Chapter 306

"It'll be here. Though it's just a stand, the ramen here is really good," the Anbu with a cat mask said, leading Itachi to a street-side shop. The ramen shop was simple but offered more convenience than a mobile ramen cart.

Despite its simplicity, it was quite popular in Konoha. Many people loved eating here, and apparently, when it first opened, the lines were very long.

"Ah, Ichiraku Ramen…"

Itachi was more than familiar with this place. Every time Naruto treated him, he would bring him, Sasuke, Karin, Haku, and Kimimaro here for ramen, sharing the "Ramen Bible" with them while they ate.

Although the taste was decent, Itachi could never quite experience the same "soulful bliss" that Naruto seemed to get from it.

After sitting at the ramen stand, the Anbu with the cat mask spoke up, "Boss, I'll have a bowl of shoyu ramen. And you?"

"I'll have shoyu ramen as well," Itachi replied, favoring the flavor. As he sat, he noticed the cat-faced Anbu removing his mask.

When he saw the face beneath the mask, Itachi's mouth involuntarily twitched in surprise.

"You…"

"What's wrong?"

Uchiha Itachi asked, unsure why he had felt compelled to invite this person for a meal. It was just a sudden thought that came to him upon meeting the man; moreover, after being criticized by this person yesterday, he felt somewhat defiant.

He believed that this man's lack of understanding of the Uchiha's current situation had led him to speak that way.

Itachi shook his head. "Nothing, it's just… surprising. You look so young. Where I come from, you'd probably still be in school at this age."

His genjutsu ability allowed him to deceive those sensing his chakra. Even if someone with a Byakugan looked at him up close, they would be affected—as long as Itachi didn't use his chakra.

But what he hadn't expected was to encounter himself from this timeline—a truly strange feeling.

"You must have led quite a happy life. Only after becoming a shinobi can one reflect on how wonderful it was to learn at school," Itachi said calmly. He had graduated at seven, became a Chūnin at ten, and had now been in the Anbu for a year, living every day in the role of a spy without any sense of direction.

Especially after Shisui's death, he had lost his mentor and friend for ninjutsu and his shinobi path.

Itachi asked, "Don't you like being a shinobi? Becoming one at such a young age… you must be a genius, right?"

"'Genius' is just an expectation others place on you. When you fail to meet it, it becomes pressure. If I had the choice, I wouldn't want to be a 'genius' at all. That label can even turn family against you…"

"Family?"

Hearing that, Itachi was taken aback. What had this world's version of him gone through to seem so downtrodden and disheartened?

"Let's not talk about that," Itachi changed the subject quickly. "Last time, I noticed you seemed curious about the Uchiha. Why is that?"

Itachi realized he was saying too much and had almost delved into his family matters, so he steered the conversation away.

"Well, the Uchiha are famous in the shinobi world, and they contributed a lot during past wars. I was just curious about them. Plus, my father knew someone from the Uchiha who once helped both of us," Itachi said, finding a convenient excuse to keep the conversation going.

"Oh, a member of the clan who helped your father? Who was it? Maybe I could help you find them and introduce you," Itachi offered, noticing the look on Itachi's face and adding, "I am part of the Uchiha clan myself. Finding people is easy for me."

"Uchiha Yōichi. He's the one who helped my father," Itachi said, pausing to think, then added, "I was just a newborn at the time, so I don't remember much, only that name from my father."

Itachi nodded. "Alright, I'll ask around once I'm back."

Right then, two bowls of ramen were served, and both Itachis began eating. One seemed deeply lost in thought, while the other simply felt a bit hungry.

"The same shoyu ramen… It seems like even after expanding the shop, Mr. Ichiraku hasn't changed the flavor," Itachi thought as he picked up his eating pace.

A while later, after finishing their ramen, Itachi paid the bill and stepped outside.

After leaving the ramen shop, Itachi said, "I'll look into that Uchiha Yōichi for you. If I find anything, I'll come find you."

"Thank you. I'm staying at the XX Inn."

After saying that, Itachi watched his other self perform a Shunshin to depart, feeling slightly exasperated. "That was rather cold…"

As he left the ramen shop, Itachi thought that if he wanted to gather more information about his counterpart in this world, he knew just the right person.

...

In the afternoon, right as the academy let out, Itachi appeared at the academy gates.

After a few minutes, he spotted Sasuke running out. Although this was his brother from another timeline, Itachi couldn't help but smile and call out, "Sasuke, over here!"

"Big brother! What are you doing here?" Uchiha Sasuke ran over excitedly.

"I finished my Anbu mission, so I came to pick you up from school."

Itachi ruffled Sasuke's hair and asked with a smile, "How's school going?"

"Boring. Last time, I scored perfect marks on everything! Did you forget, big brother?"

Itachi paused, then responded, "How could I forget? How about this—I'll train with you today as a reward for your perfect score."

"Really?" Sasuke's eyes lit up. "I asked you before, but you were always busy with missions…"

"Not today. Let's go train," Itachi said, leading Sasuke to a secluded forest within the village. Not too familiar with Konoha's layout in this timeline, he almost took a wrong turn.

When they reached the forest, Itachi helped Sasuke practice with shuriken.

Since Taijutsu, Ninjutsu, Genjutsu, and other advanced techniques were out of reach, Sasuke was a typical seven or eight-year-old, only able to practice short-range shuriken throwing. However, his technique wasn't as refined as most Uchiha members.

