On the northeastern border of the Land of Fire, the air was thick with the scent of blood and scorched earth.
The battle had just ended.
A squad of shinobi led by Uchiha Fugaku was clearing the battlefield.
Fugaku's face was emotionless as he assessed the battle damage.
After confirming everything, he was about to order the team to retreat when his eye twitched slightly.
In his peripheral vision, a faint chakra signature flickered.
In the next instant, he appeared behind a boulder.
A Kumo child shinobi, about ten years old, was slumped against the rock, covered in blood. His right hand clutched a kunai, trembling uncontrollably.
Several Konoha shinobi followed closely behind. When they saw a survivor, their killing intent surged.
A Sarutobi clan shinobi glanced at the boy's youthful face. His expression shifted slightly but then turned cold.
On the battlefield, there were no children, only enemies.
Just as one of them was about to strike, Fugaku raised his hand.
"Stand down."
The team member was puzzled, but orders were orders, so he stepped back without question.
They surrounded the Kumo child, ensuring he couldn't escape.
Fugaku turned his head and looked to the rear of the squad.
There, a four-year-old child was being led by the hand by an Uchiha clansman.
The small body wore the Uchiha clan's high-collared combat uniform, which looked far too big on him.
The child's eyes were black and clear.
He looked at the bloody battlefield with fear in his gaze.
"Itachi."
Fugaku's voice rang out.
The young Itachi shuddered instinctively and quickly ran over on his short legs, stumbling as he reached his father's side.
"Father," he called softly, his voice childlike.
"Do you see that person?" Fugaku pointed at the Kumo boy. "Go. Kill him."
His tone was calm, but the words were cruel.
The surrounding air seemed to freeze.
The shinobi nearby were all stunned.
Make a four-year-old child... kill someone?
Was this man insane?
But the surrounding Uchiha clansmen fell silent.
They had all passed through this same trial. It was the fate of the Uchiha.
But Itachi was the youngest among them to face it.
Their eyes fell on the small figure. Their expressions were complicated, with a faint trace of hidden pity.
Itachi stood frozen.
He looked at the blood-covered enemy, then up at his father.
Fear quickly spread across his delicate little face.
"Father…" His voice trembled, close to sobbing.
"What is it?" Fugaku frowned. "Are you afraid?"
"I…"
"As my son, and the future of the Uchiha, you should understand this the moment you set foot on the battlefield."
"This is the shinobi world."
"If you don't kill him, it might be your comrades, your family, or even yourself lying there next time."
"Go!" Fugaku's voice suddenly rose. "Kill him!"
Tears welled up in Itachi's eyes, but he bit his lip hard, not letting them fall.
He accepted the short sword his father handed over. It felt heavy in his hands.
He slowly walked toward the Kumo child.
Each step was taken carefully and hesitantly.
With every step, the fear on his face deepened.
The Kumo boy looked at the approaching Itachi in surprise, then his expression turned red with shame.
"Damn you… you bastards… making a kid…"
He roared, using his last strength to convert fear into rage. He raised his kunai and lunged at Itachi.
"Ah!"
Itachi screamed, instinctively raising his sword to block.
Clang!
Metal clashed. The force knocked him back, and he rolled several times before coming to a stop.
His arm went numb from the impact, and the skin between his thumb and index finger split open, blood seeping out.
"Itachi!"
An Uchiha clansman instinctively stepped forward.
"Stop!" Fugaku's icy voice halted him in his tracks. "This is his trial. No one is allowed to interfere!"
His words were cold, but the fist hidden in his sleeve was tightly clenched.
The clansman froze in place, struggling visibly.
After landing a strike, the Kumo boy grew more ferocious. He charged forward, thrusting his kunai once more.
Itachi scrambled in fear, his movements clumsy.
Rip!
The kunai scraped across his arm, leaving a bloody gash.
The pain made Itachi's small face pale, but he gritted his teeth, refusing to cry out.
Fugaku felt as though his heart had been twisted by an invisible hand.
But he still stood firm, face stern.
His son, the future Clan Head, had to overcome this on his own.
The battle continued.
Itachi was completely at a disadvantage, surviving only by instinct and talent.
Soon, he was covered in several more wounds, his small body filthy and bloodied. He looked utterly miserable.
"Enough, Clan Head Fugaku!" The Sarutobi shinobi finally couldn't stand it anymore. "He's just a child! This isn't a trial anymore…"
Fugaku gave him a cold glare, silencing him instantly.
"My son doesn't need your pity."
In that brief moment of distraction, the Kumo boy seized the opportunity, kicking Itachi hard in the stomach and sending him sprawling.
"Die, brat!"
The boy's face twisted with madness. He gripped his kunai tightly and plunged it toward Itachi's heart.
"Itachi!"
In that instant, Fugaku's cold face finally changed.
Paternal love ultimately broke through the Clan Head's indifference.
Chakra erupted from within him, and his figure vanished from sight.
But just at that moment, a sudden change occurred.
Itachi, lying on the ground, stared at the kunai rapidly approaching him.
The overwhelming fear, unwillingness, and desire to survive exploded within him.
Buzz!
In his pitch-black pupils, a crimson hue bloomed, and a single tomoe formed.
Sharingan.
Activated.
The moment the Sharingan awakened, the previously fast kunai appeared slow and clear in his vision.
His body, spurred on by imminent death, burst forth with an explosive strength.
He rolled at an extreme angle, barely avoiding the fatal strike.
Immediately after, he leaped up, and the short sword in his hand drew a clean arc from bottom to top.
Thud!
The sound of steel piercing flesh, soft yet chilling.
The Kumo boy froze.
He looked down in disbelief at the blood-stained tip of the blade protruding from his chest.
Fugaku, who had already dashed halfway forward, froze in place.
His eyes locked onto the crimson in his son's pupils.
Then, all the fear and anguish melted into uncontrollable pride and joy.
Four years old.
Faced with death, he awakened the Sharingan!
As expected of his son!
...Konoha, Hokage Building.
After reading the border report, Namikaze Minato secretly let out a breath of relief.
The Daimyo's warning had proven true.
If not for the order to strengthen patrols, this Kumo squad might have infiltrated unnoticed.
"What's wrong, Minato?"
Mitokado Homura, who was reviewing documents nearby, noticed the shift in Minato's expression.
Minato handed over the intelligence scroll.
After both Homura and Utatane Koharu finished reading, their expressions turned serious.
Yet behind that seriousness was a hint of dismissiveness.
"Hmph, they got lucky," Homura said coldly. "So the warning came true."
"The thugs from the Land of Lightning always resort to such underhanded tactics," Koharu added with disdain.
"But it was just a squad of a dozen people. Was it really necessary to send ten teams to chase them down? They're making a mountain out of a molehill."
"We can't afford carelessness," Minato said firmly. "The village should dispatch additional forces. Send Hyūga Hiashi."
The two advisors didn't object.
When it came to tracking, the Byakugan was indeed unmatched.
Soon, Hiashi arrived at the Hokage's office.
After receiving the mission, he immediately set out.
Seeing that Minato still seemed concerned, Koharu reassured him, "Don't worry. With Hiashi involved, they won't escape."
"Draft a standard report and send it to the Daimyo's manor," Homura instructed. "Let him see Konoha's efficiency."
Minato nodded silently and didn't argue.
But the unease in his heart hadn't subsided.
He had a lingering feeling… that things were far from over.
(To be continued.)
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