Yu's Gentle Critical Hit

Itachi hurried to the training ground and saw the cratered traces of explosions across the ground. His expression instantly turned wary.

"Mother, did enemies come?"

Seeing her younger son gripping a kunai in vigilance, Mikoto's lips curled into an amused smile. "Itachi, enemies really did come!"

"Mother, don't worry. I'll protect you!" With that, Itachi shielded Mikoto behind him and activated his two-tomoe Sharingan. This was the first time he had displayed his eyes to anyone other than his father.

Mikoto was both moved and amused by the sight. "Pfft! My Itachi is so adorable. The enemy Mommy meant is your naughty big brother!" Mikoto gently stroked Itachi's head.

Itachi did not understand at first. Only after the dust completely settled and he heard the conversation between his brother and father did he instantly realize what had happened.

He turned and gave his mother a helpless look of Nothingness, then glanced enviously at his brother. That was praise straight from Father's own mouth! I want that too!

This scene happened to be caught by Hane. When Hane saw the two tomoe in Itachi's eyes, he froze slightly, then flew over on his flying sword with a somber expression.

"Itachi, you're awake," Hane said softly.

At that moment, Fugaku also walked over. When he saw the two tomoe in Itachi's eyes, he too froze, before his expression turned excited.

"Itachi, your eyes... Hahahahaha! Excellent, Itachi! As expected of my son!" Fugaku could no longer suppress the joy in his heart and burst into hearty laughter. His two sons had given him far too many surprises.

Receiving his father's praise, the somewhat dejected Itachi showed a faint smile on his little face.

However, when he looked at his silent brother, his heart skipped a beat. "Brother! What's wrong?" Itachi asked uncertainly. Could his brother be unhappy because Father had praised him?

"Itachi, it seems I haven't shown you enough care all this time," Hane said somewhat despondently. Then he looked at Itachi with gentle eyes. "Itachi, I'm sorry. This sort of thing will never happen again!" Hane's tone grew increasingly tender.

Itachi had been wondering whether Father's praise had made his brother unhappy. His little face froze. After all, when he had heard Father say that his brother was already a powerful ninja, he too had felt a moment of disappointment. "Brother, why do you say that?" Itachi asked, his gaze shifting away.

Hane reached out and rubbed Itachi's head, his voice becoming low beyond Nothingness. "You're only six years old. You haven't experienced the cruelty of war, nor have you lost any beloved family members. What kind of stimulus could make someone as young as you awaken a two-tomoe Sharingan?"

Hane sighed softly, and the hand stroking Itachi's head paused slightly. "Ever since you were little, I knew you were a very smart child, Itachi. It is precisely because you are so smart that you understand responsibilities that do not belong to someone your age. Itachi! Don't take every responsibility upon yourself. You have the village, the clan, Father, and your brother!"

"Ah! What kind of responsibility had weighed on you so heavily that you awakened a two-tomoe Sharingan, while I noticed Nothingness at all?" A bitter smile appeared on Hane's lips. "Itachi! Tell me, am I a terribly inadequate brother?"

"No! Brother!" Itachi hurriedly shook his head.

Yet Hane did not give Itachi the chance to continue. Instead, he lamented to himself, "Itachi! Please believe your brother. This will never happen again. Since you worry so much about the clan and the village, then as your brother, I will naturally stand firmly in front of you."

"Itachi! Your brother will not let you stand alone in the darkness, lost and confused. This time, forgive your brother!" With that, Hane reached out and tapped Itachi on the forehead.

By then, Itachi's eyes were already brimming with tears. When Hane's finger touched his forehead, he could no longer hold them back, and they fell.

[Gratitude Points +1000]

[Gratitude Points +500]

[Gratitude Points +1000]

[Gratitude Points +500]

[Gratitude Points +1000]

Itachi's emotions erupted like a flood, and system notifications of massive amounts of Gratitude Points kept sounding in Hane's mind.

Tears also glimmered faintly in Mikoto's eyes behind Itachi. She was truly moved by this tender scene between her eldest son and his younger brother.

