Danzo snorted coldly.
"One day, you'll realize that keeping those evil Uchiha in check is good for the village."
"When that day comes, you'll thank me."
The Third Hokage shook his head helplessly.
His stance toward the Uchiha was generally neutral.
He wasn't as harsh on them as the Second Hokage or Danzo, but he could hardly be called friendly.
Back when Danzo had wanted to push the Uchiha to the outskirts of the village,
the Third Hokage had tacitly approved.
But Danzo didn't seem satisfied with that. He wanted to make sure the Uchiha could never recover.
The Third Hokage even suspected that, given the chance, Danzo would want to slaughter them all.
But how would that make him any different from an executioner?
Faced with this old friend of his, he could only shake his head and sigh.
"Let's get back to watching that child."
The Third Hokage steered the conversation back to Gua.
Danzo said nothing more.
They both looked toward Gua in the distance.
Gua left the spot where he had just sparred with Itachi, went to the riverbank, and picked out a crooked tree.
"You'll do."
Gua let out a gentle breath.
He settled into a horse stance and slowly gathered his strength.
One second, two seconds, three seconds...
Gua suddenly threw a punch!
Thud!
His fist slammed into the crooked tree's trunk with a dull thump.
The crooked tree tilted slightly.
But only slightly.
Gua released his horse stance.
I've gotten a lot stronger.
My Taijutsu fighting skills are pretty good now, too.
Then Gua returned to the riverbank and looked down at the reflection of his clear, youthful face in the water.
He widened his eyes!
Nothing changed.
His dark pupils remained dark.
No tomoe appeared.
It seemed he still hadn't awakened his eyes.
But Gua wasn't discouraged.
So what if I haven't awakened them? With my Taijutsu improving this fast, I won't have to rely so much on the Sharingan.
Maybe I can learn the Eight Gates from Might Guy someday and slot that in alongside Taijutsu. Then I might really take off.
With that thought, Gua stood up by the river.
He turned and headed home.
"You saw that, didn't you? There's definitely something abnormal about this child!"
Danzo watched Gua's retreating figure, his voice low.
The Third Hokage took a puff of his pipe. "I agree. That isn't the strength an ordinary child should possess. He isn't even an ordinary Uchiha. He's a genius even among them."
"He's only six! What will he become in another two years? His talent is every bit as great as Kakashi Hatake's. But he's an Uchiha!"
A vicious gleam flashed in Danzo's eyes, and his grip on his cane tightened slightly.
In his eyes, this boy was bound to become a serious threat!
"Perhaps we could have Kakashi spend some time with him and guide him down the right path."
The Third Hokage spoke slowly. "Geniuses always have something in common."
Danzo said, "If you ask me, we should find a chance to..."
"Enough! This matter is settled!"
The Third Hokage cut Danzo off, turned, and walked away.
Danzo glared at his retreating back. "Hiruzen, you'll regret this!"
"I'm the Hokage!"
After testing his strength, Gua went home alone.
His mother, Nai, eagerly welcomed her son home.
She had noticed that he was about half an hour later than usual, and she suspected today's boxed lunch had done the trick!
He must have been spending time with Izumi.
Unfortunately, when she excitedly asked, "Gua, why are you home so late today?"
Gua replied, "Itachi dragged me into a sparring match."
At that moment,
Uchiha Nai felt as though a bucket of cold water had been dumped over her heart.
"What about Izumi?"
Uchiha Nai couldn't help pressing him.
"Izumi?"
Gua turned to his mother, Nai, in puzzlement.
Nai looked at Gua expectantly.
Gua fell silent.
"Izumi probably can't beat me."
Even Itachi couldn't beat him at Taijutsu, so how could Izumi possibly be a match for him?
Nai looked baffled.
Nai smacked her forehead, utterly weary.
"When can we eat?"
Gua asked.
"Eat? There's no dinner for you today!"
His mother, Nai, gritted her teeth.
Gua said, "Huh?"
His mother, Nai, glared at him. "What are you staring at? It's Miso Soup tonight!"
What a sudden letdown...
"Fine."
Gua drank his Miso Soup, grimaced, and went back to his room.
He sat beside the window, pondering life.
"Why is this happening?"
Meanwhile,
another child was pondering life, too.
"Why is this happening?"
Itachi stared at the moon overhead, scratching his head.
"Did Gua suddenly get this strong, or has he always been this strong?"
Itachi's thoughts began running wild.
Every little detail from before now seemed suspicious.
The rhythm of Gua's usual walk-So steady! He must have been training!
Gua's daily meals-So regular, and he eats so well! He must have been training!
Gua never listened to those boring little stories in class-He must have been secretly training in his mind!
Itachi got it!
Itachi understood!
Itachi was going to work harder and become stronger.
"Aaah-"
"Itachi, you've got to work hard!"
"Waaah! Waaah! Waaah!"
The noise made Sasuke cry in the next room.
Itachi instantly fell silent.
Uchiha Mikoto heard Fugaku's footsteps in the living room. Realizing something was wrong, she hurriedly opened the door.
Fugaku had already pushed open the door to Itachi's room.
Fugaku and Itachi stared at each other.
A guilty look crossed Itachi's face.
Fugaku glanced at him, then looked out the window. The night was peaceful, with a full moon hanging in the sky.
"Keep your voice down. You're disturbing Sasuke."
"Okay."
Itachi stood up, about to bow in apology.
Fugaku had already stepped back and was about to close the door. At the last moment, he paused and glanced toward the window.
"Remember to close the window when you go to bed, or you might catch a cold."
Itachi stared blankly at his father.
Fugaku avoided Itachi's gaze, shut the door, and left.
Itachi stood there for a long time before finally smiling.
He had planned to keep practicing Taijutsu in his room for a while, but now he no longer felt like training.
Time for bed!
"Training can wait until tomorrow!"
Before you continue