Demon Blade Murasame!

Days passed as I shuttled between the academy, the training grounds, and the clan head's mansion. My body was exhausted every day, yet my spirit grew increasingly vibrant. My mindset improved with each passing day, and during my runs with Might Guy, I gradually managed to keep pace with him.

In truth, Guy is a truly wonderful friend. By his side, I always feel that I am living with exceptional clarity.

After we grew closer, we would sometimes grab breakfast together after our morning runs. We would encounter other upperclassmen, such as Yuhi Kurenai, Asuma, Mitarashi Anko, and so on. I blended in among them, moving from feeling like an outsider to being as comfortable as a fish in water.

Sincerity is always the best strategy. Facing a group of teenagers, I still had ways to become friends with them. They also treated me as a junior and were very kind to me.

However, it was inevitable that I would occasionally run into Hatake Kakashi. I would stiffen up completely, while Guy would excitedly step forward to greet him. Thanks to his help, I finally managed to introduce myself to Kakashi properly—

"Greetings, Senior. I am Uchiha Akatsuki; we have met before."

My heart hammered like a drum as I spat out those words, and I couldn't stop myself from blushing! He merely glanced at me, nodded indifferently, and walked away.

Damn it! It couldn't have been more awkward!

Guy later comforted me by saying that Kakashi just had that kind of personality and told me not to take it to heart—

I'm not taking it to heart, ╭(╯^╰)╮

Recently, the academy has undergone new changes. Extracurricular combat training has increased day by day, teachers are being rotated frequently, the curriculum has tightened, and assignments have multiplied. The burden on students is getting heavier by the day, and many have started to complain...

But I did not.

Because I can see that all these changes only indicate that the situation outside the village is becoming increasingly dire.

There have been new changes at home as well. Little Itachi is growing very fast; I suppose children under one year old all grow quickly. He doesn't like to cry, but he is very dependent on me. When I am not around, Mother gets a bit flustered—ah, the mother I am referring to is Uchiha Mikoto. Therefore, I try my best to carve out time to accompany Itachi, provided it doesn't interfere with my training.

In my spare time, I continue to conduct combat training with Obito. He finally stopped breaking my wire locks. Obito is actually not stupid; one could even say he is quite intelligent. He just lacks guidance and has to figure most things out on his own, which is why he gradually ended up as a dead-last.

Compared to him, I am more than just a little lucky.

Besides that, I take some food, medicine, and daily necessities to visit Obito's grandmother every week. Unfortunately, Shisui has been increasingly busy lately; it seems he was granted special permission to graduate early and is always out on missions. Otherwise, I would definitely have asked him to come along.

—Without the harassment of that little brat Shisui, I always feel like something is missing!

On a rare day off, I stayed at home, yet I couldn't find a moment of peace.

"Akatsuki, go change Itachi's diaper."

"Coming."

"Akatsuki, go turn off the fire, the milk is about to burn!"

"Yes!"

"Akatsuki, come here for a second!"

"Coming!"

With my arms full of diapers, a Milk Bottle, and toys, I walked into Mikoto's bedroom, looking disheveled yet composed. I knelt down carefully, handed over the items one by one, and followed Mother's instructions.

"Akatsuki, I have something urgent to attend to, so I'll be out for a while. Take good care of Itachi." She smiled, placed little Itachi into my arms, patted my head, and turned to put on her green flak jacket.

Several months have passed, and Mikoto has recovered quickly. As a Jonin, she has begun going out frequently again, and the heavy responsibility of looking after Itachi has fallen mostly onto my shoulders.

"Understood, Mother. Have a safe trip."

Having a five-year-old child look after an infant—at first glance, the ninja world is truly absurdly terrifying. Yet, in the Warring States period, where the average life expectancy did not exceed thirty, it was quite common for five or six-year-old children to die on the battlefield.

Itachi has already learned to crawl and roll over, and occasionally he lets out a few unintelligible words. In just a few short months, his self-awareness has grown rapidly; he is truly worthy of being a genuine genius.

