How could Uchiha Minamoto overlook Naruto Uzumaki's existence?
But Naruto Uzumaki's age was indeed a major problem.
There was not much a child his age could do.
Besides, Naruto Uzumaki still had to go to school.
Uchiha Minamoto thought for a moment, then assigned Naruto Uzumaki a task.
"From now on, Naruto, you'll expand the Great Love Group's influence within the Ninja Academy.
"You'll still be doing good deeds, and each good deed will still earn you fifty ryo."
Naruto Uzumaki immediately perked up and responded loudly.
"Yes, big brother!"
"Good, that's the spirit!"
Uchiha Minamoto patted his head again.
"Once we're done eating, let's go out on the streets and do good deeds together!"
"Yes, big brother! No problem, big brother!"
Elsewhere.
Shisui Uchiha, who had just returned from the battlefield in the Land of Lightning, suddenly heard what had happened to his friend. Disregarding his exhaustion, he rushed straight to Konoha Hospital.
"Itachi? Hahaha!"
Looking at the little pigheaded figure in the hospital bed, Shisui Uchiha could not help bursting into laughter.
"My foolish little brother!
"You're a 'weasel,' aren't you? I thought you were a 'piglet'!"
A piglet was a little pig.
Shisui Uchiha had not laughed this happily in a long time.
In his eyes, Itachi had always been an exceptionally calm, exceptionally talented ninja.
His outstanding qualities as a ninja often made Shisui Uchiha overlook Itachi's age.
This was the first time Shisui Uchiha had ever seen Itachi looking like this.
And he did not know whether he was imagining it.
For some reason, Shisui Uchiha felt that Itachi seemed to have become... gentler?
Or rather.
More human.
"Shisui..."
Looking at the travel-worn Shisui Uchiha, Uchiha Itachi felt touched, but also a little embarrassed.
"Please stop..."
"How did you end up in such a sorry state?"
Shisui Uchiha wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes and asked.
"I only heard that you'd been hospitalized, and apparently a junior injured you?"
Uchiha Itachi's face flushed red, veins bulging across his forehead as he argued, "You win some and lose some when you spar... defeat... can an ordinary match really count as a defeat?"
Then came some incomprehensible remarks, such as "I got careless and didn't dodge," and "Every ninjutsu has a weakness, and that weakness is me."
They sent Shisui Uchiha into another fit of laughter.
A cheerful atmosphere filled the hospital room and the area outside it.
"From what you're saying, that junior Minamoto really is remarkable."
Shisui Uchiha sat beside the hospital bed, asking questions as he peeled an apple.
"I wonder what he's doing now... I'll send a Shadow Clone to take a look."
A short while later.
The Shadow Clone brought back news.
Shisui Uchiha and Uchiha Itachi stared at each other.
What did it mean, Uchiha Minamoto had taken Naruto Uzumaki to the Orphanage to spread some warmth?!
Chapter 25: Not a Tailed Beast, but a Sun God Bird! (Please keep reading! Please vote with your monthly tickets!)
"This junior really does have some unusual interests..."
Shisui Uchiha gave two dry chuckles.
It was a known fact that Naruto Uzumaki's parents had died on the night of the Nine-Tails' Attack.
It was also a known fact that Uchiha Minamoto's parents had died in an earlier war.
Never mind how these two had inexplicably teamed up; they had even gone out of their way to visit the Orphanage and comfort other orphans?
What a noble spirit that took!
An inheritor of the Will of Fire!
Although they had yet to meet formally, Shisui Uchiha had already formed a basic impression of Uchiha Minamoto.
Like him, he was an "abnormal" Uchiha...
"That's right."
Uchiha Itachi accepted the peeled and sliced apple Shisui handed him.
"Senior Minamoto really is that sort of, that very rare sort of... ninja."
He almost did not seem like a ninja at all!
"I have a question."
Shisui Uchiha picked up another apple and slowly peeled it.
