You Spoil Your Children Too Much

Stories without a "long long ago" opening lack soul.

However, this wasn't the time to fool Second Pillar, nor did he need to compete for best actor against a masked man, so Uchiha Itachi simply mumbled a few vague words, glossing over everything else.

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

"Oh, that's impressive, Itachi!" Uchiha Mikoto smiled, stroking her son's hair, and said softly, "Mom is going to prepare dinner. When your father comes home tonight, ask him to tell you about communicating with ninja beasts..."

"As for now, why don't you go find a place for your friend to stay in the house, okay?" Uchiha Mikoto's smile remained, peacefully accepting her son's crow friend and offering her suggestion.

Uchiha Itachi nodded vigorously.

This was the first time Kitahara had witnessed this kind of parenting... it was just too gentle!

He had seen too many parents; no matter the country or region, whenever a child brought home a pet or anything else, parents would always find it troublesome and start by saying "this is the only time."

So, with a mother like Uchiha Mikoto, why would the future Itachi still do what he did? And after killing Fugaku Uchiha and Mikoto, who had met their end willingly, did he really still have the will to live...

Itachi's home wasn't very large, no different from the homes of average Konoha ninja. Perhaps because the family was small, it appeared compact and refined.

As the clan head of the Uchiha, Fugaku Uchiha did not overly indulge in his own personal interests.

The heads of other Konoha clans more or less possessed a majesty that placed them above the average clansman. The system of the Hyuga clan went without saying—they were local tyrants riding on the necks of the branch family—and even other secret technique clans were mostly top-heavy.

But the Uchiha clan... a clan that could exile their former leader and the Asura of the ninja world, Uchiha Madara... these clansmen were quite something... The Uchiha clan head had less and less prestige; the ordinary clansmen relied on their shared bloodline, and they rarely felt any awe toward their leader.

The clan head was usually propped up in a position that seemed high and mighty, but when it came to serious matters, he had to consider the attitudes of the clansmen.

Kitahara eventually stayed in Uchiha Itachi's room. On the table by the window, the little boy hugged a few small pillows and a small quilt, laying out a simple bed for Kitahara.

...So, a little brat is just a little brat!

Itachi wasn't thinking from a crow's perspective at all... but this actually suited Kitahara's wishes. Winter was coming soon, and as a crow, he could just lazily sleep through the winter in freedom...

Fugaku Uchiha returned home as the sunset faded.

After the entire Uchiha clan finished paying respects to the heroes, there were still objections regarding Uchiha Obito gifting his Sharingan to Kakashi. In the history of the Uchiha they knew, no outsider had ever obtained a Sharingan; Kakashi was the first case.

Fugaku Uchiha had to spend a great deal of effort to appease the clansmen. The reason he gave was that the Sharingan had been voluntarily gifted by an Uchiha clansman before death, and it was a bond between Obito and Kakashi.

The people of the Uchiha clan all had friends of life-and-death significance, more or less.

Fugaku's own firm attitude and rhetoric led the clansmen to decide to shelve the matter for the time being. As for the clansmen proposing to run for Fourth Hokage, Fugaku couldn't be bothered to pay attention.

For the Fourth Hokage, considering both merit and reputation, Namikaze Minato and Orochimaru were undoubtedly the most likely candidates. Now, for the Uchiha clan head to want to sit in that position...

It was about as realistic as a pipe dream... and if handled poorly, it would only trigger opposition against the future Fourth Hokage...

Hearing the sound of the door opening, Itachi hurried toward the entrance to welcome his father home.

"Father, did anything happen?"

"Can't say, same as usual... Where did Itachi go today?" Fugaku Uchiha casually took off his black robe, handed it to his wife, and leaned down slightly to pat his son's head. That was when he noticed a crow standing on Itachi's shoulder: "Hmm? A Ninja Crow?"

At the very first glance, Fugaku noticed the Chakra present in Kitahara...

"This Ninja Crow..."

The Three-Tomoe Sharingan activated instantly!

"This kind of Chakra..."

Fugaku suppressed the urge to activate his Mangekyo Sharingan. Under the observation of the Sharingan, the Chakra on that crow was like an abyss...

Usually, no one would notice a pit in the ground, but when people stood beside an abyss and stared into it, they would realize it was bottomless.

"...Caw!"

Sharingan!

Kitahara knew that the Sharingan in Fugaku Uchiha's eyes was definitely more than just the Three-Tomoe. This old father, who had major issues with how he raised his two sons, was a character with deep secrets... even if his Mangekyo Sharingan was only ever exposed to Uchiha Itachi!

Uchiha genjutsu was world-renowned... from a single glance to something as grand as Izanami... The Chakra and soul power within Kitahara tightened instantly, terrified of falling into a genjutsu and being controlled by Fugaku Uchiha...

"Itachi, where did you find this Ninja Crow..." Fugaku didn't deliberately observe Kitahara for too long; after just a few seconds, he dismissed the thought of continuing his observation.

Ninja beasts were diverse. Perhaps this crow had simply stumbled upon a strange, anomalous Chakra, but... unless it possessed unique skills or secret techniques, it was meaningless. Without the ability to unleash that Chakra or power, a ninja beast was ultimately just a ninja beast.

Perhaps the only use for this crow in the future would be its body, which also looked quite sturdy!

The little boy stared at the red tomoe eyes in his father's gaze, and only after hearing the question did he react. He quickly held Kitahara from his shoulder and looked up to answer: "Ah? It's a friend I just met today! Father!"

Seeming to sense the feathers and body of the crow in his arms stiffen, Itachi subconsciously stroked Kitahara's back.

Mikoto looked at her husband with concern: "Is there something wrong with it?"

"No." Fugaku shook his head, smiling as he patted Itachi's head: "It looks like an ordinary Ninja Crow, but its Chakra volume and physical strength are quite high. Well done, Itachi, truly worthy of being my son."

"..."

Although children need encouragement as they grow, but... do you have to praise him just because he got lucky?

Kitahara was a bit dazed. What did this little brat Uchiha Itachi actually do? After Fugaku Uchiha finished praising his son, why did Uchiha Mikoto also look so gratified and want to pet her son?

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

Fortunately, Uchiha Itachi had been mature and rational since he was young. Whether it was his family's pampering or their scolding, he would neither become arrogant nor discouraged, and besides, it seemed he had nothing to be arrogant about right now...

The family of three, along with one crow, sat down at the dining table. Uchiha Mikoto prepared a plate of fruit and cooked food for Kitahara, who nodded in thanks to show his appreciation.

"Ah, it really is just as Itachi said; he is very clever..." Uchiha Mikoto chuckled softly as she brought over a small bowl of soup and placed it beside Kitahara.

Fugaku nodded as well, saying, "Many ninja beasts possess human-like intelligence, but it is quite rare for a Ninja Crow to have this level of wit. Haha... after all, it was Itachi who found him..."

...Kitahara buried his head in his food and began to eat.

"I'm digging in."

"I'm digging in."

"I'm digging in."

"Crunch, crunch..."

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

"Caw..."

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