The Evil Uchiha Brat

At night, a crescent moon hung in the sky.

Deep within the Uchiha compound, located in the inner part of the village, Itachi had returned to his bedroom early, climbed into his warm bed, and gradually drifted off to sleep.

In the sky above the compound, unnoticed by anyone, Shiraishi's spiritual form drifted by, landing on the corridor outside Itachi's bedroom.

Shiraishi looked at the sleeping Itachi through the window, extended his right hand, and a ball of soul energy manifested in his palm.

Under Shiraishi's control, the soul mass took flight, passed through the open window, entered the bedroom, and sank directly into Itachi's body.

Immediately after, Shiraishi formed a hand seal with one hand, and a strand of true energy flew out, drilling into Itachi's body to protect his soul, ensuring it would not be defeated or devoured by the invading spirit.

Having done this, Shiraishi smiled, took one last look at the sleeping Itachi, then soared into the air and vanished into the night.

In the bedroom, Itachi remained fast asleep, but his consciousness was plummeting through darkness until a final point of light bloomed, banishing the shadows and swallowing his awareness.

Within the space of his own consciousness, Itachi opened his eyes in a daze, the familiar sight of the village park greeting him.

Am I dreaming?

Itachi's consciousness gradually cleared from his stupor. He observed his surroundings and realized it was the central village park he frequented.

"Kid, did you summon me?"

A cold voice rang out behind him. Itachi instinctively looked back to find a man with a somewhat familiar face, sporting white spiky hair and wearing old, dark blue armor, standing on the lawn not far behind him with his arms crossed.

As Itachi turned, the man seemed to notice something; his brow furrowed on his cold face, and he said coldly, "Kid, are you from the Uchiha clan?"

Itachi looked at the stranger, feeling an increasing sense of familiarity, as if he had seen him somewhere before. Facing the inquiry, he bowed slightly with great politeness and said, "My name is Itachi Uchiha. May I ask who you are, sir?"

Upon hearing Itachi's introduction, the man's expression soured, and he spoke with a tone of disdain, "As expected, an evil Uchiha brat."

Evil Uchiha?

Itachi raised his head, his young face filled with confusion. He did not understand why this senior's attitude had turned so hostile the moment he heard he was an Uchiha.

"Was it you who summoned me here? You Uchiha brats, your clan is still as evil as ever." The man dropped his arms and began walking toward Itachi.

Itachi instinctively took a half-step back, assuming a defensive posture, watching the man who had suddenly appeared with vigilance.

"Sir, may I ask your name?"

"Name? I am the Second Hokage of the village, Tobirama Senju." Having revealed his identity, Tobirama Senju stopped about two or three meters in front of Itachi.

As a former Hokage and a renowned powerhouse of the ninja world, Tobirama would not stoop to attacking a child simply because of his Uchiha lineage.

Ever since he was summoned, Tobirama had sensed that someone had used the Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu he had created to bring him into the present world.

However, at that time, his consciousness had only just begun to awaken when it was suppressed by a powerful force, plunging him back into darkness.

After spending an unknown amount of time in that void, Tobirama's soul had appeared within Itachi's consciousness space.

As a powerhouse with exceptional sensory abilities and a master of ninjutsu development, he quickly analyzed his current situation.

For some reason, his soul had appeared inside this Uchiha brat's body, and the two of them were currently within his consciousness space.

Compared to the seasoned and shrewd Tobirama, Itachi was still very young. Although his thinking was quite precocious, such maturity was only relative to his peers.

Itachi looked up at Tobirama, his tone tinged with excitement as he said, "You are the Second Hokage?"

Tobirama nodded. Itachi's polite attitude improved his impression of this Uchiha child slightly.

"Lord Hokage, what is our current situation? Why have we appeared here?" Itachi asked, feeling as if he had found a pillar of support.

"This is your consciousness space," Tobirama explained.

Itachi looked surprised upon hearing this. "My consciousness space? Then how did you appear? Why would I encounter you here?"

Facing Itachi's questions, Tobirama could not provide an answer. He still did not know who had summoned him, nor did he understand why this mastermind would place him inside an Uchiha child.

There must be some ulterior motive behind this!

Tobirama immediately suspected that the mastermind was likely related to the Uchiha clan, and that placing him inside a child was a ruse to lower his guard.

"I do not know either. I awoke from death only to find myself in your consciousness space," Tobirama said, choosing to withhold part of the truth.

Itachi nodded thoughtfully. "So, Lord Hokage, you suspected just now that I was the one who summoned you."

"Yes," Tobirama admitted, stepping forward to close the distance between them.

With the situation unclear, Tobirama could only use this child as a breakthrough point to gather as much information as possible, hoping to analyze the mastermind's true plot.

"You are called Itachi Uchiha. How old are you this year?" Tobirama was not skilled at expressing warmth, especially toward the Uchiha, but he was confident he could play the part when dealing with a child.

"I will be four soon," Itachi answered obediently.

Tobirama continued to ask, "Do you know who the current Hokage is? What is the state of the village?"

"The current Hokage is Lord Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage." Itachi answered the first question, then, after organizing his thoughts, truthfully told Tobirama the current state of the village as he knew it.

Tobirama listened quietly. From Itachi's account, he learned that the ninja world was currently embroiled in the Third Shinobi World War, and that Konoha had suffered significant losses, at one point being pushed back to the heart of the Land of Fire by the allied forces of other villages.

Hearing this, as a former Hokage and the architect of most of Konoha's institutions, he instinctively furrowed his brows.

Is the village in such a dire state? What is that monkey doing?

Fortunately, Itachi's next words improved Tobirama's sour mood significantly.

He heard that a genius had emerged in the younger generation of the village, a man nicknamed the "Yellow Flash" named Minato Namikaze.

This genius mastered the Flying Thunder God, displaying immense power on the battlefield, reversing the desperate situation for Konoha, helping the village stabilize its front lines, and regaining the upper hand.

"That genius named Minato Namikaze has done well." Tobirama commented with gratification; as one of the older generation, what he most wished to see was Konoha producing geniuses in every generation.

Having said that, Tobirama looked at Itachi. For such a young child to know so much information about the village was truly rare; was this another precocious genius?

"For your age, to know so many things is quite impressive!" Tobirama praised him proactively.

Itachi smiled and explained modestly, "I have also just returned from the battlefield, which is why I know quite a bit of information."

Upon hearing this, Tobirama's expression tightened. Looking at Itachi, who was not even four years old, he couldn't help but ask, "Who sent you to the battlefield? Has the village's situation become so dire that it requires a child of your age to fight?"

Itachi hurriedly explained, "It is not like that, Lord Hokage. I was taken to the battlefield by my father; he hoped that I would witness the cruelty of war and grow from the experience."

After hearing the explanation, a look of anger appeared on Tobirama's face, and he rebuked sharply, "The people of Uchiha are truly evil lunatics! Your father actually let a child as young as you go to the battlefield!"

Facing Tobirama's criticism, Itachi did not get angry. Instead, he felt a sense of panic typical of a child—the kind of unease where, even if it isn't one's own fault or is merely a small mistake, facing an adult's criticism and blame makes it feel as though the sky is collapsing.

Itachi had not reached such an exaggerated level, but facing Tobirama's accusations against the Uchiha and his father, he still felt a degree of panic and shame, instinctively lowering his head, not daring to look the Hokage in the eye.