Keep Bluffing

Itachi walked home, unable to help thinking about what Akashi had said.69รђยא.ς๏๓

He rarely talked this much with anyone.

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To outsiders, he was always rational, a thoughtful genius. Some even said that at seven years old, he could already think about problems from the Hokage's perspective. As a result, he seemed especially mature and lonely among his peers.

He'd genuinely thought he was all grown up, discussing village policy with his father and dreaming about the future with his big brother Shisui.

Only Akashi treated him like a child.

A silly child, at that.

He didn't know whether to be angry or happy. Itachi shook his head helplessly, his two cat ears swaying, their fur fluttering.

When he got home, his spirits lifted.

His mother was strolling through the courtyard with his little brother in her arms. Sasuke, who often fussed and cried, saw Itachi and immediately stopped squirming, giggling instead.

It was a heartwarming sight.

"Itachi, looks like Sasuke likes you more," Mikoto Uchiha teased.

"I'll hold him for a while."

"You can take those cat ears off at home. Akashi was only joking, but you took him so seriously."

"I can't. I made a promise." Itachi played with Sasuke, smiling tenderly.

He was sure this child would grow up to be exceptional.

Looking at Sasuke, Itachi could almost see himself through Akashi's eyes.

Just a child who didn't know any better...

After hesitating for a long while, Itachi finally spoke. "Mother, do we have any ninjutsu that might suit me?"

"What, have you already learned those two?"

"N-no, not yet. It's just..."

"You have another use for it, don't you?" Mikoto gently sensed the difficulty Itachi had expressing himself.

"Yes." Itachi lowered his head.

Mikoto didn't press him. She reached out and patted his head. "You're growing up and have ideas of your own. No matter what, Mom will support you. How about this? I'll give you a genjutsu scroll. Don't tell your father; he won't be happy. Let's keep it our secret."

With that, she winked at Itachi.

"Okay, I understand." Itachi obediently nodded. Sasuke seemed to share his joy. With snot running down his soft, white cheeks, he grinned.

?

The next day.

Akashi had just left the clan compound when Itachi latched onto him like a shadow.

"Hey, don't follow me around. Didn't I tell you I was going to train?"

"Akashi, I just want to see how you train and discuss a new technique with you." Itachi hurriedly added, "A genjutsu. I just got it yesterday."

"This isn't about the genjutsu. You... you... are you sure it's new?"

Akashi was tempted after all.

The techniques Itachi had access to were bound to be good. As the clan head's son, he had more resources than ordinary people. It'd be a waste not to fleece a fat sheep like him.

Itachi saw a chance and stood up straight. "I promise."

"Fine, but just this once."

Akashi said it upfront to keep Itachi from clinging to him. Itachi didn't object.

Once was enough. He'd satisfy his curiosity.

Or maybe he wanted to learn more about the person in front of him.

They went to the back of the Ninja Academy.

Akashi ignored Itachi and began training the Shadow Clone Technique on his own. Unwittingly, he stirred something in Itachi's heart. So Akashi already knew the Shadow Clone Technique. And I was hoping to study it with him. I'm so slow.

After talking himself around, Itachi simply started watching.

From ninjutsu to taijutsu to ninja tool-throwing, Akashi followed the principle of developing ninjutsu, taijutsu, genjutsu, intelligence, strength, speed, stamina, and hand seals across the board, neglecting nothing.

Targets hung in every direction, many marked by kunai and Shuriken.

Nearly every mark was in the bull's-eye.

The Uchiha had a natural talent for Shurikenjutsu. Even Obito, back in the day, could hit at least seven out of ten throws, including all kinds of trick throws.

In his normal state, Akashi could hit nearly nine out of ten.

Once he activated his Sharingan, he never missed.

"Here I go."

With a low murmur, Akashi reached into his tool pouch and tossed a full handful of Shuriken into the air ahead of him. Then, on instinct, he gripped a kunai.

Munakata had once said that the hand holding a blade had to be steady, so its speed and power could reach their full potential.

The same went for a kunai.

The instant Akashi raised his hand, his Sharingan activated. The angle of every Shuriken's flight was perfectly clear to him. He stepped forward and swung the kunai with lightning speed, striking a rapid series of metallic clangs.

