Education, Konoha-style

Today's lessons made Gua uncomfortable, so he simply switched into standby mode.

Belittling the Uchiha seemed to have become part of compulsory education.

He had no idea whether it dated back to the Second Hokage or was a specialty of the Third.

Time flew, and the days raced by.

The day that had given Gua such a headache finally ended.

He hadn't learned anything today. He just felt as though he'd been forcibly pinned down and bullied all day, but he couldn't find any evidence.

The dismissal bell rang.

Gua stood up.

Itachi was still sitting in his seat, staring into space.

"Let's go."

Gua spoke softly.

He was getting a little nervous. The kid had been perfectly fine the past two days. Gua had only just given up on assassinating him, and now he was already contemplating life?

Itachi snapped out of his thoughts about today's lessons.

He looked up at Gua.

"Gua, do you think the Uchiha are really as bad as the teacher said?"

Gua paused.

Then he asked, "Do you think the Uchiha are bad?"

Itachi fell silent.

Gua fell silent too.

What the fuck kind of compulsory education is Konoha running here?

Fuck!

Isn't this just straight-up bullying?

If I were the Uchiha Clan Head, I'd drag you to the Valley of the End and duke it out. The winner gets to be legitimate, and the loser gets branded a rebel.

Come to think of it, hasn't someone already done that?

Gua nodded inwardly in satisfaction.

Ah, that charming ancestor of mine.

With Konoha pulling this shit, I'd be disgracing my Uchiha surname if I didn't take a swing at them.

Gua stopped paying attention to Itachi and walked off alone.

If Itachi wanted to contemplate life, let him. Gua couldn't police other people's thoughts, could he?

"The Uchiha aren't that bad!"

Just as Gua was about to leave the classroom, Itachi spoke behind him, his voice firm.

Gua turned to look at Itachi. Tears actually filled his eyes, and Two-Tomoe was spinning within them.

Gua: "..."

If his inner feelings had to be represented by a meme, it would definitely be a helpless, bitter smile.

Wait, what?

Dude, what's with you unlocking Two-Tomoe?

I've been grinding my strength on idle for two months.

Converted into an ordinary person's training time, that's five or six years!

You little bastard!

I haven't even unlocked one tomoe yet, and after one day of brainwashing, you rage-unlock Two-Tomoe?

Is this the difference between a genius and a scrub?

Still, it made sense. A genius like Itachi was clearly emotionally sensitive, and the more emotionally sensitive members of the Uchiha Clan were, the stronger they became and the more easily they awakened their eyes. That was why Itachi was a genius.

Thinking about it that way, the logic all fell into place.

But...

What am I supposed to do when my emotional insensitivity is maxed out?

No wonder I was judged to have low-grade aptitude the moment I was born. You've got a real eye for people...

After being subjected to Konoha's special brand of educational brainwashing at school, Itachi had spent the day deeply conflicted. He had gotten so worked up that he unlocked another tomoe, leaving Gua on edge.

Gua felt he needed to escort Itachi home himself today.

Let him feel a little Uchiha warmth.

"Gua, you don't need to worry about me. I've figured it out."

"Mm."

"Really, Gua. We Uchiha definitely aren't as awful as the teacher said."

"Mm."

"Gua, I think the Uchiha are actually the clan that values feelings the most. What do you think?"

"Mm."

Gua had a Doubao-style personality: whatever question Itachi raised, Gua's response was always, "You're right."

If Itachi's left brain argued against his right brain, Gua would sincerely apologize and reaffirm his left brain's position.

Who wouldn't want a friend like Gua in real life?

As they chatted, Itachi got more and more excited.

"If I become the Uchiha Clan Head one day, I'll make sure Konoha and the Uchiha become one harmonious family!"

"That's a wonderful dream."

Gua praised him.

"But maybe the Uchiha and Konoha can never coexist peacefully. That rebellious boy the teacher talked about, the clan head who later betrayed the village-he was our Uchiha ancestor."

Sure enough, Itachi's left brain was attacking his right brain.

But Gua could keep the conversation going.

"You're right. You really hadn't thought it through just now. It'll be hard for Konoha and the Uchiha to coexist peacefully."

"Hard doesn't mean impossible." Itachi's right brain struck back at his left.

Gua said, "Exactly. As long as we work hard, peaceful coexistence isn't impossible."

Itachi was no longer lost.

Itachi could see his path clearly.

He would protect the Uchiha, protect Konoha, and protect every little bit of warmth and love!

"Thank you, Gua."

Itachi was completely sincere. He thought Gua might truly be a philosopher.

Gua always helped him see other possibilities in life.

He remembered the question he had once asked Orochimaru in front of the Memorial Stone: What is the meaning of life?

Orochimaru's answer back then had been, "Life has no meaning."

But now, looking at Gua, Itachi saw that he had given him an answer in the most direct, straightforward way possible: as long as they worked together, peaceful coexistence wasn't impossible!

If Gua had known he'd coaxed Itachi into turning out like a certain blond, he probably would have been stunned for quite a while.

He escorted Itachi all the way home.

Itachi happily waved goodbye to Gua.

Gua politely waved back. He also saw Lady Mikoto standing at the door.

Lady Mikoto was very pretty.

Gua liked her very much.

Lady Mikoto smiled warmly at Gua. She was quite fond of him too. Aside from Shisui, Gua was Itachi's only good friend. As his friendship with Gua deepened, Itachi grew more cheerful every day.

How could Mikoto, his mother, not be happy?

It was just...

Gua is still as quiet as ever.

No.

Composed would be the better word.

Mikoto watched that small figure walk away, her eyes gentle and smiling.

"Mom!"

Itachi ran over.

Mikoto hugged her eldest son. Itachi was in a very good mood today, and she certainly wasn't going to spoil it.

Fugaku came out of the room, his face as grim as ever.

He looked down at Itachi from above, his enormous shadow enveloping him.

Itachi looked up at his father.

Fugaku lowered his gaze to meet his.

Afraid Fugaku would ruin the mood again with something like, "You're already six. You're not a little child anymore," Mikoto hurried to speak first.

But Itachi spoke before she could.

"D-Dad..."

Itachi was a little afraid of his father.

No matter how mature he was, he was still only a six-year-old child.

Fugaku nodded.

Then he left.

Once Fugaku had gone some distance, Itachi slowly turned his head. His mother was looking at him too.

Both of them looked stunned.

A moment later, Mikoto and Itachi both began to laugh.

Their laughter disturbed Sasuke inside the house.

He crawled out of the room with a pacifier in his mouth, making muffled noises.

Fugaku sat alone by the river.

He was thinking about life.

About philosophy.

About raising children.

About the Uchiha's future.

As clan head, he was wound far too tight and utterly exhausted. He shouldered the Uchiha's fate while facing the village head-on. Even a man made of iron would collapse under that kind of constant pressure.

But he was also the father of two children.

He had high hopes for his eldest son. He was raising Itachi as the Clan Heir.

But if he placed the Uchiha's crushing fate in Itachi's hands, wouldn't Itachi suffer just as he did?

Fugaku didn't know. He, too, had lost his way.

The waters of the Naka River rushed downstream, yet Fugaku and the Uchiha were pinned down, unable to move.

Would the village put Orochimaru on trial?

Perhaps it would.

But what difference would that make?

The village's attitude toward the Uchiha wouldn't change.

A new education raised new children, and from the day those children left school, they harbored hostility toward the Uchiha.

Were the Uchiha evil?

No. The village needed the Uchiha to be evil.