"...Where the leaves dance, the fire burns on without end..."
At the ninja academy's entrance ceremony, the Third Hokage unsurprisingly delivered another speech about the Will of Fire. In short... everything was for the village.
This spiritual legacy could lead people toward the light, or lure them into darkness.
Unfortunately, every child enrolled this year had their thoughts twisted in a different direction... Everyone followed the path their own heart desired. For instance, that little veterinarian with paint on her cheeks...
That girl who had been staring at Uchiha Itachi's tear trough ever since entering the school gates...
And there was also a deeply worried crow... It was concerned about the Third Hokage's speech on the Will of Fire and was using Chakra to discuss a new ideological path with Itachi... benevolence and righteousness.
It had to stay on guard... Under the Third Hokage's influence, who knew how many hotheaded fools had leaped into the massive pit that was the Will of Fire... It had to remain vigilant at all times.
"Show benevolence to the weak..."
As a ninja, when facing innocent and vulnerable people, shouldn't the proper course be to protect them rather than casually slaughter them?
"Practice righteousness toward the strong..."
Uchiha Itachi murmured under his breath. The Sharingan in his eyes spun continuously, and after a long while, his gaze finally settled upon three tomoe.
"Kitahara, thank you..."
"Y-You're welcome?" Kitahara was a little scared. Misunderstanding ideas like this could easily lead someone astray. It only had a vague grasp of benevolence and righteousness itself... Now it was worried that something might go wrong with Uchiha Itachi...
It might no longer be the dark side of the Will of Fire, but if the little boy suddenly switched to an entirely different style...
For example, if Ōtsutsuki Kaguya broke free of her seal and started causing trouble, and Uchiha Itachi suddenly opened his Sharingan: "The moon shall collapse; I, Uchiha Itachi, have only these eyes..."
...Stunned O__O ...That seemed equally unacceptable!
Itachi quietly concealed his Sharingan as though nothing had happened...
The Third Hokage, who was speaking onstage, suddenly could not help but smile... Because aside from Uchiha Itachi, there were no other geniuses in the entire ninja academy who required special attention.
Sarutobi Hiruzen had observed Uchiha Itachi's abnormality from beginning to end... Hehehe... The middle-aged man applauding in the parents' section really looked like an eyesore!
The freshman classroom.
A motley group of troublesome children sat scattered inside.
After Uchiha Itachi saw his father off, he entered the classroom and searched for his seat... Many people immediately fixed their gazes on him, and the classroom became lively at once.
"S-So handsome!"
"H-Hey, is that kid Uchiha Itachi?"
"He even brings a pet to school?"
"Tch!"
"I heard he's the most talented Uchiha..."
Uchiha Izumi had noticed Itachi's arrival long ago, but she already had a deskmate and could only gaze at him eagerly. "Itachi..."
"Itachi! Kitahara! Over here!"
Inuzuka Hana waved at them and pointed to the empty seat beside her.
"Thank you..."
"Caw!"
"It's nothing..." Inuzuka Hana took the crow and set it on the desk, muttering, "I'm so jealous that you have Kitahara to accompany you to school. This morning, I wanted to bring Kuromaru out, but Mom scolded me..."
Uchiha Itachi had often heard her mention the large dog at home, so he looked at her in confusion. "Hm? I thought the school allowed that?"
"Kuromaru is my mother's ninja hound..." The light gradually faded from Inuzuka Hana's eyes, and she slumped dejectedly. "When I enrolled, I should have been able to adopt a little ninja hound from the clan, but Kuromaru's wife is pregnant..."
"...So? (°ー°〃)..."
Thinking of her mother's authoritarian management style at home, Inuzuka Hana's expression turned unpleasant. "I'll probably have to wait until she gives birth!"
"..."
On the first day at the ninja academy, apart from announcing the school curriculum and having everyone introduce themselves, the teacher only taught them how to refine Chakra... It meant nothing to Itachi...
The tedious first day passed just like that.
After school, Inuzuka Hana was the first to pack up her stationery. She slung her beloved medical bag over her shoulder, her eyes gleaming brightly. "I'm heading out first! Oh, right, do you want to take a walk around the village together?"
"No, I need to get home early today..." Uchiha Itachi shook his head, grabbed the crow sleeping soundly on the desk, and held it in his arms.
"Then see you tomorrow!"
The little veterinarian quickly left after saying goodbye. There was no need to think about it—she was definitely off searching for injured animals...
Uchiha Izumi cautiously walked over. "Itachi, shall we go to the training ground together? There's a shuriken and taijutsu fundamentals test tomorrow!"
"...Caw..." The groggy crow opened its beak and immediately started crying that it was hungry...
Uchiha Itachi hurriedly soothed it in a low voice, promising they would go home right away. Then he looked at the little girl and shook his head. "Sorry, I probably can't today. Kitahara is too hungry..."
"..."
I think I just got blamed for that? Kitahara dazedly stared at Uchiha Izumi's blank expression...
Rather than a place to train ninjas, the ninja academy was more a place to cultivate feelings and bonds.
On his first day of school, Itachi made no new friends besides Izumi and Inuzuka Hana. Nor did he know that today would also be his last day of school.
After returning home, Uchiha Itachi soothed his upset little brother. Just as he was about to return to his room, his father stopped him...
Fugaku Uchiha looked at his son with a complicated expression. "Lord Hokage came to see me today. He told me... have you truly awakened the Three-Tomoe Sharingan?"
No matter how Sarutobi Hiruzen had discovered it, his mouth... was far too loose!
"...Yes, Father."
"Itachi, you really have grown up..." Fugaku exhausted all his strength just to say those words.
That old man had looked even happier than Fugaku himself, the boy's father, when Uchiha Itachi awakened the Three-Tomoe Sharingan...
"Fugaku, spring has arrived. Konoha's newly sprouted buds will soon grow into towering trees... Itachi has just awakened the Three-Tomoe Sharingan, so I plan to let him graduate directly..."
"But Lord Hokage, he only started school today... He doesn't even understand the basic knowledge required of a ninja..." Fugaku Uchiha's head buzzed. He did not know whether he should be happy or feel a little ashamed...
I know my son is outstanding, but graduating after only one day of school...
"A body and Chakra capable of bearing three tomoe will meet the standards of a ninja no matter what. And besides..." At this point, the Hokage tapped his pipe. "Guidance from a jōnin leading a team will teach him more than the ninja academy can."
"Does Lord Hokage mean to assign Itachi to a team?"
By convention, most Uchiha clan ninjas returned to the police force to begin duty after graduation. Only a small number chose to become ninjas directly under the village.
As the clan head's son, Uchiha Itachi should have been assigned to the police force, whether by talent or background. If his luck was poor, he would have to inherit the position of clan head in the future...
"Correct." Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at Fugaku with complete confidence and softly spoke his next words. "Jiraiya has recently returned to the village."
"...Lord Jiraiya, one of the Three Sannin..."
Sarutobi Hiruzen's meaning was perfectly clear. If Fugaku Uchiha agreed, his son would become Jiraiya's disciple and, in another sense, a direct descendant of the Hokage's line.
He openly placed a loaf of bread coated in honey before Fugaku Uchiha... Did he want a son who could become a candidate for Hokage?
The content of Uchiha Itachi's upcoming test had changed into his personal graduation examination. The examiners would be Sarutobi Hiruzen, Fugaku Uchiha, and the white-haired hero Jiraiya...
That's all for today. See you tomorrow. Please vote...
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