The Mission Begins

"As for your Sharingan, I'll look through the clan's records again and see if there's any way to solve the problem," Uchiha Fugaku said with a frown.

Compared to Yusuke himself, Uchiha Fugaku was now more concerned about his inability to awaken the Sharingan.

In Uchiha Fugaku's view, without the Sharingan, Yusuke's future achievements would inevitably be limited.

Uchiha Fugaku no longer harbored any jealousy toward the talented. The clan was already on the brink of collapse, and his duty was to do everything he could to strengthen its members.

"Then I'll leave it to you. I'll start guiding Itachi right away, over the next couple of days, and lay a foundation for him. In three days, I'll be heading out on a mission. It'll probably take quite a while," Yusuke said.

"A mission in three days? Are you going with Danzo to negotiate in Amegakure?" Uchiha Fugaku's already furrowed brows drew together until they looked like the character for "river."

Yusuke nodded. "That's right. It's that mission. I'll be representing the Third Hokage and supervising Danzo's negotiations."

Uchiha Fugaku's expression turned grave. "Then you'll have to be careful. Danzo is a ruthless man, and he's deeply prejudiced against the Uchiha Clan. I think he might use this opportunity to get rid of you."

"But why would the Third Hokage send you? Does he want to use this chance to get rid of you too, and suppress the Uchiha Clan?" Uchiha Fugaku muttered to himself. The slight lift in his spirits after talking with Yusuke immediately faded.

Looking at Uchiha Fugaku, who was exhausting himself worrying over the clan, Yusuke sighed inwardly. Not wanting to bother him any longer, he rose to take his leave. "I've taken up enough of your time today, Clan Head. If there's nothing else, I'll be going."

Uchiha Fugaku came back to himself and nodded. "All right. Make sure you prepare over the next few days, and don't let Danzo catch you off guard on this mission."

Yusuke replied, gave a few instructions to Itachi, his newly accepted student, and then left Uchiha Fugaku's residence.

Early the next morning, Yusuke brought Kabuto and Izumi to a training ground in the Uchiha Clan's compound.

Yusuke had requested this training ground from Uchiha Fugaku. From then on, it would be used specifically for training his students. Of course, Kabuto and Izumi were benefiting from Itachi's presence.

Izumi wasn't technically Yusuke's student, but after thinking it over, he decided she was old enough to train. Teaching two was no different from teaching three, so he simply brought Izumi along as well.

"Itachi, why are you here so early?" Yusuke asked with a smile when he saw Itachi doing some basic exercises on the training ground.

"I'm not used to keeping people waiting, so I usually arrive a little before the agreed time. I'm not really that early," Itachi replied respectfully.

Seeing Itachi's impeccable manners, like a little adult, Yusuke walked over and ruffled his hair with a smile. "You're too stiff."

"Itachi! It's you!" Izumi exclaimed excitedly from beside Yusuke.

Today, Izumi wore a purple outfit with short sleeves and shorts. Her long, silky hair was tied into a ponytail with a red ribbon.

"Who are you?" Itachi asked, puzzled. The girl in front of him was very cute and seemed a little familiar, as if they had met somewhere before.

The delighted expression on Izumi's face immediately fell. "I'm Uchiha Izumi, your classmate! You don't recognize me?"

Itachi was embarrassed too. "I'm sorry. That was rude of me."

Itachi was so polite that Izumi didn't know what to do. She waved both hands quickly. "Don't apologize, don't apologize. We'll be training together from now on, so we're all friends." As she spoke, her cheeks turned slightly red.

Seeing Izumi, who was usually so outgoing, act bashful, Yusuke's eyebrows rose involuntarily. A worry crossed his mind. Izumi's acting strange. Does she have a crush on Itachi? That can't be good.

Yusuke had to admit that Itachi had a lot going for him. He was handsome and talented, and he was the son of the Uchiha Clan's head. In every way, he was appealing to girls.

Still, Yusuke didn't want his little sister to get involved with Itachi. After all, he knew Itachi wasn't interested in women. He was interested in his little brother!

I'll have to keep an eye on things so Izumi doesn't get dazzled by Itachi's good looks.

Itachi and Kabuto introduced themselves to each other. Once all three children had met, Yusuke officially began their lessons.

For novice ninja, the most important thing wasn't flashy ninjutsu, but the fundamentals.

So Yusuke explained his improved training methods for developing chakra control and taijutsu skills. The children were all clever, and they quickly grasped what he taught them before getting started.

Yusuke trained with the three children for two days, quietly observing them as they practiced. Each of them performed about as he had expected.

Itachi was undoubtedly the most talented. His chakra control and taijutsu skills were both outstanding.

Kabuto wasn't as good at taijutsu as Itachi, but his chakra control was no worse.

As for his precious little sister, Izumi, she was clearly behind the other two. Even so, she was quite good compared to ordinary people.

On the evening of the second day, Yusuke called the three children over after they had finished training, drenched in sweat.

"You've all done very well. I've been watching you train these past two days, and I'm very pleased with your performance," Yusuke said with a smile.

