Itachi

Back in the shop, Samu Kokaze was in a rather foul mood. Whenever he thought of what Guy had said before leaving, his chest felt stifled.

If he had to describe his current mood, it was exactly like Kakashi's when Guy had first latched onto him.

With a sigh, he sat listlessly in his chair, watching the crowds pass outside through the window as he waited for customers to enter.

This was part of Samu Kokaze's daily routine. Thanks to the Nano Core, cultivation did not require much of his time; he could finish it simply by setting aside spare moments each day.

Other than being dragged out by Ino to play, he spent his time sitting quietly in the shop, watching customers marvel at his exquisite carving skills. Only when he reaped their adoration did he feel truly alive.

After all...

Being transported into an anime from his original world was not something he could simply ignore!!!

Sometimes, Samu Kokaze even wondered whether he was living in a false world like The Matrix, nothing more than an experimental subject in some laboratory.

Creak...

The wooden door of the shop opened, and two figures, one large and one small, walked in.

Startled by the sound of the door opening, Samu Kokaze pulled himself from his thoughts. Seeing the fan-shaped clan crests on the two visitors' clothes, his gaze sharpened.

"Members of the Uchiha Clan?" Samu Kokaze murmured softly. A warm smile appeared on his face as he jumped down from his chair and walked over.

"Sasuke, take a look and see what you want."

Of the two who had entered, the older one lowered his head slightly and asked the small figure beside him, whose hand he was holding.

As Samu Kokaze approached, his expression shifted at the words. So this is Itachi and Uchiha Sasuke? As expected of the handsome faces of Naruto—even at such a young age, they're already this handsome.

"They're all so pretty!" Sasuke looked at the wooden carvings on either side, deeply tempted but utterly unable to decide.

"Are you the owner of this shop?"

As Sasuke stared at the exquisite carvings around him, caught in indecision, Itachi spoke in a somewhat cold voice upon hearing the approaching footsteps.

Hearing his brother's words, Sasuke withdrew his gaze from the displays and looked curiously at the child who had come over, someone about his own age.

Samu Kokaze ignored Sasuke's curious stare. Smiling, he nodded and looked at the two of them. "What kind of wood carving do you need? If you aren't satisfied with the ones in the shop, I also accept custom orders."

"You're the owner of this shop? Then you carved all the wood carvings here?"

Before Itachi could respond, Sasuke asked in astonishment.

"I carved them in my spare time. My skills are nothing special; please don't laugh at me," Samu Kokaze said, sounding a little embarrassed.

"Nothing special?"

Sasuke looked at the wood carvings on the shelves, where even the tiniest strands of hair were clearly visible. Then he turned to Samu Kokaze, who acted as though they were nothing worth mentioning, and the corner of his mouth twitched.

Even Itachi's perpetually indifferent, expressionless face twitched slightly. "You are the man whom the nobles of the Land of Fire call the new generation's master sculptor. To say your skills are nothing special is far too modest."

"Huh!"

Sasuke turned his little head back from the carvings beside him, his face adorably stunned as he stared at Samu Kokaze in disbelief.

"He... he's already a master sculptor at this age?"

"Haha, it's just an empty title. You're too kind. But the Uchiha Clan of Konoha is also renowned far and wide. My minor achievements are nothing compared to your clan!" Samu Kokaze said with a laugh, scratching his head.

Looking at Sasuke, Samu Kokaze inwardly sighed in regret. If Itachi had not been here, he could have obtained the Uchiha Clan's bloodline with just a few tricks. But with Itachi present, there was no way to do so. Having trained in the Anbu, Itachi would never fall for his little schemes.

Still, it did not matter. As long as they remained in Konoha, Samu Kokaze knew it was only a matter of time.

"Hmph! At least you know your place!"

Hearing Samu Kokaze praise his clan, Sasuke's mood immediately brightened. He raised his little head like a proud young peacock.

"Sasuke!" Seeing Sasuke's arrogant expression, Itachi rebuked him in a low voice.

Itachi had worried himself sick over the relationship between his clan and Konoha. Most people in Konoha felt nothing but fear when they saw members of the Uchiha Clan, and they loathed the Konoha Military Police Force controlled by the Uchiha even more.

Much of this stemmed from the Uchiha clansmen's pride in their clan's past.

But this was no longer the Warring States Period. After Madara's defection, the Uchiha's strength was far from what it once had been. Whenever Itachi thought of the elders at clan meetings, their faces filled with disdain for everything, his heart twisted in pain.

He could do nothing about the other members of the clan, but Itachi absolutely did not want his younger brother to become the sort of person others hated.

Hearing his brother's low rebuke and seeing the serious look in Itachi's eyes, Sasuke pouted unhappily and turned his head to look at the displays on either side.

"I'm truly sorry to have let Master Zuo Mu witness that," Itachi said, lowering his head slightly.

Samu Kokaze smiled. "Ha, it's fine. But how did you know about me? My reputation hasn't reached the point where everyone knows it, has it?"

Samu Kokaze was genuinely puzzled. When he had first carved that life-sized wooden statue, he had deliberately made an agreement with that noble.

From then on, any carving requests related to nobles or wealthy merchants of the Land of Fire had to be relayed through that first noble. Samu Kokaze refused everyone else who came directly to him.

At the same time, the noble was to protect and assist Samu Kokaze in every respect.

Thanks to the exquisite carvings Samu Kokaze produced, that noble's influence in the Land of Fire had risen dramatically, and he had earned the Daimyo's deep trust.

Therefore, even among the upper echelons of the Land of Fire, only a handful knew the identity of the master sculptor who carved for them. Samu Kokaze was truly curious how Itachi had found out.

Itachi remained silent for a long while.

"My apologies. I learned of it during a mission, but please rest assured, I will not tell anyone."

"It's fine, it's fine. I only hide this identity because I'm still too young. It wouldn't be good if people found out. As long as it doesn't become common knowledge, that's enough."

Scratching his head, Samu Kokaze glanced at Sasuke, whose eyes were glued to the wooden shelves on either side. Smiling, he said to Itachi, "Take your time looking. Since you're today's first customers, I'll give you half off!"

"Thank you, Master Zuo Mu." Itachi nodded in gratitude.

"It's nothing..."

Creak...

Just as he spoke, the shop door opened again. A chill rushed in from the entrance, and Samu Kokaze instinctively narrowed his eyes as he looked toward the door.