Itachi's Conviction

Aozora was thirteen by nominal age that year, but he had developed well and already stood 1.63 meters tall. He was not short at all.

Dressed in a fitted long robe, he walked along the roads of the Clan Compound, his handsome face drawing sidelong glances from many young women and wives.

After a while, Aozora turned left and right several times before finally arriving in front of a large residence.

The gates to Uchiha Fugaku's home were open. Through them, he could see Uchiha Mikoto and Uchiha Itachi playing with Sasuke in the courtyard.

To make his little brother happy, Itachi was wearing cat ears. Already adorable to begin with, he was now unbelievably cute.

Aozora knocked on the door to announce his visit, then stood at the entrance watching the mother and her two sons play.

Hearing the knock, Itachi reluctantly stopped playing with his brother and forced a smile as he came to greet the visitor.

The moment he saw Aozora, that strained smile darkened. He was clearly still holding a grudge over last week's Clan Meeting.

"Uchiha Aozora, may I ask what you need?"

Even so, Uchiha Itachi maintained proper manners, though the way he addressed him had changed.

Aozora merely chuckled and shook his head. "Oh? Last week, you were calling me Brother Aozora! How come after just one week, you're acting like you don't know me?"

Uchiha Itachi did not know how to respond. He merely snorted and turned his face away.

"Haha!" Seeing Uchiha Itachi's tsundere expression, Aozora could not help laughing. "Where is the Clan Head? I need to speak with him."

Uchiha Itachi said, "Father went to the Naka River to inspect the construction of the new Clan Compound."

"I see..."

Aozora pondered for a moment, then said, "I'll go find him at the Naka River."

With that, he waved goodbye and turned to leave.

Watching Aozora's figure recede into the distance, Itachi thought for a moment before running to his mother's side. "Mom, I'm going to the Naka River to see Dad."

Uchiha Mikoto said gently, "All right. Remember to tell your father to come home early. We'll have lunch together at home."

"Okay."

Itachi answered, gave his little brother one lingering look, then turned and rushed out the door.

Itachi had only run a few steps when he spotted Aozora leisurely making his way toward the Naka River.

Uchiha Itachi caught up to Aozora in a few strides. Without saying a word, he followed behind him at an unhurried pace.

The Naka River was quite far from the current Uchiha Clan Compound. Aozora did not want to travel in silence the whole way, so he teased Itachi. "Itachi, do you dislike me?"

"No," Itachi replied flatly.

"Then why are you giving me the cold shoulder? You never treated me like this before."

As he said that, Uchiha Aozora deliberately put on a secretly heartbroken expression before continuing, "I never expected you to be so fickle at such a young age. At this rate, you'll never find a girlfriend."

Hearing that, Itachi could no longer keep up his cold expression. His face reddened as he said, "Brother Aozora, don't talk nonsense."

Seeing Itachi's flushed face, Aozora could not resist pinching his cheeks twice.

Unfortunately, Itachi broke free before he could properly enjoy it.

After escaping those demon claws, Itachi snorted and moved far away from him.

Seeing his aggrieved little-boy appearance, Aozora was in high spirits and burst into laughter.

After laughing for a while, Aozora composed himself and said, "Itachi, if you have something to say, just say it. Shisui treats you like his own little brother, and I don't see you as an outsider either."

Hearing that, Itachi looked up at Aozora.

Aozora smiled gently and met his gaze.

Itachi's instincts were sharp, and he could see the goodwill in Aozora's eyes.

He could not help recalling the days when Uchiha Shisui taught him and Uchiha Aozora how to throw shuriken.

Back then, Brother Shisui always had endless throwing techniques, while Brother Aozora could always pull out all kinds of snacks from the Sealing Scroll.

Remembering how well Aozora had treated him before, Itachi's face reddened slightly. "Brother Aozora, I'm sorry."

"Huh?" Aozora looked baffled. "What's wrong? What have you done to wrong me?"

Itachi said seriously, "Brother Aozora treated me so well before. I shouldn't have treated you that way."

"So that's it!"

Aozora nodded, then said dismissively, "Kids are moody. I understand. Sasuke loses his temper with you too. Do you get mad at him?"

"No!" Uchiha Itachi said. "But Sasuke is still immature."

Aozora laughed and shook his head.

Though Aozora said nothing, Itachi instantly understood. In Aozora's eyes, he too was an immature child.

Itachi did not argue. What could he say? That he was already six years old and mature?

The two walked in silence for a while.

Itachi slowly began, "During the Third Great Ninja War, Father took me to the front lines."

Hearing this, Aozora could not help slowing down and listening closely.

"At the end of the war, the soil had turned reddish-brown. Blood flowed into the trenches and could not coagulate. The gloom in the sky would not disperse, and unrecognizable body parts hung from withered, broken branches."

"Father said, 'Listen, Itachi. Do not forget the sight before you.'"

"I didn't forget. I etched it firmly into my memory."

Aozora looked at Itachi, immersed in sorrow, and his heart ached.

He was only a six-year-old child.

In his previous life, children that age were still playing house with other children in Kindergarten, while Uchiha Itachi was already thinking about war and peace.

"Brother Aozora!"

Uchiha Itachi suddenly looked up at Aozora with a serious expression.

Seeing the sincerity in Itachi's eyes, Aozora's voice softened unconsciously. "What is it?"

"I know how cruel war is. I hope Brother Aozora won't destroy this hard-won peace."

Aozora did not answer right away.

He merely rubbed Itachi's head and said, "Itachi, this is not something you or I can decide."

Seeing the unwillingness in Itachi's eyes, Aozora sighed. "I won't say those things at the Clan Meeting anymore. I'm going to see the Clan Head today precisely to tell him that I agree to the Relocation Plan."

Only then did Itachi break into a smile.

Seeing this, Aozora continued, "Itachi, I'm happy that at only six years old, you can view the world from beyond the family's perspective."

Hearing that, Itachi happily clasped his little hands behind his back.

But Aozora continued, "However, you favor the village too much."

"The relationship between individuals and the collective is not simple, and war and peace are not as shallow as you understand them to be."

"Individuals and the collective depend on each other. On one hand, individuals live within a certain collective and cannot exist apart from it. On the other hand, a collective is made up of individuals. Every word and action of an individual affects the interests and development of the entire collective."

"Without individuals, how can there be a collective? Without families, how can there be a ninja village?"

"When a village maintains peace by sacrificing the interests of a certain family, then the village has reached a point where it must change. If it does not change, it will sooner or later fall apart."

After saying that, Aozora continued toward the Naka River on his own.

Itachi stood there blankly, watching Aozora's retreating back.

After a while, Itachi caught up again. But he never tried to persuade Aozora again, merely following silently behind him.