Itachi's First Training

Under the shade of the trees, the air was cool and refreshing.

Akashi felt even cooler, his heart sinking. He took deep breaths to suppress the agitation surging within him, yet he could not hide his disappointment.

If only he had taken a peek when he first got his hands on it.

Now, regret was useless; he had no choice but to accept his defeat.

However, having something was better than nothing. He composed himself, tucked the scroll into his bag, and stepped onto the streets of Konoha to take a stroll and shake off his melancholy.

Along the way, acquaintances on the street greeted him one after another.

Within the Uchiha clan, there were very few ninjas as well-liked as he was. Although he was a subject of controversy within the clan, outside, the persona of a sunny youth that Akashi had cultivated was very popular.

The only person who could likely compare to him was Itachi, who was currently wearing cat ears.

From both sides came the hawking of various snack vendors. The seasonings on the grilled food emitted a scorching, spicy fragrance under the high heat, and the thick, sweet soups and round, plump dumplings looked incredibly tempting.

Unable to resist, Akashi walked over.

"Boss, how much for the grilled squid?"

"20 ryo a skewer, 50 ryo for three."

"Give me..." Akashi's hand only touched a single banknote.

He had originally planned to just grab a bowl of ramen for lunch, so he had only brought 100 ryo with him when he left the house. The cheapest ramen was 60 ryo, and he had wanted to add an extra serving of chashu, too.

Looking at the delicious food sizzling on the iron plate, he had no choice but to swallow his saliva.

Just then, a voice came from behind him: "Two skewers, I'll pay."

Akashi turned his head and was taken aback.

It was actually Uchiha Itachi. A faint pink hue showed on his youthful face. After a few days of rest, his injuries were mostly healed, leaving only the swelling on his face that had yet to subside.

He was wearing a cat-ear hair accessory, which looked fluffy and very cute.

"Brother Akashi, let me treat you." Itachi handed over the squid skewers.

His form of address remained unchanged, and it even carried a bit more respect than before.

"That's too embarrassing, I'll pay you back next time." Akashi said politely, taking the skewers and biting into them. "By the way, you really did wear the cat ears."

"I lost, so of course I have to keep my word."

"Not bad, it suits you quite well." Akashi smiled.

After saying that, he waved goodbye and turned to leave.

Itachi immediately chased after him, helplessly forcing a smile: "Brother Akashi, don't be in such a hurry to leave. Can we talk?"

"I'm very busy, definitely next time."

Gurgle—

Suddenly, his stomach growled at the most inopportune moment.

Right next door was Ichiraku Ramen. The head chef was none other than Teuchi, and ever since he had opened his own shop, business had been booming every day.

Seeing this, Itachi immediately unleashed his ultimate move: "My treat!"

Akashi, who had not intended to stay, paused his steps. He hesitated for a few seconds, but ultimately, for the sake of the money, he reluctantly agreed.

The two walked into the ramen shop.

Teuchi greeted them with a towel draped over his shoulder: "You two, what would you like to eat?"

"Large bowl of ramen! Two of them, with extra chashu."

Akashi skillfully reached out his hand, smiling brightly.

Beneath his chef's hat, Teuchi's broad face revealed a gentle smile. He nodded in acknowledgment, walked to the back, and began preparing the meal.

Soon, two steaming bowls of ramen were placed on the table.

Teuchi had even thoughtfully added a bit more toppings, and the aroma filled the air.

Akashi immediately began to slurp his noodles, while Itachi sat to the side, at a loss for what to do.

The atmosphere was inexplicably awkward.

In the end, he gathered his courage and broke the silence: "Brother Akashi, do you hate me?"

"Hm?"

"I can sense it. Every time you look at me, there is a sense of distance hidden in your eyes, but when you look at others, you don't have that look."

"Do I?" Akashi's chopsticks stopped; he hadn't even realized it himself.

Come to think of it, Itachi was a sensitive child, and it was precisely because of that that he had embarked on a path of no return.

His face flushed red: "Please tell me the reason!"

