Chapter 201: 197: Aspirations
"Elder Sora."
Fugaku walked up to Elder Sora, who was leisurely basking in the sun ar the corridor, and greeted him with a slight bow. He continued to observe Elder Sora.
The elder appears to be getting older with each passing year, but it hadn't reduced his hearty appetite or strong health. According to the maids, he occasionally engaged in physical exercise to maintain his health.
Itachi, who followed Fugaku, also bowed slightly to Elder Sora, then looked towards the elder curiously.
"Fugaku, you're here. Please, feel free to sit and join me; there's no need for formalities."
Elder Sora invited Fugaku to sit and discuss whatever he wanted to. However, Fugaku remained standing, still maintaining his respectful demeanor.
"Elder Sora, I hope you could mentor Itachi for a while. Within the Uchiha, there's no one more suitable for this role than you."
"I've stopped caring about the outside world."
"I knew you were concerned about Ruri leaving Konoha initially. and now you have ideas of retiring. But Itachi is different from Ruri. He will have an important role in the future of the Uchiha, his potential as a ninja may even be higher Ruri's."
Fugaku's words left Elder Sora surprised. Rindo shared the same surprise. He was well aware of Ruri's extraordinary talent. At just twelve years old, she had already achieved the rank of Jonin and could force him to go all out during their battles.
Her Sharingan genjutsu was powerful enough to immobilize him with a single glance. He, like Ruri, had the Three Tomoe Sharingan, but Ruri's Sharingan seemed to beyond the capabilities of a typical Sharingan. Though it fell short of the maybe legendary Mangekyou Sharingan, her pupil power was remarkable.
Now, Fugaku claimed that the child beside him showed even greater potential than Ruri. The declaration raised doubts in Rindo's mind.
"Itachi."
Fugaku looked at son.
Itachi understood his father's intention, even though he didn't believe this old man, with one foot in the grave, could teach him anything useful. But, he couldn't refuse his father's wishes. He began forming seals and opened his mouth.
"Fire Release - Fireball Jutsu!"
A fireball shot out from his mouth, startling Rindo.
'Uchiha Itachi..... Fugaku's child, couldn't be more than five years old.' Rindo's shock wasn't without cause. Fugaku said that Itachi's talent may even be higher than that of Ruri. It wasn't a lie but the truth.
"Itachi learned this jutsu after seeing me use it without the use of Sharingan." Fugaku spoke. The pride in his tone couldn't be concealed. And also seeing the shocked Elder he felt a sense of excitement washing over him. He knew Ruri had always been the Uchiha the elder held in the highest regard.
Fugaku also knew the reason he could become the Uchiha clan's head was mainly due to Ruri's defection. If not for her defection, Fugaku might never have gotten the position. Ruri was not only stronger than him, but also showed a firm resolve and was younger. Many radical members had chosen her as the next Uchiha head.
In the wake of the third ninja war and Ruri's departure, the Uchiha's radical factions had been considerably weakened, leaving Fugaku as the head of the powerful Uchiha clan. With time, he had gained influence and gradually swayed the majority of the Uchiha clan. The talent of his son surpassed even Ruri's, so.. Fugaku's pride was justified.
Rindo understood Fugaku's character, although he knew Fugaku could be vain at times but wasn't one to exaggerate. It meant that Itachi had learned this jutsu only by observing Fugaku use the Fire Release, without the Sharingan. Rindo struggled to find words to describe such exceptional talent.
Seeing Elder Sora's silence, Fugaku knew his goal was achieved.
"Since Itachi needs to learn other things, Elder Sora, you can train him for one hour a day. It doesn't have to be long, three months should be enough. This won't take too much of your time. I hope Itachi will have a strong foundation before entering the academy."
Fugaku's tone appeared to change from respectful to authoritative, causing Rindo to frown.
"Since you're placing your trust in me, I agree."
Fugaku then patted Itachi's head. "Itachi, you have to study hard here with Elder Sora. I'll send someone to pick you up when the time comes."
