Itachi's Apprehension, Fate's Turn

"Hyuga Seigo, I never expected you to be hiding so much."

Itachi Uchiha was secretly shocked; the strength of the person before him was unexpectedly formidable. Could the rumors about his frail health be...

"Tsukuyomi~"

The tomoe in his eyes spun rapidly, connecting to form a great windmill.

"Break~"

Seigo grinned. Casting a genjutsu on me?! You've made me laugh. I possess the divine consciousness of the Ten-Tails~

You are merely showing off your meager skills before an expert.

Reflect.

"What?! Impossible..."

Itachi was stunned. He never imagined that his Mangekyo Sharingan ocular technique, Tsukuyomi, would be broken just like that, and that he would find himself bound to the cross instead. "Genjutsu reflection? How is that possible?!"

No, that flash of red light just now—what was that sense of oppression that seemed to stem from the very bloodline?

Hyuga Seigo, what exactly are you hiding?

"Release~" Itachi Uchiha frantically channeled his Mangekyo Sharingan, pouring out ocular power as if it were worthless, finally shattering the genjutsu.

This was only because Seigo was not proficient in genjutsu and had merely used the Rinne Sharingan instinctively to reflect the Tsukuyomi; otherwise, Itachi Uchiha would have died in that instant.

"Indeed, Hyuga Seigo, you are an unstable variable."

Itachi Uchiha decided to use his full strength. As his eyes shimmered with a crimson glow, the Susanoo gradually began to manifest.

"Hyuga Seigo, let me see your mettle. Bring out the power you've been hiding..."

Seigo felt the powerful aura of Itachi Uchiha, but he did not retreat. He took a deep breath, and the power within his body surged forth endlessly.

"Such a powerful aura." Even Itachi Uchiha was moved to look sideways.

A fierce battle was about to erupt...

"Sizzle~"

"Bang~"

Just as Itachi Uchiha prepared to charge, Hyuga Seigo pulled out a firework and set it off. A massive, bright red flower bloomed in the sky, instantly drawing the gaze of countless people in the village.

Itachi Uchiha froze.

He hadn't expected Seigo to build up such an intense aura.

Only for it to end like this.

Seigo grinned: "Itachi Uchiha, you wouldn't want the villagers to discover you have a Mangekyo, would you? Or that you're a promising young lad attacking the Hyuga clan? You wouldn't want a war between our two clans, right..."

He sensed many people rushing toward them.

"Hoo~"

For the first time in his life, Itachi Uchiha had been toyed with like this. For the first time, he truly loathed someone: "Hyuga Seigo, I will remember you."

Seigo was speechless.

"You're not a beauty, so why would I care if you remember me?"

Itachi Uchiha gave him a deep look: "I will be watching you. You had best not do anything that harms the village."

"Itachi Uchiha, are you out of your damn mind?"

"You're the one willing to be a beast of burden, acting as a dog for the Konoha higher-ups; that's your business. Why are you bothering me?"

"I'm just trying to live my life as a salted fish, how does that get in your way? Why do you have to come here and seek attention?"

"Are you that starved for affection?!"

"I reckon you've been meddling in other people's business too much, which is why you're aging prematurely. Those nasolabial folds are so deep you look like a man in his thirties. No wonder you don't have a girlfriend~"

"Holy crap~ don't tell me you're into men."

"Trying to get my attention on purpose."

"Disgusting~"

"You'd best not appear before me again. Don't think that the blades of the Hyuga clan aren't sharp..."

He walked away after the verbal barrage, as Seigo had already sensed many people approaching. If he didn't leave, it would be hard to explain. After venting his frustrations, he felt much better.

"You..."

Itachi Uchiha's face darkened. This bastard had a venomous tongue. If not for his remaining shred of reason, he would have been unable to stop himself from activating his Susanoo and charging in to fight him to the death.

What was that familiar yet strange aura?

What connection does it have to the Sharingan?

How did Hyuga Seigo obtain this power?

Should I report this to the lords in the higher-ups?

However, thinking of Seigo's unfathomable strength and that flash of red light that had left him so unsettled, he felt a deep sense of dread.

And the Kage-level combat power of the Hyuga Great Elder.

The Uchiha were already a mess, and he did not want to drag the Hyuga into this; that would truly weaken the village's strength.

Itachi Uchiha thought about it and gave up on reporting.

One slip-up.

The destruction caused by two Kage-level combatants, combined with the Uchiha clan's rebellion, was something the village truly could not withstand right now.

A man possessing the heart of a Hokage.

Naturally, he placed the stability of the village above all else.

"Hmph~"

After that day, Itachi Uchiha never came again, at least not to seek out Qingwu alone; perhaps he had been observing from the shadows. However, with the Uchiha clan meetings becoming frequent, he had no time to worry about Qingwu.

"Hehe~ you dead-faced stiff, it must be uncomfortable being caught between the village and your clan, looking at problems with the eyes of a Hokage? Pfft~"

Qingwu felt a bit of schadenfreude.

The Konoha higher-ups also remained quiet, and the village appeared peaceful and serene, though of course, this was only on the surface. The village and the Uchiha were on the verge of exploding; they were likely just missing a fuse.

"It's best if you don't come. Go ahead and make all the trouble you want."

Qingwu returned to his life as a salted fish. Happy times passed in the blink of an eye, like a white horse galloping past a crack in the wall, catching one off guard. In the blink of an eye, another half a year had rushed by.

"Brothers, let's go have a feast..."

"Yeah~ yeah~ let's go... let's go..."

"Shikamaru, go prepare the spices... Choji, you and Naruto go catch some fish... Kiba and Akamaru, go hunt some pheasants and wild rabbits..."

"Shino, Sasuke, you two go gather firewood..."

"Ino and Hinata, hmm, and Sakura, you prepare the tableware..."

"What about you~"

"I'm in charge of cooking, or would you rather do it?!"

"No, this arrangement is just fine." *In unison.

The original group of four had now grown even larger, with not only the enthusiastic addition of Kiba and Shino.

Even Ino and Hinata, those two shy and timid girls, would occasionally skip self-study or come over on weekends to join in the fun. As Ino's best friend, Sakura naturally received the hospitality of Qingwu and the others as well.

"Hmph~ it was clearly you guys who shamelessly invited me!" Although Sasuke was still reluctant and awkward on the surface, he was actually actively participating in many of the activities. He spoke of refusal, yet the delicious food in his hands never stopped. Such a classic tsundere~

"Stinky Sasuke, if you've got the guts, don't eat then~"

"None of your business~"

In these seemingly calm and peaceful days, a sudden change shattered the original tranquility...

It was all because that day, Iruka requested that all students stay after school.

"Students, today we will be having a pop quiz, so please be prepared."

"I have already communicated properly with all your parents, so you might be getting home a bit late tonight." As soon as the words fell, the classroom instantly erupted into chaos; students whispered to one another, and complaints rose one after another.

Qingwu was deep in thought: It's here.

Shikamaru: Qingwu, do you know something?

Fortunately, Qingwu was lost in his own thoughts and didn't notice, otherwise, he would have exclaimed that the Nara clan truly lived up to their reputation for being smart.

To use a common saying.

Being friends with a smart person like you means there are no secrets.

However.

Even if he knew.

Qingwu would feel it didn't matter. The Hyuga clan had the Byakugan; wasn't it normal to discover a few clues?

It was easy to explain.

Even the village wouldn't dare do anything to him.

His old man was still around, after all.

Let anyone who isn't afraid of death try it and see.

Besides.

Shikamaru was one of his own and wouldn't betray him.