Little Itachi

In the Hokage's office, Sarutobi puffed on his pipe. Danzo and Utatane Koharu sat across from him, quietly listening to the reports from the two Chunin instructors.

"Hmph! What an unruly Uchiha, daring to question the Will of Fire. Is this how Fugaku taught his son?" Danzo snorted coldly, one arm and one eye wrapped in bandages, a cane in his hand.

The Third remained silent, while Utatane Koharu beside him stood up. "Monkey, what do you think?"

The Third tapped the ash from his pipe. "The border with the Land of Lightning has been tense lately. It would be unwise to clash with the Uchiha again. How are preparations for Konoha's relocation coming along?" Sarutobi looked at Danzo.

A sinister gleam flashed through Danzo's eyes. "Heh heh, I'll arrange a good spot for them."

"Don't go too far. Also, have Shisui come over. Such intense hostility from the Uchiha is unacceptable. That child Itachi, on the other hand, is quite promising. He has a thorough understanding of the Will of Fire." As he said this, a faint smile appeared on Sarutobi's calm face.

"The Uchiha Clan cannot be trusted, Sarutobi. Don't let them deceive you!" Danzo shot Sarutobi an indignant look.

"I know where to draw the line." Sarutobi replied blandly, then ignored Danzo and quietly waited for the Anbu to bring Shisui over.

"Lord Third!" Shisui, who had entered alongside an Anbu member, respectfully bowed to Sarutobi.

"Shisui, you're here!" Sarutobi smiled warmly. "How have your recent missions been going?"

"Thank you for your concern, Lord Hokage. Everything has been going smoothly!" Shisui was slightly moved as he bowed to Sarutobi.

"Shisui, there's no need to be so formal. Your grandfather and I were fellow disciples. Just call me Grandpa Sarutobi."

"But, Lord Hokage, you are the leader of the village!" Shisui said, blushing slightly.

"What does being Hokage have to do with it? We're all from the same village. Your mission completion rate has been quite good lately, so I'm planning to transfer you to the Anbu. What do you think?" Sarutobi looked kindly at the somewhat flustered Shisui.

"Lord—"

Sarutobi gave Shisui a slight glare, and Shisui immediately changed his words. "Thank you for trusting me, Grandpa Sarutobi!" Shisui said excitedly. No Uchiha had ever joined the Anbu before.

"The hostility between the village and the Uchiha has been rather severe lately. Shisui, I'm entrusting you with the important responsibility of becoming a bridge between the Uchiha and the village. I hope you can inherit your grandfather's will and help the Uchiha integrate into the village."

"Yes! Please rest assured, Lord Hokage. I will certainly work toward peaceful coexistence between the village and the Uchiha!" Shisui replied excitedly.

"You child, didn't I tell you to call me Grandpa? Why are you calling me Lord Hokage again?" Sarutobi shook his head helplessly, filled with Nothingness.

Shisui scratched his cheek awkwardly. "Well... I'm just not used to it yet, Grandpa Sarutobi."

"Haha, you child. Oh, right, the Ninja Academy starts today. When you have time, guide your juniors more. Spreading the Will of Fire among the Uchiha will require you to put in more effort."

"Yes, Grandpa Sarutobi!"

"Mm! If there's nothing else, go get busy!"

Shisui left the Hokage Building, his excitement taking a long time to settle.

"Right! Today is Hane and Itachi's first day at school. I should go celebrate with them." With that thought, Shisui headed toward the ninja tool shop.

After some selection, Shisui bought two longswords forged from refined steel. Yet those two katanas, containing only a small amount of Chakra Metal, had nearly drained most of the savings he had earned from missions during this time.

But thinking of them as enrollment gifts for Hane and Itachi, Shisui could only suppress the ache in his heart and head toward the Uchiha Clan Grounds.

"Hane..." Izumi hesitated as they walked home after school.

Itachi, following behind them, remained silent.

"What is it, Izumi?" Hane gave Izumi a broad smile.

"Hane, was it really okay for you to talk back to the teacher like that today?" Izumi asked with great concern.

"What's wrong with it? Izumi, that guy clearly has a prejudice against us Uchiha. If he doesn't cause trouble for you today, he'll do it tomorrow. Rather than meekly enduring it, it's better to strike hard." Hane spoke as though he did not care.

He was not some civilian ninja who needed to learn Ninjutsu from Ninja Academy teachers. Besides, even if Hane wanted him to teach him, he had to be capable of it. All his abilities relied entirely on his cheat, and Nothingness left him unable to even refine chakra. Clearly, he and ninjas were following completely different paths.

He still could not replicate Ninjutsu like the Clone Technique and Substitution Technique taught at the Ninja Academy. He did not know whether it was because those techniques did not conform to the principles of Daoist arts, or because his realm was too low for him to touch a great divine ability like the External Incarnation. In any case, Nothingness notwithstanding, no matter how he comprehended it, Nothingness kept him from grasping any Daoist art related to clones.

Hane was helpless about that as well, filled with Nothingness. If not for the fact that graduating from the Ninja Academy would allow him to join the ranks of ninjas and better gather malicious intent and Gratitude Points through them in the future, he would not have wanted to attend the Ninja Academy at all. So he simply did not care whether he offended the academy teachers.

"Brother, won't you damage the relationship between the clan and the village by doing this?" At that moment, the silent Itachi finally spoke.

Hane's steps paused slightly. Then he turned with a smile toward Itachi, who was looking at him anxiously. "Itachi, no relationship is one-sided. Whether it's friends, family, or the village and the clan, maintaining a harmonious relationship requires effort from both sides. Do you understand? Nothingness is not something that can be borne by one side alone!"

Hane gently tapped Itachi's forehead. Though the two of them were now nearly the same height, Itachi had never resisted this intimate gesture from his older brother.

"But Brother, I hope to become a bridge between the Uchiha and the village. As long as we are outstanding enough and become geniuses admired by the village, we can gain the higher-ups' attention. With our identities as the clan head's sons serving as a bond, perhaps we can use a gentler way to mediate the relationship between the clan and the village."

Seeing the determination in Itachi's eyes, Hane let out a soft sigh. His younger brother was far too mature. Such a small child already possessed the mindset of a Hokage, always wanting to shoulder responsibilities far beyond his age under the name of a genius.

Hane both loved and hated Itachi. He loved how sensible and obedient he was, but hated that in the future, Itachi would choose the village without regard for their father and mother.

As Itachi watched his brother lost in thought, his heart was unsettled as well. He relied deeply on this brother, not merely because Hane was his brother, but because of the maturity and rationality Hane sometimes displayed without meaning to, as though he had his reasons for everything he did.

"Itachi, you and I are still just children. How can we bear such pressure and responsibility? We are only six years old, and our understanding of this world is still far too one-sided.

"Don't make decisions too early. See more, experience more. The relationship between the village and the clan can be complicated, but it can also be simple. It is Nothingness more than unequal interests and a game of power!

"For now, let us just be children and grow up healthy and happy, alright?"

Hane rubbed Itachi's little head. "Brother hopes Itachi can smile more!

"Now, though, we should be little greedy gluttons. We can't let Izumi's thoughtfulness go to waste!"

Itachi stared blankly at his brother, his gaze gradually becoming distant. He still remembered when he was five and their father had wanted to take him to the battlefield for an experience. His brother had fiercely opposed it. That was the first time he had ever seen his brother angry.

His brother was strong. Although his brother rarely trained hard, Itachi knew Hane was strong. At the same age of five, Hane had already been evenly matched with their father in Fire Release.