It might have been due to his lack of a Sharingan.

After observing for a while, Itachi quickly noticed Sasuke's weaknesses and provided tips. He pointed out each area for improvement.

Following Itachi's advice, Sasuke corrected his throwing habits and soon mastered the art of mid-air redirection.

During the training, Itachi learned a lot from Sasuke, including details about his own parents in this world.

In this timeline, Fugaku hadn't betrayed the village, but Itachi still had a deep-seated conflict with him, with Sasuke witnessing arguments between them multiple times.

There was also the news of Shisui's death, which greatly surprised Itachi. If it weren't for Hell Crow, Shisui would have been far stronger than him, and he was shocked to learn that in this world, he was suspected to be the killer.

"Sasuke, head back now. I have a few things to take care of and might be back late."

As dusk fell, Itachi had extracted nearly all the information he needed from Sasuke and sent him home.

Although Sasuke wanted to go back with his brother, he waved goodbye and left, feeling elated with all he'd learned. He thought he could now claim first place in the academy's shuriken throwing.

When Sasuke returned home, he saw his mother, Mikoto, standing at the door with a disapproving look.

"Where were you, Sasuke? Why are you so late?" Mikoto asked as soon as she saw him.

"I was training with my big brother."

Just then, Itachi arrived with a Shunshin, and, seeing Sasuke, said, "You're back? Looks like I missed it."

However, Mikoto wasn't planning to let Sasuke off the hook so easily. "Itachi came back early. We even went to the academy to look for you when you didn't come home, and yet you used him as an excuse. Sasuke, where did you learn to lie like that?"

"No, Mom, I really was training with my brother!" Sasuke said, his eyes widening as he looked at Itachi, tugging on his hand. "Big brother, say something!"

"Sasuke…" Itachi hesitated. While he wanted to defend Sasuke, he couldn't lie, especially under his mother's watchful eyes. "I was with Mother just now, and we went to the academy when you hadn't returned."

"Brother, you…"

Sasuke stared at Itachi, confused as to why his brother, who had just trained him, was now saying otherwise to their mother.

"Sasuke!" Mikoto crouched down and said, "Coming home late is one thing, but lying and dragging your brother into it is worse!"

...

Meanwhile, in a bustling town in the Land of Fire…

The town, known for its gambling halls, was lively with activity.

In one casino, a high-stakes gambling table attracted quite the crowd. A man with an almost perfect win record had cleared out many players. Although there were suspicions of cheating, even a ninja brought in by the casino owner couldn't find any evidence.

When the seventeenth player sat at the table, people recognized her and started to laugh.

"Isn't that the legendary sucker?"

"She thinks she can win? Ha! Maybe I should play her to recover my losses."

"Hey, don't dream. She brought a lot of cash! Want to join in?"

"Yeah, yeah! Let's get in; we want to play too!"

Excited, the gamblers' eyes shone. If they could play against the legendary sucker, they'd at least win something. She had millions of ryo, enough to make them all some cash.

"Mind your own business! If you've lost everything, then leave already!" Tsunade shouted, punching the table. She had prayed for a big win tonight.

The gamblers were outraged. "What? The sucker's got an attitude? You'll lose everything soon enough!"

"That's right. If you're going to lose, at least let it be to us!"

Bang, bang!

Yōichi tapped the tatami to interrupt the commotion, smiling as he said, "If you're here to gamble, go ahead and play against her. I only accept opponents, not teammates. If you're not betting, please leave. Otherwise, I'll call the boss."

"Can't we even watch?"

"Forget it. Let's go drink instead."

When the freeloaders left, Tsunade rolled up her sleeves. "Alright, let's start!"

"Open!"

"Open!"

"Open!"

"Open!"

Tsunade's momentum weakened, and by the end, she looked pale. Slowly, she lifted the cup and found she'd lost again, crushing the dice cup in anger.

"Damn it! Keep going!"

"Tsunade-sama, we're out of money…" Shizune whispered, regretting not setting aside funds for their stay.

"What? Already out?" Tsunade saw the empty box beside her and frowned. She hadn't even played much.

"Alright, let's stop here for today…"

Before she could finish, Yōichi interrupted, "Want to keep playing? You can use something else as collateral."

"I see you have a nice necklace. If you're willing to use it as a wager, I'll put up all the money here."

Shizune quickly tried to stop her. "Tsunade-sama, no! That necklace is—"

"I know, Shizune." Tsunade retorted, frustrated. Did they think she'd gone completely blind to reason?

"Fine, I'll match it with this necklace," Yōichi said, revealing his own necklace, similar to hers, and holding it up. "It looks just like yours. That should make it fair, right?"

"You… How do you have that necklace?" Tsunade and Shizune stared, shocked. Tsunade instinctively clutched her own necklace, comparing it closely.

It was unmistakably her grandfather's!

"May I see your necklace?"

"Be careful; it was a gift from my wife," Yōichi replied, tossing it over. Tsunade caught it, examining it closely.

It had the same charm, the same chakra from the First Hokage, even the same string.

Shizune asked, puzzled, "Tsunade-sama, how are there two necklaces?"

"I have no idea…" Tsunade shook her head. Did her grandfather make two? But why did Lady Mito say there was only one?

"Is the necklace acceptable? Are you ready to gamble?" Yōichi asked.

"…Gamble!" Tsunade declared, "But if I win, you'll have to answer some questions!"

(End of Chapter)

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