Taming Itachi Uchiha

"Hmph, even if he did perform a meritorious deed by saving others, it cannot cover up the fact that he abandoned his teammates."

Although he had not yet fully relented, Danzō's response was no longer as aggressive as before.

In the end, it was the old softie Hiruzen Sarutobi who stepped in to deliver the final verdict.

"Alright, Danzō. After all, Shisui assisted Minato in eliminating four Iwagakure jōnin, which can be considered avenging Kamii Sarutobi and Akira Shimura. With these merits and demerits canceling each other out, there will be no additional punishment for Shisui."

"Shisui-nii, you're back!"

The moment Shisui Uchiha stepped through his front door, he saw three-year-old Itachi Uchiha lunging toward him.

"Itachi, what are you doing here?"

Shisui caught Itachi, then ruffled the boy's hair, leaving the little tyke's head a complete mess.

In the entire ninja world, only the current Shisui could enjoy such treatment.

"Here, this is a gift for you."

Shisui handed over the C-rank and D-rank ninjutsu scrolls he had seized on the battlefield to Itachi.

Three-year-old Itachi already yearned to become a ninja, but because he was still so young, Fugaku Uchiha had forbidden him from practicing any ninjutsu alone, unless under the direct supervision of either Fugaku or Shisui.

Although he couldn't use them yet, just looking at them was enough to satisfy Itachi's curiosity.

Itachi happily accepted the scrolls and said, "Father knew you were back, so he told me to wait for you here. We're having dinner at our house tonight."

Because Shisui's parents had been very close to the clan head's lineage, Fugaku Uchiha's family had taken great care of Shisui after his parents sacrificed themselves.

Under these circumstances, Shisui, acting as an older brother, also cherished Itachi dearly.

"Good, it's been a long time since I've had a meal cooked by Mikoto-nee."

As the family of the clan head for three generations, the residence of Fugaku Uchiha was located in the heart of the clan grounds.

However, neither Fugaku nor Mikoto Uchiha were people who liked to be high-profile; upon entering the courtyard, it didn't look much different from the homes of most other Uchiha clansmen.

"Shisui-kun, you're here."

Seeing Shisui and Itachi return, the gentle and amiable Mikoto Uchiha immediately poured tea for Shisui.

"Good lad, I heard that on the front lines, you not only saved three companions but also assisted Minato Namikaze in eliminating four of the enemy's jōnin. You didn't bring shame to your grandfather or your father."

A hearty voice came from inside the house; it was the thirty-year-old clan head, Fugaku Uchiha.

"But that old geezer Shimura Danzō actually had the gall to slander you openly, causing you to be denied the treatment you deserve. Sigh."

Shisui knew that while Fugaku was complaining about the unfair treatment he had received, he was actually lamenting the current predicament of the Uchiha clan within the village.

"Clan Head, during this mission, I discovered that Minato Namikaze of the Hokage's faction holds no prejudice against our Uchiha clan. Because of Obito, we Uchiha are able to establish a connection with Minato. If he becomes the Hokage in the future, there will be an opportunity to improve the village's attitude toward us."

"Eh?!"

Fugaku Uchiha looked at the seven-year-old Shisui Uchiha in surprise, suddenly feeling as if a fog had lifted.

In truth, ever since Fugaku Uchiha took office, he had been trying every possible way to ease the relationship between the Uchiha clan and the village.

It was just that the hardliners led by Shimura Danzō insisted that the Uchiha were a hypocritical and evil clan harboring malicious intent, refusing to even grant them a chance to sit down and negotiate. This extreme ideology had persisted since the era of Tobirama Senju.

Coincidentally, Shisui's words just now had given Fugaku a new line of thought.

"You are truly worthy of being the grandson of Kagami-senpai; you've done our Uchiha clan a great service this time." Fugaku Uchiha sighed with emotion.

Back in the day, as a disciple of the Second Hokage Tobirama Senju, Kagami Uchiha had been the bridge of communication between the Uchiha clan and the Hokage.

If things had developed normally, Kagami Uchiha, possessing the support of the Hokage's faction, would have been the most popular candidate for clan head.

But heaven was jealous of talent; Kagami Uchiha met with an accident during a mission, and not even his body was recovered.

"Itachi, you must learn more from Shisui. When you grow up, you need to be as outstanding as he is."

Looking at his three-year-old son, Fugaku's eyes were filled with paternal love; his gentle, virtuous wife and sensible son were the greatest motivation for his struggles.

"Yes, Father. I will definitely learn well from Shisui-nii."

In the eyes of three-year-old Itachi, his father and Shisui were his role models. Especially Shisui, who showed him so much care and attention; Itachi's reliance on him grew with each passing day.

This time, I will not let you repeat the same mistakes, Shisui thought to himself, dotingly patting Itachi on the head.

"Alright, you've finished your business, it's time to eat."

Mikoto Uchiha brought out the dinner she had prepared long ago, featuring Japanese rice balls, sushi, and tempura with fried white shrimp, sardines, and okra.

Although it was just a simple meal, Shisui enjoyed this warm, relaxed feeling, which only strengthened his resolve to protect this beauty.

After the meal, Shisui took Itachi to the clan's training ground.

"Shisui-nii, even Father agreed with what you said today. I want to learn more from you and become someone as excellent as you in the future."

In Itachi's heart, Shisui was his idol.

"Then you have to work hard, too, Itachi."

As he spoke, Shisui's hand touched Itachi's head again; he had grown quite fond of the sensation.

"The reason I didn't let you train alone before is that developing your body too early will only overdraw your potential. Since we have this opportunity today, I will teach you the method for cultivating chakra."

In the original story, Itachi Uchiha had suffered from a severe illness; although the cause was never explicitly stated, Shisui suspected it had to do with Itachi over-developing his body at too young an age.

"Alright, Shisui-nii, I'll listen to everything you say."

Looking at the well-behaved and obedient Itachi Uchiha before him, Shisui found it difficult to connect him with the executioner who would later act willfully and slaughter his entire clan.

However, how could there not be my own reasons for this? Shisui blamed himself inwardly.

This time, Shisui would not let the tragedy of his past life happen again.

"Chakra, according to my understanding, is actually a mixture of physical energy and spiritual energy. Furthermore, everyone is born with their own chakra nature; let's test yours first."

Itachi Uchiha took the chakra induction paper from Shisui's hand. The first half of the paper was instantly ignited, a sharp tear appeared in the middle, and the severed half became slightly damp.

"As expected of Itachi, you have Fire, Wind, and Water chakra natures."

Hearing Shisui's praise, Itachi Uchiha happily narrowed his eyes. For Itachi, receiving Shisui's approval made him happier than learning any ninjutsu.

"Ninjutsu is simply the release of one's own chakra through various forms. To circulate the chakra within your body, you must learn how to refine and transport it through your body's meridians. Now, I will first teach you the method for extracting chakra..."