Orochimaru's Invitation

"Orochimaru-sama, what is the meaning of this?" Yusuke said coldly, staring at the sudden attack.

Yusuke didn't believe Orochimaru would turn on him here. After all, his own strength was no weaker than the other's now, and fighting him served no purpose.

At this point, Orochimaru ceased his assault, performing a live sword-swallowing trick as he re-sheathed the Kusanagi Sword back into his stomach.

"Yusuke-kun, that's the Nine-Tails' half of the Yin Release Chakra sealed inside your curse mark, isn't it?"

"I went to see the Fourth's son. The Eight Trigrams Sealing Style on his stomach only holds half of the Nine-Tails' Yang Release Chakra."

"I'm quite curious—on the night of the Nine-Tails Incident, how did you manage to get your hands on half of the Nine-Tails' Yin Release Chakra from under the Fourth and his wife?"

Orochimaru stared intently at the Yin-Yang Cursed Seal on Yusuke's left chest, asking with keen interest.

Now that the Yin-Yang Cursed Seal had sealed the Nine-Tails, its pattern had become very clear, unlike the dim state it had when first formed.

Seeing that his secret had been discovered by Orochimaru, Yusuke said slowly, "Just a stroke of luck. You're not planning to tell the Third Hokage about this, are you?"

Orochimaru laughed, his hoarse voice grating on the ears.

"Orochimaru-sama, please keep your voice down. Your experiments have been making too much noise lately, and I don't want anyone finding out I have close dealings with you right now," Yusuke said flatly.

Stopping his eerie laughter, Orochimaru looked at Yusuke and said, "Yusuke-kun, this place isn't fit for people like us!"

"That so-called Will of Fire, those bonds—how many talented people have they shackled?"

"Leave the village with me. I already have a very suitable base. I believe that if we combine our efforts to develop forbidden techniques, we can surely transcend the realm of ordinary shinobi and reach the extraordinary!"

As he spoke, Orochimaru spread his arms wide, as if envisioning the future.

"Of course, rest assured. With your strength and talent, you won't be my subordinate. Our status will be completely equal!"

Orochimaru looked at Yusuke with sincere eyes, waiting for his answer.

"Sorry, I have no intention of leaving the village," Yusuke replied without hesitation, rejecting Orochimaru's proposal outright.

Yusuke had never expected that Orochimaru's purpose in seeking him out was to invite him to defect from the village together.

Though Orochimaru's invitation was sincere, premised on equal standing, Yusuke still had too many people in the village he couldn't bear to leave behind. He couldn't just walk away.

Hearing Yusuke's answer, Orochimaru looked deeply disappointed. "Yusuke-kun, so you too cannot escape the entanglements of the mundane world?"

"At this rate, your strength may stop here."

"A person's capacity determines the heights they can reach!"

With these words, Orochimaru's body gradually turned into an illusion, slowly fading into the air.

"Yusuke-kun, I'll be staying in Konoha for a while longer. If you change your mind, it's not too late!"

Yusuke watched the spot where Orochimaru had vanished, shook his head, and turned to walk slowly toward the Uchiha Clan compound.

"If I had no bonds at all, maybe I really would have cooperated with Orochimaru, pursuing pure power?" Yusuke thought to himself.

Three months passed in the blink of an eye.

After Yusuke defeated Shisui in their earlier match, his reputation within the Uchiha Clan reached its peak. After all, the ninja world was one where strength spoke. Many clan members who had previously held grudges against Yusuke now treated him with respect.

At the same time, the title "Flame Tachi" became known to everyone in Konoha. Many had watched the fight with Shisui, and Yusuke's strength was spoken of as almost mythical.

Shisui, whom Yusuke had defeated, also saw his fame grow rather than diminish. In that match, Shisui had displayed power near the Kage level. Though defeated by Yusuke, no one regarded him as weak.

With two great experts—Flame Tachi and Body Flicker Shisui—guarding the Uchiha Clan, their declining prestige had recovered somewhat in recent years. But it also put the other ninja clans on high alert.

During this period, nothing major happened in Konoha. The villagers were busy rebuilding the village.

The only notable news was that Jiraiya, one of the Sannin, had returned to the village to take charge, which greatly reassured the villagers still reeling from the Nine-Tails disaster.

At Konoha Hospital, in the ward of the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato.

Jiraiya looked at his disciple lying unconscious in bed, filled with self-blame.

"If only I had been in the village then, Minato wouldn't have had to bear so much pressure and end up like this," Jiraiya sighed.

"Jiraiya-sama, this isn't your fault. No one could have predicted the Nine-Tails would suddenly attack the village," Kakashi said, trying to comfort him from beside Jiraiya.

"I hope we can find Tsunade soon. If she were here, she could definitely wake Minato. Once Minato regains consciousness, we'll know what really happened that night."

Hearing Jiraiya's words, Kakashi frowned. "You mean there's more to what happened that night?"

Jiraiya nodded firmly. "Exactly!"

"With Minato and Kushina's strength, there's no way they couldn't handle a single Nine-Tails. This isn't that simple!" Jiraiya analyzed with a serious expression.

After they finished discussing Minato's condition, Kakashi asked, "By the way, Jiraiya-sama, the Fourth's child—the Third Hokage had him sent to the orphanage for now. Will you go see him?"

"Naruto?" Jiraiya's lips curled slightly. "Of course I'll go see him. Let's head out now."