After seeing Mikoto off, I closed the door and returned to the bedroom. Itachi was still squirming on the floor, crawling toward me while making "ah-da-ah-ba" drooling sounds. I pressed my finger against his forehead, easily stopping his approach, and then flicked my index finger, leaving a red mark on his forehead.

"My foolish little brother, harbor hatred, harbor resentment, and then live on in disgrace..." I mimicked the voice of Itachi, putting on a serious expression with glowing eyes, waving my claws to scare the infant.

Whenever I get into my "chuunibyou" mode, even Uchiha Itachi has to retreat three steps.

Itachi isn't afraid of me, though. He knows I'm just playing with him. He giggled twice and reached out his little hand to grab my finger. His hand was so small, and his grip had so little strength that I could have easily broken free, but I didn't move, letting him hold my forearm and gnaw on it.

Watching him play so happily, I couldn't help but sigh.

I wouldn't dare say I understand the Uchiha Itachi from the original story, but having seen his life's journey, I can't help but feel a pang of pity for him. Not as a brother, but as an outsider... I have a special sense of compassion and affection for him.

His life was far too bitter.

That is why I want to be good to him, even better... I don't want him to walk alone in the darkness like in the script. To carry everything alone, bear everything alone, and finally die as a sinner.

That would be too pitiful.

The warm, moist sensation on my hand brought me back to reality. I looked at Itachi, feeling both distressed and happy.

Today is a rare day off, and I was originally planning to go train on the cliffside. But facing this little thing, I truly cannot bring myself to leave.

What should I do when my little brother is this cute!

"Akatsuki!!!"

The sound of the door being hammered—bang, bang, bang—could only be Obito. Maintaining his signature volume that could shake the roof down, I had just counted to three when the goggle-wearing boy smashed the wooden door open and walked in with extreme familiarity.

He plopped down beside me, a rattle in one hand and a Milk Bottle in the other, and began to tease little Uchiha Itachi.

"Akatsuki, come train with me!"

He said this with his mouth, but his fingers were busy poking Itachi's face, only to be bitten in return, making him yelp in pain.

"Itachi is here, I can't go," I shook my head.

"Ugh, once you have a little brother, you have no friends," Obito sighed, shrugging his shoulders in that sarcastic tone he learned from Shisui. I said helplessly, "If you help me lull him to sleep, I'll head out."

Obito actually looked eager to try!

I had no choice but to hand little Itachi over, but the moment he left my arms, the entire infant burst into wails, using every ounce of his strength to resist Uchiha Obito. Obito stood there looking dazed as he suffered Itachi's kicks and punches, his mouth twisted from the impact, until he finally fled in a panic amidst the crying.

The strange thing was, the moment he left, Itachi stopped crying.

I couldn't help but laugh; this child has been sharp since he was born!

"Forget it, let's practice hand seals." Even if I can't go out, I can still train.

I held Itachi with one arm and rummaged through the cabinets to find the Fire Style scrolls; the private collection of the Uchiha clan head was far more extensive than anything at the Ninja Academy.

"Fire Style: Fire Dragon Technique, Fire Style: Great Fire Dragon Technique, Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Flower Nail Crimson..." I watched and performed the hand seals with one hand. Itachi was held securely against my chest; one of his hands held my brush, the other gripped my collar, occasionally blowing a milk bubble.

He didn't like to cry, and he was used to being held by me; he would always quiet down when close to me.

"Boar-Dog-Bird-Monkey-Ram... hmm?" I unfolded a scroll, and the hand seals depicted on it were so strange that they immediately caught my attention.

"What is this...?" I blew the dust off it and was instantly startled.

"A Summoning Technique scroll?" I furrowed my brows. Itachi sneezed from the dust, let out a couple of "ah-ah" sounds, and unhappily grabbed my hair, taking a bite.

My eyes lit up, and I couldn't even pay attention to him anymore.

In my memory, the Uchiha clan didn't have any summoning beasts! Shisui and Itachi had crows as pets, but those were likely raised by themselves. Sasuke had Aoda, but that belonged to Orochimaru.

