Chapter 253

"Father, why have you come back?"

Itachi hesitated before asking. He had grown older now, and although his memories of the past were vague, he still recalled the accusations from the clan, calling him the son of a traitor.

"I came to see you, Itachi. It seems you've grown. Your skill in genjutsu is impressive."

Whoosh!

Suddenly, Fugaku flicked a stone, which passed straight through Itachi's body. Itachi's expression turned to shock as his form dissolved into a shadowy ink-like substance and disappeared.

A moment later, the real Itachi emerged from another direction, his emotions complicated as he looked at his father, who had just used his three-tomoe Sharingan. "Father."

It had been a test, but seeing the Sharingan confirmed that this was no impostor.

"Itachi, your vigilance is commendable. It seems you're now a skilled shinobi. I've always believed you would surpass me. Come, sit and talk."

Fugaku sat on a pile of steel rods, gesturing for Itachi to join him.

Itachi hesitated momentarily but eventually sat next to his father. As he sat down, he recalled what Yoichi had told him—that studying was to gain wisdom, to better handle situations, or else one would be like a fool who didn't know what to do in the face of a challenge.

Now, Itachi found himself at a loss. When encountering a rogue shinobi, one was supposed to report it immediately. But this rogue shinobi was his father.

"Itachi, what have you been up to lately? Have you been training your ninjutsu properly?"

Fugaku started with small talk, wanting to first connect as a father before getting to the more serious matters.

Itachi replied, "I'm still attending the ninja academy, but I've already mastered all the ninjutsu courses, so the teacher allows me to read other books during class."

"That's a waste of time. With your talent, you should graduate early and become a real ninja to gain experience."

Fugaku shook his head in disapproval, sighing inwardly. He hadn't been able to take Itachi away before, leaving him in the village. But Itachi's growth hadn't disappointed him, even though they had lost Hachidai as a result.

Itachi had used his genjutsu well just now, and if Fugaku hadn't been so sensitive to it, he might not have noticed.

It was seeing Itachi's potential that made Fugaku consider taking him away. This village wasn't worth staying in, and that woman didn't deserve to be Itachi's mother.

Fugaku firmly believed that once Itachi knew the truth, he would stand by his side.

After talking about daily matters, which Itachi answered one by one, two hours had passed. The construction site was closed for the day and was in a remote area that the police force only patrolled once a day.

"Itachi, it's been almost four years. I think it's time I told you the truth about what happened back then."

Fugaku began slowly. This had always been a painful subject for him, but if it could help convince Itachi, he was willing to talk about it.

"The reason I became a rogue shinobi was entirely due to being framed by Uchiha Yoichi, with the help of Mikoto."

As Fugaku recounted the events from his perspective, Itachi's eyes filled with shock, confusion, and disbelief. This was all unfamiliar to him.

Some parts, however, rang a bell. He vaguely remembered being taken to live with Hachidai, then to Shinji's home, before eventually being brought back to his mother.

From then on, Itachi had lived with his mother, though she had been busy, she had started spending more and more time with him.

Itachi lowered his head in silence, unsure of how to process everything.

Fugaku gritted his teeth and continued, "Itachi, I actually left something important for you, but that bastard Yoichi stole it!"

"What?"

Itachi asked instinctively.

"My Sharingan—my Mangekyō Sharingan was meant for you. But that bastard took it. He killed Hachidai for those eyes and then used them to evolve his own eyes into the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan."

Fugaku's voice was filled with hatred as he recounted the events to Itachi.

He had pinned all his hopes on Itachi, but they had been destroyed, only to elevate Uchiha Yoichi's reputation. Thinking back, Fugaku regretted giving away his Mangekyō Sharingan so early.

"How… how could that be?"

Itachi's heart was full of disbelief. Yoichi had been nothing but kind to him. Apart from opposing Itachi's early graduation, Yoichi had treated everyone in the family equally. Deep down, Itachi had already accepted Yoichi as his father, and Yoichi was also the Hokage of the village.

Learning so many shocking things in such a short time had been a severe mental blow to Itachi.

"It's true, Itachi. You probably don't even know about the Uchiha clan's forbidden techniques because Yoichi has been keeping you in the dark. You are my son, and he won't allow you to gain power."

Fugaku gripped Itachi's shoulders and was surprised to see that Itachi had awakened his Sharingan—two tomoe in his left eye.

As expected of his son, the strength of their bloodline was truly remarkable.

"Itachi, I am your father. I would never harm you. If you wish, I can teach you the Uchiha clan's techniques, ones that Yoichi will never pass on to you."

"Every day, I will leave a new code for you. When you notice it, follow it to meet me. Now that you've awakened your Sharingan, it should be easy for you."

"I must leave now, Itachi. This village is not safe for me."

With that, Fugaku disappeared using the Body Flicker Technique, leaving Itachi alone to process everything. It was a long time before Itachi stood up and made his way to the academy.

When he finally arrived at school, it was already noon. His classmates were having lunch, and upon seeing him, they informed him that the teacher was looking for him.

Itachi nodded and headed to the teacher's office, where, as expected, his teacher asked why he hadn't shown up in the morning.

Itachi had already prepared an excuse and calmly explained himself. The teacher let him off with just a question—after all, he was the son of the Hokage.

In the afternoon, Itachi's mind wasn't in the lesson. After school, he quietly walked home, only stopping to briefly greet Haku and Kimimaro.

