Itachi arrived at the meeting spot with his mind full of worries.
"Morning, Itachi."
"Morning, Shinko, Kabuto."
Noticing the boy's distraction, Sakurada Shinko stepped closer. "What are you thinking about?"
Itachi hastily took a step back. "Nothing."
Shinko laughed. "You've practically got 'I have something on my mind' written all over your face."
At that, Itachi could not help touching his cheek, which made Shinko burst into even louder laughter.
Kabuto could not help smiling either. "If something's wrong, you can tell us. Maybe we can help."
What troubled Itachi was nothing more than the fact that his father was leaving the village. How could Kabuto and Shinko possibly help with something like that?
Besides, his father was being punished by the Hokage and made to leave because he had committed a mistake. Thinking that he might not see his father for a long time left him feeling somewhat despondent.
Seeing that Itachi was unwilling to say more, neither of them pressed him.
Shinko said, "Why isn't Teacher Kiyomi here yet?"
Kabuto said, "There are still more than ten minutes until the agreed time."
Shinko muttered, "What's wrong with arriving ten minutes early?"
The three of them stood on an overpass, their gazes wandering aimlessly over their surroundings.
The tower by Hokage Rock was still under construction. From afar, they could see workers bustling about in full swing.
Shinko suddenly asked, "Why do you think the Hokage didn't rebuild Hokage Rock and decided to build a tower instead?"
Kabuto fell into thought. "Isn't it because the Fourth Hokage... was a criminal?"
This was one of the more widespread and more credible rumors in the village. If Hokage Rock were rebuilt, they would inevitably face the problem of whether to carve the Fourth Hokage's stone likeness again. Many people believed that