Chapter 206

Itachi Uchiha, who was praised by the Third Hokage in the original work for thinking like a Hokage at the age of seven, peered curiously through the open gate of the Konoha Orphanage. His eyes were wide with curiosity as he watched the children inside, who, despite not being related by blood, played together like siblings.

Thanks to the Hokage mentality that Kishimoto had instilled in him, Itachi didn't think about playing carefree like those children. Instead, he thought about the village of Konoha! He imagined Konoha as this orphanage!

Konoha was the orphanage, and its villagers and ninjas were the orphans. The woman wearing glasses and what appeared to be a nun's habit—the director—was the Hokage!

People who were not related by blood but treated each other like family—wasn't that the essence of the Will of Fire?

Seeing the close bonds between the orphans firsthand, Itachi, at five years old, already had a bit of the Hokage mentality, two years earlier than in the original timeline! How wonderful!

What? The Hokage mentality isn't about that?

Sorry, but in the world of Naruto, the Hokage mentality means treating everyone in the village as family, the so-called explicit Will of Fire.

Village, clan... Itachi pondered. If the village is like this orphanage, then the larger clan is...

"Hey! What are you doing sneaking around there?"

A somewhat domineering child's voice interrupted Itachi's thoughts, making him realize his spying had been noticed.

The boy who stepped out to protect the other children wore a black cap and was clearly a year or two older than the rest. This sight sparked something in Itachi's mind—an answer to his previous question.

"I asked you a question! Speak up!"

"Urushi, you shouldn't be so rude!"

Nonou Yakushi, who sat on the steps, smiling as she watched over the children, scolded Urushi with a bit of severity. She then stood up and looked at the small figure standing at the gate.

From his outfit and the small fan symbol on his clothes, Nonou, a former top spy in Root, immediately recognized the boy's identity—a child of the Uchiha clan.

Seeing Itachi searching for words and occasionally glancing at the children, Nonou misunderstood his intentions. She smiled and said, "If you want to play, that's fine. The orphanage doesn't turn anyone away."

"No, I..." Itachi began to speak but fell silent under Chloe's gaze.

Kabuto, who had been observing, noted this silently.

Though he didn't know who this cute-looking boy was, it was clear he was interested in Chloe, who Kabuto viewed as a little brother.

In an instant, Kabuto felt a slight wariness towards the black-haired boy.

Uchiha clan...

Seeing the familiar fan symbol, Chloe immediately recognized Itachi's identity. After all, she had been dealing with this clan for thousands of years!

Who could know the Uchiha better than her?

No one, absolutely no one!

Finally, under Nonou Yakushi's invitation, Itachi hesitantly stepped into the orphanage.

...

In the midst of being bombarded with questions from curious children, Itachi handled himself perfectly. He answered every question fluently and even managed to take care of a baby. With a little brother at home, he was used to comforting children!

On the surface, everything seemed fine, but Kabuto remained suspicious. He noticed Itachi frequently glancing at Chloe.

This guy had ulterior motives towards his brother! Thinking it was necessary to distance Chloe from Itachi, Kabuto adjusted his glasses and suggested.

"Chloe, let's tell the director we're going to play in the forest outside."

"Huh? Why?"

Having just exchanged his daily accumulated reputation points for the chakra capacity of an ordinary Chunin and the insight of a one-tomoe Sharingan, Chloe asked curiously.

The points weren't enough to get much, but considering various factors, Chloe chose these two abilities.

After activating them, Chloe felt her body change significantly. First, her chakra capacity increased notably!

Next, her eyes. After a cool and soothing sensation, the entire world looked different!

Although her eyes appeared the same outwardly—clear blue like crystal—the world she saw had changed completely!

She could see even the tiniest movements of ants on the ground, their leg hairs swaying as if in slow motion. She could see everything clearly!

There was no mistake! This was the insight of the Sharingan!

This system is incredible!

After some practice, Chloe managed to turn off the Sharingan's insight ability, as keeping it on would consume chakra.

Her ordinary Chunin-level chakra capacity made it taxing to maintain this insight constantly.

"Chloe, Chloe—"

"Huh?" Chloe, shaken by Kabuto, responded with a puzzled sound.

"You were spacing out just now, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, just thinking it'll take a long time to become a ninja, so I feel a bit..."

"Do you want to become a ninja?" Itachi asked, walking over, having slipped away from the other children.

