Sasuke clenched his shuriken.
Those words were unpleasant to hear.
But he couldn't refute them.
Itachi walked into the courtyard and said softly,
"Sasuke."
Sasuke turned around.
"Brother."
Itachi picked up a shuriken and walked over to him.
"Relax your shoulders."
"Don't flick your wrist first."
"Look at the bullseye, but don't focus only on the bullseye."
He demonstrated once.
The shuriken flew out.
Clang!
It struck the bullseye dead center.
Sasuke's eyes lit up.
Itachi handed him the second one.
"Try it."
Sasuke took it.
This time, he didn't throw it right away.
Breathe.
Relax.
Look.
Then throw.
Clang!
The shuriken lodged at the edge of the bullseye.
It hadn't hit dead center.
But it was much steadier than before.
The corners of Sasuke's mouth rose despite himself.
Itachi smiled as well.
Fugaku stood at the end of the corridor, silently watching the scene.
If Shin-getsu hadn't changed everything.
Itachi would not be standing beside Sasuke like this.
And before leaving the village for a mission, Sasuke would not be learning shuriken from his brother's own hand.
The Uchiha family might have long since fallen apart.
Fugaku walked over and sat down beside Shin-getsu.
"What do you think about the Land of Waves?"
Shin-getsu said,
"The enemies on the surface won't be difficult."
Fugaku understood.
"The trouble is behind them?"
"Mm."
Shin-getsu looked at Sasuke practicing in the courtyard.
"The Masked Man suffered a loss last night."
"Black Zetsu won't let him keep forcing his way into Konoha."
"The Land of Waves is far from the village, its waters are complicated, and it can also lead back to the Hidden Mist."
"They'll test my eyes, and they'll test the Nine-Tails inside Naruto."
Fugaku said gravely,
"Do you need reinforcements from the clan?"
Shin-getsu shook his head.
"If there are