I looked at the "Seal" character in the center of the scroll, rubbing it gently with my hand, feeling the ink and texture, my heart racing with excitement!

"So the Uchiha clan actually has summoning beasts?"

As if bewitched, I performed the hand seals with one hand according to the sequence on the scroll. The more I did it, the more familiar it felt, as if I had done it thousands of times before!

The moment the seals were completed, my chakra suddenly surged violently! A massive suction force erupted from my fingertips, and my chakra poured uncontrollably into the "Seal" character; it felt as if I would be drained dry in just a few breaths!

By the time I tried to pull my hand away, it was already too late.

The next instant, the "Seal" character suddenly split open! A tremendous power burst forth from the scroll, nearly warping the space around us!

I cursed under my breath, hugged little Itachi tight, and was violently sucked into the scroll!

After a bout of darkness and dizziness, I slowly climbed up from the floor and found myself in a brightly lit room. Itachi, still in my arms, was brought in with me, looking at everything before him with a blank expression.

"Don't be afraid, big brother is here." I held him tighter, drew a kunai from behind my waist, and cautiously observed my surroundings.

This place looked like an armory.

The blood-red sunset filtered through the gaps in the windows, dividing the floor into distinct sections.

On the towering racks, some were densely packed with kunai, shuriken, and throwing stars. Others were hung with puppet strings and steel wires. There were also longswords, chains, daggers, staves, and even human-shaped puppets... In short, every weapon you could imagine, and even those you couldn't, could be found here.

What on earth is this place?

I took a step forward barefoot; the dark red wooden floor beneath my feet felt cold and smooth, emitting a faint creaking sound. There was nothing unusual, so I proceeded forward step by step, with extreme caution.

Little Itachi, influenced by the quiet atmosphere and my own emotions, was as silent as if he weren't an infant at all.

The weapons standing all around flashed with a cold light, shining like new under the sunset, emitting the scent of iron and oil.

I took a deep breath, my lungs filling with that exhilarating smell.

No ninja could refuse this scent. However, Itachi didn't like it; his tiny brows furrowed, and he gripped my sleeve tightly, as if urging me to leave quickly.

I stopped when I reached the end of the room.

A streak of crimson sunset cut across the space, and in the darkness ahead, something seemed to exist.

My hair stood on end, and Itachi shrank into my arms in fear.

"Finally here, are you? This time it's... a child?" A hoarse voice drifted out from the darkness. I gripped my kunai tighter, staring intently at the figure slowly approaching.

A woman gradually emerged from the shadows. She was stout, her face covered in wrinkles, and she held a black cat in her arms, showing no hostility whatsoever.

"You must be a child of the Uchiha clan." She took a scroll from her robes, opened it, and began to read without haste, actually calling out my name accurately!

"Uchiha Akatsuki, son of Uchiha Fugaku, correct?"

Correct... and yet not. I had no idea who my biological father was, but saying I was Fugaku's son wasn't exactly wrong.

"May I ask who you are? And what is this place?" Seeing her busy flipping through the pages, I tried to ask, but was ruthlessly interrupted.

"Quiet!"

Little Itachi shuddered in fright, and I quickly lowered my head to soothe him.

"Hmm... according to the regulations, you may take one family treasure." She muttered to herself, then suddenly looked up and asked, "What is your chakra nature?"

I swallowed hard, feeling increasingly strange, and did not answer.

"If my memory serves me correctly, it should be lightning, fire, and wind."

She was completely correct!

"Alright, this is for you." Without even glancing at my stunned expression, she snapped her fingers twice.

The next moment, a profound and mysterious aura surged from her body. I heard a soft click echo throughout the room, and then the ground began to tremble. The slanting rays of the setting sun shifted and crisscrossed, as if an ancient era had been awakened.

Immediately following, a long blade slid silently out from the darkness.

"It is yours now." The old woman pointed at the long blade, signaling for me to step forward.

"A weapon inherited through your bloodline—the Demon Blade Murasame."