Chapter 9:

Chapter 9:

…..

"Brother Itachi! Mei said she got the spot for you. We're going to the academy together!" Xiao Wu exclaimed as she suddenly burst into his room, hugging him tightly as if it was the best news in the world.

Itachi nodded, as though the news was no surprise.

"Hn. I should thank her, then…"

"..." She continued hugging him tightly, hopping up and down with excitement.

"But first, I'm going to need you to let go…"

…..

…..

As they left Mei's cabin after Itachi received his spot as a working student—and, of course, had thanked her for everything—Xiao Wu was bubbling with excitement, talking about all the things she wanted to learn at the academy.

Itachi, for his part, kept his gaze fixed on the road ahead.

It had been a week since he and Xiao Wu had arrived here, and today Miss Mei had officially informed them that she had convinced the leader of a neighboring satellite town to grant Itachi a spot as a working student at Nuoding Academy. Naturally, Xiao Wu was happier and more energetic than ever, thrilled at the idea of going to study alongside Itachi.

What she didn't know was that Itachi had already made plans to attend the academy, even if Mei hadn't managed to secure the spot for him.

During that week, while Xiao Wu had spent her time playing and exploring, Itachi had focused entirely on securing the funds needed to pay for the academy's tuition. He had learned that as long as you had the money, you could enroll, but the fees were significant and had to be paid every month.

Once he familiarized himself with the area, he found quick and efficient ways to earn money. While Xiao Wu was carefree, enjoying her time, Itachi had been focused on finding a way to gather enough funds quickly to cover the academy's entire tuition. He didn't want to rely solely on Mei to secure the spot. Once he got used to the place, Itachi was able to discover the most effective methods to earn money rapidly.

One of his primary strategies involved using all the money he had on hand to make even more. Nuoding City had no shortage of gambling dens, and Itachi found it easy to enter them while using his spirit bone to disguise himself as an older man. Combined with his Sharingan and his spirit ring, he was able to cheat effortlessly and win as much as he wanted. Of course, he was careful at all times. He cycled through different identities to avoid raising suspicion about a single person winning too often. Thanks to this, Itachi was able to amass a significant sum of money in no time.

That said, to say "he" did all of this wouldn't be entirely accurate, as most of the work had been done by his clone.

In the end, Itachi no longer truly needed the spot Mei had secured for him. What once seemed like an enormous amount of money for tuition now felt like pocket change compared to the wealth he had gathered over those few days. The only reason he accepted the spot Mei had obtained was out of gratitude for her effort—and because it saved him from having to publicly spend a large amount of money. Even though he could now afford it easily, such a sum would raise questions. He didn't want anyone investigating how a young man with no apparent background had obtained so much money.

It was better to stay unnoticed for now. Naturally, if he had no other option, he would've paid the tuition, but with the opportunity to avoid such attention, he wasn't going to let it slip by.

…

…

The faint light of dawn was just starting to filter through the rooftops when Itachi left his cabin, leaving Xiao Wu sound asleep. Although his expression remained calm, his mind was replaying the events of the past week when Miss Mei had informed them that she'd secured his spot.

Since then, it had been a period of constant activity. Itachi, along with his clone, had been carefully juggling multiple tasks…even more than before.

With his spirit power now more stabilized and the abilities of his Skydream Crown fully mastered, he had been able to execute more ambitious and elaborate plans.

He walked along the cobblestone streets with a steady, purposeful stride, his disguised appearance erasing all traces of the young Itachi. As always, merchants were beginning to set up their stalls, workers unloaded goods from various caravans, and the sound of horses being saddled mixed with the murmur of early morning conversations. Discretion was his greatest ally; no one in the town suspected that behind this current appearance was someone much younger.

Itachi turned a corner and entered a small building on the outskirts of town, where an older, gray-haired man was waiting for him.

"Mr. Fugaku, everything is ready. The papers are in order, and the forge now has all the tools you requested," the man said respectfully.

"Good work," Itachi replied calmly, using the identity of "Uchiha Fugaku," a persona he had meticulously built over the past week with the help of his Skydream Crown's illusion abilities. For the official records, he was an experienced man who had traveled from a distant land to establish a forge near Nuoding City.

The front for his operation, Innovation Forge, was flawless. Itachi had hired several skilled local blacksmiths, luring them with promises of good pay and high-quality materials. While these blacksmiths were unaware of their boss's true nature, their expertise was more than sufficient to kick-start the production of basic tools and weapons. However, Itachi's true ambition was much grander: to use his vast knowledge from the Elemental Nations to introduce weapons and technologies that this world had never seen.

