The Power I Don't Need

If one day you met a girl whose heart and eyes were full of you, would you... eat all her Three-Color Dango? Would you even leave none of the taiyaki in her snack bag?

Kitahara stared blankly at the way they interacted...

After not seeing each other for a while, Uchiha Izumi had not stopped talking about the Ninja Academy. The little boy's mouth had not stopped either, his eyes narrowed as he nodded from time to time. Who knew whether he was agreeing with Izumi or savoring sweets he had not enjoyed in a long time...

Neither of them stopped smiling... It was only afternoon tea, yet their relationship made Kitahara feel like it was intruding. Was the little brat trying to steal someone's girl?

Watching Itachi wipe the corner of his mouth, Uchiha Izumi smiled with crescent eyes. "Itachi, I'll become a ninja soon... I really want to grow up faster..."

Uchiha Itachi answered her with a satisfied burp. He was full.

"Izumi..."

Before they parted, the little boy looked into Uchiha Izumi's eyes as though he wanted to say more. In the end, he stopped himself and merely said solemnly, "Thank you."

Kitahara: "Caw..."

What kind of move was that? He was hopeless...

Did you like Uchiha Izumi... or did you like the Three-Color Dango in her hands? Kitahara was not used to Itachi being so quiet. It preferred the little brat to say whatever was on his mind.

"The Three-Color Dango Izumi brought was delicious." After thinking seriously, Uchiha Itachi continued, "I might not like it when other people buy it for me in the future."

"...Caw..."

Kitahara did not offer any opinion. Instead, it suddenly asked a question: What if it were Shisui? Hearing his friend's name, Uchiha Itachi bit his lip in conflict. "..."

Kitahara happily pecked at his arm. "Caw..."

After all, other than those two, no one else had ever bought you any... To be honest, speaking the truth and stabbing people in the heart was becoming more and more fun.

Other than Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Izumi, even Mikoto and Fugaku had never noticed Itachi's preferences.

The little boy had hidden his minor pickiness well, because Fugaku wanted him to become the man who would support the family or clan in the future... According to Konoha's rules, once someone became a ninja, they had to shoulder responsibility.

Kitahara was not a ninja.

When it saw Uchiha Mikoto watering flowers in the courtyard, it swooped down at once, charging toward Sasuke, who was wobbling along beside Mikoto... The little brat could actually walk a few steps after such a short time... When they had left Konoha, he had still been crawling all over the floor.

The instant he saw the crow, Sasuke, standing on his short little legs, stretched out his arms to grab its wings. His barely supported body immediately lost balance, and he fell to the ground with a plop...

The little brat immediately began crying in grievance...

(_)...

"What happened to Sasuke... Kitahara?"

Uchiha Mikoto had been looking at her younger son, but her face immediately lit up with a smile. Then, helplessly grabbing the crow and placing it on her shoulder, she bent down to help Sasuke up...

Two small arms beat her to it and picked Sasuke up. Uchiha Itachi wore the exact same expression as Mikoto. "You want to fight with Sasuke the moment you come back...?"

"Caw!"

Kitahara's crimson eyes remained fixed on Sasuke, who was sniffling softly. It had clearly wanted to tell the little brat just how much it had missed... the days of bullying him!

"Well... things are just the same as ever!" Uchiha Mikoto smiled, steadying Kitahara's wobbling wings as she asked softly, "Itachi, did you just get back to the village?"

"Mm... No more crying, Sasuke..." After soothing his younger brother, Uchiha Itachi looked at his mother. "We just came from Lord Hokage. Mom, isn't Dad home yet?"

A trace of worry appeared on Mikoto's face. She forcibly suppressed her emotions and nodded. "There's a clan meeting at Naka Shrine today... He might come back a little late..."

"Then I'll take Sasuke to the shrine and wait for Dad so we can come back together!" Uchiha Itachi lifted Sasuke onto his shoulders, and the little brat happily clapped his hands and laughed...

Uchiha Mikoto looked at the crow on her shoulder in surprise and smiled. "Hm? Isn't Kitahara going with them?"

The crow opened its beak in a yawn and shook its head... Sleeping rough out in the wild had truly been enough. Now that it was back, it only wanted a good sleep.

Uchiha Mikoto watched the crow wobble toward the bedroom, and could only call after it, "If you sleep too late, it'll be dinner time. You can't sleep for too long..."

Kitahara did not sleep comfortably. Half-asleep, it felt something pressing down on it, and it seemed that a little hand was tugging at its feathers...

Its crimson eyes slowly opened, and Kitahara saw Second Pillar staring at it with innocent eyes, still clutching a feather from its head.

Caught red-handed, Sasuke suddenly called out, "Bed..."

Kitahara, still groggy and unable to make sense of the situation: "..."

Kitahara simply grabbed Sasuke by the collar with its beak and carried the little brat into the main hall...

Fugaku Uchiha and Uchiha Itachi sat upright at the table without speaking. No one knew what had happened between them. Perhaps they had just finished discussing something...

"Sasuke, come here..."

When Uchiha Itachi saw his younger brother return, he smiled and rescued Sasuke from Kitahara's beak. "Sasuke is amazing! You actually managed to wake Kitahara up!"

"Caw..."

Kitahara glanced at him. You make it sound like I sleep in all the time...

Uchiha Mikoto poked her head out of the kitchen and smiled gently at the father and son sitting stiffly by the table. "Are you done talking? Dinner's ready! Itachi, can you come help?"

Her eyes were slightly red, as though she had been crying... The father and son must have had some sort of argument.

Sure enough, had everything been brought forward?

Kitahara silently speculated. In the original timeline, Fugaku Uchiha had hoped Uchiha Itachi could obtain information about the village from the Anbu... But now that Itachi had become Jiraiya's disciple, he instead had opportunities to directly contact the village's higher-ups.

Given Uchiha Itachi's personality, especially with how attentive Jiraiya had been during this time away, Jiraiya had also come to occupy a considerable place in Itachi's heart.

Perhaps it needed to have a proper talk with Itachi tonight...

"I'm sorry, Mikoto. I don't have much appetite tonight." Fugaku Uchiha suddenly stood, put on his wooden sandals, and left the main hall.

Uchiha Mikoto and Itachi's expressions immediately stiffened.

Before leaving, Fugaku paused for a moment and said softly, "Itachi, I don't want to do this either... As your father, I will never hurt you."

"I understand." Uchiha Itachi lowered his head, making his expression impossible to see. Only the gloom beneath his ninja forehead protector was visible. "Dad, I don't need this cursed power to become a powerful ninja."

A pair of black wings silently spread from behind his back. The family had not even noticed Itachi's change, but Kitahara stared at him in surprise...

When had the little brat learned to activate Sage Mode independently?

No, no, what exactly had happened that he needed to activate Sage Mode at home to show Fugaku Uchiha his strength?

When it was cold, dress warmly...