After recovering from his shock, Fugaku couldn't help but ask, "Itachi, what ninjutsu can you do now?"
Itachi gently shook his head. "I've only ever seen you use the Transformation Jutsu."
Fugaku secretly breathed a sigh of relief—thankfully, he hadn't practiced other techniques at home.
Clearing his throat, Fugaku grew serious and said, "Itachi, remember my movements. Watch and see if you can learn this jutsu."
Itachi nodded. "I'll do my best."
Without deliberately slowing down, Fugaku formed hand seals at his usual jonin speed.
In the next moment, a clone appeared beside him.
Fugaku turned his head and began, "Itachi, learn this jutsu—"
Before he could finish speaking, he saw Itachi form several hand seals, and a clone with extremely high completion quality appeared to one side—"I've learned it."
Fugaku: Σ(°△°|||)︴
When Mikoto returned home, she found her husband curled up in a corner, staring blankly into space.
"Fugaku, what's wrong with you?"
"Say, Mikoto... am I just an ordinary person with mediocre talent?"
Although puzzled by Fugaku's behavior, Mikoto gave him a smile and replied, "How could that be? Since your student days, you've been regarded as a genius by everyone."
Pausing briefly, Mikoto added, "Of course, excluding those kinds of monsters like Seiki-sama."
"Haha, I wouldn't go looking for trouble like that," Fugaku chuckled, then sighed. "It's because of Itachi! Only today did I discover our son might be a genius beyond imagination!"
Mikoto smiled. "Our son is naturally a genius!"
Seeing that Mikoto wasn't taking him seriously, Fugaku spoke earnestly, "Not an ordinary kind of genius. Let me put it this way—it only took Itachi one glance to master the Grand Fireball Jutsu!"
"Itachi really is so..." Mikoto suddenly realized something. "Wait—you taught Itachi chakra control techniques?"
Fugaku shook his head and proceeded to tell her everything he had witnessed earlier.
Mikoto frowned, showing more concern than happiness. "Having such outstanding talent so young might not be a blessing—it could draw dangerous attention."
As a mother, she instead hoped her child could grow up ordinary. Being a regular genius in others' eyes was already enough.
Fugaku turned serious again. "I agree with you completely. Without strong mental fortitude, exceptional talent might actually harm him."
Mikoto clasped her hands in front of her chest. "Fugaku, what are you thinking?"
After pondering for a moment, Fugaku replied, "I want to bring him onto the battlefield."
"What?" Mikoto exclaimed in surprise.
"Don't worry. The Western Front has already ceased hostilities. Except for a few who still refuse to face reality, no one wants to provoke another war. Under these circumstances, at most there will only be some small-scale conflicts."
Mikoto's expression eased slightly, though she remained somewhat anxious. "But isn't it too soon for Itachi to go to a battlefield already?"
Fugaku gently shook his head. "During wartime, kids as young as six or seven were sent straight to the battlefield. Itachi will bear responsibility for the Uchiha in the future. Starting early won't be bad for him."
Seeing that Mikoto was still worried, Fugaku sighed. "Then let's wait until Itachi's fourth birthday before taking him to the battlefield with me."
In the courtyard, Itachi tilted his head in confusion and asked, "What is war?"
...
At Obito's house.
After finishing their discussion about Obito, everyone kept themselves busy—some stayed to chat with Obito's grandmother while others thoroughly cleaned the room.
After dinner, everyone prepared to leave together.
"Thank you for your hospitality. We should be going now."
"Take care on your way back. Please come again when you have time!"
As she watched them leave, Obito's grandmother softly murmured, "Obito, you've made such wonderful friends."
The group was really moved as they left.
"Obito's grandma is truly open-hearted!"
"I finally understand why that guy Obito could stay so optimistic."
"Let's visit her a few times every month from now on."
"I agree! Now that the Western Front has stopped fighting, the Hidden Cloud and Hidden Mist Villages probably won't last much longer either."
"By the way, what do you think, Seiki?"
Everyone felt somewhat curious—since leaving Obito's house, Seiki had been lost in thought.
"That's fine," Seiki expressed his agreement first, then slightly frowned as he turned toward Kakashi. "Have you recently encountered any strange people?"
Kakashi himself had seemed distracted ever since leaving Obito's home. He didn't answer until he was asked again. "Strange people? Not really... Wait, actually there was someone. You might know him too."
Guy asked puzzledly, "Someone we know? Then why call him strange?"
Mizuki coldly remarked, "It must be a rogue ninja. If it's a rogue ninja, calling him strange makes sense."
Kakashi glanced at him and nodded. "Yes, an elder of *the Sannin*'s generation—a man named Shimon Hiruko."
"Shimon Hiruko?" Asuma exclaimed in surprise. "He must've become a rogue ninja during the early stages of the war. The reason for his betrayal was never revealed; many people said he fled out of fear of battle."
Kurenai frowned in confusion. "Why would someone like him suddenly approach Kakashi? That does sound suspicious."
"Haha! Maybe that coward just sees the war ending soon, so he wants to return to the village!" Guy laughed loudly.
"A coward? His courage was never in question," Seiki lightly shook his head, then gently tapped his right index finger against Kakashi's forehead. Immediately afterward, a bright red circular mark appeared where he touched.
Everyone stared in shock at this sudden development. "What is that?"
Kakashi touched his forehead. "Is something showing up here?"
"It's a Puppet Technique Form. Once activated, it will allow the caster to control its victim like a puppet." Seiki's expression grew serious. "If I'm not mistaken, this must've been left behind by that Shimon Hiruko."
Rin sounded nervous. "Why would this happen? Kakashi hasn't even interacted with him before!"
Seiki remained silent for a moment, then asked Kakashi, "When exactly did you meet him?"
Kakashi recalled, "It happened a few days ago, when I came down from the battlefield to recover from injuries."
Rin protested unhappily. "Why didn't you tell me about something like this?"
Kakashi shook his head slightly. "I thought it was just a coincidence."
Seiki speculated, "Judging from this, maybe it's because of the [Sharingan]."
Kakashi murmured, "The [Sharingan]?"
Rin asked in confusion, "But why Kakashi? There are obviously more [Sharingan] users in the Uchiha clan!"
"Unlike the [Byakugan] of the Hyuga clan, the [Sharingan] of the Uchiha clan has strong rejection properties. There have been people who attempted to steal the power of the [Sharingan], but without exception, they all failed."
Seiki looked meaningfully at Kakashi and said, "Although your [Sharingan] seems flawed because you can't actively deactivate it, compared to other cases, it could be described as perfectly compatible. For the [Sharingan] to appear so well adapted within someone outside the clan is unprecedented."
Asuma eyed Kakashi like he was hiding something, "There isn't anyone from the Uchiha clan in your direct bloodline, is there?"
Kakashi replied concisely after checking, "Checked the family tree — no matches."
"I heard from Senior Fugaku before that the [Sharingan] is an eye that reflects the soul. Eyes taken by enemies on the battlefield tend to make their new users lose control due to the intense hatred they carry."
Seiki sighed softly, "The reason you're not too affected is likely due to Obito's strong desire to help you influencing his [Sharingan]."
Kakashi shuddered slightly and gently pressed on his left eye, whispering to himself, "Obito, is this the gift you gave me?"
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