Inside the forge, the air was already filled with the heat of fire as workers hammered away at pieces of metal. Itachi watched silently, evaluating their techniques. Though primitive compared to what he was accustomed to, they were surprisingly efficient by the standards of this world. Itachi always took the opportunity to observe and copy the methods of the blacksmiths he had hired, refining his own skills. Even though his techniques—gleaned from some of the best blacksmiths in the Elemental Nations—were superior, there were still new and interesting things to learn from these craftsmen, who worked with different metals and unique methods. Combining their skills with his own led to a substantial improvement in his craft.

'This will do for now,' Itachi thought as he reviewed a series of sketches he had prepared: designs for kunai, shuriken, and other ninja tools adapted to the materials available here. These weapons were not only unknown in the Douluo Continent but also provided significant tactical advantages.

"Mr. Fugaku," one of the blacksmiths interrupted, holding out a freshly forged blade. "What do you think of this piece? We used the process you suggested yesterday."

Itachi took the blade, examining it carefully. His Sharingan, hidden under the Skydream Crown's camouflage ability, allowed him to analyze every detail with precision.

"It's solid," he said after a moment. "But the heat distribution during the forging process wasn't even. Adjust the hammer's angle and lower the initial furnace temperature by ten percent."

The blacksmith blinked, surprised by the accuracy of the comment.

"Yes, sir. I'll take care of it right away."

…

…

That's right—Itachi had used most of the money he'd gathered to create a legitimate business called Innovation Forge. Of course, he operated under a different identity, one that he could later connect to Uchiha Itachi if the need arose.

This time, he chose to use his father's name and identity as the owner of this legitimate business. He even registered the name Uchiha Fugaku officially so that one day he could claim that Uchiha Itachi and Fugaku were, in fact, related. It was a much better cover story than having no family history to show for himself.

If someone were to investigate Itachi in the future, they would inevitably discover a possible connection to Fugaku. Since the surname Uchiha wasn't common, it would be almost obvious that they were related. Likewise, if anyone looked into Fugaku, they'd find records of a young man named Itachi who could be linked to him. It wasn't perfect, but it was far better than nothing. Additionally, the appearance of both identities bore enough similarities to make the connection seem plausible.

Itachi already had several plans for this new business. After all, the technology in this world was far less advanced than in the Elemental Nations, and he intended to use his vast knowledge and perfect memory to accelerate the development of this world as much as possible. Naturally, he would be the first to benefit, gaining both influence and wealth in the process.

Of course, that was a goal for the future. For now, Innovation Forge would focus exclusively on producing ninja weapons using smithing techniques only he knew in this world. While he had been nothing more than a ninja—a tool—in his past life, Itachi had always made a point to keep himself informed and take full advantage of his eyes and perfect memory. He'd ensured he understood a wide variety of fields, from emerging technologies to medicine, smithing, and more.

He also hired the best blacksmiths he could find, tasking them with crafting the same weapons and tools he knew from the Elemental Nations but using this world's techniques. These types of tools didn't exist here, and while they would likely make him some money, he wasn't expecting enormous profits. For now, his main goal wasn't just to make money. He also wanted to use the business and these blacksmiths as a front to secure the best materials available. Those materials would later allow him to craft his own ninja weapons using his techniques and make them as high-quality as possible—capable of withstanding spirit power.

At the same time, Itachi had another plan: to use his knowledge to create a business in the Heaven Dou Empire that could compete with the Blacksmith Association of the Star Luo Empire. However, Innovation Forge would set itself apart by introducing entirely new products, which would naturally attract a wide variety of customers.

…

…

Later that day, as he returned to the cabin, Xiao Wu came running toward him, her energy seemingly limitless.

"Brother Itachi! Look what I got!" she exclaimed, holding up a small bracelet made of wood and flowers.

Itachi looked at the bracelet for a moment before nodding.

"It's… interesting," he commented, knowing that any other response would only lead to more questions from the energetic girl.

"I made it myself! An old lady who's a friend of Miss Mei taught me how to do it this morning," she said with a radiant smile, clearly proud of her work.

"You did a good job," Itachi said, placing his hand gently on her head. Xiao Wu blushed slightly at the gesture but quickly bounced back to her usual energetic self.

"Let's go! Mei said we should go to the market this afternoon. I want to see more human stuff!"

Itachi sighed internally. Though his mind was full of plans and strategies, he knew it was inevitable that he'd have to accompany Xiao Wu to the market. Despite her carefree nature, there were moments when he saw her struggle to adapt to the human world—a constant reminder that, despite her appearance, she was still a former spirit beast.

At least he had his clone to take on the role of Uchiha Fugaku when he couldn't, so he could spend time with Xiao Wu and help her grasp a bit of human common sense. He was already like an older brother to her—a kind one, with a little sister who was a bit airheaded and far too energetic for her own good.

Sometimes, when Itachi wanted to carve out some time for himself—a rare luxury with Xiao Wu around—he would use his clone to spend time with her while he focused on other things.