His strange behavior didn't go unnoticed by Haku and Kimimaro. Upon learning that Itachi hadn't attended the academy in the morning, Haku gave Kimimaro a look, hoping he would subtly find out what was wrong.

Kimimaro noticed Haku's signal, nodded, and quickly caught up to Itachi, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Something's off. Did something happen?"

Seeing this, Haku sighed and facepalmed, thinking he should have asked himself.

"It's nothing. I just feel weak and want to train harder."

Itachi smiled faintly, noticing their concern. If even his two younger brothers could tell something was wrong, there was no way he could hide it from his parents or Sasuke and Karin when he got home.

"The teacher said your strength is already close to that of a chūnin. You think that's still weak?"

"Mm, there are too many unknowns in the shinobi world. Without great strength, you can't handle them. So I need to focus on training."

Itachi smiled as he explained.

Haku and Kimimaro accepted his explanation and followed him home.

When they arrived, Sasuke immediately ran up to Itachi, grabbing his leg and complaining, "Nii-san, Karin's been bullying me!"

"Hmph, even if you're holding onto Nii-san, you still have to spar with me. Come on!"

Karin caught up, grabbing Sasuke by the collar and, after greeting Itachi with a sweet smile, prepared to drag Sasuke away.

Itachi noticed Sasuke's pleading look but could only give him an awkward smile. Internally, he apologized to Sasuke: Sorry, Sasuke, I'll save you next time.

If he helped Sasuke now, Karin would latch onto him, and Itachi had learned firsthand how energetic his little sister could be. Better to stay out of it.

However, Sasuke and Karin's antics did lighten Itachi's mood. The warmth of family companionship brought him some peace, and he hadn't even taken off his shoes when he realized his mother was in the kitchen preparing dinner.

The family now had a dedicated chef, who delivered the meals, leaving Mikoto with only minor tasks to handle. Otherwise, she would have been cooking all afternoon for their family of nine.

Itachi wandered into the kitchen and saw his mother's smile, completely unfeigned and genuine. For a moment, he didn't know what to believe anymore.

"Mother."

"Yes, what is it?"

"Nothing, you just seem really happy these days. Did something good happen?"

Mikoto smiled gently. "Just being with family makes me happy every day. Itachi, why would you ask such a thing?"

"Nothing, just curious. I'm going to wash my hands."

Itachi left the kitchen.

...

Elsewhere…

Yoichi, having left a clone in the office, made his way to Kushina's home.

He had been visiting frequently ever since hearing news about Minato. Whenever any updates came in, Yoichi would personally deliver them to Kushina.

As Hokage, he was quite dedicated to the wellbeing of the village's widows.

Pop!

A sound similar to a cork being pulled from a wine bottle echoed as Yoichi withdrew, thinking to himself, The time was too short. I should take Kushina to Turtle Island for training soon. That way, we can enjoy ourselves properly.

He set down the cold drink in his hand.

"You jerk…"

Kushina muttered weakly. She was completely spent this time. In a soft, unusual tone, she asked Yoichi, "Help me… get the medicine from the drawer~!"

He always went overboard, leaving her nervous afterward.

"I guess I have no choice. But you know, taking that medicine too often isn't good for your health, Kushina."

Despite his words, Yoichi retrieved the 'vitamins' from the drawer, gently propping her up and feeding her the medicine.

After she took it, Kushina huffed, "Hmph, if you did it outside, I wouldn't have to take this stuff."

"What if you get pregnant? Would you keep it?"

"In your dreams! I'd just…"

"You'd what? Kill your own child? Even if it hasn't been born yet?"

Yoichi's words left Kushina silent. In the shinobi world, passing on one's lineage was a significant matter.

Perhaps it was because shinobi life expectancy was so low, with the average life span during the Warring States period being around 30 years. Even in the era of the villages, long-lived shinobi were rare.

If a child could be born, it would be born. Every life was precious. Kushina hadn't even considered saying the word 'abortion.' In the ninja world, the idea of terminating a pregnancy was hard to accept.

"Rest well. I'm heading back."

Yoichi placed the exhausted Kushina on the bed, covering her with a blanket before heading to the bathroom to take a shower.

A quick workout at Kushina's before dinner always left him with a hearty appetite.

As for Kushina, she'd take care of herself once she recovered.

After returning home, Yoichi had dinner with his family. Meals at their house were always lavish, and today's menu was roast lamb and a seafood feast.

After they had eaten, Yoichi swiftly scooped up Karin, saying, "You're planning to bully Sasuke again, aren't you? Looks like I need to send you to school early, Karin!"

"Daddy, I want to stay home with you~"

"I'm not home during the day, Karin, so that's a poor excuse."

Seeing Karin's pout, Yoichi couldn't help but laugh.

At that moment, Itachi suddenly spoke up, "Father, can you help me with my training today?"

"Training?"

Yoichi was a bit surprised but nodded. "Of course. Let's go outside to the courtyard."

Itachi's request piqued Karin's and Sasuke's interest, so they followed along.

When they reached the courtyard, Yoichi asked, "Itachi, what made you suddenly want training advice? Are you thinking of graduating early again?"

"No, Father. It's just that I feel too weak compared to others. I want to become stronger, so… please help me."

Itachi's true thoughts remained hidden, known only to him.

"You want to get stronger? Alright. If I'm satisfied with your progress, I'll teach you a new technique. But if not, you'll have to keep training step by step."

Yoichi continued, "There are no shortcuts to power. It's all about hard work and sweat. Now, attack me. Let's see how much you've improved recently."

(End of Chapter)

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