New Year's Day was supposed to be a good day. Everyone wanted to enjoy a peaceful holiday. The shinobi world seemed to hear that wish. The smoke of war that had covered the entire continent paused for once. The Five Great Villages all chose to lower their flags on the same day, giving the shinobi who had fought for another year a much-needed breath.
But while the open war stopped, there were still a few lonely old men who hated the sound of celebration.
"Zetsu, what's the situation outside?"
In a dim stone hall, Uchiha Madara woke from his long sleep. He could feel his body continuing to deteriorate and the urgency in his voice was clear.
"Lord Madara, today is New Year's. The entire shinobi world has stopped fighting."
White Zetsu's answer landed like a slap. The rest of the world was celebrating while Madara was still thinking about war.
Madara stayed silent for a long time. Only White Zetsu's chattering filled the hall. He talked about how Iwa was celebrating, how Cloud had pulled back thirty miles, and even how Obito and Nagato were spending the day resting with their companions and Konan.
Madara's forehead veins bulged until the wrinkled skin looked almost shiny.
Finally Black Zetsu arrived with two other White Zetsu clones. Madara opened his eyes and gave the still-talking White Zetsu a cold glance.
"Send that one back to the furnace and remake it."
Black Zetsu looked at the clueless White Zetsu, said nothing, and simply waved the other two clones forward. After a brief commotion the hall finally went quiet.
"The Five Villages don't want to fight anymore? Last year they didn't have this kind of mood."
Madara's words carried heavy resentment—anger at his own isolation and even more disappointment that his plan was falling behind schedule.
"Lord Madara, only Iwa and Cloud are still fighting Leaf. Sand has already signed a peace treaty with them. Mist has lost the will to keep going."
Black Zetsu gave a quick summary of the current situation. Madara's frown only deepened. This wasn't what he had wanted. Leaf looked exhausted on the surface, but their top-tier strength hadn't decreased at all. The losses they had suffered were just weeds on the ground—things that would grow back quickly with time. It wasn't enough to truly weaken them.
"What about Obito and Nagato?"
"Obito is the same as before—his Sharingan is still at the single-tomoe stage. Nagato has stabilized Hidden Rain and is now acting like a god."
Black Zetsu's tone carried clear mockery toward Nagato's ignorance. Madara was clearly dissatisfied with the report. The plan was moving too slowly. Sand was already drained dry. Mist had gone completely off-script and started fighting Sand instead of focusing on Leaf. And Obito—if he was left to develop at his own pace he would never catch up. Madara would have to force his growth.
Madara slowly stood up. As he moved, the tubes connected to the giant statue behind him pumped large amounts of glowing green liquid into his body. Black Zetsu's face showed alarm and he stepped forward.
"Lord Madara, what are you doing?"
"Time is running out. At this pace the war will end soon. I can't keep dragging this out. I'm going to act personally and push the plan back on track."
Madara's words came out one by one. His appearance began to change. The dry, wrinkled skin regained color and luster. The old man who looked eighty became a man in his early thirties within just a few breaths.
"Lord Madara, you're burning through your life force! You're rushing toward the Pure Land—"
Black Zetsu tried to keep persuading him, playing the part of the loyal subordinate.
"Enough!"
Madara cut him off with a sharp wave of his hand.
"I'm still alive because I have a goal, not because I'm afraid of death. Since the plan is off track, I'd rather use what life I have left to drag it back into place than waste away like this."
The rejuvenated Madara showed the full force of his domineering nature. Every word and action carried overwhelming presence. Black Zetsu lowered his head, seemingly impressed.
"Lord Madara, what are your orders?"
"First we go to Hidden Mist. We need to pull that piece that slipped off the board back where it belongs."
Madara strode toward the exit. As he passed the wall he reached out and the massive chained scythe and flame fan leaning there flew into his hands. Black Zetsu said nothing more and hurried after him. Seeing Madara this motivated actually made him feel relieved. The smoother Madara's plan went, the sooner he could rescue his mother.
Konoha — Taiichi's house
"I wonder how Nonoyu is doing. Even on New Year's she can't come home."
Grandma Keiko had been smiling while watching the children play in the courtyard, but now a trace of worry appeared on her face.
"Don't worry, Grandma. The western front is going well right now. Nonoyu is only a medical-nin. She's staying in the rear camp. She's not in much danger."
Taiichi held the old woman's wrinkled hands, a faint green glow on his palms as he spoke gently.
Grandma Keiko nodded and smiled again. She knew her own time was short. All she wanted now was to see the children grow up safe and sound.
"Jiang Tai and Yamei are both six this year. They've always admired you. They want to become shinobi just like you."
Taiichi looked toward the two energetic children currently acting as leaders of the boys and girls in the courtyard. They had grown so fast.
"Then let them register for the Academy. The orphanage can afford their tuition and training now."
Not every orphan went to the Academy. It required talent and some financial support. Orphans who relied only on the village stipend usually ended up as cannon fodder without special opportunities.
Taiichi thought for a moment. One more sheep to herd or two didn't make much difference.
"Grandma, have them come here in three days. I'll give them some training before the new term starts. It'll make their path easier later."
Grandma Keiko's face lit up with a bright smile. She had no children of her own and had poured all her love into the orphanage kids. Seeing them grow up safe and even succeed was her greatest comfort.
"Good child… good child…"
She held Taiichi's hand and gently stroked it. He could feel the slight tremor in her grip and felt a quiet pang in his chest. As a medical-nin he could already sense that her lifespan was nearly over. This was natural old age, nothing medical ninjutsu could reverse.
That evening they held a lavish New Year's dinner. Even with so many people in the house now, Taiichi cooked several of his signature dishes himself. Everyone else pitched in and together they managed to put together a meal for over forty people amid laughter and noise.