"Kabuto, your chakra control is excellent. I plan to focus on developing your ninjutsu. Of course, you can't neglect taijutsu either. Taijutsu should never be a weakness for a powerful ninja."

Yusuke also held a hope for Kabuto: that he could raise him to become a scientific mind in the Ninja World who surpassed Orochimaru.

"Itachi, you're talented in every area, a well-rounded ninja. I'll hold you to even higher standards across the board."

Yusuke knew that Itachi, who was practically a six-sided warrior, still had one weakness: his chakra reserves. As his teacher, Yusuke would have to think of a way to help him later.

"What about me? What about me?" Izumi asked, looking expectant as she tugged at Yusuke after he had assessed Kabuto and Itachi but hadn't said anything about her.

"You? I'll focus on teaching you defensive, medical, and escape techniques from now on, so you won't have me worrying," Yusuke said with a smile, patting Izumi on the head.

"What? Am I really that weak?" Izumi protested.

"Teacher, don't worry. I'll protect Izumi from now on," Kabuto said earnestly, pushing up his glasses.

"That's right. I'll do my best to protect Izumi too," Itachi said solemnly.

After training together for the past two days, the three children had gotten along very well. They were clearly already close.

Since Kabuto was two years older than Itachi and Izumi, he thought of himself as their older brother and was always considerate of them.

Although Itachi was younger than Kabuto, he was very mature for his age and quietly looked after Kabuto and Izumi.

Izumi wasn't as mature as the other two, of course, but she was kindhearted, lively, and adorable, so she was easy to get along with.

Raising a new Sannin sounds pretty rewarding too! Yusuke thought as he watched the three small figures beneath the setting sun, stroking his chin.

Izumi wasn't nearly as talented as Itachi and Kabuto, but she was still pretty good. With Itachi and Kabuto looking out for her in the future, she could take it easy.

After training ended that day, Itachi returned home. Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Mikoto were waiting to have dinner with him.

"Itachi, you've been training all day. You must be tired. Come eat," Uchiha Mikoto said with a smile. Her belly had grown even bigger, and it was clear the baby she was carrying would be born soon.

"How has your training been these past two days? Yusuke became a jonin at such a young age and has the strength he does now. I doubt it's only because of his talent; he must also have very effective training methods. Make sure you learn from him, understand?" Uchiha Fugaku said slowly as he poured himself a glass of sake.

"You're right. Teacher's training methods are very effective. Even though I've only trained for two days, I feel like I've made a lot of progress," Itachi said seriously as he sat down cross-legged.

"I'm curious about Itachi's teacher too. I heard he's only fourteen or fifteen. What kind of person is he?" Uchiha Mikoto asked.

"He's a bit of a contrarian."

"He's not what he seems."

Uchiha Fugaku and Itachi spoke at the same time. "Contrarian" was Uchiha Fugaku's description, while Itachi called him "not what he seems."

Uchiha Mikoto covered her mouth and laughed. "What do you mean by that? I don't understand."

Uchiha Fugaku poured himself another glass of sake and downed it in one go. "That kid clearly cares about the clan, yet he acts as though he couldn't care less about its members. He's so arrogant. Doesn't that make him a contrarian?"

Uchiha Fugaku seemed to be in a good mood today, and he also appeared to have had quite a bit to drink. He wasn't as stern and reserved as usual.

When his mother turned to him with interest, Itachi replied calmly, "Teacher seems cold and distant, but I can tell he's actually a warmhearted person."

Itachi had originally wanted to describe him as "cold on the outside, warm on the inside," but since he was in a good mood, he decided to make a rare joke.

While Yusuke was being described as both a "contrarian" and "not what he seems," he was at home rummaging through everything.

After searching for a long time, Yusuke finally found a thick scroll in a dusty cabinet and handed it to Kabuto.

Kabuto carefully accepted the scroll and softly read its title: "Twenty-One Days Ninjutsu from Beginner to Master?"

"Right. It's a ninjutsu primer I put together with great care! While I'm away, besides practicing chakra control and taijutsu, you'll need to study it diligently in your spare time. I'll give you a thorough test when I get back," Yusuke said.

Kabuto nodded earnestly. "Teacher, don't worry. I won't let you down!"

After Kabuto left Yusuke's room with the scroll, Yusuke gazed out at the bright moon hanging high in the night sky. His heart was strangely unsettled.

Yusuke had a vague feeling that something major would happen on this mission to Amegakure.

Early the next morning, Yusuke arrived at the village entrance on time to join the delegation led by Danzo, which was heading to Amegakure. Everyone else had already gathered, except Danzo himself.

Yusuke didn't have to wait long before Danzo appeared with two trusted subordinates.

Danzo wore a half-black, half-white kimono. Bandages tightly covered his face, including his right eye, as well as the exposed part of his chest. An X-shaped scar marked his chin.

Danzo swept his gloomy gaze over the assembled ninja. Most of them lowered their heads, afraid to meet his eyes.

When Danzo's gaze fell on Yusuke, Yusuke sensed a faint killing intent. He immediately looked toward its source, and his eyes met Danzo's.

At the sight of Yusuke's calm gaze, Danzo looked away, turned toward Amegakure, and loudly ordered, "Move out!"