Growth and an Unexpected Discovery

February 1st, Konoha Year 48.

A month has passed since the New Year, and Itachi, Yami, and Jiangtai have been learning at home with Taiichi for a month.

The biggest change in the past month wasn't the significant improvement in the three boys' strength. After all, the Basic Taijutsu and meditation taught by Taiichi require gradual accumulation and are not shortcuts.

The biggest change, however, was in Uchiha Itachi's personality.

He's only 5 years old; even if he's precocious, he's still a child.

For the past month, apart from going home for dinner and sleep in the evening, I've spent almost all my time with Jiangtai and Yami, those two little devils.

If you expect him to stay the same, that would be truly unbelievable.

Just like now.

"Teacher, we've finished our Taijutsu and meditation this morning. Can we go out and play today?"

Uchiha Itachi placed his hands together under his chin, blinking his eyes pleadingly.

Can you imagine that the person who made this move was actually Uchiha Itachi?

If Taiichi hadn't witnessed Itachi's transformation over the past month with his own eyes, he wouldn't have believed it was real.

"What, is there not enough fun for the three of you at home? Now you all want to run away outside?"

Taiichi as he looked at the three of them. It was rare for Itachi to take the lead today. In the past, whenever there was a request, Jiangtai would be the one to charge ahead, while the other two would be there to cheer him on.

It's no wonder the three of them acted this way; even the largest mansion can't withstand three troublemakers running wild inside for a month.

"Ah, not entirely. Itachi said he'd treat us to Three-color Dango today, Taiichi- san, please let us out!"

When it comes to acting cute, girls are the best at it. Don't underestimate Yami just because she's young; she's a pro at it. That sweet, cloying voice Taiichi to give you goosebumps.

"Alright, alright, stop talking now." Taiichi shook himself. "Going out to play is fine, but it's not the same as home. You can't be so crazy outside."

"Yay, Taiichi- nii is the best!"

The three of them cheered and jumped around, high-fiving each other in celebration.

"Go ahead, remember to come back before lunch."

"Okay!"

No sooner had Taiichi finished speaking than the three of them rushed out of Taiichi's mansion like a gust of wind through the porch.

He simply shook his head silently, activated his Chakra Perception, and kept a close watch on the three figures from a distance, preventing them from noticing.

This can be considered a kind of experience.

"Charge! Let's have a blast today!"

Jiang Taiichi cheer, like a freed colt, taking the lead.

Yami followed closely behind, her ponytail bouncing merrily behind her head, her face flushed with excitement.

Itachi was slightly behind by half a step. Despite being the youngest, he was the strongest of the three due to his talent.

Now, his large, dark eyes no longer held the calm and focused gaze he had when facing Taiichi in the study, but were illuminated by a novel light he had never seen before.

This was the first time in their month-long training, and even in their entire careers, that they had been allowed to leave their homes without adult supervision and truly explore this bustling village.

The streets were lined with a dazzling array of shops, vendors hawking their wares, pedestrians hurrying by in all sorts of attire, and stalls adorned with colorful cloths—

All of this strongly impacted the three children's senses; they had never before enjoyed such freedom, being able to go wherever they wanted.

Especially for Itachi, these scenes were either fleeting glimpses he was given while being led by his family members, or distant observations from across the clan's territory. He had never been able to immerse himself in them and experience them freely like this before.

Wow! What's that for sale? It smells so good!

Yami's small nose twitched vigorously, her gaze immediately drawn to a stall emitting steam.

"It's Takoyaki," Jiangtai said with experience. "Taiichi -nii bought some for us before."

Seeing him nod from time to time, he was behaving like a little adult.

But he couldn't maintain this posture for long before a sweet fragrance wafted into his nose.

Following the scent, he quickly found a more brightly colored stall in the distance.

"Itachi, Itachi, look over there! Over there are your favorite Three-color Dango! You promised it was your treat today!"

"Okay! No problem!"

Itachi's voice also carried a hint of barely concealed joy, not because he was going to eat his favorite Three-color Dango, but because he was happy to be able to share his favorite food with his good friend.

The three of them quickly arrived at the conspicuous stall, where they saw several skewers of round meatballs on bamboo sticks.

Each skewer is composed of three different colors: a delicate cherry blossom pink, a clean off-white, and a gentle tea green, all drizzled with a layer of crystal-clear, enticingly glistening sweet sauce.

