Teacher Tobirama

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

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

Within the space of his consciousness, Itachi tilted his head, looking toward the Second Hokage standing before him, and asked the question that had been weighing on his mind.

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

Tobirama looked at the Itachi before him. Setting aside his prejudice against the clan, he held this precocious and immensely talented child in high regard.

If this child could be guided correctly, he would surely become a pillar of Konoha.

Therefore, upon hearing Itachi's question, Tobirama pondered for a moment before choosing to provide an explanation.

"Because many years ago, the Uchiha began to walk down a misguided path in their pursuit of power."

"A misguided path?" Itachi's eyes widened, filled with curiosity and a thirst for knowledge.

Tobirama spoke slowly: "The Sharingan is the root of your clan's strength, but it is also your curse."

"Every Uchiha ninja who awakens the Sharingan becomes an elite among shinobi, possessing strength far beyond that of an ordinary ninja."

"Consequently, the Uchiha clan, which already revered strength and pursued power, gradually became obsessed as they sought to obtain the power of the Sharingan."

"Through long generations of inheritance, your ancestors eventually deduced the secret to awakening it: extreme trauma increases the likelihood of a clan member awakening the Sharingan."

At this, Tobirama paused. He looked at Itachi, a flash of sympathy crossing his eyes, before finally speaking the truth: "That is why your father took you, still a young child, to the battlefield."

Itachi's clear pupils dilated slightly, and a sense of disappointment sprouted in the depths of his heart.

Is that so? Was it all just for a pair of eyes?

As Itachi felt lost, a large hand rested on his head, stroking it gently.

Even though this was merely consciousness and a spiritual projection within the mental space, Itachi could still feel the warmth from that large hand.

He slowly looked up at the Hokage before him.

"Do not be disappointed. The problem does not lie with your father, but with the entire clan; your people have long since lost themselves in the power of the Sharingan," Tobirama said, his voice gentle and carrying a rare touch of kindness as he offered comfort.

"In truth, they are all wrong. They do not understand what the root of Uchiha power truly is."

Itachi asked impatiently, "What is it, Lord Hokage?"

"It is love!" Tobirama said calmly.

"Love?" Itachi was surprised by the answer.

Tobirama nodded and continued: "The Uchiha are the clan that understands love the best, and they are also the clan that feels love the most intensely."

"When a member of the Uchiha loses what they love, the intense trauma triggers the awakening of the Sharingan."

"But because of this, the Uchiha who awaken the Sharingan after losing their loved ones find their personalities twisted and extreme due to that loss."

"To you, the Sharingan is actually a cursed eye; it is a symbol of having lost what you loved."

Itachi was stunned. He stared blankly at Tobirama, a thousand words caught in his throat as complex emotions churned within his heart.

So that was it? The price for awakening the Sharingan was the loss of one's loved ones. Such eyes were indeed cursed.

If he could, Itachi hoped he would never awaken the Sharingan, for he did not wish to lose those he loved.

"This is the tragedy of your clan: you yearn for the power to protect the love you cherish, yet you can only obtain that great power when you have already lost it," Tobirama concluded with a sigh.

"No, I will change the fate of my clan. I will prove that one can become an excellent ninja even without the Sharingan." Itachi lifted his head to look at Tobirama, a light called conviction erupting in his bright eyes.

This light was so intense and so pure that even Tobirama was momentarily taken aback.

Such conviction, such ideals—Tobirama had never seen them in any Uchiha ninja while he was alive, not even in Uchiha Madara.

This child is truly extraordinary!

Tobirama looked at Itachi before him, unable to help but feel a sense of wonder, yet out of realism, he bluntly warned: "With your strength alone, you cannot do it. The thirst for power and the pursuit of the Sharingan are already carved into the spirit of your clan."

Itachi did not speak. His small face tightened, looking very serious as he took a step back, then bowed his head toward Tobirama, his tone sincere: "Lord Hokage, please teach me! I want to follow you and learn how to become an excellent ninja."

Tobirama looked at Itachi, the corners of his mouth lifting involuntarily. It was truly difficult to refuse such an excellent child, glowing with the brilliance of idealism.

"You wish to become my disciple?"

Itachi straightened his back, lifted his head, and looked directly at Tobirama, his tone firm: "Yes!"

"Very well! From today on, you are my disciple." Tobirama set no barriers and offered no challenges; he simply agreed.

Hearing Tobirama's consent, a brilliant smile instantly bloomed on Itachi's face. In this moment, he finally looked like a four-year-old child should.

"Teacher Tobirama!" Itachi called out excitedly.

Tobirama tried to maintain his stern expression, but the corners of his mouth, which kept curling upward, betrayed his mood.

"Since you have taken me as your master, I shall teach you a ninjutsu today! Although you are still young and your chakra is limited, your precise control over your chakra is already sufficient for practicing ninjutsu." Tobirama decided to present his disciple with a small gift.

"Really? Teacher Tobirama." Itachi hurried to Tobirama's side, asking excitedly.

Children in ninja villages, especially those from ninja clans, often saw their kin performing various ninjutsu, and they all harbored a great longing to learn them.

"Have you tested your chakra affinity?" Tobirama asked.

Itachi shook his head, "Not yet. Father said he would test me in a while."

"It doesn't matter. You come from the Uchiha clan; while your other affinities are hard to say, you definitely possess the fire attribute. Today, I will teach you a C-rank Fire Style ninjutsu." Although Tobirama specialized in Water Style, as a master developer of top-tier ninjutsu and forbidden techniques, he had dabbled in techniques of every nature.

"Watch closely," Tobirama reminded Itachi.

Itachi tilted his head up, staring intently at Tobirama, not letting a single detail escape him.

Under Itachi's gaze, Tobirama placed his hands in front of him and began to weave the hand seals, deliberately slowing his speed.

Snake-Ram-Monkey-Boar-Horse-Tiger

With the six hand seals completed, he unleashed the Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu, a massive sphere of flame continuously erupting from Tobirama's mouth.

This was the Uchiha clan's ancestral Fire Style technique, but as the Hokage, Tobirama had long since studied and mastered it.

Standing to the side, Itachi memorized the sequence of seals after only a single viewing and began to mimic Tobirama.

At this moment, Tobirama, having finished his technique, turned to look at Itachi, who was currently weaving the seals.

At his current age, Itachi's hand seal speed was not exactly fast, but it certainly wasn't slow either; it had already surpassed the level of most Chunin.

Itachi completed the seals, puffed out his cheeks, and opened his mouth, unleashing a fireball larger than himself, with a diameter exceeding one meter.

Seeing this scene, even the well-informed Tobirama felt quite shocked.

"Itachi, have you never been exposed to ninjutsu before?" Tobirama couldn't help but ask.

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

Tobirama looked into Itachi's eyes, and after a few seconds of silence, he sighed and said, "Perhaps in the future, you really can change the Uchiha."