Konoha Ninja Academy.
"Uchiha Qing Xuan?"
Danzo's eyes flickered with scrutiny. Though Uchiha Qing Xuan looked exactly like Itachi, he was easy to tell apart.
His face lacked those two long, narrow tear-troughs.
"Then the other nine will fall ill and die one after another. In the end, not a single crew member on the ship will survive—not even you."
His low voice delivered the final answer. The chill in his words sent shivers down their spines.
"No."
Qing Xuan shook his head and met Danzo's gaze beneath the bandages covering his right eye. "Not one of the other nine crew members will die."
"Why?" Nawaki, who had come along, had heard the question too. Confused, he asked, "Are those nine immune to the poison?"
Qing Xuan never took his eyes off Danzo as he explained, "Because the first mate will kill the sick passenger. The ill person will die no matter what; that's their fate. Killing one to save nine—that's the only way to protect everyone's lives."
His voice was utterly calm, as if he were describing something perfectly ordinary.
"The first priority is to save the other nine. That's the first mate's duty! For the sake of the entire ship, he has to make the right decision."
Though he was answering Senju Nawaki's question, Danzo believed those words were meant for him.
"Then why don't you do it yourself?" Nawaki wasn't convinced. He voiced the question everyone else was wondering about, too.
Qing Xuan suddenly smiled.
The six-year-old boy smiled brightly in the sunlight, but his next words made everyone's heart skip a beat.
"As the spiritual leader of this ship, I can't have a single stain on my hands!"
Only then did he turn his gaze from Danzo to Itachi. "People shouldn't limit their vision to a broken ship. Rational thinking may help you make the best decision, but it can also narrow your perspective..."
Itachi pondered his words.
[Story character: Itachi Uchiha's mindset has changed. Reward: one Bronze Treasure Chest. Congratulations, host—you have obtained Advanced Sculpting!]
Danzo, meanwhile, fell into a deep silence.
Hiruzen had stubbornly insisted on protecting Uchiha Qing Xuan, so Danzo had turned his attention to Itachi Uchiha, another boy hailed as a genius. He hadn't expected to run into Uchiha Qing Xuan here.
Now that he'd heard the boy's answer, he finally understood why Hiruzen was so determined to take him as a student.
The sinking ship of Konoha and the sick Uchiha were the test he'd given Itachi. But Uchiha Qing Xuan had raised the question to an entirely different level—and even mocked him and Hiruzen right to his face.
If Liu Yun had been born for Root, then his son...
"You really are suited to be Hiruzen's student." Danzo fixed Qing Xuan with a heavy gaze, then turned and left.
Compared with the Liu Yun father and son, a genius like Itachi Uchiha was far too ordinary—utterly dull...
Qing Xuan watched Danzo's back until he disappeared into the crowd. Then he turned to his uncle's family of three, his gaze finally settling on Itachi again.
He gave him an innocent smile.
"Hello, big brother. Have you been doing well at Uncle's house these past few years?"
Itachi froze.
Looking at the boy, a little shorter than him but with a face much like his own, the clever Itachi suddenly remembered a rumor that had long circulated within the clan.
Could I really be Second Uncle's son?
"Qing Xuan, don't joke with Itachi like that."
A deep, steady voice rang out. Itachi turned and saw his father standing beside his mother, who was laughing so hard she could barely stand. His usually stern father looked a little annoyed.
"Sorry for the trouble." Fugaku Uchiha nodded solemnly to Nawaki, who had brought Qing Xuan there.
Nawaki lazily waved a hand, then ruffled Qing Xuan's black hair with a laugh. As Qing Xuan protested, Nawaki disappeared into the crowd.
"He's someone even the Uchiha respect."
Qing Xuan hugged his snacks and gazed into the crowd, lost in thought. A voice came from beside him. He turned and saw his uncle looking in the same direction.
"You can trust him as much as you trust your own clansmen."
"No."
