Time flew by. After several months, the streets of Leaf Village had long since shed the gloom left behind by war.
The lanterns along the commercial street swayed gently in the night breeze, the Ferris wheel at the amusement park turned slowly, and the sign outside the theater listed tonight's performance. The tickets had long been sold out.
The entire village was thriving, as though the blood and fire of those years had never happened.
Tianyi stood atop Hokage Rock, looking down at the land whose reconstruction he had personally helped bring about, a slight smile on his lips.
Sage Mode had been mastered, elevating his strength to another level. Recently, Tianyi had also taken on his second disciple, Uchiha Itachi.
That day, at the Uchiha Training Ground, a four-year-old black-haired boy stood in the center of the field, his posture straight and his gaze focused.
He held several kunai in his hand. With a light turn of his wrist, the kunai flew from his fingers, tracing arcs through the air.
Thunk, thunk, thunk, thunk. Several targets were struck dead center. For the final target in a blind spot, Itachi threw two kunai in succession, the latter striking the former and changing its direction.
It curved around the obstacle ahead and shot precisely into the bullseye of the target hidden in the blind spot.
His movements were smooth and precise, without a hint of waste.
Tianyi emerged from the shadows of the distant trees, applauding as he walked over.
The applause rang especially clearly through the silent training ground. Hearing it, Itachi turned around and spotted the familiar figure. A smile instantly bloomed across his face.
"Master!" Itachi jogged over, looking up with sparkling dark eyes.
"How was my kunai throwing?"
Tianyi crouched down to meet his gaze, a slight