Itachi Uchiha Becomes Hiruzen Sarutobi's Disciple

Itachi Uchiha's gaze burned as he looked at Orochimaru before him.

Itachi was an absolute genius. At the age of four, Fugaku Uchiha had taken him to the battlefield, where he came to understand the cruelty of war.

Honestly, Fugaku Uchiha must have had something wrong with his head to bring such a young child onto a battlefield.

Even in this world of ninjas, Itachi Uchiha had been far too young back then.

Itachi Uchiha was a genius, but witnessing the cruelty of war at such a young age could easily cause psychological problems.

It could be said that the Uchiha Clan's annihilation in the original work had a great deal to do with Fugaku Uchiha taking Itachi Uchiha to the battlefield.

Itachi Uchiha, jokingly called the Shinobi World's greatest filial son and "Uchiha Weasel," had been shaped by Fugaku Uchiha's own hand.

Like Shisui, Itachi Uchiha's ideals were not bound by the concepts of clan and village. He loathed war intensely while possessing an extreme spirit of self-sacrifice.

He did not just sacrifice himself; he also liked making others sacrifice themselves alongside him.

However, the Uchiha Clan had now undergone enormous changes. The so-called radical faction no longer existed.

Even Setsuna Uchiha, who had previously plotted rebellion multiple times, had now joined the ANBU.

He no longer spoke of rebellion and had even moved out of the clan compound to live in central Konoha.

The Uchiha Clan and Jiraiya had captured the Eight-Tails alive, while the Cloud Hidden Village had paid reparations, apologized, and voluntarily ended the war. It had made everyone in the village hold their heads high.

As a result, both civilians and ninja in the village had become much friendlier toward the Uchiha Clan.

After spending this time around them, everyone had realized that the Uchiha Clan was not that frightening. They were just a bunch of tsundere fools!

Moreover, carrying out missions and becoming teammates with the Uchiha Clan seemed quite good.

The Uchiha Clan was powerful and disliked concealing its strength. Whenever there was a battle, they always went all out.

Even when facing stronger enemies, as long as their bonds ran deep enough, the Uchiha Clan could suddenly erupt with power. Who would not like teammates like that?

The changes in both the village and the clan had allowed Itachi Uchiha to see hope for peace.

Eternal peace might seem impossible, but would it not be enough to give his all to protect the peace they had now?

However, even more doubts arose within Itachi Uchiha's heart.

What exactly was the meaning of life?

"Itachi, what do you think is the meaning of life?"

Orochimaru looked at the child before him. He could sense the boundless potential hidden within Itachi Uchiha.

Itachi Uchiha considered the question carefully before giving his answer.

"For me, perhaps the meaning of life is protection. But everything I cherish will eventually fade away... What meaning would my protection have then?"

Itachi Uchiha's words made Orochimaru smile unconsciously.

Such questions had once troubled him as well, but now he had only one goal: strength and immortality!

"Itachi, only with sufficient strength can you protect what you wish to protect. Just like the First Hokage, who could turn the entire Shinobi World into what he wanted it to be."

Orochimaru's words made Itachi Uchiha lower his head in thought.

Naturally, he knew of the First Hokage's deeds.

Konoha had been founded by the First Hokage. Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha had ended the Warring States Era, and ninja from other nations had imitated the ninja village system.

But could strength truly allow someone to protect what they wanted?

Look at the Senju Clan now. Only Tsunade remained, while Konoha no longer possessed its former glory.

"Of course, besides strength, there is another matter of great importance: lifespan!"

"Although the First Hokage was powerful, his immense strength had been purchased at the cost of his life."

Orochimaru had researched the First Hokage's cells extensively. Both the Senju Clan and the Uzumaki Clan possessed enormous chakra reserves and incredible recovery abilities.

But the number of times a living cell could divide was limited. The price of enormous chakra reserves and rapid recovery was a shortened lifespan.

"I believe the meaning of life is the pursuit of immortality!"

Itachi Uchiha stared at Orochimaru with his eyes wide open, stunned by Orochimaru's words.

If one could truly achieve immortality while possessing great strength, then many of the problems he worried about could be resolved.

Life's greatest anguish was that it was simply too short.

"Itachi Uchiha, are you willing to become my junior brother? I will have the Third Hokage accept you as his disciple."

After all, Hiruzen Sarutobi was still the Hokage.

Orochimaru looked at Itachi Uchiha and extended the invitation.

Itachi Uchiha froze for a moment, then nodded without hesitation.

"Lord Orochimaru, I am willing!"

At that moment, Orochimaru's image had become immensely lofty in Itachi Uchiha's eyes. He was practically turning into Orochimaru's little fanboy.

Orochimaru was very satisfied upon hearing Itachi Uchiha agree.

As Jiraiya's disciple, Shisui served as a bridge of communication between the Uchiha Clan and the village. Having Hiruzen Sarutobi take Itachi Uchiha as a disciple would make him Shisui's junior brother, but more importantly, Hiruzen Sarutobi genuinely admired Itachi Uchiha.

However, if Hiruzen Sarutobi accepted Itachi Uchiha, he would need to take on another disciple as well.

He already had Anko as a disciple. He would need to take in another civilian disciple to keep things fair, though there was no need to rush. There was plenty of time.

The news that Hiruzen Sarutobi had accepted Itachi Uchiha as a disciple immediately spread throughout Konoha.

The Uchiha Clan was the most excited. If Jiraiya accepting Shisui as his disciple had merely given them hope, then Hiruzen Sarutobi accepting Itachi Uchiha as his disciple was a true surprise.

After all, Hiruzen Sarutobi was the Hokage. Although Jiraiya had trained a Hokage disciple before, he did not even hold an official position in Konoha.

Fugaku Uchiha was overjoyed. He knew his choice had not been wrong! Although the Mangekyo Sharingan had been exposed, they had gained the village's trust in return!

As the Uchiha Clan's leader, he had not actually been very competent. He had wavered between the clan and the village, offering no help to the clan at all.

"Itachi, you must listen carefully to Hiruzen Sarutobi's teachings and strive to become the next Hokage!"

After contacting Hiruzen Sarutobi through a summoning beast, Hiruzen Sarutobi did not refuse and accepted Itachi Uchiha as his disciple.

The position of Hokage might also have been a lingering obsession for the Uchiha Clan. No one desired becoming Hokage more than the Uchiha Clan.

Of course, the Uchiha Clan did not crave the power that came with being Hokage. What they longed for was the feeling of being admired and loved by everyone in the village after becoming Hokage.

Itachi Uchiha did not desire the position of Hokage. He only wanted to protect everything he wished to protect.

For example, Sasuke Uchiha, who was currently asleep, was someone for whom he was willing to give everything.

His little brother was simply too adorable!

Miki Xiaoai had also moved into Hiruzen Sarutobi's room.

When Shinnosuke learned of the news, he was utterly shocked. He had never imagined Hiruzen Sarutobi could play things so wildly!

To be honest, deep down, he was a little envious...