You've Changed, Itachi

Lin Yan was just asking as usual.

They didn't really expect Uchiha to give them face and go out to eat with them.

Unexpectedly, Itachi acted very strangely today; he actually agreed.

"If you don't mind us bothering you, then let's join in."

Itachi nodded in response to Lin Yan.

"Aha! Brother Itachi, are you really willing to come with us for some barbecue?"

Naruto asked in surprise.

"Um..."

"Great! Sasuke, we're going to eat barbecue! Hehe..."

Naruto looked at Sasuke excitedly.

His only friend in all his life was Sasuke.

Therefore, he cherished this friendship immensely.

Of course, I'm very excited about the possibility of having dinner with Sasuke.

Sasuke was also feeling a mix of joy and anticipation.

But he looked up at Itachi: "Brother, but we haven't told Mom and Dad yet..."

"Sasuke, you go with Lin Yan and the others first. I'll go back and tell Mom and Dad, and then I'll come find you."

The weasel answered.

"Okay, then."

"Brother, you need to come quickly!"

Sasuke immediately nodded in agreement.

He had no idea that Itachi was feeling a deep bitterness in his heart at that moment.

The reason Itachi agreed to have dinner with Lin Yan tonight was simply because he didn't want to go home right now.

He didn't want to face his father Fugaku Uchiha.

He was even more worried that when he returned, he would see not only Fugaku, but also other members of his clan.

Although the Third Hokage has promised to do his best to help the Uchiha Clan resolve their conflicts.

However, based on his understanding of the Uchiha Clan, it remained to be seen whether those clansmen would be willing to cooperate.

The Uchiha Clan is known for its arrogant personality.

Every member of the tribe is born with a sense of superiority over others.

They consider themselves superior.

How could he possibly accept having to publicly apologize to the villagers and apologize in front of so many people?

Despite being extremely troubled inside.

But at this moment, Itachi showed no sign of his inner turmoil.

He leaped onto the roof and disappeared.

Lin Yan led Naruto and Sasuke to the barbecue restaurant.

Ask the waiter to bring the menu and hand it to Naruto and Sasuke so they can order for themselves.

Lin Yan silently activated her Observation Haki.

In an instant, all the sounds of Konoha Village reached my ears.

Lin Yan automatically blocked out all other sounds, focusing solely on capturing Uchiha Itachi's voice and location.

When Uchiha returned home, he saw his mother Uchiha Mikoto, who had prepared dinner, coming out of her room.

"Mom, Sasuke and I won't be home for dinner tonight. We wanted to let you know."

Itachi had already realized that his father Fugaku Uchiha, was also in the room.

But he pretended not to realize it.

After saying that, he prepared to turn and leave.

But just as Itachi turned around, he was called back.

"Weasel."

Fugaku Uchiha appeared at the doorway.

The Uchiha Clan has been in turmoil lately, and Uchiha Mikoto knows that she and her father must have something to talk about again.

So he didn't say anything, turned around and went into the room.

Why not eat dinner at home?

Fugaku Uchiha looked at his son and asked calmly.

"My new teammates and I returned from a mission today and were planning to celebrate. They're treating, and Sasuke and I were invited."

The weasel answered.

Upon hearing his son's words, Fugaku Uchiha immediately asked without hesitation, "A new teammate, that outsider named Lin Yan?"

His words revealed several important pieces of information, causing Uchiha's eyes to narrow slightly.

First, there's the fact that his father Fugaku Uchiha, knows he has a new teammate.

Secondly, he knew that his new teammate's name was Lin Yan, and that Lin Yan was not from Konoha Village, but an outsider.

This means that, in reality Fugaku Uchiha had been having people monitor him all along.

Or rather, to monitor everyone you come into contact with.

He realized that he had been monitored by his father's men, and that even the identities of his teammates had been thoroughly investigated.

This intense feeling of distrust made Itachi feel extremely dissatisfied.

At this moment, he finally reached his breaking point.

She finally uttered the words she had kept hidden in her heart for a long time. "Is it all because of narrow-minded nationalism again...?"

Upon hearing his son say such a thing, Fugaku Uchiha frowned.

"What did you say, Itachi?"

"How does thinking about the family's interests become narrow-minded ethnocentrism?"

"As the head of the Uchiha Clan, I must naturally understand how to seek the welfare of all clan members and consider the development of the entire Uchiha Clan."

"One day in the future, when you sit in this position, you will understand, Itachi."

Fugaku Uchiha's words made Itachi feel even more disgusted.

He didn't want to offend his father, nor did he want to start an argument.

After taking a deep breath, he was about to recount the results Hiruzen Sarutobi had achieved that day in the Land of Fire Daimyo's Capital.

However, before Itachi could speak, Fugaku Uchiha said first, "Itachi, you seem to have changed a bit lately."

"You are my proudest son, and our whole family loves you."

"If you have something on your mind, remember to communicate with your family more often. Don't keep it to yourself, as that will only cause unnecessary misunderstandings."

Fugaku Uchiha was unaware that the long-term mental pressure he had placed on his son had severely altered Itachi's mindset.

He was utterly fed up with the constant talk of doing it for the family.

The demands and even orders made with the family's interests in mind caused Itachi immense pain and distress.

At this time, Fugaku Uchiha simply thought that his son Itachi was just entering his rebellious teenage years.

Every child at this age will develop a rebellious streak to some extent, questioning their parents' words and even having ideological disagreements.

They show a reluctance to listen to their parents' advice, prefer to do things their own way, have their own set of immature and naive ideas, and have a one-sided understanding of the world, etc.

As someone who had been through it all Fugaku Uchiha knew these things very well.

He remembered that he had gone through the same thing when he was young.

So right now, I'm planning to have a good talk with my son.

However, Itachi ignored Fugaku's words.

He responded somewhat coldly, "Today we are escorting the Third Hokage to the Land of Fire Daimyo's Capital. The Third Hokage made a request to the Daimyo in order to resolve a problem for the Uchiha Clan."

"The Daimyo's Court has now agreed to provide financial support to our Uchiha Clan to help us resolve the conflict with the villagers."

"In addition, the Third Hokage also promised to improve the welfare and benefits of the Uchiha Police Force."

"We'll probably inform you about this tomorrow, so Father, I hope you can restrain everyone and prevent them from causing any more trouble..."