Chapter 10: The Change Begins with a Kunai

Shuriken?

Was someone ambushing him?

Itachi Uchiha didn't look back; even before landing, he sensed the attack. Instinctively, he drew a shuriken from his waist and flung it into the air, precise and swift, like an arrow aimed at the shadow.

Clang!

The shuriken struck true, but to Itachi's surprise, the incoming "shuriken" shattered on impact, revealing itself to be merely a piece of rubble that splintered into several fragments. Meanwhile, his thrown shuriken remained on course.

"Watch out!"

At that moment, the warning cry barely reached him. The other party hadn't even realized that Itachi had already countered; they were still foolishly trying to warn him.

An accident?

Itachi finally understood. The object he had shattered was just a stone. Almost instinctively, as he landed, he drew another kunai from his other side, using an even more intricate technique to redirect the shuriken that had just flown by.

Boom!

The kunai, arriving a fraction of a second later, struck the hollow part of the earlier shuriken, redirecting it forcefully to crash into a nearby tree.

This was why Itachi Uchiha was hailed as a prodigy by everyone since childhood—his shurikenjutsu was nothing short of miraculous!

"Wow!"

Naruto, caught off guard, gasped in awe. He was the one who had shouted just moments ago, oblivious to the fact that someone was descending from above while he played by the river, tossing stones.

Seeing that the stranger nearly crashed into one of his tossed stones, Naruto had urgently called out.

Yet in the next instant, the stranger threw a shuriken that not only smashed his stone but also astounded Naruto by seemingly curving mid-air, diverting from its original path to hit a tree instead.

"That's amazing!"

Naruto didn't grasp that Itachi had thrown another kunai; he mistakenly thought the shuriken had curved on its own. He rushed over to Itachi, beaming with admiration.

Is it him?

Itachi stood upright, gazing at Naruto, feeling a jolt in his heart.

The reason he mistook the stone for a shuriken was the speed and trajectory of its flight, which closely resembled that of a thrown shuriken. Even his younger brother Sasuke, whom he and their father had begun to teach, couldn't throw a real shuriken with such finesse.

The Nine-Tails jinchuriki should be around his brother's age, right?

Could it really just be a coincidence?

"Um, I was just playing by the water and didn't mean to throw it at you!" Naruto said, seeing Itachi silently watching him, anxiety creeping into his voice. "I didn't expect you to jump down from above."

Worried that Itachi might misunderstand, Naruto tossed the remaining stones he held in another direction, exclaiming, "I'm just playing like this!"

Whoosh!

Itachi observed the stones Naruto carelessly tossed. Each one had a remarkably standard shuriken arc, making Itachi realize that Naruto's earlier throw wasn't an accident; he could indeed throw stones with the skill of a shuriken.

"...No, it's fine." After a moment of silence, Itachi revealed a standard smile. "My apologies for the disturbance."

With that, he vanished in an instant, leaving Naruto standing there, still in shock.

"Wow... so cool!" Stars sparkled in Naruto's eyes. Most of the ninjas he encountered in the village were lazy older men, but this one, only slightly older than him, had opened his eyes to a whole new world.

"Ah, I didn't even ask his name... huh?" Naruto, resting his hands behind his head, was lost in thought about Itachi's cold, skilled maneuvers when suddenly his gaze was drawn to a glint reflecting off a tree trunk.

It was the shuriken that Itachi had thrown.

"Wow, it's a real shuriken!" Naruto's eyes lit up as he dashed over. Just as he reached to pull the shuriken from the tree, he noticed a long kunai also lodged in it.

"Why is there another kunai?" Naruto pondered, examining the two different ninja tools in his hands. Under the sunlight, the dark metal gleamed ominously, sending a chill down his spine.

After playing with them for a moment, Naruto pocketed the weapons. Then, glancing around to ensure no one was watching, he hurried home, feeling a twinge of guilt.

"I'll return it to him next time I see him. Playing with it until then shouldn't count as stealing, right?" Naruto thought to himself.

Meanwhile, Itachi had slipped into a small thicket and soon returned to the Uchiha clan's training ground.

At that moment, Sasuke was panting heavily, drenched in sweat, practicing with his shuriken.

His expression was focused; he hadn't relaxed even after Itachi left him a training assignment. Observing his brother's diligence, Itachi felt a warm smile form on his lips as he stood quietly behind Sasuke.

"Hey!"

Sasuke continued to throw shuriken, but most missed their target, and even those that hit the target didn't penetrate deeply.

"Damn it! Why can't I throw like my brother? Is my strength too weak?" Sasuke grumbled, frustration evident as he waved his shuriken around in annoyance.

"Shuriken aren't thrown with strength; technique is key."

Itachi spoke up.

"Ah, brother!" Sasuke turned around in surprise at the sound of his brother's voice, his face lighting up. "I thought you had something to do. Why are you back so soon?"

"Business is done. Come, I'll teach you," Itachi said gently, adjusting Sasuke's movements step by step, hoping to help him memorize the correct techniques.

With Itachi's guidance, Sasuke managed to hit the target a few times after training all afternoon, but most of his throws still missed.

This wasn't because Sasuke lacked intelligence; such training relied on feel. The Uchiha clan were born ninjas, and for them, diligent practice could lead to mastery.

For ninjas, no matter how exceptional their talent, the so-called prodigies praised by many were essentially those who had continuously worked hard to enhance their skills.

As the evening sun set, Itachi carried his brother Sasuke, reflecting on the events of the day that had caught his attention.

Aside from Shisui's sudden departure, Naruto's effortless skill in throwing stones raised questions in his mind.

"Is someone teaching him from a young age?"

Meanwhile, Naruto was at home, excitedly rubbing his hands together as he gazed at the ninja tools on the table.

As he played with the kunai, inspiration struck him. He suddenly recalled a strange symbol he had seen in his dreams several times, one that seemed to be engraved on the kunai.

"What was it called... I remember it had something to do with flying?" Naruto mused, racking his brain. He picked up a brush he had found and began sketching the symbol from his memory.

"The Flying Thunder God seal?" The Nine-Tails, observing this scene in Naruto's mind, was astonished but scoffed after a moment, "You've got it all wrong. The beginning is somewhat correct, but the rest is completely off."

"Take your time." Hearing the Nine-Tails' remark, Minato Namikaze, who was preparing for lessons that night, smiled. "Slowly."