I Have a Story

Shuichi explained the rules of the game to Itachi, explaining that it was generally more difficult than the game he had played as a child, because he hadn't had any opponents back then.

"These specially designed pinballs are extremely fast, and their trajectory can even be slightly altered if a spinning motion is used..."

Itachi took a few small balls from his hand and examined them. They seemed to be made of silicone, very light and highly bouncy.

Then, looking up at the surrounding area, he said, "In that case, how should the game proceed? If it's just simple throwing and dodging, we shouldn't need props made of this material."

Shuichi replied, "Of course, I'll get the venue ready right away."

A hand rapidly formed several hand seals in front of him, "Earth Release: Earth Style: Earth Flow Wall - Squash Entertainment Version!"

As three square earthen walls rose up from the ground with a rumbling sound, Itachi marveled at his chakra control before quickly focusing his attention on the walls.

On the wall in front, there were two small square patterns drawn on it. Shuichi said, "Originally, this game was just a simple wall-hitting and dodging game. Because I hadn't been exposed to much Ninjutsu until I graduated from the Ninja Academy, and after becoming a formal ninja, I wanted to play but couldn't find a suitable partner."

"So meeting you today has piqued my interest. The rules are a little complicated; we take turns hitting the other person's wall pattern with a ball, and then try to catch it..."

After the rules were explained, the two stood in their respective areas. Shuichi smiled slightly and quickly tossed a small ball. "Well then, let's get used to it!"

"Smack!"

After hitting the wall, the sphere flew towards Itachi's face at an extremely high speed, and a small dot could be seen rapidly enlarging in his pupils.

He seemed to get into the zone immediately, lowering his center of gravity and lightning-fast raising his right hand to grab the pinball. Then, he threw it again, hitting the pattern on the wall with great accuracy. The ball's trajectory was also heading towards Shuichi's face.

"Impressive, truly exceptional!" Shuichi exclaimed after easily catching it. "Next, two at once, be careful."

Seeing that Itachi's movements quickly became more proficient, he became interested and wanted to test the limits of this genius. After that, the number of small balls flying around the field continued to increase, and the sound of the balls colliding became more and more frequent.

If someone were to look down from above, they would see the two men's hands moving like afterimages, with countless tiny dots jumping wildly between them and the wall—it's simply dazzling...

"Huff, huff..." After a while, Itachi was panting heavily, his hands supporting his knees. There was a small red mark on his left cheek, where he had been hit because he was caught off guard.

Shuichi hand. During the game, he suddenly changed the rhythm, which greatly increased the difficulty, but Itachi was still able to adjust and not collapse.

For a short period afterward, the two players were almost constantly receiving and shooting the ball until the other player's stamina dropped and he was hit.

"How should I evaluate this? It's terrifying." Shuichi was somewhat amazed by this, mentally calculating his own level at age 5 and comparing it with his stats after the points were added. He found that he might have a slight advantage in physical fitness, but his reaction speed was much worse than Itachi's, even though he only had 1 point in his third skill at that time.

The arena fell silent for a moment. After Itachi recovered, he looked at him and Shuichi smiled, saying, "Your physical abilities and reflexes... are about the same as mine when I was five! Haha, I can't really tell who's stronger, let's say it's a 50/50!"

Having been tricked and left hanging by a thread by unscrupulous individuals, Itachi couldn't say anything and could only helplessly reply, "Thank you for your affirmation, senior."

After seeing Itachi's performance, Shuichi had a general idea of what kind of person Itachi was.

Without a doubt, he is a rare genius. According to Shuichi's assessment, he may be even better than Kakashi in his youth. However, he is naturally quiet and not very good at expressing himself.

Kakashi was a bit luckier than him, having a hot-blooded idiot like Guy actively pestering him. Although these hot-blooded guys are usually a bit annoying, they are undeniably the perfect cure for the eccentricities of geniuses.

"It's a pity that there haven't been any talents like him in the Ninja Academy in recent years. Itachi was born at the wrong time." Shuichi could only sigh that it was all fate. Being too outstanding compared to others inevitably makes one feel out of place, and unlike himself, he didn't have an adult mindset and would actively seek out and build relationships with his friends.

Since the other party has a bit of a submissive personality, Shuichi has no choice but to take the initiative and set the pace. "The game is over now, and I acknowledge your talent. Since this is a last-minute visit, I didn't have time to prepare any gifts for our first meeting."

"As compensation and a reward after the game, I can tell you some stories." Shuichi revealed a mysterious smile, his king of scheming returning. "Of course, they won't be ordinary stories. I guarantee in the name of Purple Aurora that these are things even the current Hokage don't know, such as... the origin of Konoha, the life of the First Hokage, the causes and consequences of the Shinobi World War, and so on. How about it, want to hear it?"

Uchiha Itachi's eyes widened slightly. He felt that this senior could easily see through his thoughts, and his curiosity had been completely piqued.

After a moment of silence, he finally spoke, "... I want to."

"Then come with me, to a place where dreams begin." Shuichi turned and walked away, not worrying at all whether the other would follow. Itachi didn't hide anything either, silently following closely behind him.

Standing atop the Hokage Rock, overlooking the entire Konoha, and with a warm breeze blowing, the two felt quite pleased.

"So, where to begin?" Shuichi glanced around, then picked up a leaf and poked a small hole in the middle. "Do you know why the village is called Konoha Village)?"

"Why?" Seeing that he only asked one question and then fell silent, Itachi was forced to interact with him; he really wanted to know.

"This is Konoha..." Shuichi leaf in front of him. Itachi could see part of the village through the hole in the middle. "It's a hidden village in Konoha, hence the name Konoha Village)."

"..."

Seeing his slight speechlessness, Shuichi then served a hearty dish. "The person who named this dish was none other than your Uchiha Clan's ancestor, Uchiha Madara."

"And the leader of the entire village is the Hokage, the leader of the Kage who protects the Land of Fire. This was established by the First Hokage Hokage."

Itachi was about to ask a question upon hearing Uchiha Madara's name, but Shuichi didn't give him a chance to speak. "Let me finish. The story takes place many years ago, perhaps 100 years ago. At that time, Konoha was still a vast forest. And in that era of war, the two strongest clans competing with each other around the Land of Fire were the Senju and the Uchiha..."

"... The original purpose of establishing the ninja village was to prevent young children from going to the fierce battlefield, and to make everyone's focus no longer limited to their own clan, but to regard their companions in the village as family."

"In a sense, the First Hokage's goal has been achieved."