Itachi's Graduation Ceremony

Hokage's lounge.

The atmosphere grew heavier.

"No! Root is the best fit for him! Only Root."

Even the usually calm Danzo became agitated, unafraid of the Third Hokage's pressure.

"But six years ago, when he was surrounded by tens of thousands of ninja, he chose to cover the retreat of the young ninja! Isn't that character enough proof?"

Faced with the Third Hokage's questioning, Danzo grew even angrier. He furiously pointed his cane at the Third Hokage, "Isn't all of this your fault? It's all because you kept instilling that so-called Will of Fire in him! Hiruzen, it's because of your weakness that he made the wrong judgment! It was just a few genin, if it weren't for them, with his strength, even tens of thousands of Stone ninja couldn't have stopped him!"

He roared, "Hiruzen! You must take all the responsibility! If he were still alive, my current position would be his!"

The Third Hokage scoffed at this, coldly snorting, "He will achieve greater things! You should know that the Third Raikage also chose to cover the retreat at that time. This is enough to show that even if he remains in the darkness, he still has the qualities to become a Kage!"

"No! Hiruzen, you're wrong!"

"Hiruzen, you will regret this!"

"Danzo, I am the Hokage!"

"Bang!"

"My child, how can you eat so much? Aren't you going to the Uchiha Compound for lunch later?"

On the bustling street, Nawaki pried open his nearly empty wallet and looked at Qing Xuan with a pained expression, lamenting that his living expenses for the month were almost insufficient...

Meanwhile, Qing Xuan, carrying bags of snacks, stood at the intersection waiting for his uncle, who had become completely dejected, complaining, "Why do young people have no spirit? You sigh even when buying a few snacks for your nephew. Have you squandered the Senju Clan's century-old foundation?"

At these words, Nawaki became even more dejected. A century-old foundation? It was long gone! Last month, someone even came to Konoha to collect debts...

As for the culprit behind all this, Nawaki didn't want to say it. He didn't want Qing Xuan to bear pressure that didn't belong to him at such a young age.

He could only try his best to remind Qing Xuan, "If a woman comes looking for you later and wants to take you away to live, absolutely do not agree."

Qing Xuan was stunned for a moment and asked, "Why?"

"Because if you agree, you will live a life of wandering, and your entire life will be ruined!"

Seeing Nawaki's pained expression, Qing Xuan couldn't help but swallow. Then, he suddenly realized something was wrong.

He looked at the huge building in front of him with the giant "Fire" character on it, then turned to look at his uncle beside him, his face filled with confusion, "Huh? Why are we back again?"

After circling around the street, they had returned to the front of the Hokage building.

Nawaki lazily rolled his eyes in a Kakashi-esque manner. The sunlight filtering through the leaves shone on him, making him look even more like a salted fish.

He pointed his finger at the building less than a hundred meters from the Hokage building. The roof was covered with special tiles that gleamed in the sunlight.

"The Uchiha Compound is too far, I don't have time to take you. Let's go! Judging by the time, it should be about right!"

Qing Xuan, carrying a pile of snacks, trotted to catch up, complaining, "You're really irresponsible. You're just going to hand me over to someone else like this?"

Nawaki walked ahead, laughing heartily, "They're not exactly 'someone else' to you."

He seemed very happy, perhaps because he was finally getting rid of this brat.

Meanwhile.

"Although the war has ended, the world is still not peaceful. The tragic events of two years ago still cause suffering to many people! Today, we will take our first step as ninja. Our beliefs are firm, and even if the road ahead is arduous, ninja will still bravely move forward..."

After Itachi finished reading the speech aloud, he slowly rolled up the scroll.

From today onwards, his student life had come to an end.

The fact that he was chosen to give a speech as a representative of the graduating class seemed to have caused considerable controversy among the teachers. A group primarily composed of teachers with blood ties to the Senju Clan did not support this decision.

Their reason was that he was only seven years old, and standing before the other graduates made him appear too young.

However, the Uchiha dismissed this, believing it to be discrimination against the Uchiha. In the face of Itachi's overwhelming strength and achievements that completely surpassed everyone else, these factors were simply unimportant.

The two sides were unyielding on this matter, even erupting into small-scale conflicts.

Fortunately, everything was resolved yesterday afternoon. Itachi heard about it from his father; it was said that someone with great prestige in the Senju Clan had stepped forward to mediate.

Cherry blossoms danced in the schoolyard as Itachi walked straight through the campus.

At this moment, two figures appeared before him.

It was his mother, who greeted him with a gentle smile, and his younger brother, who had recently become extremely fond of walking.

He didn't see his father there. According to yesterday's agreement, he was supposed to come today, but perhaps he was delayed by an urgent matter.

He thought to himself.

Among the passing crowd, the little Sasuke spotted his brother, his big round eyes widening.

"Gah!"

Sasuke called out in a clear voice, and then Itachi saw his brother happily calling out to him and walking towards them with wobbly steps.

Uchiha Mikoto followed closely behind, gently supporting his back with her hand.

"That's dangerous, Sasuke."

Itachi said to Sasuke in a gentle tone.

Suddenly, Sasuke vanished from Itachi's field of vision.

Someone stood in front of Itachi, blocking his sight.

It was a man...

A dim man. It was impossible to say where he was dim, but somehow, everything about this man was dim.

"Are you Uchiha Itachi?"

The man looked down at Itachi and asked, his tone carrying a hint of the annoyance from a recent argument?

His right face was wrapped in bandages, and he wore black clothes that didn't cover his left shoulder and arm, revealing the white clothing underneath.

He stared intently at Itachi with his left eye.

"I see..."

The man, enveloped in an ominous aura, looked at Itachi, who met his gaze head-on. Behind the man, his mother held onto Sasuke's shoulder as he stumbled towards them.

"You have a fierce look."

"Fierce?"

"It's a look that invites turmoil. Your wrinkles are like that."

After speaking, the man pointed to the two tear troughs running from Itachi's brow to his cheek.

"Your life will often be accompanied by turmoil."

These words fell like a drop of dirt onto a clear sky...

Who exactly was this man?

"The genius since the founding of the Ninja Academy, I have something I want to ask you."

Itachi said nothing, waiting for the man to continue.

"On a sinking ship carrying ten of your countrymen, one of them has contracted a deadly infectious disease. If he is allowed to live, the other nine will eventually fall ill and die. If you were the captain of this ship, what would you decide?"

"If it were me, I would first tell my first mate everything, explain the risks and benefits, and then clearly state that I would not abandon this crew member!"

Just as Itachi was about to give his answer, another voice had already responded.

Beside the man, another figure had appeared at some point. He had his back to them, rummaging through a pile of snacks in his arms before taking out a skewer of dumplings and offering it to a giggling little Sasuke.

"Danzo-sama."

The person turned around, saying, "Are you satisfied with my answer?"

Itachi was astonished to discover that this person was himself!