Akashi slurped his soup, finished a bowl of noodles with gusto, and patted his stomach: "Do you care that much about other people's opinions? Actually, I have no issues with you; it's just that you don't understand things yet."

"I'm already seven years old!" Itachi argued.

"Seven? Hahaha..." Akashi couldn't help but laugh. "At this age, it would be better to spend more time reading at the academy. Your problem is that you know too little, think too much, and are too self-righteous."

Listing three shortcomings in one breath, he trampled on Itachi's self-esteem again and again.

He remained silent for a moment before speaking slowly: "I went to the battlefield of the Third Shinobi World War with Father. There were corpses everywhere, blood flowing like a river, and the stench was suffocating. I wondered then, why did the world become like this? I want to change it, and I have been working toward that since I was small. Is that wrong?"

Akashi sighed: "There is nothing wrong with wanting to change the world, but why must you be the one to change it?"

"Huh?"

"What makes you think you are the savior? Why must you impose your thoughts on others? Why must you attend the clan meetings, insist on voicing ridiculous opinions, and feel that you can sacrifice yourself for others?"

"Akashi-nii, I..."

Itachi couldn't find the words for a long time.

Akashi shook his head: "Being stupid is not scary; what's scary is being both stupid and fond of overthinking."

Stupid?

Everyone had always praised him for being smart.

Why was it that Akashi-nii could always offer such unconventional perspectives?

Itachi found it hard to accept this conclusion, looking at Akashi earnestly with a hint of stubbornness.

"What, you don't agree?" Akashi teased.

"I wouldn't call myself stupid, would I?"

"Fine, let me test you with a question." Akashi let out a burp and said, "If our three-man squad encountered a rogue ninja from Sunagakure, and their strength was on par with yours, how would you engage?"

Itachi pondered for a while and replied: "I would first use ninja tools to attack, observe their abilities and response patterns, and gather intelligence. The opponent likely specializes in Wind Release, which is countered by my Fire Release. Combined with my Sharingan, I could strike before they cast their ninjutsu."

"The analysis is decent, but unfortunately, it's wrong."

Akashi shook his head.

Itachi frowned: "Then, engage in taijutsu first?"

"Wrong."

"Shadow Clone Technique?"

"Wrong."

Akashi shook his head again.

Itachi fell into an awkward silence. He had even mentioned "gathering intelligence." He had suffered a loss because of that last time, and he assumed Akashi-nii was testing that specific point, yet multiple answers were decisively rejected.

"Then what is the correct answer?"

"Obviously, all of us attack at once."

"A... all at once?" Itachi's brain felt like it was splitting.

Akashi nodded: "This is called a righteous three-on-one. Is there a problem with that?"

There was no problem. When a three-man squad encounters a rogue ninja, of course, they should swarm them and give the opponent no chance. Why would they fight one-on-one? I truly am not as thoughtful as Akashi-nii.

Itachi admitted that he had lost again.

"Alright, enough idle chatter." Akashi stood up, "I still have training this afternoon."

"Wait, Akashi-nii!"

Itachi's gaze was fervent: "Can you take me with you?"

Akashi felt a headache coming on. Just as he was about to refuse, he heard Itachi continue: "After the clan meeting, I specifically asked Father for two new ninjutsu. We could study them together."

Two new ninjutsu?

This actually made Akashi waver. Getting benefits from the son that he couldn't get from Fugaku didn't sound too bad.

However, having learned from past experience, Akashi was much more cautious.

"They wouldn't happen to be the Great Dragon Fire Technique and the Shadow Clone Technique, would they?"

"How did you know?" Itachi was stunned, his eyes widening.

As expected!

Are all your scrolls photocopied from the same source? Akashi cursed inwardly, then gave a low hum: "Forget those two techniques. We'll talk about them next time."

As soon as he finished speaking, he didn't give Itachi a chance to nag further and took off running.

Itachi remained immersed in his surprise.

He couldn't understand how, out of so many ninjutsu, Akashi-nii could have guessed those two specifically. It was simply incredible!

He is truly unfathomable!

As for that advice, it also made him reflect: Have I really been thinking too much?