Uchiha Itachi's Shock!

Returning home, Sasuke felt a wave of embarrassment.

Sure enough, geniuses were all a bit eccentric in one way or another.

That outfit... he wouldn't be caught dead wearing it.

"Sasuke, are you back?"

"I don't have any missions today, so I can help you with your training!"

Sasuke, who had just let out a sigh of relief, heard Uchiha Itachi's doting, fanboy-like voice.

"Okay."

"Brother, I want to ask you a question."

"Did you tell the Hokage about my affairs?"

Sasuke looked at Uchiha Itachi with a face full of disdain.

All the way home, he had been wondering who could have leaked his business to Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Fugaku Uchiha certainly wouldn't have.

His mother wouldn't do such a thing either.

As for Aunt Bubin... judging by the things she said to Naruto, she was already cleared of suspicion.

That left only the big brother standing in front of him, smiling like a fool!

"Yes, I did."

"Did the Hokage express his intention to cultivate your talents?"

Itachi looked like a child seeking praise.

Sure enough, his dear brother had already been completely hoodwinked.

"Brother, let's go train."

"Also, Brother, I want to learn some genjutsu and ninjutsu."

"Father won't teach me, so you teach me."

Sasuke didn't dwell on it any further.

Changing Itachi wasn't going to happen overnight.

Aside from being a bit stubborn, his big brother was actually quite good.

At the very least, he had no issues when it came to Sasuke.

"Alright!"

"Let's head to the training ground."

Seeing that Sasuke felt a sense of reliance on him again, a smile spread across Itachi's face.

He led Sasuke toward the training ground.

The training lasted until late into the night.

It only ended after Aunt Bubin had brought them food twice.

At this moment, Sasuke lay on the ground, his face etched with exhaustion.

"Brother, did you really have to go so hard on me?"

"I'm only five years old!"

Sasuke gasped for air, complaining.

"Sasuke, you've improved a lot recently, and you need to master this power quickly."

"Also, have you awakened your Sharingan?"

Itachi asked, his tone suddenly calm.

"Yes."

Sasuke didn't hide it, giving a direct, affirmative answer.

Given Itachi's talent, combined with Sasuke's insight and perception during their recent spar, it was inevitable.

Most importantly, once the Sharingan was activated, the flow of chakra around the eyes was impossible to conceal.

A genius like Itachi, who cared so deeply for Sasuke, would certainly have noticed.

"I'll set up a barrier in a moment; activate your Sharingan and fight me one more time."

Itachi remained calm as he spoke.

"Fine."

Sasuke nodded, then slowly stood up.

He reached into his pocket, pulled out a Military Ration Pill, and tossed it into his mouth.

This was something he had requested from Fugaku Uchiha, under the pretext of preparing for his training.

As his stamina recovered, Sasuke slowly opened his eyes.

A three-tomoe Sharingan appeared, striking in its clarity.

"Three-tomoe!"

Itachi was shocked!

[Ding, Uchiha Itachi's shock detected. Mission released.]

[Complete 10 acts that shock Uchiha Itachi]

[1/10]

Right at that moment, the system's notification sound rang out.

Hmm? Shock, is it?

Sasuke had originally intended to display his Sharingan along with his current strength.

He wanted his older brother, Itachi, to acknowledge his power and stop treating him like a mere child.

Only then would the actions he planned for the future be taken with sufficient seriousness.

And then, he could slowly change Itachi.

It seemed he would have to reveal some of his trump cards ahead of schedule.

"Brother, I'm ready."

"I'm going to start my attack."

As soon as Sasuke finished speaking, he instantly activated Thunder God Mode.

BOOM!

The ground shattered violently as he lunged toward Uchiha Itachi.

This physical constitution, this taijutsu...

Itachi was shocked once again.

[2/10]

However, Uchiha Itachi was a genius, after all; after a brief moment of distraction, he met Sasuke's attack head-on.

In Thunder God Mode, the battle between Sasuke and Itachi looked clean and efficient.

There wasn't a single wasted movement.

Every strike was executed with pinpoint accuracy.

With the blessing of the Sharingan, there was a qualitative improvement in precision!

BANG!

Following a slight mistake by Sasuke, he was sent flying by Itachi in an instant.

At this moment, Itachi's eyes were filled with pleasant surprise.

His little brother was actually able to fight him for this long!

"Sasuke, you..."

ZZZTTT...

BOOM!

A bolt of lightning struck, cutting off Itachi's words.

The next moment, Sasuke, wreathed in the power of lightning, charged again.

With the lightning-attribute attacks, speed, power, and paralysis...

The multiple enhancements forced even Itachi to take him seriously.

[3/10]

Shocked once more, Itachi also unleashed ninjutsu to assist in the fight.

Lightning Release, Fire Release...

Soon, the training ground was shrouded in dust and mist.

But the battle did not stop.

With both of them possessing the Sharingan, they were immune to such visual obstructions.

As the dust settled, Sasuke lay on the ground once again.

With his current chakra reserves, he really couldn't last long in a battle that required such full-power expenditure!

It was another day of envying those "chakra-ton" guys.

"Sasuke, when did you master this style of combat?"

Itachi walked over to sit beside Sasuke, asking with pleasant surprise.

"Just a while ago, I discovered it while trying to transmute my Lightning Release chakra."

"Big brother, do you have anything that can restore chakra?"

"I have other combat techniques I haven't shown yet."

Sasuke feigned a stubborn, competitive tone.

"I do."

"Take this; it's a special agent used by the Anbu."

"After consuming it, you can rapidly recover your chakra."

"Combined with your own natural chakra refinement, you should be fully recovered in two hours."

"I will wait for you here."

Itachi handed over the vial, explaining patiently...

"Brother, how do you interpret the 'Hokage mindset'?"

After consuming the agent, Sasuke sat up.

He immediately asked the question.

"The Hokage mindset?"

"To protect the village with one's own body!"

After a brief moment of thought, Itachi gave the answer he believed in.

"The village you protect—whose village is it?"

Sasuke spoke again.

"Whose village?"

"Naturally, it is Konoha; it belongs to everyone..."

At this point, Itachi's expression faltered.

The answer he had always taken for granted in his heart was suddenly met with doubt.

"Brother, the Uchiha are also members of the village, so the village should also have a place that belongs to the Uchiha."

"But now, does the village you are protecting truly include the Uchiha within it?"

After Sasuke finished speaking, he said nothing more.

Because the progress bar [4/10] already provided him with the answer.

Watching Sasuke before him, who had closed his eyes to begin refining chakra, Itachi's mind began to drift toward other thoughts.

If Sasuke were still that little brat who only followed behind him, begging for training, he might not have pondered so deeply.

But the Sasuke of now...

A strange seed began to take root in Uchiha Itachi's heart.