Looking at the delicious dumplings, Itachi couldn't help but recall that he had casually mentioned the Three-color Dango during a training break the day before yesterday, Yami and Jiangtai immediately exclaimed that they hadn't eaten them in a long time.

At that time, the precocious Itachi solemnly promised, "When we have the chance to come out, I will definitely treat you to dumplings."

Now is the time to fulfill our promise.

Taiichi, watching from afar, couldn't help but smile sincerely at the three people's joyful smiles.

It's often said that happiness is contagious, and it's certainly true.

"Grandpa, please give us eight skewers of Three-color Dango."

Itachi tried to make his voice sound calm, but his slightly gleaming eyes betrayed his anticipation.

He pulled a delicate cat-shaped purse from his pocket—it contained the pocket money his mother, Mikoto, had specially prepared for him that day.

The old man selling dumplings looked at the three cute and lively children, and his eyes paused slightly when he saw Itachi's Uchiha clan uniform with the fan Gunbai embroidered on it, before he smiled kindly again.

"Alright! Fresh out of the pot, so sticky and sweet!"

He deftly took out eight skewers of Three-color Dango coated in sauce, looking at the three little ones with a slight dilemma.

"Two skewers each, and please pack the other two for me."

Itachi stepped forward, took two skewers and handed them to Yami, then took two more and handed them to Jiangtai, then carefully put away the two skewers that were already packaged, and finally took the two skewers in his hand.

"I'll bring back two skewers for Taiichi- sensei too, so he can try these sweet dumplings."

Taiichi, listening from afar, narrowed his eyes to slits. The little guy had truly lived up to his sincere feelings.

The three children smiled upon hearing this, and the sweet fragrance that wafted into their noses made them even more eager to get started.

The three of them, each holding a skewer, carefully took a small bite.

"Mmm, so sweet! So soft!"

Yami squinted her eyes contentedly, a little sauce still clinging to the corner of her mouth.

"It's so delicious!"

Jiangtai first took a small bite, then a big bite, swallowing the whole meatball. His cheeks bulged out, and his voice was squeezed out from between his teeth.

Itachi savored each bite. The off-white dumplings had a subtle rice aroma, the pink ones carried a sweet, ethereal floral fragrance, and the green ones had a slightly bitter yet sweet tea flavor. The three flavors blended with the sweet sauce—this was his favorite.

Seeing the happy faces of his two friends beside him, he felt a warm feeling well up inside him, even happier than when he was eating.

So this is what it feels like to treat friends to food.

A surge of intense joy coursed through his senses, and for a fleeting moment, a warm red tinge appeared in his dark eyes.

The red color disappeared in an instant, and even Itachi himself only felt a slight dryness in his eyes, thinking it was caused by the wind.

However, this change of his did not escape the notice of Taiichi was using Sensory Ninjutsu to cover the three of them.

The slight fluctuation of Chakra and the fleeting flash of crimson surprised him.

Itachi is 5 years old this year and has not yet started refining Chakra. The Chakra fluctuation just now should be the Chakra generated spontaneously when the Sharingan awakens.

The awakening failed simply because the body ultimately lacked the foundation for Chakra.

But why did Itachi awaken the Sharingan? Isn't it said that the Sharingan can only awaken after undergoing a strong stimulus?

The Sharingan is usually only triggered by witnessing the death of close friends and family, which is why it is called the Cursed Eye.

But what's the reason now?

Taiichi's brain was working frantically when suddenly an idea popped into his head.

Stimulation is always a stimulus. Negative emotions like the death of a loved one are a stimulus, but positive emotions like joy and happiness are also a stimulus.

In the past, Uchiha awakened their Sharingan through negative emotions; no one has ever said that positive emotions cannot awaken it.

At least today, Taiichi saw one example.

Feeling the Chakra I had just sensed from Itachi, that cold, sinister eye power completely different from other Uchiha, it was a warm and comforting feeling.

It seems necessary to go find Fugaku and explain this change in the Sharingan to him.

While Taiichi was pondering the Sharingan, the three little ones were wandering aimlessly along the street, each holding a skewer of meatballs.

The sun shone warmly, I ate the sweet dumplings, and my friends chattered excitedly around me, sharing their funny stories.

Itachi felt as if he had stepped into a completely new world, full of color and sound, far more expansive than the numerous rules and dull atmosphere of his home.

Unbeknownst to them, they wandered into a relatively secluded area near the edge of the village, where there were several public training grounds for ninjas to practice.