"Yes, Father."
Itachi nodded obediently. A strange atmosphere enveloped the conversation between his father and Elder Sora, and he sensed something was wrong, but he couldn't tell what was wrong.
Fugaku left, and Elder Sora brought Itachi to the training ground, with Rindo following closely.
Rindo was filled with curiosity regarding Itachi's talent. He wanted to witness for himself whether Itachi's abilities truly surpassed those of Ruri, as Fugaku had claimed.
After reaching the training ground, there were eight wooden targets, each the size of a human head and with black dots at their center.
Itachi stood in the center of the field, under the watchful eyes of the two, he showed no signs of losing his composure. His expression was calm, far from what one would expect from a child.
With a shuriken held between each of his fingers, Itachi didn't make any useless prelude. He released a calm breath, bending his knees, launched himself into the air, executing a graceful rotation on air. He spread his arms widely.
Ka!!!!
The sound of shurikens finding their mark resonated in the training ground. Every one of the eight targets with the black dots at their center, struck flawlessly.
'Wonderful'
Even Rindo couldn't help but praise silently. Fugaku hadn't been exaggerating; Itachi was undeniably a genius.
Elder Sora, who had been observing, remained composed and nodded approvingly. It was evident that Itachi's talent surpassed that of Ruri. During Ruri's childhood, she'd spent her time fighting boys and playing ninja games. Back then, she had been weaker than Itachi.
"Itachi."
Itachi approached Elder Sora.
"You can visit at this time every day. But, remember that it's only for an hour." Elder Sora said emphasizing the "One Hour" time limit.
"Yes." Itachi responded, though he showed a hint of hesitation.
"Is there something on your mind?"
"Well... does Father not like you, Elder?"
Elder Sora stared at Itachi with a deep, searching gaze. He found Itachi's expression to be curiously without innocence and instead brimming with thoughtfulness. He chose not to provide an answer. He believed that Itachi was too mature and his mind too sharp for his age.
After an hour had passed, Elder Sora had taught Itachi the skills of shuriken throwing and taijitsu. Despite the short duration, Itachi gained valuable insights. It was then Itachi knew that this old Uchiha who had half a foot in grave was above average.The initial instance of this chapter being available happened at N0v3l.Bin.
...
Afterward, Itachi would visit Elder Sora daily for training.
Both the Third and Fourth Hokage paid their respects to Kakashi. His recognition by these two Hokages meant that Kakashi's path in Konoha would be clear and free from obstacles. This recognition came from almost all high-ranking Konoha members.
After spending two hours with Kakashi, Minato left, leaving instructions for the medical staff to take good care of Kakashi's recovery so that there were no worries concerning Anbu duties.
Although he didn't ask about the details of Kakashi's encounter with that group, the young ninja's injuries, disheveled appearance, and weakened body spoke of the fear he endured while being chased.
After returning to the Hokage Building's office, someone arrived before Minato could settle in. After seeing the person he was slightly surprised.
"Tsunade-sama, why are you here? Is it because you need additional research funding for your work?"
Minato asked because he was aware of Tsunade's research on a new drug to fight those explosive bugs and the possibility of her needing more resources.
"No, the drug research is nearly complete, and it can be finished without my presence." Tsunade said, her words indicating a she was about to leave.
Minato sensed that there was more to her visit and inquired, "Then what brings you here?"
"I'm planning to leave the village for a while." Tsunade said, her face showing her determination.
Minato considered her words and, and he finally recalled something. Without saying anything, he approved her mission and handed the documents to her.
"Thank you, Minato."
He understood that Tsunade had her reasons for leaving, and he had no intention of interfering. However, he emphasized, "Konoha cannot afford to be without you, but I hope you'll return as soon as possible."
"Don't worry, I'm just taking a break to deal with some personal matters. I'll be back when I'm done." Tsunade assured him.
With Tsunade's promise to return, Minato felt relieved, knowing that she would eventually come back to Konoha.
Before she left, Tsunade stopped as she seem to remember something.