His steps danced through the woods, sparks flying in every direction.

The kunai altered the Shuriken's trajectories, sending them ricocheting toward targets all around at tremendous speed.

Thunk, thunk, thunk, thunk—

The machine-gun-like sounds ran together in a continuous burst.

All eight Shuriken struck dead center.

"Perfect!" Itachi cried.

Akashi had barely used any strength. His movements were simply precise, each judgment of the Shuriken's landing point spot-on. He'd kept track of every direction at once and hit all eight targets in a single go.

Anyone else who saw it would probably call it unbelievable.

Even an ordinary Special Jōnin couldn't pull this off. Itachi was just as amazed. He was confident he could do it himself, but he'd never thought to try throwing them that way.

"Next is Two-Stage Deflection."

Akashi pinched a Shuriken between his fingers and fixed his eyes ahead.

He gauged the distance, ran the calculations, and steadied his mind. A phantom line seemed to take shape in his vision, connecting the Shuriken to the bull's-eye. After a deep breath, he threw the Shuriken sideways, in a direction nowhere near the target.

Not even a second later, he threw a kunai. It flew faster and hit harder, smashing into the Shuriken midair. Both ricocheted, changing course!

Thunk—thunk!

The Shuriken veered around and struck the target on the left. The kunai that followed hit the bull's-eye on the other side.

Akashi nodded with satisfaction.

His exceptional reflexes, muscle coordination, and dynamic vision had forged an incomparable technique.

Ninja tool-throwing was a basic skill, but often, a seemingly flashy ninjutsu was less useful than a simple tool.

Fire Release couldn't burn everyone to death, but a ninja tool could stab someone to death.

Most Chunin and Genin had only enough chakra for one or two decent techniques. More often, they still relied on Shuriken, kunai, and Explosive Tags.

After watching too many giant robots slug it out, it was easy to overlook that.

The tens of thousands of ordinary ninja were the true face of the Shinobi World.

Even Hatake Kakashi, who was famous as a genius, didn't know many techniques yet. His Raikiri might not even be fully mastered. Akashi was confident he could fight him.

At the very least, he could hold his own.

"Just as I expected from you, Akashi!" Itachi exclaimed.

"Getting praise from you really isn't easy," Akashi said with a smile. "You've rested enough, too. Let's see that genjutsu."

Itachi nodded and took out the scroll.

This time, it lived up to expectations. It really was a genjutsu—Forbidden Maze.

It wasn't a dōjutsu-based genjutsu and was only C-rank. It trapped an enemy inside a mental maze, briefly controlling their movements. The hand seals and chakra flow were clearly explained. With Itachi Uchiha's talent, there was no need for him to bring it out for someone else to discuss.

Did he only want to get close to me?

So, it was fair to suspect he wasn't just a little-brother-con; he was an older-brother-con too!

The Uchiha Clan really did have a bit of that in them...

Akashi pretended not to know and gave a half-hearted explanation of the genjutsu. Looking at those cat ears, a strange idea to retrain and remodel him suddenly crossed his mind.

"Given your talent, you shouldn't have any trouble with this genjutsu. But I think there's a lot of room for improvement in your Taijutsu."

"My father said the same thing."

"I just thought of a way to help you train your Taijutsu. It might be useful to you."

Akashi went on at length.

Itachi's eyes lit up. "What is it?"

"Wear the kind of training outfit Guy wears!"

"Uh..."

Itachi was stumped by that answer.

Thinking of Might Guy's uniquely bold outfit, he couldn't help swallowing.

Akashi continued explaining. "Haven't you noticed how perfectly it fits the body? It doesn't hinder your movements at all, and it can even improve the speed and power of your attacks."

"Really?"

"Do you know about what Guy's father, Dai, did during the Third Shinobi World War?"

"I've heard a little."

"He wore that very outfit when he single-handedly routed the Seven Ninja Swordsmen. And if you look at Guy..."

Akashi launched into his sales pitch, leaving Itachi completely taken in.

But after listening, Itachi soon snapped out of the story, his expression full of suspicion. "If that's true, I have a question."

"Ask."

"Why don't you wear one?"