Chapter 24
Uchiha compound.
The setting sun stretched the shadows of the figures in the courtyard of the Uchiha clan head's residence very long.
In the vast yard, only one person kept pacing back and forth.
"Ha!"
Sasuke's childish shout rang out.
He leaped into the air. The toy shuriken in his hand flew with precision.
Thud!
It struck the target on the wall dead-center.
But instead of smiling, he frowned in dissatisfaction.
"Big brother lied to me…"
Sasuke puffed out his cheeks and picked up the toy from the ground. "He clearly said he'd teach me shuriken this afternoon… but Shisui-niisan dragged him away again."
"Hmph, I can train by myself!"
The little boy stubbornly gripped the toy shuriken, preparing to throw again.
"Hey—! Arrogant Sasuke—!!"
A loud, disruptive voice suddenly shattered the atmosphere from beyond the wall.
Sasuke flinched; the shuriken flew wildly out of his hand and over the wall.
Annoyed, he stormed to the gate. There came Naruto running from far down the street.
In the evening light, Naruto's blond hair shone like a blinding bulb.
"Idiot Naruto! What are you yelling about?!" Sasuke stomped his foot in frustration.
Naruto skidded to a stop beside him, patting off nonexistent dust.
"Hehe, so Itachi-niisan isn't home today, huh? And you actually came out to greet me."
"I didn't come out to greet you! I just heard some moron making a racket outside my house!" Sasuke huffed disdainfully.
Naruto pretended not to hear and leaned in excitedly. "I went to train at the Hyūga place today! Neji's Byakugan is super strong—even with Fox Sage helping, I couldn't beat him. But he has to train with Hinata later."
"So I figured, among the people I know, you're still pretty weak. I came to train with you—it'll be like playing!"
A huge vein throbbed on Sasuke's forehead.
"Who're you calling weak?! Who?!"
Sasuke exploded, black eyes bulging round in fury.
"The Uchiha clan is way stronger than the Hyūga! Once I awaken my Sharingan, I'll beat you up too!"
"Bleh bleh bleh, big talk!" Naruto stuck out his tongue.
"You—!" Sasuke's face flushed red. Without another word, he assumed an Uchiha-style taijutsu stance and charged.
"Shut up! Today I'll show you how strong the Uchiha are!"
"Come on! Taiji opening stance!" Naruto refused to back down.
And so, inside and outside the Uchiha clan head's residence, two three-year-olds turned the place into a chaotic playground brawl.
Though they shouted technique names, it was just childish roughhousing—soon devolving into a chase.
"Don't pull my hair!"
"You let go first! You're pinching my face!"
Beside the courtyard pond, one blond and one black-haired figure tumbled together in a mess.
Ten-odd minutes later.
Both children were exhausted, lying sprawled in a star shape on the ground, panting heavily.
Naruto's face was smeared with dirt; Sasuke's hair had turned into a bird's nest.
"Haa… haa…"
Sasuke caught his breath and sneaked a sideways glance at Naruto. Though his face still screamed annoyance, deep in his eyes flickered a trace of hard-to-notice satisfaction.
Before, when big brother wasn't home, he could only train or play alone—nothing but tiredness and loneliness.
Now, having someone to play with… it wasn't so bad after all.
"Hey, idiot," Sasuke muttered awkwardly.
"What?" Naruto stared up at the red-tinted sky.
"If you come early tomorrow… my mom said she'll make lunch for you too." Sasuke huffed and turned his head away.
"Ha! Aunt Mikoto's cooking!" Naruto rolled over excitedly and looked at Sasuke. "I'll definitely come early tomorrow!"
"Come if you want. Or don't—I don't care!"
Just as the two bickered—
Around the distant corner.
Uchiha Itachi, who had just returned from training with Shisui, leaned silently against a pillar, watching the scene.
Burdened too early with thoughts of the clan's future and carrying invisible weight, he already wore a face too mature for his age.
