You're Spoiling Your Child Too Much

A story without a "long, long ago" opening had no soul.

But this wasn't about fooling Uchiha Sasuke, nor did he need to compete with the masked man for Best Actor. Uchiha Itachi merely gave a vague explanation and erased everything else.

"It's a Ninja Crow, and it's very smart."

"Ha, that's impressive, Itachi!" Mikoto smiled as she stroked her son's hair. "Mom will go prepare dinner first. When Dad gets back tonight, we can ask him to tell you about communicating with summoned ninja beasts..."

"As for now, help your friend find somewhere to stay in the house, all right?" Uchiha Mikoto's smile never faded. She calmly accepted her son's crow friend and offered a suggestion.

Uchiha Itachi nodded vigorously.

It was Kitahara's first time seeing this sort of parenting philosophy... It was far too gentle!

He had seen far too many parents. No matter the country or region, whenever children brought pets or anything else home, their parents always found it troublesome and would first tell them that there would be no next time.

So why would someone like Uchiha Mikoto, this kind of mother, be killed by the future Itachi? And after killing Fugaku and Mikoto, who had willingly accepted death, would he truly still have the will to live...?

Itachi's home was not particularly large. Compared to the homes of ordinary Konoha ninja, there was little difference. Perhaps because there were so few people living there, it seemed compact and refined.

As the Uchiha clan head, Fugaku Uchiha had not excessively indulged his own private interests.

The heads of other Konoha clans and their families all possessed, to varying degrees, an authority that placed them above ordinary clansmen. The Hyuga clan's system went without saying—it was a band of wealthy tyrants sitting on the branch family's necks. Even the other clans with secret techniques tended to strengthen the trunk while weakening the branches.

But the Uchiha clan... a clan that had driven out its former leader, Uchiha Madara, the Asura of the Ninja World... These clansmen were quite something too... Being the Uchiha clan head had become increasingly less prestigious. Ordinary clansmen relied on their status as fellow Uchiha and rarely held much reverence for the clan head.

The clan head was usually propped up in a position that seemed lofty, yet when it came to serious matters, he instead had to consider the clansmen's attitudes.

Kitahara ultimately stayed in Uchiha Itachi's room. On the desk by the window, the little boy used several small pillows and blankets to make Kitahara a simple nest.

...Which was why little brats were little brats!

Itachi had not considered things from a crow's perspective at all... Still, that suited Kitahara just fine. Winter was coming soon. As a crow, he could simply sleep in freely through the winter...

Fugaku Uchiha returned home beneath the evening glow.

After the entire Uchiha clan attended the memorial for the heroes, they still had objections to Uchiha Obito giving his Sharingan to Kakashi. In all the Uchiha history they knew, no outsider had ever received a Sharingan. Kakashi was the first.

Fugaku Uchiha had no choice but to spend considerable effort soothing the clansmen. His explanation was that the Sharingan had been voluntarily given by an Uchiha clansman before his death; it was the bond between Obito and Kakashi.

Most Uchiha had friends who had faced life and death alongside them.

Fugaku's firm stance and explanation led the clansmen to decide to set the matter aside for the time being. As for their proposals about competing for the position of Fourth Hokage and the like, Fugaku could not be bothered to pay attention anymore.

Whether in terms of merit or reputation, Namikaze Minato and Orochimaru were undoubtedly the most likely candidates for Fourth Hokage. For them to now want the Uchiha clan head to take that position...

It was practically a fool's dream... Handle it poorly, and it could even provoke conflict with the future Fourth Hokage...

Hearing the door open, Itachi hurried outside to welcome his father home.

"Dad, did something happen?"

"Nothing worth mentioning. Same as always... Where did Itachi go today?" Fugaku Uchiha casually removed his black robe and handed it to his wife. He bent slightly to pat his son's head, then noticed the crow perched on Itachi. "Hm? A Ninja Crow?"

At a glance, Fugaku noticed the Chakra within Kitahara...

"This Ninja Crow..."

The Three-Tomoe Sharingan opened abruptly!

"This Chakra..."

Fugaku forcibly suppressed the urge to activate his Mangekyō Sharingan. Under the Sharingan's gaze, the Chakra within that crow was like an abyss...

People usually did not notice potholes in the ground. But when they stood beside an abyss and stared into it, they discovered that it was bottomless.

"...Caw!"

Sharingan!

Kitahara knew that the Sharingan in Fugaku Uchiha's eyes was definitely not merely Three-Tomoe. This old father, whose way of educating both sons was deeply flawed, was someone who hid himself well... Even though his Mangekyō Sharingan had only ever been revealed before Uchiha Itachi!

Uchiha genjutsu was renowned throughout the world... From something as small as a glance to something as grand as Izanami... The Chakra and soul power within Kitahara instantly tensed, afraid that he would fall into a genjutsu and be controlled by Fugaku Uchiha...

"Itachi, where did you find this Ninja Crow..." Fugaku did not deliberately observe Kitahara for long. After only a few seconds, he abandoned the idea of continuing to examine him.

There were all kinds of ninja beasts. Perhaps this crow had simply happened upon some strange Chakra, but... unless it possessed some unusual skill or secret technique, it was meaningless. If it could not unleash its Chakra or abilities, a ninja beast was still merely a ninja beast.

Perhaps this crow's only future use would be that body of its, which also looked rather sturdy!

The little boy stared at the red tomoe-patterned eyes in his father's gaze. Only when he heard the question did he come back to himself. He hurriedly picked Kitahara up from his shoulder and looked up as he answered, "Huh? He's a friend I just met today, Dad!"

Seemingly sensing that the crow in his arms had become somewhat stiff, Itachi subconsciously stroked Kitahara's back.

Mikoto looked worriedly at her husband. "Is there something wrong with him?"

"No." Fugaku shook his head, then smiled and patted Itachi's head. "He looks like an ordinary Ninja Crow, but he has a large amount of Chakra and great physical strength. Well done, Itachi. As expected of my son."

"..."

Children needed encouragement as they grew up, but... did he have to praise his son just for having the luck to run into him?

Kitahara was a little bewildered. What had this little brat Uchiha Itachi even done? After Fugaku Uchiha praised his son, why did Uchiha Mikoto also look so gratified that she wanted to pat her son's head?

Hey, hey, hey, you couldn't raise a child like this...

Fortunately, Uchiha Itachi had been mature and sensible since childhood. Whether his family spoiled or reprimanded him, he would neither become arrogant nor discouraged. Besides, he did not seem to have anything to be proud of right now...

The family of three, plus one crow, sat down at the dining table. Uchiha Mikoto prepared a plate of fruit and cooked food for Kitahara, and Kitahara nodded to express his thanks.

"Ah, he really is as smart as Itachi said..." Uchiha Mikoto chuckled and placed a small bowl of soup beside Kitahara.

Fugaku nodded as well. "Many ninja beasts possess human intelligence, but it's still rare for a Ninja Crow to be this intelligent, haha... After all, Itachi found him..."

...Kitahara lowered his head and started eating.

"Thanks for the meal."

"Thanks for the meal."

"Thanks for the meal."

"Crunch, crunch..."

Uchiha Itachi tried to stop Kitahara. "Hey, hey, hey, you need to learn manners..."

"Caw..."

"Itachi, you still need to communicate with him more through Chakra..."