Seeing Chloe not responding, Itachi seemed to think of something and introduced himself. "I'm Itachi, from the Uchiha clan. I'm five years old."

"Kougetsu Chloe, five years old…"

"I'm Kabuto, Yakushi Kabuto." Kabuto, still wary, added for his new brother, "Of course! Chloe will become Hokage someday!"

"Is that so…" Itachi smiled gently, looking at Chloe again. "We might enter the Academy at the same time since we're the same age."

Chloe was conflicted about whether to befriend this Uchiha boy. She knew exactly how to deal with the Uchiha clan but still...

"System detection: Uchiha Itachi's younger brother, Uchiha Sasuke, less than one year old, is the reincarnation of Indra, son of Hagoromo Otsutsuki."

What?! Chloe was stunned. This boy was the brother of her grand-nephew!

She had to get close to him! If anything, she was like an uncle to him!

"Additionally, system detection: Hagoromo Otsutsuki's other son, Ashura's reincarnation, was born in Konoha two months ago."

Damn!

Coming to Konoha was the right choice!

The strongest tailed beast's Jinchuriki and her two grand-nephews were all here!

Grand-nephews! Let your uncle guide you this lifetime!

Chloe smiled inwardly but kept a calm face, smiling brightly. "Yes! I'm looking forward to it, Itachi!"

Hearing this, Kabuto's internal alarm bells rang. Worried his "brother" might be taken away, he quickly spoke. "Yes, I'll join the Academy with Chloe too."

"You're not in the Academy yet?" Itachi asked, puzzled. Given their age, they should be enrolled by now.

"I…"

Kabuto struggled to find an excuse. Rescued from war by Nonou, who gave him a name and family, he never considered becoming a ninja; he only wanted to protect his newfound home. His words were impulsive.

Nonou, watching the children with a gentle gaze, heard everything. She didn't support the idea of becoming a ninja due to the inherent dangers. As their "mother," she loved each child dearly.

What mother wants to see her children face daily life-threatening dangers?

However…

Nonou thought about it. If becoming a ninja and Hokage was their dream, should she stop them? As a parent, wasn't she supposed to support her children's dreams wholeheartedly?

Nonou was conflicted, unsure of what to do.

...

At dusk, Itachi bid farewell to everyone. As he left the orphanage, the children, especially the little girls, watched him go with reluctance.

In just one afternoon, Itachi's mature, gentle demeanor had won over all the little girls in the orphanage, making him as beloved as the sunny Chloe!

Of course, Kabuto was an exception.

...

At night, after dinner.

"Director (Mother)…"

In the director's office, Chloe began to speak but was interrupted by Nonou's serious tone.

"Becoming a ninja is very dangerous! You could lose your life at any moment. Are you sure you want to do this, Chloe?"

"Yes! I want to become a ninja!" Chloe nodded firmly, determined. How else could she gather reputation points?

However, seeing Nonou's complex expression, Chloe realized she was worried about his safety.

Why would she worry about him? They had only known each other for less than a month. This warm feeling—what was it?

Though he had never experienced motherly love, Chloe, with a thousand years of experience, understood it was an unconditional affection.

He was just puzzled why this woman, whom he had known for such a short time, felt such motherly affection for him.

Unable to figure it out, Chloe decided to stop thinking about it. Instead, he made a small decision in his heart.

Once he rescued his real mother, he would let this woman stay as a close servant to his mother.

After all, over these many days, he found her to be kind-hearted, gentle, and meticulous—perfect as a servant for his mother!

Squeak—

"Director, I want to become a ninja too! I'll protect Chloe!"

Seeing Kabuto, who entered with a serious expression, Nonou was momentarily stunned but then smiled.

When Chloe first arrived, she had talked to Kabuto privately, asking him to look after Chloe to create a bond. It had worked well.

Seeing the determination in both boys' eyes, Nonou knew their resolve was different. Chloe was driven by dreams, while Kabuto was driven by the desire to protect Chloe. She smiled warmly.

"Alright, before the next Academy enrollment, I'll talk to the Hokage."

Seeing the excitement in the two boys, Nonou smiled again, though with some apprehension.

Enrolling Chloe wouldn't be an issue. As a citizen of the Land of Fire with strong ties to Konoha, he wouldn't face much trouble.

But Kabuto, with his unknown origins, might have a harder time getting into the Academy.