A new arrival and it's about Itachi God. So, do give it a go.
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***
A few months later.
Konoha, at the Seventh Training Ground.
On a tree in the training ground, a series of lines, resembling a uniquely shaped text, crawled up the trunk like a living creature.
Buzz!
At some point, the lines glowed faintly.
Swish!
Two figures appeared beside the tree.
"Yes, you've mastered it," Minato said with a faint smile, glancing at Kakashi, who rested his hand on his shoulder.
His azure eyes registered the text on the tree.
He fixed his gaze on it and muttered,
"Obito and Rin."
Kakashi's words bore two names.
Minato lowered his eyelids, a way of remembering his two fallen companions.
Perhaps, Kakashi wondered, if he had mastered the Flying Thunder God Jutsu, Obito and Rin wouldn't have died.
Ultimately, it was his responsibility as their teacher.
Though Minato was known as the Yellow Flash and the fastest ninja in the ninja world, he faced many setbacks during the last war.
He was able to turn the tide for the Konoha army, which had been at a disadvantage on the battlefield, but he was unable to arrive in time when the lives of two disciples depended on him.
"But this is not enough," Minato sighed, looking at Kakashi.
Kakashi's Flying Thunder God was now capable of carrying people through space and time, but it was far inferior to Minato's.
However, it had only been a few months, and Kakashi's mastery of Flying Thunder God and the refinement of the Space-Time Seal in such a short time was an astonishing improvement.
Still, Minato wanted Kakashi to be able to use Flying Thunder God in battle.
The plan he and Itachi had devised was extremely dangerous.
Infiltrating the Land of Water and the Hidden Mist Village, the enemy's base, meant they were always in danger.
Kakashi's Flying Thunder God could ensure his own safety, but protecting his companions was a bit more difficult.
Elsewhere, in the dense forest a short distance from KonohaâŠ
Swish!
Figures wielding ANBU swords flashed and intertwined, transforming into five figures who swept forward alternately, slashing with flaming blades as they moved.
Bang!
Facing Shisui's full-force attack, Itachi prepared with awe.
Chi!
Three magatama twirled rapidly in his blood-red eyes, glancing left and right as his hands rapidly formed hand seals.
"Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"
Swish, swish, swish!
A shuriken, swirling in flames, shot forth, directly meeting the blades, which left trails of flame in the air.
The two clashed, the flames intensifying.
"Ah, ah!"
Dozens of crows surrounded Itachi, instantly converging into his form.
His original form and its crow clones, wielding kunai, met Shisui, who was performing the Body Flicker Technique.
Dang, dang, dang!
The two collided directly with taijutsu, their weapons clashing, sending sparks of fire flying everywhere.
Shisui's Body Flicker Technique involved constantly moving between five locations at high speed.
Itachi, using his crow clones and Sharingan, was able to temporarily match his speed.
However, Itachi hadn't yet fully recovered his peak strength, while Shisui's strength had surged after activating his MangekyĆ Sharingan.
With the combined strength of Itachi and the crow clones, both gradually fell into decline.
Itachi formed a hand seal, and the clones beside him instantly cracked and burst into flames.
Bang!
The crow clone exploded, sweeping across the sky and sending up a cloud of dust.
As the flames spread, Itachi and Shisui's eyes changed almost simultaneously.
Within their blood-red irises, three magatama spun and linked, forming the patterns of a MangekyĆ Sharingan.
"Susanoo!"
Amidst the dust, green and crimson chakra radiated, forming slightly different giants behind them.
The next moment, both Susanoos launched their attacks, striking out with fists.
Bang!
The huge fists collided with each other, making a dull sound.
The immense force created a gust of air that blew away the dust.
Itachi and Shisui both stood before their Susanoo, their two pairs of eyes, each with their own distinct patterns, staring at each other.
"It seems you've accomplished it," Itachi said with a faint smile.
Shisui's speed in activating and concentrating Susanoo was comparable to Itachi's, indicating he had fully mastered this power.
Susanoo was different from the two dĆjutsu possessed upon awakening the MangekyĆ Sharingan.