Qing Xuan pursed his lips and retorted, "Compared to the Uchiha, Uncle Nawaki is more trustworthy."
Fugaku Uchiha finally got angry, but he couldn't do anything about his younger brother's son. He could only keep a stern face and say nothing.
Itachi watched, his eyes shining with renewed interest. He suddenly realized that his father's words could be challenged.
[Story character: Itachi Uchiha's mindset has changed. Reward: one Bronze Treasure Chest. Congratulations, host—you have obtained one Small Health Potion!]
The blazing sun shifted slightly in the sky, casting its warm light onto tender green buds. Early-spring flowers swayed in the breeze. Grass fluttered through the air, its earthy scent brushing past their faces, making little Sasuke itch and reach up to scratch himself again and again.
"Is it really this remote? We're already far from the village center, aren't we? The mighty Uchiha Clan, the mighty First Family of Konoha, lives in a shabby place this far out?"
After walking for ages, Qing Xuan finally complained as they reached the entrance to the clan grounds.
Several Uchiha at the gate glared at him.
"What are you looking at?"
Qing Xuan glared right back without an ounce of fear. "Do you know who my uncle is? The head of the Uchiha Clan! Don't mess with me, or you'll regret it!"
The Uchiha stood there, stunned. They couldn't understand what had gotten into Itachi, who was usually so reserved. It was like he'd become a different person.
Fugaku covered his face with a helpless look. He'd known this would happen. How could that rascal Liu Yun have a well-behaved child?
He'd been prepared ever since receiving the report. Now, it seemed he'd been right.
Itachi, meanwhile, stared at the boy who claimed to be his biological younger brother in amazement. Everything Qing Xuan did and said was new to him.
But unlike Qing Xuan, Itachi was quite pleased with the new clan grounds.
Although they were far from the village center, Naka Shrine, which was associated with the clan, was nearby. More importantly, since the area lay on the outskirts of the village, the natural surroundings were varied. There was no shortage of places to train; a short walk would take them beyond the village border, where rugged mountains and wilderness awaited.
He thought this would be a quiet, suitable place to raise his young brother.
"W-wait!"
At that moment, a girl came hurrying after them. She had clearly run with all her might; by the time she reached them, she was bent over, gasping for breath.
She had shoulder-length black hair and braced both hands on her knees. Her brows arched above long, upturned eyes, and her gaze was clear, though her face was now glistening with sweat.
"C-Clan Head."
She greeted Fugaku first, then explained.
"I-I heard Itachi graduated today, so... Huh? Why are there two Itachis?"
She stared blankly at Qing Xuan and Itachi, a hint of adorableness in her expression. "Is one a shadow clone? Which one is the real one?"
Then, under everyone's gaze, Qing Xuan stepped forward without a hint of shame, still clutching his snacks.
"Hello! I'm the real one. Whatever you need, just tell me!"
"Huh?"
Itachi stared at Qing Xuan in surprise. He couldn't understand why Qing Xuan was pretending to be him, but his father's words just then left him even more bewildered.
"Try to learn from Qing Xuan, Itachi."
Watching the two of them already chatting happily, Fugaku turned to his son and used the opportunity to say what he'd wanted to tell him for a long time.
"You're in too much of a hurry to become a ninja who can stand on his own."
He'd seen right through me...
Itachi's face suddenly felt warm.
"You take your ninjutsu studies so seriously that sometimes even I, your father, feel I should learn from you. But if you keep a string pulled too tight, it'll grow brittle. A little strain could make it snap."
Watching Qing Xuan make Izumi Uchiha giggle, Fugaku sighed wistfully before finishing, "More than your achievements, I hope you'll talk with friends your own age and learn a little about happiness."
[Story character: Itachi Uchiha's mindset has changed significantly. Reward: one Bronze Premium Treasure Chest. Congratulations, host—you have obtained one Premium Puppet!]
Qing Xuan, who had been chatting with Izumi Uchiha, froze.
Huh?
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