A small town on Konoha's border.
Under the cover of night, inside a simple house, three ordinary Samurai had been put to sleep by a narcotic mist.
With a creak, the wooden door opened, revealing two tall figures and one small one. The eyes of the two in front were especially crimson. The shorter one clearly possessed a Three Tomoe Sharingan, while the taller one, who seemed to be the leader, had only a One Tomoe Sharingan.
It was a strange sight. Normally, the stronger person was the leader, but this time was different.
Ever cautious, Uchiha Shisui raised his hand and flicked out three Senbon. They pierced the pressure points on the necks of the three sleeping Samurai, sending them into a deep sleep. It would also reveal if any of them were merely pretending to be asleep.
After finishing, Uchiha Shisui carefully surveyed the surroundings. His Three Tomoe Sharingan focused intently on the children whose hands had been tied with straw ropes, one after another in a single line. There were eight of them.
"Brother Yoru, these three are slave traders. According to the intelligence, they gathered these eight children and were preparing to sell them in the Land of Iron."
Hearing Uchiha Shisui's report, Uchiha Yoru nodded lightly. Uchiha Itachi, who had come along, wore a lost and bewildered expression.
Uchiha Itachi was only six years old and had yet to attend the Ninja Academy. Though he had witnessed the cruelty of war at the age of four, he was even more confused now.
Looking at the scene before him, especially the children tied up like livestock with straw ropes, Uchiha Itachi hesitated. Shisui sighed, lowered his head, and said in a deep voice, "They were either abducted from among civilians or found as orphans. They all share one trait: they possess the constitution to refine Chakra, which makes them highly sought after by the powers of every nation."
"Other than the Five Great Nations and a few powerful major countries, the remaining small nations need to purchase children from civilian populations to maintain their number of ninjas."
People capable of refining Chakra were always few in number. Especially for small nations in war-torn regions, they naturally needed fresh blood to replenish their ranks, and children were the best candidates.
After hearing Shisui's explanation, Uchiha Yoru gave a mocking laugh. "Shisui, Itachi isn't an ordinary child. You should tell him the truth. What do you mean, excluding the Five Great Nations? You should say the Five Great Nations have the greatest demand."
Once the danger had been dealt with, Uchiha Yoru sat down beside the fire, set a pot over it, and took out the dry rations prepared by the three Samurai to roast. Shisui shook his head helplessly, stepped forward, stroked young Itachi's head, and sighed. "Itachi, this world is cruel."
Yet when Uchiha Yoru saw the children, his eyes shifted. Then, right in front of Uchiha Itachi, he began forming hand seals: Boar—Dog—Rooster—Monkey—Ram.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
A cloud of white smoke burst forth, and a brown python appeared. Looking down at the Summoning Beast, Uchiha Yoru pointed at the children in the distance and said hoarsely, "The children are over there. Remember to bring all eight of them to Teacher Orochimaru."
As if he had noticed the greed in the snake's eyes, Uchiha Yoru snorted coldly. Killing intent radiated from his body as he said icily, "If you dare eat even one of them, I'll roast and eat you when the time comes. You know the consequences!"
Under that murderous threat, the thick python shrank back in fear. Finally, it slithered unwillingly toward the children. Uchiha Itachi stared at the sight in utter disbelief, and at last, he voiced the biggest question in his heart.
"Brother Shisui, why was this mission about finding children with the constitution to refine Chakra?"
Itachi was still a child filled with confusion and uncertainty about the future. It was precisely because of that confusion that, when he entered the Ninja Academy at that age, the so-called Will of Fire was instilled in him and filled the emptiness in his bewildered heart.
Uchiha Yoru naturally saw Itachi's confusion, and he understood deeply. Sure enough, when had the eldest son of the Uchiha Clan Head been brainwashed into joining the Konoha faction? Only at the Ninja Academy. Before attending the academy, given Uchiha Itachi's status, outsiders could never casually approach him, much less sweet-talk him.
It had to be said that the Uchiha had been far too careless in this regard, or perhaps the Hokage Faction's methods had simply been too brilliant. It was a blind spot right under their noses. The Uchiha Clan kept watch over the other Uchiha children, while Clan Head Fugaku let down his guard over Uchiha Itachi. No one could have imagined that the clan head's eldest son would defect.
After repeatedly analyzing the matter in his mind, Uchiha Yoru immediately decided that he had to seize this excellent opportunity to leave a profound impression on this foolish kid. He absolutely could not let Itachi become a traitor like in the original story.
Uchiha Yoru stared into the fire. The only sound left in the house was the nauseating noise of the huge snake opening its greedy jaws and slowly swallowing the children.
"Shisui, Itachi isn't an ordinary child. At four, the clan head already brought him to the battlefield, where he experienced the cruelty of war. He is also a genius of the Uchiha Clan."
After praising him first, it was also meant to help young Uchiha Itachi relax. No matter how mature he was for his age, he was still only a six-year-old child at heart.
Sure enough, when Uchiha Itachi walked over with a frown and the solemn air of a little adult, Uchiha Yoru's lips slowly curled upward, though a mocking smile appeared on his face.
"The futures of these children were already decided. They would either become tools of other powers or fall along this road. Don't think the supposedly neutral Land of Iron is so wonderful, and don't think the Five Great Ninja Villages are filled with sunshine. Reality is this cruel and cold."
"Brother Yoru!" Shisui spoke up with a worried look, as though saying that Itachi was still too young and that this might be too early for such words.
Seeing this, Uchiha Yoru shot Shisui a fierce glare, frustrated by his failure to meet expectations. It was because of people like him. If you worried that a child was too young, why let him experience war at the age of four? After personally making the child witness the cruelty of the battlefield, you still didn't teach him the right values. Teaching only half of what needed to be taught—no wonder he would become a traitor.
In the original story, young Uchiha Itachi had even entertained thoughts of ending his own life. He experienced war too early without forming his own outlook on life or values, leaving a part of his heart missing and giving the Hokage Faction an opening to exploit. There were only two words for it: he deserved it.
"These children's futures are cruel by nature. But if you are not cruel to other nations, that cruelty will fall upon the Land of Fire and Konoha instead."
Seeing the puzzled look in Uchiha Itachi's eyes, Uchiha Yoru revealed a mocking smile. "That calm expression of yours truly proves you are a little adult who has been on the battlefield. You are also worthy of being the clan head's eldest son."
After another round of praise, Uchiha Yoru changed the subject and looked toward Uchiha Shisui, shaking his head. "After we return this time, properly tell Itachi about the customs and conditions of every nation. Since he wishes to enjoy certain things, he must naturally pay something in return."
As the eldest son of the Uchiha Clan Head, if you wished to enjoy all the glory that came with that position, you also had to shoulder important responsibilities.
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