Waiting by the Stump for the Rabbit

When Uchiha Itachi took care of Sasuke, he seemed even more meticulous than Mikoto.

In the streets and alleys of Konoha, the little boy who carried an infant in his arms, with a crow perched on his shoulder, reappeared, running around the village...

"Boss, could you please pack me a bag of three-colored dango and mochi?" Itachi stood at the entrance of the sweet shop, holding Sasuke in one arm and gently patting him with the other, looking very accustomed to holding a child.

The uncle at the sweet shop was stunned by Itachi's posture: "Yes... yes."

"Caw..." The crow on Uchiha Itachi's shoulder flew down and landed on the table, holding a banknote in its beak that it had somehow obtained.

The customers in the sweet shop seemed to be seeing this scene for the first time, looking at them with surprise... Of course, there were exceptions, such as the group of ninja having afternoon tea at a certain table, who had more important matters.

Arguing... and mediating...

One of the young men was clearly hot-tempered, slapping the table and saying, "Old man... no matter what you say... you can't escape the fact that you're still the Hokage! Third Hokage!"

His voice clearly drew everyone's attention... A man was indeed sitting at that table, holding the Hokage hat. It was indeed the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and he was truly approachable...

Beiyuan watched the people who could sit at the same table as the Third Hokage. They looked familiar but he didn't recognize them... No, there was one person he could recognize, even though his appearance was still that of a youth...

But that green jumpsuit that represented so many meanings, the thick eyebrows, and the watermelon-shaped hairstyle, were unique to Might Guy in Konoha Village...

Guy covered his head, forcing a smile to help his superior: "Asuma, the Third Hokage is already the Hokage..."

The young woman at the same table was clearly more sensible, stating matter-of-factly: "Moreover, there is no one more suitable in the village. The Hokage is clearly considering the village..."

"...Sip, sip..." Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at his impetuous son, burying his head in his pipe, looking at his worried demeanor... no different from any father worrying about his child...

"...He's just greedy for power!"

Asuma ignored her and pulled away the young female ninja's hand, leaving indignantly... As a friend, she naturally couldn't just abandon him, and the female ninja was the first to chase after him.

Might Guy let out a long sigh and abruptly stood up and rushed out of the sweet shop, leaving behind a powerful and resounding declaration: "Third Hokage, please rest assured! I will persuade him properly!"

"...Sip, sip..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi continued to smoke, seemingly not holding out much hope for them. Finally, he exhaled a large smoke ring and walked unsteadily out of the sweet shop.

Smoking in such a public place was impolite, but looking at Hiruzen Sarutobi's appearance and status, no one dared to step forward and say anything...

"Customer, your three-colored dango and mochi!"

The boss's sudden remark caught the Third Hokage's attention. The old man looked down and saw Uchiha Itachi holding the child, and the crow that was reaching out its claws to hook the food bag...

"It's Itachi... what a well-behaved child!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice was filled with the vicissitudes of parenthood. If his wife, Biwako Sarutobi, were still alive, Asuma wouldn't have caused him so much worry.

"Hokage-sama."

"Is this Fugaku's second child? Is it a girl? What's her name?" Hiruzen Sarutobi tapped his pipe, glancing at the sleeping child in the swaddling clothes.

"No, he is my younger brother, his name is Sasuke."

"Cough... cough... cough..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi choked. He had almost forgotten about this. Uchiha Fugaku had mentioned before that he wanted to name his second child after his father, Sarutobi Sasuke...

It felt strange. The old man suddenly thought of his own father... Back then, in his father's eyes, he was probably similar to Asuma?

"What a good name..." After catching his breath, Hiruzen Sarutobi stroked Sasuke's sparse hair: "Grow up quickly and become a reliable man!"

Uchiha Itachi looked at his younger brother's small face and affectionately nuzzled his forehead: "Did you hear that, Sasuke~ Grow up quickly!"

"Hmph hmph hmph hmph~" Sasuke hummed a few times with his eyes closed, let out a small yawn. He was too tired from the commotion on the way out and fell into a deep sleep.

"Caw!"

The crow, carrying the bag, landed on Itachi's head. Its crimson eyes looked at Sasuke with disdain, like a little piglet, only knowing how to sleep, sleep, sleep... If you have the ability, keep arguing...

The Third Hokage observed Beiyuan's actions and suddenly said, "Is this the crow Itachi raised? Everyone in the village is talking about you. It really looks a bit fierce..."

"It's my friend." Itachi freed one hand and stroked the crow on his head: "Actually, Beiyuan is very gentle!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi: "..."

Does this child have a problem with his eyes... Judging by his appearance, he doesn't look like a good bird, and his eyes just now were fierce enough to want to tear Sasuke apart. The feeling it gave people... was unfriendly... and the chakra strength was clearly indistinguishable...

Under normal circumstances, when the leader is speechless, an oblivious subordinate should jump out and report some trivial matter, incidentally providing an excuse to leave.

As the direct department of the Hokage, Anbu must share the burden... As expected, an Anbu wearing a mask suddenly jumped out and knelt before Hiruzen Sarutobi.

However, for this Anbu ninja, whether they wear a mask or not... besides Hatake Kakashi, how many people in Konoha Village have white hair?

"Hokage-sama, Anbu... has received a top-secret piece of intelligence!" Kakashi suddenly raised his head, his tone filled with determination.

Hiruzen Sarutobi picked up his pipe again, seemingly unconcerned that they were on the street, and reached out to Kakashi: "Oh? Just give me the scroll..."

"The person delivering the intelligence is in your office! He wants to see you personally!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi was pulled away by Kakashi. He was usually extremely busy and preferred to handle things himself. Today, he had only come for afternoon tea. He had been severely criticized by his own son, so his mood was not exactly pleasant...

After finally wanting to chat with a child and offer some words of encouragement, Kakashi was now bringing him even worse news.

Meeting the Third Hokage was just a small interlude, and Uchiha Itachi didn't pay it any mind. He bought a bag full of sweets, found a place with beautiful scenery, and teased his younger brother a bit more...

Beiyuan also agreed with his idea... If only the teasing of his brother could be replaced by hitting the child, it's not like you can only hit a child when it's raining...

Today was clearly not going smoothly... Their usual spot was occupied... This place was very close to the graveyard of the Spirit Consolation Monument. People who came here to enjoy the scenery had problematic thought processes, including but not limited to Uchiha Itachi and Shisui...

Now they could only watch as the little girl sitting on the grass stood up... Uchiha Izumi waved her small hands and ran towards them: "Itachi-kun..."

A fable suddenly came to Beiyuan's mind... waiting by a stump for a rabbit... Uchiha Itachi was clearly the rabbit.