Uchiha Itachi's Attention

The next morning, sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting dappled shadows. A pair of figures, one large and one small, holding hands, drew particular attention—they were the two young masters of the Uchiha clan.

It was rare for Itachi Uchiha to have the time to personally walk his younger brother to school, but today was an exception. He was well aware of the heavy mission and responsibility he carried; he was the bridge between the village and his clan, the successor to the Will of Fire.

Yet, for his younger brother Sasuke, he always held boundless affection. After all, dropping his brother off before meeting his teammates for a mission would not cause much of a delay.

"Wow~ Is that the genius Itachi Uchiha? He's so cool!" exclamations erupted from the crowd.

"He's so good to his brother, actually taking the time to walk him to school," another person chimed in.

"How enviable!" someone sighed.

Hearing these praises, Sasuke's heart swelled with pride. He walked with his head held high the entire way, as if announcing to the whole world: Look, my brother brought me here himself!

"Haa~" Itachi watched Sasuke's innocent, childlike demeanor and couldn't help but let out a soft breath of relief.

It seems Sasuke has already put yesterday's unhappiness behind him. Itachi had been worried that his brother might have been hurt by something, and seeing him so happy now, the heavy stone in his heart finally fell.

It was rare for the usually serious Itachi.

To have a side like this.

"Ohayo..." Sasuke's clear, slightly lazy voice rang out as he greeted the familiar uncles and aunties.

The brothers soon arrived at the school.

"Sasuke-kun, good morning..." followed by the gentle, sweet greeting of a girl.

"Wow, two cool guys, ahhh~" A sudden burst of exclamation erupted from those around them; it was a group of girls who had spotted Sasuke and the Itachi beside him.

"Good morning~" Faced with the enthusiastic greetings of the many girls, Sasuke only responded with a faint, indifferent tone.

Along the way, girls had constantly come up to strike up a conversation or say hello, yet Sasuke always maintained a cold, aloof posture; he was used to it after doing it every day.

Oh, this charm of mine that has nowhere to hide~

Ahem ahem~ That's what I'm saying.

Sasuke wasn't like that.

A little tsundere boy.

"Hello to you all~" By contrast, Itachi displayed excellent upbringing and grace; he wore a smile and gave a slight nod to greet everyone.

As the heir to the Uchiha clan, Itachi understood the importance of etiquette. He did not want his brother to feel embarrassed due to his own negligence, nor did he want his aloofness to create a rift with the villagers.

Every word and action.

Was an effort toward the integration of his clan and the village.

That was Itachi.

At such a young age.

He already shouldered so much.

"Nee-nee~" At this moment, Sasuke looked up, gazing at Itachi Uchiha with expectant eyes, and asked softly: "Brother, can you pick me up after school?" His tone revealed a trace of longing and dependence.

"Uh~"

Hearing his brother's request, a flash of guilt crossed Itachi's face, but he quickly returned to his calm composure.

He shook his head slowly, his tone gentle but firm: "Sorry, Sasuke. Brother has a mission to attend to, and I may be away for a few days."

After speaking, he sighed softly, seemingly feeling quite helpless that he could not fulfill his brother's wish.

"Forgive me, next time, okay?" As Itachi said this, he extended the index and middle fingers of his right hand and gently tapped Sasuke on the forehead. Although the gesture was simple, it contained boundless care and apology.

This was the most intimate gesture between the brothers.

"Itai~ Not this again..."

Sasuke frowned slightly and reached up to rub the spot his brother had touched, feeling a bit dissatisfied.

But he knew his brother shouldered heavy responsibilities, so he didn't complain much. He pursed his lips, nodded obediently, and said: "Brother, you must come back safely." His eyes sparkled with a firm light.

Itachi stared into Sasuke's eyes and replied solemnly: "Mn, brother promises you." He then turned and left, leaving behind a lonely yet resolute silhouette.

Sasuke, for your sake, brother will definitely return safely.

No one can stop me.

A flash of killing intent and determination crossed Itachi's eyes.

"Nii-san~"

Sasuke stood quietly in place, watching his brother walk away until he disappeared at the end of his line of sight.

"Ho~ Better to arrive at the right time than to arrive early, hee hee~"

Qingwu saw this scene and quietly took out his camera to record it. A legendary moment, right?!

In reality, Itachi Uchiha had not gone far.

He also wanted to figure out what happened yesterday and why Sasuke had gone home crying; he would eradicate any potential threat.

No one could touch his brother.

"The grandson of the Hyuga Elder, Qingwu Hyuga?!"

Seeing the Byakugan, a flash of realization crossed Itachi's eyes as he recalled the files on the students in Sasuke's class.

For some reason, he felt he could not see through this person. He made up his mind to pay more attention to Qingwu in the future.

I hope you do not threaten the stability of Konoha, otherwise... A cold glint flashed in Uchiha Itachi's eyes.

He had heard of Qingwu's background, and he had also heard about the Great Elder of the Hyuga clan causing a scene at the Hokage Building. In his eyes, this grandfather and grandson were unstable factors that could potentially disrupt the village's balance.

Qingwu never would have expected that a mere playful prank could actually attract the attention of Uchiha Itachi.

But even if he knew, it wouldn't matter.

The nine-year-old Itachi was far from his peak, and in Qingwu's eyes, he posed no threat.

(Qingwu: So what if I'm an unstable factor? Come and hit me, you bastard... See if I don't refine you into dust...)

"So that's how it is, no wonder..."

After spending a little time, Uchiha Itachi had cleared up what happened yesterday, leaving him unable to decide whether to laugh or cry.

Seeing Sasuke crying his eyes out, he had been quite nervous, thinking his brother had been targeted.

He never expected it to be just this.

To be kissed by another boy—no wonder he was so flushed and unwilling to talk about it; even Itachi would be too embarrassed to speak of it.

"Heh, has Sasuke found his own bond as well?"

From the information Itachi gathered, he learned that Sasuke and this child named Uzumaki Naruto were bitter rivals who were always competing.

In his view, this was a good thing.

At the very least, it showed that Sasuke had begun to integrate into the village.

"Uzumaki? Could it be... the orphan of the Fourth?"

Looking at that blond hair, that smile, and the peculiar surname, Uchiha Itachi arrived at a guess after a moment of thought.

He lacked the power to stop the villagers' malice toward Naruto, but he was certainly happy to see his younger brother making friends with him. After all, the Uchiha clan had leaned toward the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, back in the day; looking after his orphan was merely a small favor.

"Swish~"

After finishing his observation, Itachi used the Body Flicker Technique and left.

He still had a mission to attend to.

Qingwu: "What was that feeling of being watched just now? There was a flash of malice—the Third? Or someone else?!"

"Whatever. I doubt you lot would dare to make a move right now."

"As long as my old man is still standing."

"No one dares to touch me."

"As for the old man's condition, if anyone wants to test him, they will definitely have their dog heads smashed in by him."

At the same time.

Hyuga Hoze, who was practicing his punches in the Hyuga compound, suddenly sneezed. "Achoo! Which turtle-grandson is talking about me?"

"Never mind him. The Taiji Fist my dear grandson taught me is truly good stuff. Over these past few years, my hidden injuries have been mostly cleared up and my physical state has improved significantly. At this rate, this old man might live to be a hundred."

"Heaven bless the Hyuga, hahaha~"