This also allowed him to test how well his clone could interact with Xiao Wu and whether she could tell the difference. To his surprise, she rarely noticed anything was off. The only thing she seemed to pick up on was that his clone was, in a sense, colder than the real him. Unlike Itachi, the clone had no emotions. It acted based purely on how he would behave, which made them similar in some respects. In fact, most people wouldn't have been able to tell them apart. However, Xiao Wu had mentioned more than once that his eyes looked "colder" or "lifeless" during those times, for some reason.

Naturally, she didn't like seeing him like that. The poor girl got quite upset when she spent time with the clone, worrying that something was wrong with Itachi that made him act so distant with her.

It was a flaw in the clone that Itachi couldn't fix. Even if it could perfectly imitate his behavior and actions, it still lacked the emotional touch behind each one. For some, like Xiao Wu, that made a noticeable difference.

…..

…..

The market was bustling with activity. Merchants shouted as they sold fruits, fabrics, and various trinkets. While Xiao Wu explored every stall with unbridled excitement, Itachi discreetly used his Sharingan to study his surroundings, as always concealed by his spirit bone's camouflage ability. Every detail—from the flow of people to the interactions between the merchants—was processed and stored in his mind.

Suddenly, his attention shifted to a man standing near one of the stalls. The man's posture was tense, and his eyes darted around as if he were searching for something. Activating his spirit ring's ability, Itachi could clearly see the outline of a knife concealed beneath the man's coat. He also noticed that the man's spirit power was around level 9. Not a major threat, but Itachi never underestimated anyone—and he wasn't about to start now.

"Xiao Wu," he said quietly, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Stay behind me and don't make a sound."

He knew she could easily defend herself from this man, but there was always the chance that the man had a trick or weapon Itachi wasn't aware of. He couldn't risk anything happening to Xiao Wu, especially since her spirit power hadn't fully stabilized yet—making it impossible for her to obtain her first spirit ring. Her situation was somewhat similar to his own. The process of transforming from a spirit beast into a human had essentially forced her martial soul to emerge, raising her innate spirit power to 10. However, she still had to stabilize it within her body herself.

Itachi, for his part, didn't have an innate spirit power of 9, but he'd experienced a sudden surge in spirit power that also required time to stabilize.

Xiao Wu frowned, confused, but obeyed.

"What's going on?" she whispered.

"There's someone here who doesn't belong," Itachi replied, his tone calm but firm, his expression bored.

The man seemed to be moving toward a merchant counting coins at a nearby stall. Itachi calculated his movements, watching as the man's hand slowly slid toward the knife.

Standing close, Itachi barely needed to move. With a quick motion, he stepped between the man and the merchant, placing a hand on the weapon before it could be drawn. The man's eyes widened in shock, but before he could react, Itachi used a subtle Mental Interference to disorient him.

"What are you doing?" Itachi asked in a low, authoritative voice.

The man stammered incoherently before stumbling backward. To any observer, it looked as though he'd simply lost his balance, but Itachi knew the genjutsu's effects would only last a short while.

"Leave," Itachi ordered, his tone making it clear this wasn't a suggestion. The man, still dazed, quickly fled into the crowd.

Xiao Wu stared at him, wide-eyed.

"Brother Itachi! What was that? That guy looked terrified of you!"

Itachi glanced at her, his expression as calm as ever.

"Just someone looking for trouble. Don't worry about it"

In the end, this person would be taken care of later in a more isolated place.

…

That night, while Xiao Wu slept, Itachi returned to the forge and resumed his work in place of his clone.

Tomorrow was September 1st, the day he and Xiao Wu would begin their first day at Nuoding Spirit Master Junior Academy.

But there was still so much left to do, and his clone had other tasks to handle that night. Like taking care of the previous guy.

The blacksmiths continued working under his supervision, and though they were still in the early stages, Itachi could already see the potential of his business.

As he watched one of the workers hammer a freshly designed kunai, Itachi couldn't help but think of everything he'd left behind in his previous world. In Konoha, he had been a tool to protect others, a necessary sacrifice. But here, in this new world, he had a chance to build something of his own, to influence destiny. His destiny.

'This business will just be the beginning,' he thought, as the glow of the metal reflected the light of the forge in his eyes.

The forge, his new official identity as Fugaku, and his life as Itachi in this world were all pieces of a much larger puzzle. And as he carefully placed each piece into position, one thing was certain: no one in this new world was ready for what Uchiha Itachi had planned.

…

…

Finally, the day arrived.

Two months had passed since the martial soul awakening ceremony, and one month since Itachi had started his new life on the Douluo Continent. Today, he and Xiao Wu would begin their journey at Nuoding Spirit Master Junior Academy.

...

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Hi, here the author!

Okay, it took me a lot of time to make this chapter since it was key to lay the foundations for future things and I didn't want to make a mistake in anything.

But well, I think the chapter ended up being acceptable.