[IV] 1/3

Haruki sighed as he read over the growth quest for the fourth time in a row. Within six months he had to become strong enough to defeat Itachi. The sole Uchiha born with arguably the highest potential and talent since Madara himself.

It was only recently that he was complaining to himself that he didn't have a tangible goal but... this wasn't what he meant!

While it wasn't as ridiculous as his dreams of being killed by the Kyuubi, or his fear of the village turning on him, it wasn't much better!

With his current potential and system, was it even possible? Didn't Itachi, at the age of 4, already kill someone on an active battlefield? Or was that anime only? What chance did he have at all?!

More importantly, was it even worth it to try?

The only rewards he gained from doing the quest seemed to be another, likely more difficult quest, an unknown reward, and a title. A nifty-looking title, sure, but he didn't actually know what it did.

For a brief few seconds, the only thing Haruki did was pace around his room as his mind went into overdrive.

If it wasn't clear by now, he had a bad habit of spiraling out of control as he assumed the worst that could happen would happen. Overthinking was his middle name, and bad mental states were his favorite game.

It was by no means a healthy mindset, nor was it particularly pragmatic, but it was how he was.

There was one benefit of having such a mindset though. It was that no matter the situation, he was never underprepared. Either he went overboard or he was perfectly prepared; There was no in-between.

Which was why his eyes latched onto the singular skill that he could train.

"This… is technically possible," He muttered, a realization hitting him like a brick and a plan beginning to form in his mind.

There was one place where Itachi would have a severely limited repertoire and be forced to pull his punches. A place where Haruki wouldn't even have to put effort into getting Itachi there, and all he'd have to do was hone his skills until the day they inevitably fought.

At the academy.

Although he wasn't sure when, he was confident in the fact that even as children the academy students were pitted against each other in sparring matches. Sparring matches where teachers were watching like hawks. The same spars where the only skill permitted is pure Taijutsu.

His practical grades would likely suffer, but what did that matter? Having good grades didn't equate to being a high-level ninja. In fact, those who specialized seemed to do much better than those who tried to do everything at once.

The dichotomy between Genin Lee and Sakura was the perfect example. One specialized but with low grades resulted in an extremely powerful ninja. The other was decent at everything yet not very good at anything.

And it was only after Sakura actually began to specialize herself that she blossomed into the powerhouse she later became.

With that thought crystalized, Haruki opened up his quests page, peering at the 'upgrade' section. He had a feeling that he'd find what he was looking for there.

And find he did.

=[Upgrade Quest: Taijutsu I]

▸Objective: Practice any form of ⟪-Taijutsu-⟫ for 100 hours. [2.5/100]

▸Reward: [Taijutsu F → Taijutsu E]

⊱───────⊰☯⊱───────⊰

If one asked him years ago what his goals for the future were, he'd likely boast about how he would reach Jonin soon enough, and be hailed as one of the elites. That, on talent alone, he'd surpass each and every ninja above him. That he'd be seen as the hero of his generation.

Evidently, he'd been wrong.

Back then, he hadn't realized what it meant to be a shinobi. The sheer severity of doing what he did hadn't clicked.

Shinobi weren't heroes. They might save people here and there, but that wasn't the true nature of what it meant to be a shinobi.

The rose-tinted glasses he wore since a child hadn't faded until far after he'd already killed someone. At the time, his justification was that he was doing it for his village. For his family. And so, he had no regrets.

How stupid could one be?

No, that wasn't fair to say about himself. He might've been naive, but it was the world that enforced that idea. The village he lived in thrived off of the might of the shinobi and kunoichi so not once had he ever doubted whether it was his path.

If it wasn't for a certain event, he likely would've happily kept getting stronger. With a smile on his face, he would've returned home as if he hadn't just massacred tens of people days before. Back then, he truly believed that he was a valiant combatant contributing to the world for a noble cause.

But it was during the Third Shinobi World War that the illusion was shattered.

It was one thing to be in the midst of battle. To have explosions ringing out around you and adrenaline pumping through your blood. During moments like that, the only thing Shinobi knew how to do was fight.

With instincts as honed as theirs, what else could they think of? They were trained for this. Born for this. Nothing else mattered.

Later though, after each battle was over, Funeno couldn't help but feel something else.

To stare at the mountains of bodies as far as the eye could see. To see with startling clarity the anguish on each and every one of their faces before death. Not one had died in peace; Each one twisted into pure agony.

Seeing them like this, friend and foe alike, was different from normal missions that dealt with death. The stench alone was indescribable, and the despair in the air was almost palpable.

Instinctually, intrinsically, it was wrong.

All had wished to live, and yet all were forced to die. Why? Because of war.

It was easy, then, to see things clearly without the illusion of loyalty to his village blurring things. Not one person benefited from war. And the civilians suffered worse for it. He wouldn't accept any reason, no matter how reasonable, for the travesty that was war.

But he didn't have the power to do anything about it. He never had the talent, and likely, he never would. The world would continue this cycle of pointless hatred, and he would be powerless to stop it.

So he didn't even try.

Instead, he focused his realization of the world on the next generation. He wouldn't dissuade them from becoming ninjas. Nor would he sway their loyalty to the village. Becoming an academy teacher was not about any of that.

He became a teacher so that the next graduates would understand the gravity of the choice they were making. Being a ninja was not fun. It had nothing to do with being a hero. They would likely die young. And likely, so would their friends.

His job was to make sure they both understood that and were strong enough to live as happily as possible despite that. If they didn't have the heart for such a life, they should find another ambition.

If he couldn't change the world, the least he could do would be to make it as bearable as possible for those who had to live in it.

That was why he paid more attention to those not born of a major clan. They didn't have the same conditioning as those who were.

That was why a certain student completely unsettled him. Haruki Haruno.

The student wasn't from a major clan, and his parents while ninjas were only retired genin. There was no reason for him to act like he was doing so. He should've been a normal child with a normal temperament.

He was not.

It all started on the first day. They were going student by student, having them stand up and introduce themselves alongside their dreams for the future.

Funeno honestly hadn't expected the introduction that the child gave.

The kid stood up, staring him straight in the eyes, and spoke so softly he almost didn't hear him.