"Does the village know about this? I mean, the contact between Minamoto and Naruto Uzumaki."
"The Anbu reported it to the Third Hokage the very first time they met. The Third Hokage even took the initiative to invite Senior Minamoto to join the Anbu, but Senior Minamoto turned him down..."
Uchiha Itachi described what had happened in detail.
He could tell that Shisui Uchiha was deeply interested in Uchiha Minamoto, so he simply shared every piece of information he had about Uchiha Minamoto.
He liked reading, liked doing good deeds, and was committed to strengthening the clan...
The more information he heard, the more interested Shisui Uchiha became in Uchiha Minamoto.
"Itachi, hearing you talk about him makes me want to introduce myself to Minamoto!"
Shisui Uchiha had made his name very early.
Back when Uchiha Minamoto and Uchiha Itachi were still attending the Ninja Academy.
Shisui Uchiha had already earned the name "Body Flicker Shisui" on the battlefield.
Before today, Shisui Uchiha had not even known that he had a younger cousin named "Minamoto" in the clan.
"Shisui, from the clan's perspective, Senior Minamoto's actions really have been outstanding."
Perhaps because his arrogance had been completely shattered, Uchiha Itachi's manner had become very calm and gentle.
"Even from the village's perspective, Senior Minamoto is an outstanding ninja.
"Talented, kind, able to bring people together...
"I imagine the Fourth Hokage was probably like this when he was young, wasn't he?"
"Itachi, you..."
Looking at Uchiha Itachi, who seemed to have lost his arrogance and even become a "Minamoto fan," Shisui Uchiha could not help chuckling.
"You really have changed a little!"
"Let's not talk about this anymore."
Uchiha Itachi did not actually want to talk too much about Uchiha Minamoto either, since it made him involuntarily recall his earlier painful experience.
"Shisui, how are things on the battlefield in the Land of Lightning?"
"Not bad..."
Seeing the curiosity in Uchiha Itachi's eyes, Shisui Uchiha could only elaborate.
"The village seems to have stolen some secret intelligence from Iwagakure and passed it on to Kumogakure. Now Kumogakure and Iwagakure are fighting again, and neither has any attention to spare for us."
"What about you?"
"Me?"
Shisui Uchiha smiled, bringing his thumb and index finger together to indicate a fingertip-sized universe.
"I've only made a tiny name for myself."
In fact.
Shisui Uchiha had been highly active on the battlefield in the Land of Lightning.
Previously, his title in the Shinobi World had been "Body Flicker Shisui," and the other ninja villages almost unanimously recognized him as Konoha's "Fastest Shinobi" after the Second Hokage Tobirama Senju and the Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze.
But now.
Shisui Uchiha had gained another title-
"The Uchiha Clan's Strongest Genjutsu User"!
Even people deep in the mountains of the Land of Lightning had heard that title.
That alone spoke to its influence and deterrent power.
"That's enough talking."
Shisui Uchiha placed the sliced apple on the small cabinet beside the hospital bed.
"I have a few other things to take care of. I'll visit you again next time.
"Oh, and your little brother seems to be on his way."
As his words fell.
Shisui Uchiha vanished from the spot in an instant.
Uchiha Itachi's eyes immediately widened, and he tried to get up to shut the door.
How could he let Sasuke see him like this?!
But in the very next second.
Uchiha Mikoto pushed open the door to the hospital room with Sasuke Uchiha beside her.
"Big brother!!!"
Sasuke Uchiha hurried over at a little run, leaning against the bedside and looking at his big brother with tearful eyes.
"I heard from Father! Big Brother Minamoto was the one who hurt you!"
Sasuke was actually still calling Uchiha Minamoto "Big Brother Minamoto"?
Uchiha Itachi felt a rush of blood rise within him.
"Big brother!"
Sasuke Uchiha did not realize at all that his brother's face was red with anger, merely thinking that he was "seriously injured."
"Big brother, why did you fight with Big Brother Minamoto?"
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