"By the way.. there's something i need to remind you about."
"Please tell me, Tsunade-sama."
"Be careful of Chiba Shiraishi."
Minato's heart trembled as he heard the name she mentioned, feeling a dull ache in his heart.
Chiba Shiraishi.
This name stirred the bas memories of a traumatic event from that night.
Tsunade was aware of Minato's psychological shadow regarding Shiraishi and understood that, even with his exceptional abilities, he was not immune to the fear of someone who had once caused his death. She believed that Shiraishi might pose a threat to Minato if the latter were indeed the Child of Prophecy and Shiraishi had learned this information through Katsuyu. Shiraishi might attempt to attack Minato again.
Shiraishi remained a dangerous ninja whose abilities and strength were shrouded in mystery. He had Sharingans and Byakugans besides him. Moreover the information from five or six years ago was clearly unreliable.
Especially from Hyuga Ayane seen a few years ago. The undeniable fighting powers of Hyuga Ayane, which far exceeded that of even Kumo's Fourth Raikage.
Minato had firsthand knowledge of her powerful abilities, and her eyes posed a significant challenge to his Flying Thunder God Jutsu.
And not to mention, there was the last dangerous man whose strength and abilities was completely mysterious.
"I will be careful, Tsunade-sama."
Minato nodded assuring her. He knew that Tsunade wouldn't offer such an advice lightly, she was likely to have learned the information somewhere. Her warning was a stark reminder of the lingering dangers and the need to protect not only himself but also Kushina. That incident that night couldn't be allowed to happen against
....
In the eyes of those outside the village, Konoha appeared to have calmed down and was developing steadily.
However, Shiraishi, who was far away in the Land of Demons, understood that Minato, the Fourth Hokage, was busy gathering power, while the Third Hokage, Hiruzen, dealt with the aftermath of Danzo's actions.
Hiruzen dispatched agents to erase any traces of Danzo's dealings with the underground market and deployed Anbu to monitor both Danzo and Orochimaru, preventing them from making any small moves.
For this short period of time, Konoha didn't have the spare power to find the rogue ninjas.
Shiraishi knew that this matter would likely be completed quickly, and the spotlight would move away from Konoha in the near future. He couldn't rely on this situation alone, at most it would buy him time for a few months.
He needed to apply additional pressure to Konoha..The first step was from the inside and the second from the outside.
But in Shiraishi's view, these were not enough, and more pressure needed to be added to keep Konoha busy again.. Konoha couldn't be given too much free time.
Takigakure, the ninja village in the Land of Waterfalls, became Shiraishi's chosen target.
Despite their size, he believed that provoking a war between Takigakure and Konoha would distract the village and generate external pressure. The tense relations between Konoha and Takigakure concerning the Tailed Beast provided an opportunity for Takigakure to condemn Konoha righteously.
Shiraishi wanted to make this situation so taxing for Konoha that it would divert its attention from the bigger picture. His strategy was to let the ninja world focus on Konoha's affairs, making it the center of attention.
Additionally, Shiraishi had been monitoring intelligence indicating that Kumo was growing restless, hinting at a potential outbreak of the Great War. He was content with the way the situation was unfolding and awaited further news.
Shiraishi picked up the bill in front of him. It was sent by the Purple Rose Merchant Association. It listed Chiyo from Sunagakure as the borrower.
Sunagakure had recently applied for a second loan from the association, showing their intention to restore their village's strength after the war, and the amount was larger than the previous loan. Shiraishi hoped that Sunagakure would borrow more as much as possible, preferably to an extent where they couldn't repay it.
As he thought about the situation, a knock at the door interrupted his thoughts.
"Come in."
A messenger entered and handed him a letter.
"Shiraishi-sama, this is a letter from Konoha." the messenger said.
Shiraishi accepted the letter, he opened it, and read its contents. The message was brief and straightforward, it stated that Tsunade would be visiting the Miko.
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I've been ill for about three days now. High temperature, sore and itchy throat, runny nose and coughs. Just getting better today.
