"Questions and answers?"
"That's right!"
Liumu and Itachi sat on a pipe beside the Training Ground.
"The questions are simple, but they won't test your textbook knowledge."
Seeing Itachi's expression as he braced himself,
Liumu instantly turned serious.
He asked, "If you had to choose between the village and your family, which would you choose?"
Itachi: ???
Seeing Liumu's serious expression,
Itachi instantly grew serious as well.
His expression dimmed as his mind raced.
For Itachi, who was still so young, a question like this was truly rather difficult.
But after a moment of bewilderment, Itachi looked up and said, "Can I only choose one?"
Liumu nodded.
"But why can I only choose one? Families and the village aren't opposed to each other. That choice doesn't make sense in the first place."
Seeing that Liumu gave no further answer,
a flicker of unease crossed Itachi's eyes.
After struggling for a moment, he answered sorrowfully, "If I absolutely had to choose between the clan and the village, I'd choose the side that turned away from the majority."
"What do you mean?" Liumu asked.
"I choose justice, peace, and the choice the majority hopes for."
Just as Itachi had said, the village and the clan weren't opposed to each other.
Naturally, such a choice wouldn't exist.
Besides, if such a situation really arose in the future, Itachi wouldn't be the one making that choice.
Because when a clan suddenly turned rebellious, Liumu could make the choice himself.
It would never fall to Itachi.
Liumu ruffled Itachi's hair and smiled softly.
"It's just a test question. Don't overthink it. Now, onto the next question."
Itachi nodded and looked at Liumu again.
"If you and your teammates were surrounded by enemies during a mission, and only one person could escape the encirclement to bring