Because He Was Weak

"Hokage, please, please take good care of my two younger brothers. I'm begging you." Itachi knelt on one knee and pleaded.

The Third Hokage said nothing as he smoked, his back to Itachi, his expression terribly conflicted.

"Itachi, I will. Don't worry."

Hearing that, Itachi continued.

"I'll go undercover in the Akatsuki Organization. Please rest assured, Third Hokage."

The Third Hokage nodded.

Only then did Itachi leave with peace of mind.

On the other side,

Kakashi, dressed in Anbu gear, arrived at Josuke's home and saw two bodies on the ground.

The male's eyes were already gone.

He stepped over the corpses, reached Josuke, hoisted him up, and carried him away. On a nearby rooftop, a crow watched them intently.

Meanwhile, one of Danzo's subordinates carried the unconscious Sasuke.

Danzo seemed lost in thought.

At that moment, a subordinate nearby suddenly fixed his gaze on Danzo.

"Danzo, if you dare hurt my younger brother, I'll expose Konoha's shame for all to see!"

With that, he dissolved into a flock of crows.

Not far away, Itachi removed his Forehead Protector and gave it one last caress. Then he drew his Kunai across it, splitting Konoha's symbol in two. It was also a sign that Itachi had become a Rogue Ninja.

And so Itachi left Konoha, living out his life in pain...

The massacre of the renowned Uchiha Clan by its own clan leader's eldest son, Uchiha Itachi, sent shockwaves through Konoha. Itachi was classified by Konoha as an S-rank Rogue Ninja.

A few days later,

inside Konoha Hospital,

Josuke, who had been unconscious, jolted awake and gasped for air.

"Itachi...!"

His heart was filled with such grief—for his beloved older brother... for his parents.

Josuke clutched his chest. Though he knew it had been inevitable, he still felt so powerless.

Wasn't it all because he was too weak?

Josuke gripped the bedsheet tightly, and the Sharingan awakened in his eyes.

Suddenly, everything around him seemed much clearer, but the Chakra inside him was steadily being depleted.

"Big brother..."

The voice pulled Josuke back from his rage.

Josuke turned and saw Sasuke beside him.

Sasuke seemed to have grown up a lot. The innocence on his face had been replaced by hatred.

Josuke felt a bitter ache in his heart.

"Father, Mother..."

At the mention of their parents, Sasuke flew into a rage.

"It's all because of that man! He deserves to die!"

"I swear I'll kill him! I'll avenge our parents!"

Josuke said nothing more and simply listened in silence.

A few days later, the two of them were discharged.

When they returned home, the blood had been washed away.

The traces of the fight had also been cleaned up, as if nothing had ever happened. But when they opened the door, they would never again hear their mother Mikoto's caring voice...

There was no longer any sound of the clan children playing outside, either.

The house was filled with desolation.

Just then, an Anbu Ninja who had been waiting for a long time appeared in a flicker.

He handed each of them a wallet.

"This is your living allowance for one month: ten thousand ryo each. There won't be any more. Konoha has temporarily taken over the Uchiha assets. When you're adults, go to the Hokage to claim them."

After speaking, the Anbu Ninja vanished with the Body Flicker Technique.

Once again, only the two of them and the silent house remained.

Josuke took the money

and returned to his room.

...(People always have to look ahead. They have to face life.)

Josuke and Sasuke returned to class.

Compared with how lively he had been before, Josuke now seemed to have lost his soul, looking dejected day after day.

He finally understood how Sasuke felt. He knew the story, and yet things had still turned out this way. And his younger brother had to grow up consumed by revenge, living in pain...

"Josuke... are you okay?"

Ino had seen Josuke looking downcast all week and gave him a concerned look.

Josuke smiled faintly.

"Yeah, I'm fine, Ino..."

He stopped before he could finish, no longer wanting to say anything.

Josuke had already mastered the Single Tomoe Sharingan. It was pretty useless for now, but at least it was better than nothing, right?

Josuke and Sasuke weren't like they used to be, either. Once they got home, they each trained on their own. Since Konoha had confiscated the Uchiha Clan's forbidden techniques and advanced scrolls,

Josuke could only learn C-rank Ninjutsu for the time being.

But what he hadn't expected was that a thoughtless act of his a few days earlier would bring him an unexpected reward.

After school one day,

"Josuke! Josuke!!! Wait for me!"

Josuke, who had been about to go home and practice Chakra Extraction, turned around.

Rock Lee was calling out to him anxiously.

Josuke asked in confusion,

"What's wrong, Rock Lee?"

Rock Lee came up beside Josuke and leaned close to his ear. "My teacher wants to meet you!"

Only then did Josuke remember the boast they had both made at the start of the school year.

He hadn't expected Rock Lee to remember it all this time.

Rock Lee went on,

"My teacher was away on a mission recently and only just got back to the village. The day before yesterday, I went to see him and told him about you. He got so excited that he immediately told me to bring you over!"

Josuke felt touched. As expected of my guy Lee.

Without wasting any time, Josuke nodded and went with Rock Lee to the Konoha Ninja Training Ground.

A man in a Konoha flak jacket with a mushroom-shaped haircut had been waiting there for quite some time!

Seeing his teacher, Rock Lee shouted excitedly,

"Teacher, we're here! Let's burn with the fire of youth together today, too!!!!!"

So intense!

The man turned around and saw Josuke, who had come with Rock Lee.

He noticed the Uchiha emblem, but didn't think much of it.

With a confident smile, he did a backflip and landed in front of them.

Rock Lee looked absolutely starstruck!

The man pointed to himself and introduced himself.

"Young man, I am Konoha's Blue Beast! I am Might Guy, Taijutsu Ninja!"

After speaking, he gave Josuke a thumbs-up.

It was Josuke's first time meeting Emperor Gai in person, and he was thrilled.

So this was the Guy who had nearly kicked the story to its finale with one blow? He really was bursting with youth.

Josuke looked at Might Guy and said, "Teacher, Rock Lee introduced me to you. He said you were really strong."

After saying that, Josuke glanced toward Rock Lee, making him blush with embarrassment.

Might Guy grinned.

"Young man, what I teach demands hard work and perseverance. It's not easy. If you want to gain anything, you have to stick with it!"

"Rock Lee has only learned the basics so far. Can you persevere?"

Josuke nodded.

"I want to learn from you so I can protect the people I care about. Maybe I won't be able to learn everything from you the way Rock Lee does, but I hope I can grasp even a little of its essence and use it alongside my other Ninjutsu and Taijutsu."

Hearing Josuke's words, Might Guy suddenly saw the shadow of his father in him.

As a Konoha Elite Jonin, Might Guy knew Josuke's background. But if someone wanted to learn the Eight Inner Gates, he would be happy to teach them, even if they couldn't reach the final gate like he had.

At least they would accomplish something, wouldn't they?