Teasing a Child!

"You're not my dad!"

"Haha, just call me big brother. No calling me uncle—I'm not that old!"

Hiruko irritably rubbed his head, then pulled him into an embrace. "What's got you so confused, little guy?"

"I want to know what it means to live. What is the meaning of life? What exactly is life?" Itachi Uchiha said with a serious expression.

Itachi Uchiha paid no mind to the hard flick on his forehead, nor did he care that this uncle had made him call him Dad.

Still looking lost, he muttered to himself, "What exactly is the meaning of life?"

Hiruko raised a hand and gently patted his head, replying with a smile, "Life doesn't necessarily need some predetermined meaning.

"But as long as you're alive—if you keep living—maybe one day, you'll find the meaning of being alive.

"Living itself is already an incredibly wonderful thing."

He tilted his head back slightly, as though lost in memories. "Take me, for example. My parents were brutally murdered right in front of me by those bastards from the Land of Lightning.

"But I never sank into despair. As long as I'm alive, there's hope. I'm planning to avenge them!"

As he spoke, the corners of his lips curled up in a somewhat flippant smile.

"Besides, there are so many gorgeous women in Konoha. I'd be reluctant to die."

"Living means hope, while death means an end. Once life ends, everything is gone. That's why no one wants to die. Struggling to survive is the instinct of all living things."

As he spoke, Hiruko held Itachi Uchiha in his arms and slowly shared his understanding of life.

The deeper he entered this ninja world, the more Hiruko, a modern man who had crossed over, came to hate its cruelty.

He desperately wanted to change this world, but his strength was still far from enough.

Without a unified nation, conflicts would never end.

He longed to unite the ninja world, so that after he was gone, there would be no more wars and ordinary civilians could finally catch their breath.

He never pitied those nobles and powerful figures when they were killed. Those bloodsuckers clinging to the poor deserved it.

Hiruko only pitied those who worked hard their entire lives, only to be slaughtered by great ninja in their own homes for no reason at all.

After all, in modern society, he had been nothing more than an ordinary office worker, repeating the same monotonous work every day.

But now that he was in this ninja world, an ambition to change everything rose within him.

He longed to live, pursuing immortality with near obsession. He wanted to see the vast, boundless worlds beyond and experience their endless beauty.

He did not want to die. That fierce desire to survive had shaped Hiruko into who he was today.

And as long as he lived, he might still have a chance to return to his true hometown.

So he made up his mind to keep living—on and on, without ever stopping.

He wanted to travel through countless worlds and witness the sights of different realms. How could he possibly be content to remain in one corner?

Hiruko wanted to see more scenery, and all of that required an immortal life and immense power as firm guarantees.

He never wanted to experience again that painful feeling of watching his parents die before his eyes as a child while being powerless to do anything. He would never become that weak again.

Hiruko had long set himself a small goal: obtain immortality within twenty years.

Completely perfect the Chimera Technique, become a true ultimate life-form, and possess endless life akin to immortality.

In a sense, he and his classmate Orochimaru were truly kindred spirits.

"Beauty, hope... living represents hope." Itachi Uchiha muttered with his little head tilted, only half understanding as an indescribable feeling gradually rose in his heart.

Though he was still confused, it seemed he had grasped something important.

Hiruko stretched out his strong arms, lifted Itachi Uchiha with both hands, and began playing at raising him high.

Then he said with a smile, "That's right. No matter what happens, never give up on living, because only by staying alive can there be hope!"

"Every child is an adult's hope."

Then Hiruko lowered the high-held Itachi Uchiha back down.

As a modern man who had crossed over, Hiruko deeply pitied the young ninja of this world.

Before they even reached adulthood, they had to struggle for survival amid brutal slaughter. Itachi Uchiha had even been brought onto the battlefield by his idiot father at the age of four. It would have been stranger if he had not become mentally disturbed.

In peaceful times, they should have been studying in school and enjoying carefree childhoods. Instead, they kept killing others.

Hiruko understood that he could not save everyone, but he was willing to lend a hand to those he happened to encounter.

"Cough, cough..." Itachi Uchiha was somewhat unaccustomed to Hiruko's palm pressing atop his head and kept trying to wriggle free.

"Meeting is fate. Come on, I'll treat you to something to eat." Thinking this, Hiruko led Itachi Uchiha away and headed toward the snack street.

"N-No need..." Little Itachi Uchiha still tried to act cool, but before he could finish, Hiruko had already taken his small hand and strode forward.

He could only hurry after Hiruko, taking two steps for every one.

Come to think of it, this uncle in front of him was actually quite good-looking. His soft white hair and the gentle smile always on his face gave off a warm feeling.

Only, the aura of chakra around him felt somewhat cold and sinister.

Like Lord Orochimaru, he had slightly pale skin. There was also a small diamond-shaped mark on his forehead, which instead added a hint of distinctive charm.

As he walked, Itachi Uchiha secretly observed this kindhearted uncle.

Hiruko held the child's hand as he headed toward Konoha's bustling district.

Just as they were nearing the dessert shop he knew well, he suddenly remembered that he had not asked the little guy's name. After all, he could not exactly say that he already knew it.

Hiruko suddenly asked, "Oh, right. I forgot to ask—what's your name, little guy?"

"Little friend, what's your name?" Hiruko asked with a smile.

"My name is Itachi Uchiha."

Itachi Uchiha answered in a childish voice, "What about you, Uncle?"

"Me? I'm Hiruko."

Hiruko had always kept a low profile and preferred shutting himself away in the laboratory to conduct experiments. He had never earned any glorious achievements on the battlefield.

He was nowhere near as famous as the Legendary Sannin, whose names were known by everyone. Not many people knew him.

Still, because of certain special matters, he had quite a reputation among Konoha's ninja and was no less famous than the Sannin.

It had to be said that Lady Mikoto was truly the picture of a graceful Japanese beauty. Hiruko had seen her a few times on the battlefield, and she really was striking. His collector's instincts had acted up.

Hiruko suddenly recalled something he had heard in his previous life: "Step into someone's yard and you covet their melons; tease their child and you covet their mother."