When the guests finally left and the house quieted down, Taiichi finished his evening training and lay on his bed. Only then did he have time to check his panel. A new year meant he was another year older, and the panel had updated.
His Fire Release nature transformation was still under a hundred points from Level 14. The biggest change was in his chakra.
[Chakra: 97600 (112400)]
His daily natural extraction limit had jumped by nearly twenty thousand points—roughly the total chakra of an average jonin. Even by Leaf standards Taiichi's reserves were no longer small. He was already comparable to the current Jiraiya. And he was only twelve years old, just entering his rapid growth phase. His upper limit was still very high.
Looking at his increasingly impressive panel, Taiichi smiled with satisfaction and slowly drifted off to sleep.
Time flowed quickly. Three days passed in what felt like an instant.
Today was the day he had promised Fugaku he would begin teaching Itachi properly. Early in the morning Fugaku personally brought his son to Taiichi's house. The fact that the Uchiha clan head came himself on the first day showed how seriously he was taking this.
After handing Itachi over, Fugaku bowed deeply to Taiichi without saying another word. The silent gesture carried everything. Taiichi could feel the depth of a father's love for his child.
He watched Fugaku leave, then patted Itachi's small head and led him inside.
In the study the little boy was clearly nervous. Even his walking looked stiff. Taiichi smiled to himself. No matter how mature Itachi acted, he was still just a child. There was a limit to how grown-up he could be.
Taiichi placed him on a stool and pulled up another one so they sat face to face.
"Let's talk for a while first. Two other kids are coming later. We'll study together. It'll be more fun with company."
"Yes, Teacher."
Itachi answered seriously, sitting perfectly straight.
Taiichi couldn't help laughing. He reached out and ruffled the boy's neatly combed black hair until it was a mess.
"Relax, Itachi. Pretend you're at home. No need to be so tense."
Itachi's face only grew more serious as he tried to smooth his hair back down with both hands.
"But this is how I am at home."
Taiichi paused. Then he thought about Fugaku's personality and realized that was probably true. He looked at Itachi with a bit more pity. Being the young master of a great clan wasn't easy—especially with a father like Fugaku who had such high ambitions.
"Well…" Taiichi tried to think of something lighter. "Do you have any friends you play with?"
Itachi shook his head.
Taiichi rubbed his forehead.
"Fugaku… how are you raising this kid? He doesn't get any fun at all."
He complained inwardly and felt the urge to drag Fugaku over and beat him up. Since Itachi had never really experienced normal childhood fun, Taiichi decided not to force it. He would let things happen naturally. Luckily two energetic kids from the orphanage were coming soon. Having playmates close to his age would help loosen Itachi up.
"What do you usually do at home?"
Taiichi had originally planned to ask about Itachi's studies, but now he skipped all of that and just chatted.
"I read by myself, study etiquette with the elders, learn basic shinobi skills with my father—"
Itachi listed more than ten activities. Everything sounded like studying knowledge, learning rules, or being taken out to see the world. Taiichi could hardly believe that four-year-old Itachi had already been taken to a battlefield by Fugaku. He couldn't understand how Fugaku's mind worked. No wonder Itachi's thinking had become so extreme in the original timeline.
They talked for an hour. Gradually Itachi's hands rested naturally on his lap and his little feet started swinging under the stool. Every now and then a shy smile appeared on his face.
Just as they were about to keep talking, Mizuki appeared at the study door.
"Lord Taiichi, little Jiang Tai and little Yamei are here."
"Oh? Those two finally showed up."
Taiichi stood and looked at Itachi, who had also risen.
"Itachi, come on. Let's go meet your two future training partners."
Itachi no longer looked as stiff as when he first arrived. He still carried himself like a little adult, but there was more childish energy in him now.
The two of them headed toward the front courtyard. Before they even arrived they heard two clear voices shouting.
"Big brother Taiichi, we're here!"
A boy and a girl came barreling around the corner on short legs and skidded to a stop in front of Taiichi when they noticed the smaller boy beside him.
"You two little troublemakers knew you were coming here to study and you still showed up like a storm."
They stuck out their tongues but didn't look the least bit afraid of Taiichi.
He ignored their antics and pulled Itachi forward.
"This is Jiang Tai. This is Yamei. You'll be studying with them for a while."
Then he turned to the two energetic kids.
"This is Uchiha Itachi. He's one year younger than you. Your job this morning is to play with your little brother and show him around the house. Lessons start in the afternoon."
The two children had no idea what "Uchiha" meant. All they heard was that Taiichi had found them a new playmate. They cheered and grabbed Itachi's hands, dragging him toward the courtyard.
Itachi stumbled along but still managed to look back at Taiichi. Taiichi smiled and waved, eyes full of encouragement.
Watching the three children disappear around the corner, Taiichi smiled. Itachi's talent was undeniable—top-tier. Taiichi didn't need to spend much effort teaching him techniques. His real goal was to guide him and correct the extreme thinking that had defined Itachi in the original timeline. What kind of person could decide to slaughter their entire clan for the sake of the village? No matter what external pressures existed, that mindset was fundamentally broken.
Even though the three kids were out of sight, Taiichi kept a thread of perception on them. Half an hour later he could hear Jiang Tai and Yamei's bright laughter echoing through the house. Laughter was contagious. No matter how mature Itachi tried to act, he was still a five-year-old boy. Slowly, under the influence of the other two, he let go of his restraint and started laughing along with them.
When lunchtime came, the three children finally returned to Taiichi under Mizuki's urging. Itachi stood in front of him covered in sweat and dirt, looking like a little mud monkey. The other two were still grinning. Itachi looked a bit embarrassed.
Taiichi burst out laughing and waved his hand.
"Go wash up. Clean clothes are ready for you. Come eat when you're done!"