Shisui was feeling a headache coming on.
The pressure was suffocating. If he had a choice, he truly didn't want to do such shameless things.
His skin was far too thin for this!
But… there was no helping it.
Apart from him, no one else could handle it.
"Alright, I understand."
"I'll get some sleep first. Tomorrow I'll start moving."
Uchiha Kai nodded.
He could tell Shisui had burned himself out rushing back.
So—
Since the matter was more or less settled, he announced the end of the meeting.
Everyone dispersed, heading their own way.
As for Shisui, instead of going home, he simply collapsed into a guest room at Fugaku's house, too exhausted to continue.
Just before Kai left, Aburame Shibi approached him.
"Kai-kun, may I ask one question?" His expression was solemn. "Does Ryōma have any special mission at the front?"
"…"
Kai froze.
Right—
If Shibi hadn't asked, he would have completely forgotten that person even existed.
When he first returned from the front, he had this nagging feeling that he had left something behind.
Turns out… it was this!
Faced with Shibi's inquiry, his face went stiff with embarrassment.
For a moment, he didn't even know what to say.
Finally, he sighed helplessly.
"My apologies, Clan Leader Aburame.
On my way back, I… completely forgot about that matter.
If you hadn't reminded me, I probably wouldn't have remembered even by tomorrow."
Shibi blinked, then understood.
Ah—so that was it.
His face smoothed out.
Yes. This sort of thing was all too common.
The Aburame clan always seemed to have a weak sense of presence.
He was only asking because Aburame Ryoma was his chosen successor.
If it had been an ordinary clansman, he wouldn't have bothered.
"I see. As long as he's safe, then I'm reassured. Farewell, Kai-kun."
With a polite nod, Shibi departed.
Kai, meanwhile, could only sigh helplessly.
What an awkward situation.
Yawning, he felt fatigue creeping up.
Forget it. Time to head home and sleep.
But—
Before he could leave Fugaku's place, someone intercepted him from the shadows.
Itachi.
"Teacher!" Itachi bowed.
Seeing him, Kai blinked in surprise.
Good grief—
he had nearly forgotten about this student too.
Not that it was entirely his fault.
These past days had been overflowing with mess after mess.
For someone who just wanted to "lie flat," he was busier than a corporate drone in his previous life.
"Oh, Itachi!
Why the long face after just a few days?
What's troubling you? Tell your teacher."
Kai smiled as he spoke.
But compared to their last meeting, Itachi's face was now lined with worry.
His brows had knitted together like the "川" character.
Itachi rolled his eyes at the question.
Why was he like this?
All thanks to this so-called teacher!
Just look at his recent life as a student—
It was worse than being in prison.
If not for Kai barging into his life, he could've just accepted the Hokage's "Will of Fire" brainwashing and lived with it.
At least then, he could've had an easier time.
But now?
Having been exposed early to Kai's worldview, he couldn't look at the "Will of Fire" without instantly spotting holes everywhere.
Worse yet—
Kai had given him extra homework.
He couldn't even use shadow clones to cover classes.
Every day, he had to sit through nauseating lectures.
The Will of Fire made him want to puke.
Ninjutsu?
Those Chunin teachers probably couldn't even beat him in a fight.
And yet, he had to sit there and endure—
Like being forced to squat in front of a pile of dung, not just smelling it, but also tasting it…
And then praising it.
And then writing an essay about how great it was.
Damn it.
How was that humanly possible?
Because of this torture, school-aged Itachi had grown even more aloof than in the original timeline, filled with constant irritability.
Especially in class, he always wore that "subway old man face."
And that wasn't all—
He also had a second assignment: to make more friends.
Especially… to find a girlfriend.
But seriously?
Those loud, ignorant kids chattering nonstop every day?
Just thinking about it gave him a headache.
Their minds were on a completely different level.
How was he supposed to befriend them?
It was like forcing an adult to be best buddies with a bunch of first-graders.
Absurd.
Kai might force him, but some things simply couldn't be forced!
So now, when he saw his teacher again, Itachi immediately exploded with complaints.
After venting, he finally begged:
"Teacher, can't we change my studies?
I really can't talk with those brats, let alone get a girlfriend.
And the Will of Fire—I don't want to praise it anymore. I honestly can't.
It's nothing but nonsense!
I don't want to go to school anymore.
Can I apply to graduate next year instead?"
Itachi's face was full of pleading.
He had truly had enough.
Not another minute in that school if he could help it.
The only reason he was still hanging in there was out of respect for Kai as his teacher.
Otherwise, ha!
He would've ditched class long ago.
Meanwhile, Kai squatted down on the steps, listening to Itachi's non-stop ranting, even fighting back laughter.
Compared to the Itachi of the original story, this one felt much more like a real boy—
Not brooding over clan and village politics, but just venting his own frustrations.
It was good.
But graduation?
In the original story, Itachi really had applied to graduate the following year.
Why?
Because of that unreliable father, Fugaku, who wanted to prove the clan's honor.
Kakashi had graduated in a year, so Itachi had to as well.
And after a few missions, he went straight into the Anbu.
No.
Not this time.
Not as Kai's student.
He would not let Itachi walk the same dark path.
The clan and the village's mess had nothing to do with him.
He deserved to go to school properly, to live, to enjoy his childhood.
A childhood incomplete would only breed a warped adulthood.
And childhood shaped a person for life.
"Itachi, don't even think about it," Kai said firmly, shaking his head.
"Ninja Academy is six years old.
Unless they force you to graduate, you are going to finish every single one."
To read 250+ Advance chapters, head over to Patreon:
patreon.com/WhiteDevil7554