Hane noticed the constant system notifications appearing in his mind. Judging from the numbers, his self-reproach had not only completely stirred up Itachi's emotions; his mother was not doing much better either.

Fugaku stood blankly beside Hane. His joyful laughter abruptly stopped. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, only to see his wife cast him a resentful look.

Suddenly, he felt that compared to Hane as an older brother, he was an utterly inadequate father. It was not as though he did not know how the Sharingan awakened. It required an extremely intense emotional stimulus. He had only been happy that Itachi's strength had increased, without considering how painful the process behind it must have been.

Hane gently wiped away Itachi's tears. "Why are you crying? Smile more from now on!"

"Come on. We have a whole lot of people waiting for an explanation. Once we're done explaining, when school starts, your brother will buy you some three-color dango!"

Hearing that, Itachi's tears nearly spilled again. But remembering that he had already embarrassed himself once before his brother, and that his brother had told him to smile more, Itachi desperately held back the emotion in his heart and wore an expression that looked both like he wanted to cry and laugh. It was incredibly comical.

The future Uchiha god, the stoic-faced Itachi, had resistance amounting to Nothingness before his brother's tenderness and could only let Hane have his way with him.

"Father, have you thought of how to explain what happened tonight?" Hane turned to Fugaku, who stood nearby in a daze and at a loss, and asked calmly.

"Ah!"

Fugaku instantly came back to his senses and fell into deep thought. He absolutely could not say that this had been caused by a battle between himself and his son. The Uchiha were already like a powder keg under the suppression of Konoha's higher-ups. If they learned that another powerful combatant had appeared within the clan, who knew how much trouble it would cause.

Especially with the clan's relocation approaching. This matter had not yet been announced to the clansmen. Once it was, given those unfair terms, the clansmen would definitely make a scene. And with a powerful genius like Hane appearing in the clan as well...

With countless thoughts racing through his mind, Fugaku finally said, "We'll say that an unfamiliar ninja infiltrated the Uchiha compound."

Hane did not say much in response. After all, it was not the first time Konoha had been attacked by an unfamiliar ninja. As long as they stuck to this excuse, the clansmen would not be too suspicious. Even if they were, they would not be able to find any further explanation.

Before long, several elderly men in their sixties and seventies arrived at the entrance to their home, accompanied by a large group of clansmen.

A rapid knocking sounded. Mikoto rose lightly and opened the door. The leading elder, Uchiha Yashiro, quickly entered with a large group of clansmen, completely ignoring the mother and her two sons sitting opposite Fugaku.

"Clan Head, what exactly happened?" Uchiha Kyudai asked in a deep voice.

"I have made the elders worry. It was Nothingness but rats from the gutter sneaking in," Fugaku said calmly as he sat seiza on a cushion in the living room.

Uchiha Yashiro and the other clansmen's expressions changed drastically. "How outrageous! Who was it, to dare treat the Uchiha clan as though we were Nothingness? They actually dared to attack the clan head's residence in the dead of night."

All the Uchiha clansmen wore furious expressions, their eyes reddened as they looked at the clan head, whose body clearly bore traces of battle.

"I don't know. The enemy was very mysterious. After I discovered them, they fled after only a few exchanges. Everyone must strengthen their vigilance recently."

"Even the Clan Head could not keep the enemy here?" Every Uchiha's expression changed.

"Clan Head, could it have been that Uchiha who remained at large after the Night of the Nine-Tails?" The expressions of all the clansmen tightened once more.

They were only one step away from directly saying it was that person.

If they could prove that it was the Uchiha who had caused the Nine-Tails Rebellion, they could prove to the village that Konoha's Uchiha had nothing to do with the Nine-Tails Rebellion. Everyone looked at Fugaku expectantly.

"I'm not certain. The enemy did not reveal any bloodline limit or ninjutsu that could prove they possessed Uchiha traits."

"Enough! Stop letting your imaginations run wild. Strengthen security around the clan grounds recently. We absolutely cannot allow this to happen again." Fugaku interrupted the elders before they could continue.

"Yes, Clan Head!" The elders turned and left unwillingly.