Teacher Tobirama

The sun was veiled by clouds, and the afternoon breeze wove through the forest.

Itachi sat on the ground with his back against a large tree, eyes closed as if resting.

In the Consciousness Space, Itachi tilted his head up and asked the Second Hokage a question he had always been curious about.

"Lord Second Hokage, why did you say before that the Uchiha were evil?"

Tobirama looked at Itachi. Putting aside his prejudice against the clan he came from, he thought highly of this precocious and exceptionally talented child.

If he received the right guidance, this child would surely become a pillar of Konoha.

So, after hearing Itachi's question, Tobirama thought it over before choosing to explain.

"Because the Uchiha had already strayed down a path of pursuing power many years ago."

"Strayed?" Itachi's eyes widened, full of curiosity and a thirst for knowledge.

Tobirama explained slowly, "The Sharingan is the source of your clan's strength, but it is also your curse."

"Without exception, Uchiha shinobi who awaken the Sharingan become elite shinobi, far stronger than ordinary ones."

"Because of this, the Uchiha Clan, already a clan that revered strength and pursued power, gradually grew obsessed with obtaining the Sharingan's power."

"Your long history of inheritance allowed your ancestors to gradually uncover the secret of awakening it: extreme stimuli increased the chances of a clan member awakening the Sharingan."

At this, Tobirama paused. He looked at Itachi, a trace of sympathy passing through his eyes, but in the end, he told him the truth. "That's why your father took you, when you were so young, to the battlefield."

Itachi's clear pupils widened slightly, and disappointment began to take root in his heart.

Was that really it? Was it all just for a pair of eyes?

As Itachi sat there, dispirited, he felt a large hand rest on his head and gently stroke it.

Though they were only consciousness and spirit forms in the Consciousness Space, Itachi could still feel the warmth of that hand.

He slowly looked up at the Hokage before him.

"Don't be disappointed. The problem isn't your father; it's the entire clan. Your people have long since lost themselves in the power of the Sharingan." Tobirama's voice was gentle, with a rare hint of kindness as he tried to comfort him.

"Actually, they're all wrong. They don't understand the true source of the Uchiha's power."

Itachi eagerly pressed him. "What is it, Lord Hokage?"

"Love!" Tobirama said calmly.

"Love?" Itachi was surprised by the answer.

Tobirama nodded and continued, "The Uchiha understand love better than anyone, and their love is the strongest of all."

"When Uchiha lose something they love, the intense shock can awaken the Sharingan."

"But because of that, Uchiha who awaken the Sharingan after losing someone they cherish become twisted and extreme in temperament."

"For your clan, the Sharingan is really a pair of cursed eyes. It symbolizes the loss of someone you love."

Itachi froze. He stared blankly at Tobirama, a thousand words on his lips as complicated emotions surged in his heart.

So that's how it is? The price of awakening the Sharingan is losing someone you love. Eyes like these really are cursed.

If he could, Itachi hoped he would never awaken the Sharingan, because he didn't want to lose the people he loved.

"This is the tragedy of your clan. You long to gain power to protect the love you cherish, but you can only gain that great power after losing the one you love." Tobirama sighed at last.

"No. I'll change my clan's fate. I'll prove that you can become an excellent shinobi even without the Sharingan." Itachi looked up at Tobirama, the bright light in his eyes blazing with conviction.

That conviction was so strong, so pure, that Tobirama was stunned for a moment.

In all his years alive, Tobirama had never seen such conviction or ideals in any Uchiha shinobi, not even Madara Uchiha.

This child really is extraordinary!

Looking at Itachi before him, Tobirama couldn't help but marvel. But facing reality, he still reminded him bluntly, "You can't do it alone. The desire for power and the pursuit of the Sharingan are already etched into your clan's very spirit."

Itachi said nothing. His little face tensed as he solemnly took a step back, then bowed to Tobirama and said sincerely, "Lord Hokage, please teach me! I want to learn from you how to become an excellent shinobi."

Looking at Itachi, Tobirama couldn't help smiling. It was hard to refuse such an outstanding child, one so full of idealism.

"You want to become my disciple?"

Itachi straightened and raised his head. Looking Tobirama directly in the eyes, he answered firmly, "Yes!"

"Good! From today on, you're my disciple." Tobirama set no conditions or challenges. He simply agreed.

At Tobirama's acceptance, a brilliant smile instantly bloomed across Itachi's face. In that moment, he finally looked like the four-year-old child he was.

"Teacher Tobirama!" Itachi cried excitedly.

Tobirama tried to keep a stern expression, but the corners of his mouth kept rising, betraying how he felt.

"Since you've become my student, I'll teach you a ninjutsu today! You're still young, and you don't have much Chakra, but your precise control of it is already good enough for you to practice ninjutsu." Tobirama decided to give his disciple a small gift.

"Really, Teacher Tobirama?" Itachi hurried over to him and asked excitedly.

Children from a ninja village, especially those from a shinobi clan, often saw their fellow clan members use all kinds of ninjutsu. They were all eager to learn.

"Have you tested your Chakra nature?" Tobirama asked.

Itachi shook his head. "Not yet. Dad said he'd test it for me in a while."

"It's fine. You're from the Uchiha Clan, so I can't say what your other natures are, but you definitely have Fire Release. Today I'll teach you a C-rank Fire Release Ninjutsu." Though Tobirama himself specialized in Water Release Ninjutsu, he was a master of developing high-level ninjutsu and Forbidden Jutsu, and had studied techniques of every nature.

"Watch closely," Tobirama reminded Itachi.

Itachi tipped his head up and watched Tobirama intently, not missing a single detail.

Under Itachi's gaze, Tobirama raised his hands and deliberately began forming the hand seals more slowly.

Snake–Ram–Monkey–Boar–Horse–Tiger.

After forming the six seals, Tobirama used the Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique, continuously spewing a huge fireball from his mouth.

It was a Fire Release technique passed down in the Uchiha Clan, but Tobirama, as Hokage, had already studied and mastered it.

Itachi only needed to watch once to memorize the order of the hand seals. He began forming them, imitating Tobirama.

Tobirama had finished the technique and turned to look at Itachi, who was forming the seals.

For someone his age, Itachi's hand seals weren't especially fast, but they were certainly not slow. He had already surpassed most Chunin.

Itachi finished forming the seals, puffed out his cheeks, and opened his mouth. A fireball larger than Itachi himself, over a meter in diameter, shot from his mouth.

Even Tobirama, who had seen so much, was quite astonished by the sight.

"Had you really never tried ninjutsu before, Itachi?" Tobirama couldn't help asking.

"This is my first time," Itachi answered honestly.

Tobirama looked into Itachi's eyes. After a few seconds of silence, he said with a sigh, "Perhaps one day, you really can change the Uchiha."