Itachi Blocks Him From Behind! Don't Let the Old Third Hokage Escape!

This is it.

"Bang! Drip, drip, drip!"

"Take this! Lord Hokage!"

"Itachi, block him from behind! Don't let this old man escape!"

When Fugaku Uchiha rushed to the Hokage's lounge and his hand touched the door, he heard the voices of his two beloved sons coming from inside.

The sounds of fighting within made his scalp tingle.

Itachi! What are you doing!

An ominous premonition grew stronger in Fugaku's heart. As he trembled and pushed open the lounge door, a Kunai, flashing with cold light, whizzed past his ear, taking a wisp of his short black hair before "drip" pinging into the wall behind him.

Fugaku's pupils dilated, and he looked into the room, frozen in that pose.

"Ha! Got you! Old man!"

A shout erupted. Qing Xuan, controlling Chakra Threads with both hands, leaped backward from mid-air. Azure threads spread out like a spiderweb behind his back, and the Kunai at their ends carved arcs of light, sealing off all escape routes.

Itachi's figure moved around at incredible speed, so fast it was almost imperceptible to the naked eye. His gaze was calm and focused, his dark pupils locked onto the target like a hunter poised to strike, ready to deliver a fatal blow without hesitation the moment he found an opening!

Itachi's assault was fierce and swift, like a sharp spear, constantly forcing the target to face him head-on. Qing Xuan, on the other hand, acted like a sturdy shield, using Chakra Threads and shuriken to continuously disrupt the opponent's actions, ensuring that every one of Itachi's attacks would have maximum effect.

Their coordination was seamless, both offense and defense perfectly balanced, as if they were two sides of the same coin, independent yet closely connected. It was hard to imagine this was their first cooperative mission.

The Third Hokage, who was the target of their attack, stood with his hands behind his back, a smile on his face as he leisurely dodged their assaults while smoking his pipe—even with their perfect coordination, they hadn't managed to touch a single corner of the old man's robe.

"Aiyaa! You old geezer! Itachi, use the Great Fireball Technique!"

Qing Xuan, his patience completely worn out, angrily threw the Kunai in his hand to the ground and began forming hand seals.

Scarlet Three Tomoe spun in Fugaku's eyes. The moment he saw Qing Xuan's first hand seal, he knew the jutsu the other party intended to use.

Wind Style: Great Breakthrough.

This was a powerful jutsu that expelled a gust of wind to destroy everything in its path. If Itachi's Great Fireball Technique were added, the resulting combined jutsu would be powerful enough to blow the entire lounge sky-high!

"Enough! Stop it now!"

Thinking of the consequences of this jutsu, large beads of sweat dripped down Fugaku's forehead. He had to stop this!

However, there were too few hand seals for the Wind Style. Itachi's hand-sealing speed was so fast that only afterimages could be seen. By the time Fugaku shouted to stop them, both jutsu had already been completed simultaneously.

Watching the imminent storm of wind and fire about to engulf everything, Fugaku's face turned ashen. This is going to be bad! he thought.

"Gate of Death!"

A triangular barrier suddenly descended from the sky. Amidst the faint blue light, the entire lounge seemed to stir with a gentle breeze, and in an instant, the fire and wind storm dissolved like residual snow in winter.

Seeing the six Anbu suddenly appear, Fugaku couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. Then, a nameless fire began to rise in his heart. His scarlet eyes glared at the two bewildered youngsters, signaling that he was on the verge of exploding.

"Heh heh..."

A kind laugh echoed in the silence, breaking the oppressive quiet.

"No need to be angry, Fugaku."

The Third Hokage chuckled, holding his pipe. He slowly picked up the outer robe he had thrown on the ground and gently moved his wrists and arms, sighing, "It's been a while since I've moved this much. My bones feel rusty!"

The old man sat cross-legged on the tatami, waved his hand at the Anbu, and then turned his gaze to Qing Xuan and Itachi, his eyes filled with affection and warmth.

"These two children are both very outstanding!"

Fugaku's somber expression finally softened. The Three Tomoe in his pupils slowly faded, and he said in a low voice, "You praise them too highly. I will definitely educate these unruly brats properly when we return to the clan!"

The Third Hokage smiled as he smoked, "No need to be so formal. I called you here mainly for Qing Xuan's matter. I was a bit bored waiting, so I took the opportunity to guide their training."

"Qing Xuan?"

Fugaku's brow furrowed again, and then he heard the shocking news.

"This child's strength is now comparable to a Chunin. The Ninja Academy can no longer teach him anything more, so I want him to stay by my side for meticulous guidance and train him to be an even more outstanding ninja."

Today was perhaps the day Fugaku's emotions fluctuated the most. He looked at the Third Hokage in disbelief and asked in surprise, "You want to take him as your disciple?"

The Third Hokage blinked and turned his gaze to Qing Xuan. "What? Didn't he tell you yesterday?"

Fugaku: ...

He suddenly remembered Qing Xuan asking him at the dinner table yesterday if he wanted to know what he talked about with the Third Hokage, and he had refused...

Thinking of this, he looked at that little rascal again with utter speechlessness! Couldn't you have just told me something as important as being taken as a disciple by the Third Hokage!

Night fell.

The Hidden Leaf Village was bathed in a soft moonlight, as if draped in a silver veil. The Naka River, illuminated by the moonlight, flowed quietly along the village's edge like a winding silver ribbon. The water was crystal clear, and the moonlight scattered on its surface, creating shimmering ripples that looked like countless tiny stars twinkling in the water.

On both sides of the riverbank, lush trees swayed gently in the night breeze, their leaves rustling as if whispering ancient stories. Occasionally, a few leaves drifted down with the wind, landing softly on the water's surface and slowly floating away with the current, like tiny boats carrying the tranquility and tenderness of the night.

It wound its way through the entire village, flowing towards the vicinity of the cliff where Itachi and Shisui sat, and then slowly disappeared into the shadows under the moonlight.

"That's a gathering for the adults..."

The night breeze rippled the river's surface and then blew straight upwards, causing the straps of Shisui's forehead protector to flutter behind his head.

Shisui stood up from the rock at the top of the cliff, gazing into the distance, and said, "Generally, only clan members who have reached the Chunin level are qualified to participate."

He turned his head to look at Itachi, who was listening silently, and continued in a gentle tone:

"And I, now meet the requirements."

"A gathering?"

"They hold meetings regularly at Naka Shrine."

Itachi didn't understand what Shisui was talking about. He just wanted to ask where their father had taken Qing Xuan after dinner.

Seeing Itachi's confusion, Shisui lowered his gaze.

"Just now, the clan head suddenly announced that a gathering would be held."

After Shisui finished speaking, his expression grew serious.

Itachi, still feeling uneasy, stared at Shisui, and then he heard his voice carried on the cold night wind.

"But today is not a scheduled day for the gathering. Do you know what that means, Itachi?"