Little Itachi

Inside the Hokage Office, Sarutobi smoked his pipe while Danzo and Utatane Koharu sat across from him, the few of them quietly listening to the report from two Chunin instructors.

"Hmph! Such an unruly Uchiha, actually daring to question the Will of Fire! How is Fugaku teaching his son?!" With one arm and one eye wrapped in bandages and a cane in his hand, Danzo let out a cold snort.

The Third remained silent, while Utatane Koharu at the side stood up. "Monkey, what is your view on this?"

The Third flicked the ash from his pipe. "The border of the Land of Lightning has been tense lately, so it is not advisable to spark another conflict with the Uchiha. How are the preparations for the relocation of Konoha going?" Sarutobi looked toward Danzo.

A sinister light flashed in Danzo's eyes. "Heh, a good spot will be arranged for them."

"Do not take things too far. By the way, call Shisui over for a moment. Such intense antagonistic sentiment from the Uchiha is unacceptable. On the other hand, that child Itachi is quite good, his grasp of the Will of Fire is very much in place." At this point, Sarutobi's calm face revealed a trace of a smile.

"The Uchiha Clan cannot be trusted at all, Sarutobi, do not let them deceive you!" Danzo shot Sarutobi a resentful look.

"I know my limits." Sarutobi gave a flat reply, then stopped paying attention to Danzo and quietly waited for Anbu to bring Shisui over.

"Lord Hokage!" Following the Anbu in, Shisui respectfully bowed to Sarutobi.

"Shisui, you're here!" Sarutobi revealed a warm, smiling face. "How have your missions been going recently?"

"Thanks to Lord Hokage's concern, all missions are normal!" Shisui bowed to Sarutobi, slightly moved.

"Shisui, there's no need to be so polite. Your grandfather and I were fellow disciples under the same master, just call me Grandpa Sarutobi."

"But, Lord Hokage, you are the Hokage of the village!" Shisui said with a slight blush.

"What of the Hokage? We are all people of the same village. Seeing that your mission completion rate has been good lately, I plan to transfer you to the Anbu. What do you think?!" Sarutobi looked affectionately at the somewhat flustered Shisui.

"Fire..."

Sarutobi glared slightly at Shisui, and Shisui immediately corrected himself, "Thank you for your trust, Grandpa Sarutobi!" Shisui said excitedly, as no Uchiha had ever joined the Anbu before.

"Lately, the antagonism between the village and the Uchiha has been quite severe, Shisui! The heavy responsibility of being the bridge connecting the Uchiha to the village is placed upon you. I hope you can inherit your grandfather's will and let the Uchiha integrate into the village."

"Yes! Please rest assured, Lord Hokage, I will definitely work hard for the peaceful coexistence of the village and the Uchiha!" Shisui answered excitedly.

"You child, didn't I tell you to call me grandpa?! Why did you change it back to Lord Hokage!" Sarutobi shook his head with a helpless smile.

Shisui sheepishly scratched his cheek. "This... aren't I not used to it yet! Grandpa Sarutobi."

"Haha, you child. Right, today is the start of the Ninja Academy term. When you have time, guide your juniors more. The transmission of the Will of Fire among the Uchiha will depend on you child to put in the effort."

"Understood, Grandpa Sarutobi!"

"Mhm! Go on and busy yourself with things if there's nothing else!"

Shisui left the Hokage Building, his excited state of mind unable to calm down for a long time.

"Right! Today is the day Hane and Itachi enroll, I must go celebrate with them." Thinking of this, Shisui walked toward the ninja tool shop.

After a round of selection, Shisui bought two long sabers forged from fine iron respectively. Yet these two katana blades, containing a small amount of Chakra Metal, practically exhausted most of the savings he had earned from doing missions during this period.

Still, thinking that these were enrollment gifts for Hane and Itachi, Shisui could only endure the ache in his heart and began walking toward the Uchiha Clan Grounds.

"Hane-kun..." Walking on the way home from school, Izumi started to speak, then stopped herself.