While using dĆjutsu did place a strain on the body, harnessing the power of Susanoo inflicted immense pain.
The greater the power of Susanoo, the greater the pain, exponentially increasing, piercing every cell in the body.
Therefore, adapting to this power was not easy.
Ohh!
The chakra glow surrounding Itachi dissipated, and the Susanoo behind him vanished.
Huuu.
Before him, Shisui also released his dĆjutsu, though his breathing became slightly heavier.
Shisui's eyes dimmed slightly.
In terms of chakra, the difference between Itachi and Shisui's current chakra wasn't particularly large.
The consumption from even a brief use of Susanoo wasn't that significant.
However, simply using Susanoo consumed a significant amount of dĆjutsu energy.
In terms of eye power alone, Itachi was now even more powerful than Shisui.
Though a little fatigued, Shisui's face was filled with smiles.
He raised his eyes and met Itachi's.
They both knew the time was almost ripe.
Their plan would soon be ready for execution.
Another month later, Itachi was summoned by Minato to meet alone in the Hokage's office.
"You're here," Minato said, smiling faintly at Itachi.
Shisui was already standing beside him.
"Did you send for me? Have you finished refining your ninjutsu?"
Itachi already knew why Minato had summoned him.
Minato smiled, flipped his hand, and a Flying Thunder God Kunai appeared from nowhere.
He wrapped his fingers around the kunai's top hole, turned it upside down, and tossed it directly to Itachi.
Itachi reached out and took the trident-shaped kunai, his gaze fixed on it.
The space-time markings, "Sword of Shinobi Love," were still inscribed on the kunai's handle.
However, unlike the previous markings, the mark on this kunai wasn't black.
It emitted a faint white glow.
"As long as you touch the mark's chakra with your own, as long as we're on the same spatial plane, I'll be able to sense it and arrive immediately," Minato said.
After nearly six months of work, he finally completed the refinement of the Flying Thunder God technique.
...
"How's the progress with Kakashi-senpai?"
Itachi put his kunai into the ninja tool bag behind him and looked at Minato.
"Although Kakashi has mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique, it will probably be difficult to use it perfectly in a short period of time."
Minato smiled.
"However, fortunately, he possesses the Sharingan. As long as he can master its insight and combine it with the Flying Thunder God Technique, protecting the three of you should be no problem."
The crucial requirement for unleashing the Flying Thunder God Technique's maximum power is overwhelming reflexes, but this requires years of practice.
Therefore, for the time being, the Sharingan can only be used to compensate for this deficiency.
"That's great," Itachi said, and a deep gloom appeared in his eyes.
"This time, we must expose that guy's true identity before the entire ninja world!"
"But once this plan is underway, it's bound to take quite some time."
"The Chunin Exams are almost here. It's clearly not appropriate for you to leave Shikaku's class now," Minato said.
Itachi had already graduated from the Ninja Academy six months earlier.
Judging by the progress of the other two students in Itachi's class, Shikaku should have applied for them to take the Chunin Exams.
"Let's wait until the Chunin Exams are over."
While the Chunin Exams tested more than just ninja prowess, the level of the two students in Shikaku's class, plus Itachi's presence, meant passing the exam was a piece of cake.
Besides Izumi and himself, Minato's most prized newcomer in Itachi's class was Hattori Shinichi.
While Hattori Shinichi's strength as a ninja was somewhat weaker, he possessed a rare combination of meticulous logical thinking and analytical skills.
With proper training, such a talent could undoubtedly become a pillar of Konoha.
"Yeah," Itachi nodded.
After all, it would take some time for Kakashi's Sharingan to adapt to the Flying Thunder God Technique.
Because Shisui had other matters to attend to in the ANBU, Itachi returned to the Uchiha clan alone.
However, he didn't return home immediately, but instead visited a shop within the clan.
This shop sold fabric and ready-made clothing, including the uniforms for the Uchiha Guard.
As Itachi entered, he immediately spotted a woman climbing a ladder, sorting fabric.
She was in her early thirties, dressed in plain clothes, her long black hair simply tied back with a white headband.