In one of the small areas, three boys who looked to be around ten years old were practicing basic Taijutsu.

The three, who were still immersed in the sweetness of the dumplings and the joy of their casual conversation, did not pay much attention to the people in the room.

However, one of the boys, who was resting and wiping his sweat, inadvertently glanced across the street and happened to see Itachi wearing the Uchiha clan uniform. His expression changed instantly.

"Hey, look!"

He nudged his companion with his elbow, his voice clearly hostile.

"Over there, the Uchiha Clan."

Upon hearing this, the other two boys immediately stopped what they were doing and turned to look at the other boy.

The three boys' eyes were like needles piercing Itachi, filled with undisguised disgust and—a hint of barely perceptible cowardice.

Due to their talent and family resources, children from the Uchiha Clan are often among the best in their classes at the Ninja Academy.

Despite being called a "loser" by Kakashi Obito Tenten, Obito was actually only bad at academics; his Taijutsu and Ninjutsu were among the best in the class.

This puts immense pressure on many children from ordinary Civilian, and can even lead to feelings of envy.

In addition, the Uchiha's inherent arrogance and disdain for interacting with ordinary children meant that, with the exception of a few individuals, the interpersonal relationships of most Uchiha students at school were, as one can imagine, quite poor.

These three boys in front of me had clearly been suppressed by their Uchiha classmates at school, and had accumulated a lot of resentment in their hearts.

Now, seeing a lone Uchiha brat who was clearly much younger than them, their pent-up resentment erupted like a flood bursting its banks, becoming uncontrollable.

"Hey, Uchiha Clan brat, what are you doing showing off here instead of staying in your clan's territory?"

The tallest boy in the group, arms crossed, Earth Flow over with an unfriendly expression and blocked Itachi and the others' path.

Two other companions immediately followed behind him, and the three of them spread out to form an encirclement.

The smile on Itachi's face slowly faded, and the hand holding the dumpling paused slightly.

He could clearly sense the malice emanating from the other party and subconsciously took a small step back.

This pure, unfounded hostility was something he had never experienced before in his life.

Hey! What are you doing?

Jiangtai was the first to jump out, like a mother hen protecting her chicks, fearlessly standing in front of the weasel, puffing out her little chest, and questioning it loudly.

"The road is so wide, what's it getting in your way?"

Yami immediately stood on the other side of Itachi, her small mouth firing like a machine gun.

"Exactly! We're eating meatballs and strolling around, what's it to you? If you like, go buy them yourself!"

Jiangtai and Yami are not like Weasels; they grew up surrounded by children, so dealing with this kind of situation is a piece of cake for them.

The three older boys were taken aback by the barrage of words from the two younger children.

Their original intention was to cause trouble for the Uchiha, but they didn't expect the two brats beside them to be so sharp-tongued.

The key point is that they weren't afraid of anyone, even when facing people so much older than them, and even dared to talk back.

This scene was naturally witnessed by Taiichi from afar. He didn't step forward to stop them; more accurately, he wanted to see how these little guys would handle this situation.

So far, he is still quite satisfied.

"What does this little brat know!"

The eldest child, his face flushed red with embarrassment and anger, roared, "What's so great about the Uchiha? Just because you have a family background doesn't mean you can look down on people! I hate seeing you!"

"Oh! So it's because you guys were too stupid and got scolded by your Uchiha brothers and sisters at school, so you came here to bully Itachi, who's several years younger than you?"

That's true, but Yami's hands on her hips and her "I know" contemptuous expression still deeply hit the other person's sore spot.

"What a spineless coward! You can't beat the stronger ones, so you come to take it out on the weak. Aren't you ashamed?!"

As she spoke, she traced her finger across the girl's face, making a shy gesture.

"You—you're talking nonsense!"

The three boys were even more embarrassed when a little girl exposed their thoughts in public, and the leader was furious.

"You little brats are no match for us. Now get out of my way! We're looking for that Uchiha."

As he spoke, he reached out and forcefully tried to push aside Jiangtai and Yami, who were blocking Itachi's way.

"You dare to lay a hand on me?"

When Jiangtai saw that the other party was about to push him, his blood boiled. He was the "King of the Kids" in the Orphanage, invincible among his peers, and the most loyal of all!

Seeing my friend about to suffer a loss, how could I possibly stand it!

He suddenly ducked, like a slippery little fish, and instead of being pushed away, he crashed headfirst into the other person's stomach!

"Oh my!"