Meanwhile, Itachi, who followed behind, remained silent.

"What is it, Izumi!" Hane gave Izumi a big smile.

"Hane-kun, is it really okay for you to talk back to the teacher like that today!" Izumi asked with extreme worry.

"What is wrong with it! Izumi, that guy clearly harbors prejudice against us Uchiha. If he doesn't give you trouble today, he'll give you trouble tomorrow. Rather than being timid, it's better to strike hard." Hane said with a carefree expression.

He was not a civilian ninja who needed to learn ninjutsu from Ninja Academy teachers, and besides, if Hane wanted him to teach, the guy would have to actually be capable of it. His skills relied entirely on his Golden Finger; right now he could not even refine chakra, which clearly meant he was on a completely different path from ninjutsu.

Ninjutsu like the Clone Technique and Substitution Technique taught at the academy were things he still could not replicate. He did not know if it was because these few ninjutsu did not conform to the principles of Daoist magic, or because his realm was too low so he still could not touch a grand divine ability like External Incarnation, but either way, no matter how he pondered it, he could not comprehend Daoist magic regarding cloning.

Hane felt quite helpless about this. If not for the thought that coming to the academy and graduating would allow him to enter the ranks of ninjas, and later better collect malicious thoughts and Gratitude Points through being a ninja, he would never have been willing to come to the Ninja Academy. Thus, he did not care at all about offending an academy teacher.

"Brother, won't you disrupt the relationship between the clan and the village by doing this?" At this moment, Itachi, who had been silent all along, spoke up.

Hane's footsteps paused slightly, then he turned around with a smile to look at Itachi, who was looking at him with trepidation. "Itachi, no relationship is ever one-sided. Whether it is friends, family, or the village and the clan, maintaining a harmonious relationship requires effort from both sides, do you know that, Itachi!"

Hane gently tapped Itachi on the forehead. Even though the two of them were about the same height now, Itachi had never resisted this intimate gesture from his older brother.

"But Brother, I hope to be the bridge connecting the Uchiha to the village. As long as we are outstanding enough, becoming geniuses who catch the village's eye, we can gain the attention of the higher-ups. Using our status as the clan head's sons as a bond, perhaps we can regulate the relationship between the clan and the village in a more gentle way."

Looking into Itachi's firm gaze, Hane sighed softly. This younger brother of his was far too precocious. Such a little person, yet he possessed the mindset of a Hokage, to the extent that he always wanted to carry responsibilities far beyond his age under the name of a genius.

As for Itachi, Hane actually felt a mixture of affection and resentment. He loved his maturity and obedience, and resented his future choice of blindly choosing the village regardless of his mother and father.

Itachi looked at his lost-in-thought brother, his heart feeling somewhat unsettled at the moment. He possessed a deep reliance on this older brother; this reliance was not simply because he was his brother, but because sometimes his brother casually displayed a maturity and rationality, as if every single thing he did had his reasons.

"Itachi, you and I are still just children. How can the likes of us shoulder such pressure and responsibility? At a mere six years of age, our understanding of this world is still far too superficial.

Do not make decisions so early. Observe more, perceive more. In truth, the relationship between the village and the clan is complicated if you say it is, and simple if you say it is. It is nothing more than the unfairness of interests and a game of power!

You and I shall act as children for now, and grow up healthy and happy, alright?"

Hane stroked Itachi's little head. "Brother here hopes that Itachi can smile more!"

"Right now? We should go act like gluttonous brats. We cannot let Izumi's kind intentions go to waste!"

Itachi blankly stared at his older brother, his gaze starting to grow somewhat hazy. To this day, he still remembered when he was five years old and his father wanted to take him to the battlefield to experience it, how fiercely his brother had opposed it. That was the first time he had ever seen his brother angry.

His brother was strong. Although his brother rarely trained bitterly, Itachi knew his brother was strong. At the same age of five, he and his father were already on par when it came to Fire Release.