to protect its own family."

"The meaning of a village's existence is to protect every person in the village."

"If even children have to set foot on the battlefield, then what exactly are they protecting?"

Yuzuru Hyuga looked at Itachi Uchiha, rare in his loss for words. "It's not that I dislike your father. In fact, I think as a clan head, he's fairly competent."

"I just think that, at the root, some things—"

He fell silent for a moment, then adjusted his glasses again, lifted his head, and said no more. Only gently, he added, "In any case, go ahead. Nothing will happen. Don't overthink it. None of this is something you need to ponder, bear, or resolve right now."

Itachi Uchiha watched Yuzuru Hyuga walk away. The doubts in his heart were not resolved; instead, they piled deeper.

He decided.

He'd go ask Shisui about it later.

And Yuzuru Hyuga, realizing he had misspoken, once again felt a deep disgust toward everything before him.

Lifting his head, Yuzuru Hyuga squinted at the glaring sun.

How he wished he could destroy, escape, or rebuild all of this soon.

"Yuzuru!"

The sudden call made Yuzuru Hyuga stop in his tracks.

He turned his head. A girl, her face full of joy, came running toward him in small steps, and he let out a nearly instinctive sigh.

Izumi Uchiha—or rather, a beautiful girl who didn't yet bear the Uchiha name.

PS: New book period, two chapters daily. A novice author, begging everyone for collections and recommendations!