Today, Sasuke was quite happy. After all, both his brother and Akira came together to pick him up from school. Seeing Sasuke's cheerful expression, Uchiha Akira couldn't help but smile as well.
At the same time, he felt a bit envious.
Look at us, all the same age, yet here I am, working tirelessly for the future of the Uchiha clan. And Sasuke? He's still just an innocent child attending classes at the ninja academy.
Sigh, I'm only seven years old too. I shouldn't have to carry all these burdens...
Shaking his head slightly, Akira pushed these chaotic thoughts out of his mind and greeted Sasuke warmly.
Soon, the three of them turned to head back to the Uchiha clan's compound.
"Wait up, show-off Sasuke!" A childish voice suddenly called out.
A boy, around six or seven years old, came running up to them. He had short blonde hair and bright blue eyes that resembled the ocean.
Akira immediately recognized him: it was Naruto Uzumaki, the protagonist of the original story.
Hearing a classmate calling out to Sasuke, Itachi and the others naturally stopped.
"What do you want?" Sasuke asked, not too pleased about his joyful moment being interrupted.
"I'm definitely going to beat you one day!" Naruto shouted, clenching his little fists tightly.
"Hmph!" Sasuke scoffed, his face showing clear disdain. He didn't even try to hide his contempt.
"Akira, do you know this kid?" Itachi, always observant, noticed the slight change in Akira's expression when he saw Naruto. Curious, he asked the question.
"Yeah, I know him," Akira replied with a nod.
"Is it because of the present, or something about the future?" Itachi continued to probe.
Currently, Naruto was known as the "Nine-Tails Demon Fox" in the village, a title that made him despised by many. He was already somewhat of a household name, but Itachi didn't think that alone would be enough for Akira to pay him any special attention.
"It's about the future. His potential is limitless," Akira answered after a brief pause.
"How does he compare to Sasuke?" Itachi asked, intrigued by Akira's high praise.
"It's like the legendary relationship between Uchiha Madara and the First Hokage," Akira gave a fitting comparison.
Yes, just like Madara and the First Hokage—one being the reincarnation of Indra, the other of Asura. In this generation, Sasuke was the reincarnation of Indra, and Naruto of Asura.
It was the perfect way to describe the dynamic between Sasuke and Naruto.
"Oh?" Itachi was surprised by this statement.
Previously, Akira had confidently declared Sasuke's talent to be the greatest in the ninja world. And now, he was likening the relationship between Sasuke and Naruto to that of Madara and the First Hokage?
In that case, who would be the Madara in this scenario? Naturally, it would be Sasuke. But could this blond boy, Naruto, really be comparable to the First Hokage?
Was this prediction truly accurate?
"Do you know what made the First Hokage the strongest?" Akira then asked Itachi.
"His Wood Style ninjutsu?" Itachi guessed.
Indeed, the First Hokage's Wood Style was unique to him, and it was with this technique that he dominated the ninja world.
"No, that's not it," Akira shook his head.
"Then, is it his Sage Body? It's said that the First Hokage had an incredibly strong physique, capable of healing from any wound almost instantly," Itachi pondered and offered another guess.
"Still no," Akira shook his head again.
"Then I'm not sure," Itachi admitted, confused. After all, the First Hokage's strength was widely known to come from his Wood Style and his Sage Body. He had never heard of any particular strategic genius being attributed to the First Hokage.
"The First Hokage's true strength was in his 'Talk no Jutsu,'" Akira said.
"Talk no Jutsu?" Itachi was baffled.
He knew of the five elemental releases and even special releases like Lava, Magnet, Storm, and Dust, but what on earth was Talk no jutsu?
"It's the ability to persuade others, to make them believe in him," Akira explained.
Starting from Asura and continuing with his later reincarnations, this was a defining characteristic.
Think about it, in the original story, Madara had a stronger brother complex than even Itachi. But in the end, after the First Hokage used his Talk no jutsu, Madara willingly knelt down and helped him establish the Hidden Leaf Village.
"I see!" Itachi finally understood.
"So, Naruto Uzumaki possesses a similar power—an incredibly strong Talk no Jutsu."
"In the ninja world, there's almost no one who can resist it," Akira concluded with a nod.