Noticing someone entering the shop, the woman turned around.
A smile spread across her delicate face as she recognized Itachi.
"It's Itachi?"
"Aunt Haruko," Itachi nodded.
Her name was Uchiha Hazuki, an ordinary member of the Uchiha clan and the owner of this shop.
She was Izumi's mother.
At first, Uchiha Hazuki always addressed Itachi as "Master Itachi," but only after his repeated persuasion did she change her form of address.
Seeing Itachi's arrival, Uchiha Hazuki immediately climbed down the ladder.
However, her physical condition was already weak, and her legs, numb from standing on the ladder for so long, couldn't move quickly.
Therefore, her balance was unsteady, and the ladder began to sway.
Seeing this, Itachi immediately stepped forward.
He first gave the ladder a gentle push, stabilizing it, then held Uchiha Hazuki with both hands.
"Are you alright?" Itachi asked.
He had heard from Izumi that Hazuki had suffered a serious illness as a child.
Although she recovered, she still had a hidden illness.
When Izumi was born, the hidden illness flared up.
Although it was under control, her health had been poor ever since.
"Well, Itachi, thank you," Uchiha Hazuki smiled.
She was Izumi's mother, and the most similar thing between them was their eyes.
Her clear eyes revealed gentle kindness and peace.
"Uncle is busy with his mission, and Izumi is out on a mission and not at home. Didn't I tell you to come to me anytime for these matters?"
Itachi said.
All the shops in the Uchiha clan were the property of the Uchiha clan, not belonging to individuals.
Hazuki was responsible for making clothes, and tasks like adjusting fabrics and clothing were usually done by other clan members.
Uchiha Hazuki's sewing skills were the best in the Uchiha clan.
She had the same gentle personality as Izumi and rarely bothered others.
But Hazuki's physical condition made it difficult for her to complete these tasks alone.
Usually, her husband and Izumi helped her, but recently, there had been a lot of activity in the Uchiha Guard.
Izumi's father went out early and came back late every day, and Izumi had gone out of the village to perform missions.
Itachi came here specifically because he knew that Hazuki would definitely not bother others.
"As a ninja, Itachi, you must be very busy. I can do these things by myself," Hazuki said.
While she knew Itachi didn't care about her status, she wouldn't even bother other Uchiha clan members.
Itachi was not only a ninja but also the clan leader's son.
How could she possibly seek him out?
"Just rest aside. Tell me where to put it."
Itachi observed briefly and figured out the logic and pattern behind Hazuki's clothing arrangement.
Then, he quickly set to work, categorizing the fabrics and clothing.
As a ninja, and with Itachi's skill, he certainly didn't need a ladder.
So, Itachi quickly sorted everything out.
"I'm so sorry to bother you again," Hazuki nodded at Itachi.
"You're too kind," Itachi returned the gesture, saying, "Don't bother the other clan members with these matters. When Uncle and Izumi are busy, just come to me."
Itachi said this every time, but Hazuki never approached him.
"I see," Hazuki smiled and pulled a neatly folded set of new clothes from the nearby cabinet.
"I heard from Izumi that master Sasuke's clothes got torn while training a while ago, so she asked me to make this. Since you're here, I'll give it to you."
She had never met Sasuke in person, so she habitually used honorifics when addressing him.
Itachi was taken aback for a moment, then took the clothes from Hazuki's hands and said, "Then, I'll bring Sasuke to you tomorrow to thank you."
"No, it's my job, and this is a token of my appreciation. I just remembered that Sasuke's clothes were already torn, so I brought them out to you early."
Hazuki waved her hands.
"No, Sasuke has to come. This is the rule set by Mom and Dad," Itachi said.
Fugaku had always been very strict with the two brothers.
"Alright then," Hazuki replied, her eyes filled with satisfaction as she looked at Itachi.
As Izumi's mother, how could she not see her daughter's feelings for the boy before her?
What girl her age wouldn't be attracted to a boy as outstanding as Itachi?
However, Hazuki didn't deliberately facilitate this.
After all, the two children were still too young.
What would happen in the future was Itachi and Izumi's own business.
....
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