The Evil Uchiha Brat

At night, a crescent moon hung in the sky.

Itachi had returned early to the Uchiha Clan Compound, which still lay near the center of the village. He had climbed into his warm bed and was gradually drifting off to sleep.

High above the Clan Compound, unnoticed by anyone, Shiraishi's Yin Spirit left his body and came to rest in the corridor outside Itachi's bedroom.

Watching Itachi sleep through the window, Shiraishi extended his right hand. A ball of soul energy appeared in his palm.

At Shiraishi's command, the soul rose into the air, passed through the open window, entered the bedroom, and plunged straight into Itachi's body.

Next, Shiraishi formed a hand seal with one hand. A stream of true essence shot out and entered Itachi's body, shielding his soul to ensure it wouldn't be defeated and devoured by the soul that had entered him.

Having finished, Shiraishi smiled. He took one more look at the sleeping Itachi, then rose into the air and vanished into the night.

In the bedroom, Itachi remained fast asleep. But his consciousness kept falling through the darkness until a final speck of light blossomed, driving away the darkness and swallowing his consciousness.

Inside Itachi's Consciousness Space, he opened his eyes in a daze. Before him was the familiar sight of the village park.

Was I dreaming?

Itachi gradually came to his senses. Looking around, he realized it was the central park he often visited.

"Brat, did you summon me?"

A cold voice rang out behind Itachi. He instinctively looked back and saw a man who looked vaguely familiar. The man had spiky white hair and wore old, dark blue armor. Standing on the grass not far behind him, he had his arms crossed over his chest.

As Itachi turned, the man seemed to notice something. His brows furrowed, and he said coldly, "Brat, are you an Uchiha?"

The stranger looked more and more familiar to Itachi, as if he had seen him somewhere before. In response to the question, Itachi bowed politely and said, "My name is Uchiha Itachi. May I ask who you are, sir?"

The man's expression darkened. In a disdainful tone, he said, "Just as I thought. Another evil Uchiha brat."

An evil Uchiha?

Itachi looked up, a puzzled expression on his young face. He didn't understand why the man's attitude had turned so hostile as soon as he learned Itachi was an Uchiha.

"Were you the one who summoned me here? You Uchiha brats are as evil as ever." The man lowered his arms and walked toward Itachi.

Itachi instinctively stepped back half a pace and took a defensive stance, warily watching the man who had suddenly appeared.

"Sir, may I ask your name?"

"My name? I'm the Second Hokage of the village, Tobirama Senju." After introducing himself, Tobirama stopped about two or three meters in front of Itachi.

As a former Hokage and a renowned shinobi of the Shinobi World, Tobirama wasn't about to attack a child just because he was an Uchiha.

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

But just as part of his consciousness had awakened, he had been restrained by a powerful force and plunged back into darkness.

After spending an unknown length of time in the dark, Tobirama's soul had appeared in Itachi's Consciousness Space.

A perceptive shinobi skilled in developing jutsu, he quickly worked out some details of his situation.

For some unknown reason, his soul had appeared inside this Uchiha brat, and the two of them were now in the boy's Consciousness Space.

Compared with the mature and seasoned Tobirama, Itachi was still very young. Though his thoughts were unusually mature, that was only in comparison with children his age.

Itachi looked up at Tobirama and said with a hint of excitement, "You're the Second Hokage?"

Tobirama nodded. Itachi's polite manner had improved his impression of the Uchiha child somewhat.

"Lord Hokage, what's happening? Why are we here?" Itachi asked in confusion, as if he had finally found someone he could rely on.

"This is your Consciousness Space," Tobirama explained.

Itachi looked surprised. "My Consciousness Space? Then how did you appear here? Why did I meet you in my Consciousness Space?"

Tobirama didn't have an answer to Itachi's questions. He still didn't know who had summoned him, much less why that person had put him inside an Uchiha child.

There had to be some kind of sinister plot behind this!

Tobirama immediately suspected that the one behind it was likely connected to the Uchiha. Putting him inside a child was probably meant to lower his guard.

"I don't know either. I awoke from death and found myself in your Consciousness Space." Tobirama chose to conceal some of the truth.

Itachi nodded thoughtfully. "So that's why you suspected I summoned you."

"Yes." Tobirama admitted it and took two steps closer to Itachi.

With the situation still unclear, Tobirama could only use the boy as a way to get answers. He would gather as much information as possible and use it to work out the mastermind's plot.

"You're Uchiha Itachi. How old are you?" Tobirama wasn't good at acting friendly, especially with Uchiha, but he was confident he could play the part for a child.

"I'll be four soon," Itachi replied obediently.

Tobirama continued, "Do you know who the current Hokage is? How is the village doing?"

"The current Hokage is the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi." Itachi answered the first question, then gathered his thoughts before honestly telling Tobirama what he knew about the village's current situation.

Tobirama listened quietly. From Itachi's account, he learned that the Third Shinobi World War was now underway. Konoha had suffered heavy losses, and at its worst, Allied Forces from other villages had pushed deep into the Land of Fire.

Hearing this, Tobirama, a former Hokage and the architect of many of Konoha's institutions, instinctively furrowed his brows.

Was the village really in such a bad state? What was Monkey doing?

Fortunately, what Itachi said next lifted Tobirama's spirits somewhat.

He heard that a young genius from the village, known by the nickname "Yellow Flash," had emerged. His name was Minato Namikaze.

The genius had mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique and performed brilliantly on the battlefield. He had turned the tide in Konoha's favor, helped the village stabilize its front lines, and put it back on the offensive.

"That Minato Namikaze has done well," Tobirama said approvingly. As one of the older generation, what he most wanted to see was a new wave of geniuses rising with every generation in Konoha.

After speaking, Tobirama looked at Itachi. It was rare for a child so young to know so much about the village. Was he another precocious genius?

"For someone your age, you know quite a lot. Well done!" Tobirama offered praise.

Itachi smiled and modestly explained, "I just got back from the battlefield, so I learned quite a bit."

Tobirama's expression tightened. Looking at Itachi, who wasn't even four, he couldn't help asking, "Who took you to the battlefield? Has the village's situation really become so bad that children your age have to fight?"

"No, Lord Hokage," Itachi quickly explained. "My father took me to the battlefield. He wanted me to see how cruel it was and learn from the experience."

Anger appeared on Tobirama's face. "The Uchiha really are a bunch of evil lunatics! Your father actually took a child as young as you to the battlefield!"

Itachi didn't get angry at Tobirama's criticism. Instead, he felt a childlike panic—the kind that arose when an adult scolded or blamed him, even if it wasn't really his fault or he had only made a small mistake, as if the sky were falling.

Itachi didn't panic to that extreme, but faced with Tobirama's criticism of the Uchiha and his father, he still felt flustered and ashamed. Instinctively, he lowered his head, not daring to meet Lord Hokage's eyes.