"Hm? Is this book yours, Jiraiya-sama?"

Just as they were about to leave, Kakashi noticed a pink-covered book on the cabinet beside the Fourth's bed.

Jiraiya grinned proudly. "This book is my own creation! I've just finished the first volume! I'll give this one to you. I'm sure, as a real man, you'll love it!"

Kakashi thanked him and picked up the book to look at it. The words "Icha Icha Paradise" on the cover caught his eye.

"It looks like a book full of warmth!" Kakashi thought to himself, tucking the book into his ninja vest.

"By the way, Lord Jiraiya, there are some training matters I'd like to ask you about. It concerns my Sharingan."

"Alright, let's talk as we walk."

Not long after Jiraiya returned to the village, the new term at the Ninja Academy began. Both Izumi and Itachi had reached the age to enroll.

Although Kabuto was two years older than them, Yusuke had him register as well, planning to have him apply for early graduation later. That way, he could officially become a genin through the village's standard process.

On the first day of school, a crowd gathered at the Ninja Academy gate. Besides the new students, there were many parents accompanying them.

Since Izumi and Itachi were entering in the same year, Yusuke, Uchiha Hazuki, and Uchiha Fugaku and his wife all came to the scene.

Watching Izumi standing among a group of children, Yusuke couldn't help but sigh. "Little Izumi is slowly growing up, huh."

Uchiha Hazuki, standing beside Yusuke, chuckled. "You child, looking at your sister like a doting father watching his daughter."

Though Yusuke was only fifteen now, he was a reincarnator, and his actual mental age was even older than his current mother, Uchiha Hazuki.

Hadn't he been doting on Izumi like a father spoiling his daughter all these years?

Yusuke smiled. "As they say, the eldest brother is like a father. What's so strange about that?"

At the entrance ceremony, the Third Hokage personally gave a speech, recounting Konoha's history and the glorious deeds of the previous Hokages, with a strong emphasis on the Will of Fire. Once the Third finished, the ceremony concluded.

The new students officially began their most basic ninja training, while the parents gradually left the academy.

Six months after Izumi, Itachi, and Kabuto enrolled, all three applied for early graduation. Having trained with Yusuke for some time, they had already met the requirements.

Izumi and Kabuto stayed by Yusuke's side to continue training. Yusuke wasn't comfortable letting Izumi go out on missions, and Kabuto was his most capable assistant in jutsu development—young as he was, he could already provide considerable help.

As for Itachi, he wanted to gain practical experience through missions, so he joined a standard four-man genin team.

The team's captain was jonin Mizunuki Yuki. Besides Itachi, the team included two genin two years his senior, Izumo Tenma and Inari Shinji.

Itachi carried out many missions with this team. Though he didn't fit in at first, as the number and difficulty of missions increased, his coordination with the other three members grew smoother, and they became friends.

But the good times didn't last. During a escort mission, Itachi's team was attacked by a mysterious figure. The captain, Mizunuki Yuki, and genin Izumo Tenma were killed, while genin Inari Shinji was gravely wounded.

The mysterious figure seemed to have no intention of harming Itachi; he only suffered minor injuries in the battle. However, the deaths of his captain and teammates shocked Itachi's spirit, awakening his Sharingan.

Standing before the graves of his captain and teammates, Itachi once again pondered the meaning of life.

When he returned to the clan after the failed mission, his father showed no concern for his fallen comrades, only praising him for awakening the Sharingan at such a young age.

At that moment, Itachi felt nothing but deep gloom in his heart.

"Itachi, I didn't expect you'd have to face the grief of a comrade's death at your age."

With a sigh, a voice sounded behind Itachi.

Hearing that familiar voice, Itachi turned to look at the speaker.

"Teacher, why are you here?"

Yusuke stepped forward, ruffled Itachi's hair, and smiled. "You're a good kid in every way, but you're too sentimental and think too much."

"Teacher, have you ever lost comrades on the battlefield?" Itachi looked up at Yusuke.

"Of course. In the Third Great Ninja War, I saw too much of it. When you go numb, it doesn't even affect you anymore." Yusuke's gaze drifted into the distance, as if reminiscing about the past.

Yusuke comforted him. "Being sentimental is useless. Cherish the people in front of you, and strive to make yourself stronger. Only then will you have the power to change fate."

Hearing Yusuke's words, Itachi was silent for a long time. Then he suddenly asked, "Teacher, what do you think is more important—the village or the clan?"

"I thought you'd keep that question bottled up forever."

Yusuke smiled, found a stone step nearby, and sat down. He beckoned Itachi to sit beside him.

"So, Itachi, which do you think is more important?"

Itachi hesitated for a moment before answering. "In my view, the village should be more important."

Yusuke wasn't surprised by Itachi's answer. In the original story, Itachi had chosen to destroy his own clan for the sake of the village.

"If one day the village and the clan come into a severe, irreconcilable conflict, would you sacrifice the entire clan for the village?"

Hearing Yusuke's question, Itachi froze. He himself didn't know what choice he would make at that time.

Patting Itachi's shoulder, Yusuke asked with a smile, "Have you heard of the 'Trolley Problem'?"

"The Trolley Problem?"

As usual, thanks for everyone's support!! There are still 33 days until the author starts double updates!

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I've noticed quite a few readers really dislike the word "wry smile"... Yesterday, while wryly smiling, I went and revised all the places where the protagonist wryly smiled...

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