Is the Gap Already This Big?

"The exercise will last for two days and one night, and the destination is quite far for you all. Once you reach the designated location on the map, you will find the intelligence scrolls you each need."

"Within the allotted time, the team that brings their intelligence scroll back first will be the winners."

Standing in the crowd, Uchiha Yun watched as Itachi Uchiha stepped forward to collect the map, while a girl nearby named Shinko gave him a thumbs-up.

Are the bonds growing deeper?

Perhaps in a team like this, if nothing unexpected happens, he shouldn't fall into his old patterns.

"Big brother, who is that girl with the twin tails?"

Yun turned his head to look at Izumi and teased, "That must be a teammate from Itachi's genin squad. Aren't you overreacting a bit?"

At that moment, Itachi walked back, holding the scroll, and said indifferently, "Let's go. I will teach you some useful knowledge along the way. It should be of some use if you're willing to listen."

With that, he took the lead and walked out.

Standing behind Yun, Tokuma poked him and asked, "This guy has already become our team leader. What do you think? Any thoughts?"

Yun turned back and laughed, "Does Tokuma mean you want to graduate early too? To spend every day cleaning sewers, catching cats, and finding dogs?"

Tokuma sighed, shrugged, and countered, "We'll have to do those things sooner or later once we graduate and become genin anyway. Besides, the Byakugan doesn't necessarily have to be used for combat."

These words made Yun ponder for a moment. He patted Tokuma on the shoulder and said, "That's a good way of thinking. If everyone were like you, I suppose peace could last forever."

"What are you two still doing? Let's go!"

Izumi's voice called out from the distance.

Tokuma smiled, then lowered his voice and replied, "Sometimes fate is already set. If you can't resist it, you might as well try to enjoy it, isn't that right?"

The two walked side by side. Yun glanced at the forehead where Tokuma wore his headband.

"That thing... it's a form of protection for the weak, but for the strong, it's a shackle. If you can become strong enough, Tokuma, that thing will be nothing more than a trifle."

Yun's words made Tokuma stop in his tracks, but Yun did not wait for him.

Strong enough?

To what extent must one reach to ignore such things? How could that be possible?

"Bisect the angle between the twelve o'clock position and the hour hand, find the direction of that bisector, and then align it with the sun. At that point, the twelve o'clock direction is most likely south."

"There is plenty of food in the wild, but there is also a lot that is poisonous..."

Along the way, Itachi kept reciting the basic knowledge he had mastered, and Izumi, standing to the side, gave him face by clapping.

As for Yun and Tokuma, although they didn't clap, they made sure to note down anything they didn't already know.

It had to be said, just as in his memories, Uchiha Itachi was a ninja through and through.

He rattled off basic knowledge with ease; even Yun, who had been using Shadow Clone Technique to attend classes, was completely outclassed.

Soon, the first night of the exercise arrived. After setting up the tents, the four of them ate a little and rested.

Once Tokuma and Izumi were asleep, Itachi, who had been sitting up resting, opened his eyes and looked at Yun. With a subtle gesture, he walked out of the tent first.

"Something on your mind?"

"Danzo has ordered me to start monitoring the movements within the Uchiha Clan from today on."

Yun frowned slightly. Is that old dog already losing his patience?

In his memories, there should still be more than four years until the clan's annihilation. With the Fourth Hokage still alive, what could he be planning?

Seeing that he received no response for a long time, Itachi looked at Yun and asked, "Do you and Shisui have any plans lately?"

Yun looked at Itachi, smiled, and asked, "Are you acting as a double agent? Or do you want to join us?"

After the words fell, Itachi remained silent for a long time.

Join them?

"You should know very well how your Sharingan was awakened; the Uchiha Clan is extremely dangerous. And that Uchiha Shisui, his Sharingan is even superior to yours. How can you trust someone like that, someone who has experienced such pain?"

The words Danzo had spoken previously echoed in Itachi's ears.

But the methods Shisui and Yun had discussed—to help the Uchiha reintegrate into Konoha—kept resonating in Itachi's heart.

The clan, the village, and... his father, who had already died for the village.

Back then, his father, who had lost his life while helping the Fourth Hokage, must have also been striving for the Uchiha to reintegrate into Konoha, right?

If so...

Shisui, who had helped the Fourth Hokage alongside his father, was worthy of trust!

"I... want to be with you."

Yun was slightly surprised. After a moment of thought, he shook his head and said, "Your strength is not yet sufficient to participate in this matter. Although you are indeed a genius for graduating after only one year at the Ninja Academy, that level of genius is not enough."

Not enough?

Itachi lifted his head slightly, his Sharingan activating in an instant as three tomoe slowly rotated within his eye sockets.

"This power... is it still not enough?"

Yun looked into Itachi's eyes and narrowed his gaze slightly. Three tomoe already?

It seemed the formation of bonds wasn't deep enough yet, and the loss of a loved one hadn't occurred. It must have been a dangerous encounter during their time as a genin squad, but they hadn't met Obito yet.

Obito?

Whether Itachi could meet Obito and have his teammates killed at this stage was hard to say; that guy was probably off somewhere wailing in misery right now.

"Three tomoe. You're growing quickly. However... it's still not enough, Itachi. Whether it's me or Shisui, in the face of true power, your three tomoe wouldn't even last until a second attack."

As Yun's voice fell, Itachi stood opposite him, indifferently drawing a kunai and holding it horizontally before his chest.

"Although I have always admitted that you are stronger than me, even if you have never activated the Sharingan, that doesn't mean I can't even take a single blow from you. If I am wrong, then prove it to me!"

As Itachi spoke, he gripped the kunai tighter. The three tomoe in his eyes spun frantically, pushing both his insight and dynamic vision to their absolute limit.

But... that was all it amounted to.

The next moment, Yun suddenly threw a kunai.

"Swish!"

The shuriken struck a tree and was dodged by Itachi, but the counter-maneuver Itachi had been preparing to execute never materialized.

Because at this moment, a kunai was held horizontally against his throat, and the person holding it was none other than Yun, who now stood behind him.

Fast! Too fast!

An instantaneous Body Flicker Technique, as if he had predicted his evasion path in advance.

Whether it was a Substitution Technique or a Shadow Clone Technique, both were interrupted by the kunai at his throat the very moment he tried to perform them.

"Do you still think I was wrong?"

Yun slowly lowered the kunai, the Mangekyou spinning in his eyes fading back into ordinary pupils.

Itachi turned around, his face dark: "Has the gap already become this wide?"

I changed the chapter regarding Fugaku's death; Black Zetsu now directly ambushes him and pierces his chest, only controlling him to slit his throat and gouge out his eyes when he is on the verge of death. It felt a bit off otherwise.