Itachi's Helplessness!

"Sasuke, you have already performed exceptionally well. If I hadn't used the power of the Sharingan this time, you would have won."

Hearing this exclamation and fearing that Sasuke might be unhappy, Shisui quickly patted him on the shoulder to comfort him.

In truth, there was a moment when Shisui wanted to let Sasuke win; after all, Sasuke had lost over a dozen times in their sparring matches. However, feeling that such behavior would be inappropriate, Shisui ultimately abandoned the thought.

"Haha, Shisui, you don't need to comfort me. Only through failure can one recognize their own shortcomings. Only after knowing one's shortcomings is there an opportunity for growth."

Waving his hand, Sasuke responded with a smile.

Sasuke knew very well in his heart that the gap in strength between him and Shisui was too vast. Even if Shisui didn't use the Sharingan, he could easily defeat him.

"Sometimes, I really don't feel like you're a child. The things you say are enough to make people admire you."

Listening to Sasuke's words, Shisui was stunned for a moment, then smiled.

Shisui had guessed correctly; Sasuke was indeed no longer a child. As an outstanding middle school student from the 21st century, Sasuke's mental maturity far exceeded that of a child.

"Shisui, after I leave, you must be careful of that man, Danzo."

Looking at the smile on Shisui's face, Sasuke suddenly thought of something and spoke earnestly.

Although, according to the timeline, Danzo would not make a move against Shisui for about another month, Sasuke feared there might be changes, so it was better to be cautious.

"Danzo?" Shisui was slightly taken aback, and his expression shifted. "What is Sasuke worried about?"

"The upper echelons of Konoha are currently hostile toward the Uchiha Clan, and you are the Uchiha Clan's top expert. I am worried that the ruthless Danzo might act against you."

Taking a deep breath, Sasuke said in a low voice.

"Danzo shouldn't be that kind of person, right?"

Hearing the gravity in Sasuke's tone, Shisui furrowed his brows deeper and spoke in a heavy voice.

Not that kind of person? If he had a smartphone in his hand right now, Lin Feng would really want to play a video for Shisui to show him just how ruthless and vicious Danzo truly was.

"Shisui, human hearts are unpredictable! If Danzo didn't have some ruthless methods, how could he have become the leader of Root?"

With an unprecedented solemnity on his face, Sasuke continued.

"Sasuke, thank you for the reminder. I will be careful."

After a moment of silence, feeling that Sasuke's words made a lot of sense, Shisui said softly.

Seeing Shisui nod, Sasuke finally breathed a sigh of relief and said quietly, "Shisui, remember my words. If Danzo really makes a move against you, don't get entangled; just use the Body Flicker to slip away."

"Sasuke, why do I feel like you seem to know something?"

Having never seen Sasuke this nervous before, Shisui suddenly laughed.

What if I do know a lot? Even if I say it, no one might believe me. Sasuke shook his head helplessly and then said in a low voice, "Shisui, just trust me. When I return, we will face the difficulties together."

"Alright!"

Although he didn't know what difficulties Sasuke was referring to, Shisui still nodded.

"Then Shisui, I'm heading home now."

Having said everything that needed to be said, and seeing that it was getting late, Sasuke greeted him and turned to leave.

Watching Sasuke's back disappear into the woods, Shisui chuckled, "Sasuke, you're feeling more and more mysterious."

By nightfall, the lights flickered like fireflies, growing more numerous until the entire Konoha village seemed enveloped in a dream.

In the living room of the Sasuke household, the family of four was gathered together for dinner.

What made Sasuke somewhat happy about this dinner was seeing Itachi, who had been busy with numerous Anbu missions lately.

Ever since Itachi's performance in the Anbu had improved, his missions had become increasingly frequent; sometimes, they hadn't seen him home for over ten days.

"Sasuke, tomorrow is your first time going out to execute a mission. You must pay attention to safety. Of course, you must also bring out your full strength to complete the mission quickly."

After eating a few bites, Uchiha Fugaku suddenly paused and exhorted Lin Feng.

"Father, don't worry, I will be careful."

Sasuke nodded and smiled slightly.

"Is Sasuke going out tomorrow?"

Itachi was stunned, feeling a bit worried for Sasuke in his heart, as his younger brother had never left Konoha before.

"Yes, brother."

"Our team is escorting a client to the Land of Waterfalls tomorrow."

Sasuke explained to Itachi.

"The Land of Waterfalls? I am also heading toward the border of the Land of Fire tomorrow. Although the general direction is the same, the missions we are executing are quite different."

Itachi sat to the side and said in a low voice.

"Oh?"

Hearing this, Uchiha Fugaku looked at Itachi in surprise, clearly not having expected that Itachi's mission would be on the same path as Sasuke's.

"Brother, what kind of mission is it?"

Sasuke was rather curious, so he asked.

"Oh, it's nothing much. Just some rogue ninjas pillaging around the border regions. Some of them are quite formidable, so the Anbu must be dispatched to handle them."

If it were a classified mission, Itachi certainly wouldn't have said anything, but for a routine task like this, Itachi didn't hide it and spoke directly.

"Rogue ninjas? Are they all ninjas from our Konoha?"

Sasuke blinked his eyes and asked in confusion.

"Not necessarily. Some missing-nin from other nations flee to our Land of Fire to escape pursuit from their own countries. To survive, they either become rogue ninjas and resort to pillaging, or they become black-market mercenaries, doing evil deeds for others."

Before Itachi could speak, Uchiha Fugaku explained it to Lin Feng.

"Understood!"

Sasuke nodded. He remembered that in Naruto, Zabuza seemed to be a rogue ninja who later became a mercenary and carried out quite a few assassinations.

"Stop chatting, you three, and hurry up and eat. The food is getting cold."

Seeing the father and his two sons only interested in talking, Uchiha Mikoto quickly reminded them.

"Mm!"

Giving his mother a faint smile, Sasuke continued to enjoy the meal alongside Itachi and Uchiha Fugaku.

After finishing dinner, Itachi called Sasuke into his room.

Inside the brightly lit room, faint moonlight spilled in through the window, creating a hazy atmosphere.

"Brother, is there something you need me for?"

Watching Itachi search for something inside a box, Sasuke asked in confusion.

"Sasuke, keep this signal flare on you."

Taking a signal flare out of the box, Itachi handed it to Sasuke and spoke softly.

"Brother, if there really is an emergency and there are no ninjas nearby to support me, sending up a signal flare won't be of any use, right!"

Knowing the purpose of the signal flare, Sasuke said.

"This is a signal flare exclusive to Anbu members. It is expensive to produce, but having one is better than having none."

Watching Sasuke's reluctant expression, Itachi shook his head helplessly and said.

"Fine, I'll carry it then!"

Sasuke nodded with a wry smile.

Although he knew the signal flare wouldn't be of much use, it was still Itachi's good intention, so Sasuke naturally couldn't refuse.

"It's getting late, go get some rest."

Seeing Sasuke put the signal flare away, Itachi nodded in satisfaction and smiled.

"Mm, Brother, you should get some rest early too!"

After saying this, Sasuke turned and left.

"Sigh!"

After Sasuke left, Itachi looked up at the moon outside the window and sighed. In truth, Itachi wished to follow Sasuke and protect him from the shadows, but he had to carry out his Anbu mission, leaving him feeling quite helpless.

(A gentle reminder: Sasuke is currently only six years old, not the twelve-year-old version from the anime, so the missions he carries out will certainly be different.)