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Fear Of The Third Hokage

The two turned around, only to see a little boy who bore a striking resemblance to Itachi Uchiha, walking toward them with a one-shoulder backpack, head held high, and a proud expression on his face.

"Oh, isn't this 'Little Second Pillar'?" Aizen's face showed a playful smile.

With his frequent visits to the Uchiha clan, Aizen naturally became acquainted with Sasuke.

Facing this future laughingstock of the Uchiha's so-called "Four Laughing Masters," Aizen couldn't help but tease him.

Over time, the two became familiar with each other.

Of course, that's about it for now, but in the future, if Sasuke kept acting arrogant and challenging above his level, a beating would be inevitable.

Every time he got beaten up, he wouldn't learn. Once the skies cleared and the rain stopped, "Little Second Pillar" would think he could handle it again.

Sasuke's face turned red, "I've told you so many times, my name is Sasuke, Uchiha Sasuke, not 'Little Second Pillar,' you loser who was defeated by my brother."

Aizen continued to tease, "Sure, 'Little Second Pillar.' But you say I lost to your brother, yet you've never seen us fight, so how do you know I'm not his match?"

"Hmph. Isn't it obvious?" Mentioning Itachi Uchiha, Sasuke's face filled with pride and admiration. Just as he was about to say something, he suddenly realized, and in an adorably angry tone, said, "How many times do I have to tell you, stop calling me 'Little Second Pillar!'"

"Alright, 'Little Second Pillar,'" Aizen replied, with a smirk that could drive anyone mad.

"You jerk! I'm Sasuke, not 'Little Second Pillar!'" Sasuke's face flushed red again as he raised his fist and charged.

Unsurprisingly, Aizen easily dodged, and Sasuke nearly face-planted into the ground.

Watching the two figures chase and flee ahead, Uchiha Izumi's heart lightened. She tilted her head and gazed at the sky, mumbling to herself, "Maybe I was just overthinking."

In the distance, two figures stood atop Konoha's tallest building, overlooking the scene below.

"Itachi, is that your younger brother? I can't believe he's grown so much already. Who's that playing with him? A student from the ninja academy who, surprisingly, doesn't seem to reject the Uchiha like the other villagers. That's rare." Uchiha Shisui, the strongest illusionist of the Uchiha clan, spoke.

"His name is Fujiwara Aizen. We were in the same class at the academy, and since he has a good relationship with Izumi, he doesn't harbor the same resentment toward the Uchiha as the others," Itachi replied calmly, though his tone carried a subtle awkwardness.

Shisui was a bit taken aback and looked at Itachi with surprise. "It sounds like there's more to the story. Did something happen?"

Activating his Sharingan, Itachi said, "He's an extremely dangerous individual."

"Why do you say that?" Shisui, hearing this, instinctively activated his Sharingan to observe. In the next second, his pupils widened in shock, "This... this is…"

"Did you notice? Aizen isn't a Jinchuriki, nor is he from the Uzumaki clan, but he possesses chakra levels that far exceed those appropriate for his age. In all of Konoha, there are probably only a handful who have more chakra than he does," Itachi said with a grave expression.

Shisui furrowed his brow, "Are you sure you're not overthinking this? Just based on his chakra, you're labeling him dangerous? Maybe he was just born this way. Judging someone's danger level solely by their chakra seems a bit hasty..."

"It's not just that. I have a feeling Aizen is much more than what he appears to be," Itachi replied in a low voice.

"Relax," Shisui patted Itachi on the shoulder. "I think you're just too on edge lately with everything going on in the clan. Even if this Aizen is hiding something, he hasn't harmed Konoha or threatened the Uchiha's interests. Not everyone in this world likes to show off their talents."

"Perhaps…" Itachi deactivated his Sharingan without further argument.

"You haven't told anyone about this, right?" Shisui asked again.

Itachi slowly shook his head.

"Then keep it to yourself. If he doesn't want attention, we shouldn't draw any to him," Shisui sighed deeply, adding meaningfully, "Sometimes, I envy those born as commoners. At least… never mind. Let's go. We'll meet at our usual spot tonight."

With that, Shisui's figure flickered and disappeared.

Itachi took a final deep look in the direction where Aizen had gone, opened his mouth as if to speak, but ultimately said nothing before vanishing himself.

Just as they left, Aizen raised his hand to press down on Sasuke's forehead, stopping his attack, and looked in the direction where Itachi had stood earlier. He muttered to himself, "They've already left? The Uchiha clan really doesn't have anyone simple, but it's a shame—none of them seem to have any emotional intelligence."

"Aizen-kun, what are you looking at?" Uchiha Izumi followed his gaze.

"Nothing. Let's go," Aizen shook his head, sighing inwardly. Since Shisui had returned, the moment Danzo would attempt to steal his eyes wasn't far off.

Meanwhile, Shisui had already arrived at the rooftop of the Hokage building and knelt on one knee before Hiruzen Sarutobi, "Lord Hokage."

Just like in the original story, Shisui first reported the details of repelling the Mist ninjas, and then revealed that the Uchiha clan was planning a coup, offering his solution.

Initially, Hiruzen wasn't too concerned.

He knew that the conflict between the Uchiha and Konoha's higher-ups had reached an irreconcilable point.

That was until Shisui mentioned Kotoamatsukami, and a flicker of emotion crossed Hiruzen's aged eyes.

"Kotoamatsukami? That's your ocular technique?"

Still with his back to Shisui, Hiruzen gave no indication of his thoughts.

"Yes, Lord Hokage. It's the ocular technique I gained after awakening my Mangekyo Sharingan. It can manipulate others without their awareness and permanently alter their will. But due to its power, it requires a cooldown of over a decade after each use."

Shisui explained his plan without hesitation, "I plan to use this technique on our clan leader, Uchiha Fugaku, during tomorrow's meeting to prevent the coup."

Hiruzen was taken aback, a strong sense of dread flashing in his eyes, though he remained outwardly calm. He walked past Shisui and said, "I understand. Consider this a top-secret mission I'm entrusting to you. Do as you see fit. Come see me tomorrow at this time, and I'll arrange for someone to assist you."

Only the Sharingan could combat the Sharingan. Hiruzen planned to have Itachi keep an eye on Shisui to ensure nothing went wrong.

"Yes, Lord Hokage." Shisui respectfully responded before vanishing.

Hiruzen, meanwhile, returned to his office deep in thought.

Clearly, Shisui's Kotoamatsukami had far exceeded his ability to control it.

As the strongest Hokage in Konoha's history, he had to be prepared for anything.

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