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On the northeastern border of the Land of Fire, the air was thick with the scent of blood and scorched earth.
The battle here had just ended.
A shinobi squad led by Uchiha Fugaku was clearing the battlefield.
Uchiha Fugaku was expressionless as he assessed the battle damage.
After confirming everything, he was about to order the team to withdraw when his eye twitched slightly.
In his peripheral vision, a faint chakra signature appeared.
The next moment, he had already appeared behind a rock.
A Kumogakure kid, about ten years old, was slumped on the ground, covered in blood. His right hand, clutching a kunai, trembled without stopping.
Several Konoha shinobi immediately followed, and upon seeing a survivor, their killing intent flared.
A Sarutobi clan shinobi looked at the child's tender face, his eyes flickering before finally turning cold.
On the battlefield, there were no children, only enemies.
Just as one of them was about to act, Uchiha Fugaku raised his hand to stop him.
"Stand down."
The team member was puzzled, but the order was not to be questioned, so he immediately retreated.
They surrounded the Kumogakure kid, preventing him from escaping.
Uchiha Fugaku turned his head and looked towards the back of the team.
There, a child of only four years old was being led by the hand by an Uchiha clansman.
The small body was clad in the Uchiha's distinctive high-collared combat uniform, which appeared very loose on him.
The child had a pair of black eyes, very clear.
He looked at the bloody battlefield with fear.
"Itachi."
Fugaku's voice came.
Young Itachi instinctively shivered and immediately ran on his short legs, stumbling to his father's side.
"Father," he said, looking up, his voice childish.
"Do you see that person?" Fugaku pointed at the Kumogakure kid. "Go, kill him."
The tone was calm, the content cruel.
The surrounding air immediately solidified.
The shinobi nearby were all stunned.
Make a four-year-old child... kill someone?
This man was crazy!
And the surrounding Uchiha clansmen, in turn, fell silent.
They had all gone through this step—it was the Uchiha's destiny.
But Itachi was the first to experience all this at four years old.
They looked at the small figure, their expressions complex, with a trace of deeply hidden pity in their eyes.
Uchiha Itachi froze completely.
He looked at the blood-soaked enemy, then looked up at his father.
Fear rapidly spread across his tender little face.
"Father..." His voice took on a sobbing tone.
"What?" Fugaku's brows furrowed. "Are you afraid?"
"I..."
"As my son, the future of the Uchiha clan, you should understand from the moment you step onto the battlefield."
"This is the world of shinobi."
"If you don't kill him, it could be your comrades, your relatives, or even yourself lying there."
"Go!" Fugaku's voice suddenly rose. "Kill him!"
Tears welled up in Itachi's eyes, but he bit his lip tightly, not letting them fall.
He took the short sword his father handed him. The sword felt slightly heavy in his small hands.
He slowly approached the Kumogakure kid.
Each step was taken extremely slowly.
With each step, the fear on his face deepened.
The Kumogakure kid looked at the child walking towards him, a flicker of surprise in his eyes, then his face flushed red—that was humiliation.
"Damn it... you bastards... you actually made a child..."
He roared, using his last ounce of strength, turning his fear of death into ferocity. He raised his kunai and lunged at Itachi!
"Ah!"
Itachi screamed in fright, instinctively raising his sword to block.
Clang!
Metal clashed, and a huge force came, sending him flying. He rolled several times on the ground before stopping.
His arm was numb from the shock, the web of his hand split open, seeping blood.
"Itachi!"
An Uchiha clansman instinctively moved to step forward.
"Stop!" Fugaku's cold voice rang out. He didn't even turn his head. "This is his trial, no one is allowed to interfere!"
His words were cold, but the fist he held in his sleeve was clenched tightly.
The clansman could only stop, his face full of struggle.
The Kumogakure kid, having landed a blow, became even more ferocious. He pressed forward, thrusting his kunai again!
Itachi dodged in terror, his movements clumsy.
Rip!
The kunai grazed his arm, leaving a bloody mark.
The intense pain made Itachi's small face pale, but he still bit his teeth tightly, not crying out.
Fugaku's heart felt as if it had been fiercely clutched by a hand.
But he still stood his ground, his face stern.
His son, the future clan head, must cross this hurdle himself!
The battle continued.
Young Itachi was completely at a disadvantage, only able to rely on instinct and talent to barely hold on.
Soon, he had several more wounds on his body. His small frame was covered in dirt and blood, looking very miserable.
"Enough! Clan Head Fugaku!" The Sarutobi clan shinobi finally couldn't take it anymore. "He's just a child! This is no longer a trial..."
Fugaku gave him a cold glance, effectively blocking the rest of his words in his throat.
"My son doesn't need your pity."
Just in this moment of distraction, the Kumogakure kid seized the opportunity, kicking Itachi in the stomach and knocking him to the ground.
"Die, brat!"
The kid's face was filled with madness. He gripped his kunai and plunged it fiercely towards Itachi's heart!
"Itachi!"
At this moment, Fugaku's ice-cold face finally showed emotion!
Paternal love ultimately overcame the clan head's ruthlessness.
The chakra within him erupted instantly, his figure almost disappearing from its spot!
Just then, a sudden change occurred!
Itachi, lying on the ground, watched the rapidly approaching kunai.
The extreme fear, unwillingness, and will to survive, accumulated within him, exploded.
Buzz!
In those pitch-black pupils, a crimson dot appeared, rapidly outlining a small comma!
Single tomoe Sharingan!
Activation!
The moment the Sharingan activated, the kunai, which was originally too fast to react to, became clear and slow in Itachi's eyes.
His body, stimulated by near-death, erupted with unprecedented power.
He executed an extreme roll, narrowly dodging the fatal blow!
Immediately after, his small body sprang up, and the short sword in his hand, from bottom to top, drew an arc.
Thud!
The sound of a blade entering flesh, faint, yet piercing.
The Kumogakure kid's movements stopped.
He looked down in disbelief, at the blood-stained blade tip protruding from his chest.
Fugaku's already leaning body froze in place.
He stared in shock at the crimson in his son's eyes.
Then, his fear and heartache all transformed into uncontrollable joy and pride!
Four years old!
Between life and death, he activated the Sharingan!
Truly my son!
At Konoha, in the Hokage building, after receiving the border report, Minato secretly felt relieved.
The daimyo's warning had come true.
If not for the daimyo's warning to strengthen border patrols, this enemy squad might have infiltrated without being discovered.
"What's wrong, Minato?"
Homura, who was processing documents nearby, noticed the change in his expression.
Minato handed him the intelligence.
After Homura and Koharu read it, their expressions also became serious.
But within that seriousness, there was a hint of dismissiveness.
"Hmph, lucky indeed, it really came true," Homura snorted coldly.
"Those brutes from the Land of Lightning really only use such underhanded methods," Koharu's tone was equally disdainful.
"However, it was just a squad of a dozen people, and the border actually sent ten squads to pursue them. It's making a mountain out of a molehill."
"We cannot be careless!" Minato said in a deep voice. "The village should still send more people to join the pursuit. Let Hyuga Hiashi go!"
The two elders did not object.
For tracking, the Byakugan was indeed the best choice.
Soon, Hyuga Hiashi arrived at the Hokage's office.
After receiving the order, he quickly departed.
Seeing that Minato's expression was still somewhat grim, Koharu comforted him. "Don't worry, with Hiashi on the job, they won't escape."
"Hmm, draft a regular report on the outcome and send it to the daimyo manor," Homura added. "Also let him know about Konoha's efficiency."
Minato nodded silently, no longer arguing.
However, the unease in his heart had not diminished in the slightest.
He always felt that things were not that simple.