"Friends, huh…"
A gentle smile touched his lips, only to fade into something darker as another thought crossed his mind.
"Just like Tenma…"
He had entered the academy at six, graduated at seven to become a genin, and spent over a year with two teammates and their jonin sensei Suigetsu-sensei.
Then, during an escort mission for the daimyo this year, they were ambushed by a masked figure with a tiger-striped pattern. Tenma died right in front of him. He hadn't been able to save him.
People gather to form villages. Bonds form between people in the village—that's what comrades are.
When strength is insufficient, losing comrades is painful.
He didn't want his little brother to experience that same pain in the future—but he also couldn't forbid Sasuke from interacting with others.
Losing comrades hurts.
But having no comrades at all… that would be even more tragic.
Watching the two boys in the distance, a trace of relief flickered in Itachi's deep eyes—quickly replaced by heavier doubt.
As the son of the Uchiha clan head, Itachi knew far more than most about that blond boy's identity—the immense importance of the Nine-Tails jinchūriki.
Why?
Itachi frowned slightly, pondering silently.
By all logic, to ensure absolute control over the jinchūriki, the Hokage should strictly isolate him from contact with other factions.
Especially the Uchiha—since the Sharingan holds the ability to control tailed beasts, they should be the most heavily guarded against.
In his mind surfaced words his close friend Shisui had once said:
"Itachi, there is no absolute justice or absolute evil in this world. The higher-ups will control anything that threatens the village's interests—they won't let go easily."
"Unless… the situation itself has changed."
Now, not only had the Hokage allowed Uzumaki Naruto contact with the Hyūga clan—he had even permitted him to walk openly into the Uchiha compound.
This defied political logic.
"Having trouble figuring it out, one-against-seven?"
A deep, steady voice interrupted Itachi's thoughts.
Itachi snapped back to awareness and looked at the newcomer. His expression stiffened slightly. "Father."
It was Uchiha Fugaku, just returned from Police Force duties.
He still wore the Military Police captain's uniform, arms crossed, gaze fixed not on Itachi but on Sasuke and Naruto playing in the distance.
"Sasuke looks like he's having fun."
Fugaku's voice carried no clear emotion.
"Yes." Itachi answered softly. "It's good for little brother to have friends his own age."
"Are you still resentful that I disagreed with you joining the Military Police Force?"
"No, Father has his own considerations!"
Itachi's reply was flawless—but not the answer Fugaku wanted.
He continued: "What do you think of that Uzumaki Naruto over there?"
"He seems fine… but after all, he is the jinchūriki."
"Not just the jinchūriki."
Fugaku stepped forward to stand beside Itachi. "He is also the son of the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze."
At the mention of the Fourth Hokage, Itachi's expression shifted slightly.
"Do you believe destiny can be changed?"
Fugaku suddenly posed a deeply philosophical question.
Before Itachi could answer, Fugaku slowly closed his eyes—as though recalling something painful.
"In this position—bearing the honor and shame of the entire Uchiha clan—the things one can do are far less free than you imagine."
His voice grew heavy, carrying suppressed weight.
"These eyes of mine… once saw an extremely dark future."
Fugaku opened his eyes and spoke.
"In that future, the village's suspicion toward the Uchiha would deepen day by day. We would be gradually pushed from the center of Konoha to the edges—from surveillance to isolation—with no hope of improvement."
"The resentment among our clansmen would build to its limit. Eventually, at a clan meeting, they would gather and attempt armed rebellion against the village."
Itachi's pupils contracted. After becoming a genin, he had gained the right to attend Uchiha clan meetings.
What he heard there was nothing but grievances against the village—filling him with worry for both clan and village futures.
"As for the outcome… we would seize control of the Nine-Tails amid the chaos, triggering civil war and turning Konoha to ashes. Or… before the rebellion could even begin, the entire Uchiha clan would be purged."
"That future held only blood and flames. No winners."
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