No one currently knows that Uchiha Itachi has been using a Shadow Clone to attend school.
The Uchiha clan is preoccupied with various matters, and Fugaku, the clan patriarch, is especially busy. Mikoto is tied up with housework and caring for Sasuke.
In her eyes, Itachi is a responsible and sensible child who requires little parental concern.
After learning to be low-key and patient, Itachi's performance in class is simply that of the usual top student.
Since the ninja academy enhanced its curriculum, nearly every student seems to be "first in the grade" in some area. There are even students whose abilities rival Itachi's.
Considering that he is the Uchiha patriarch's son, being number one in his class isn't particularly surprising.
While school is in session, Itachi secretly travels to a secluded forest outside the village.
Due to the increasing number of missions in Konoha, manpower is stretched thin. The Anbu under the Hokage's direct command have been dispatched by Nawaki, with more than half currently assigned to border or foreign missions.
The few who remain are stationed in vital departments, making the village's internal monitoring somewhat lax.
Nawaki, however, typically stays in the village. Having trained in both Sage Mode from the Shikkotsu Forest and sensory ninjutsu, his own safety is well protected.
As Itachi arrived at the forest, someone jumped down from a tree and greeted him.
"Itachi-kun," the person said, "just focus on your training. The ninjutsu you've already mastered far exceeds that of others your age. Honestly, it's not an exaggeration to say you're the Uchiha clan's most exceptional talent."
"But," he continued, "you need to find your own fighting style. That means getting real combat experience and using your Sharingan often. I can't help you with that part—I'm really sorry, Itachi-kun."
Sarutobi Shinnosuke had been mentoring Itachi for a while, and during that time, he came to understand why his father, the Third Hokage, had held Itachi in such high regard.
To Itachi, even complex ninjutsu seemed easy. His only limiting factors were chakra reserves and casting experience.
After being quietly taken to the Nara clan by his father and told about the tragic fate of the Ino–Shika–Chō trio, Itachi's empathy triggered the awakening of his Sharingan, which has since evolved to the two-tomoe stage.
"This isn't your fault, Shinnosuke-sensei. You and the Third Hokage have already helped me so much. I'm truly grateful," Itachi said with a bow.
His rapid progress in Fire Style ninjutsu was largely due to the Third Hokage's guidance, and Itachi would remember that kindness.
Shinnosuke hesitated for a moment before saying, "Itachi-kun, the Sarutobi clan actually has a way to get you out of Konoha—only on weekends, though. My father misses you… and so does Minato-kun."
"Would that be alright? My parents won't mind," Itachi replied quickly. "There's a test in two days. I'll just manage my written scores and use a Shadow Clone to study at home over the weekend. No one will notice."
He disliked his father's ideologies and resented how his parents used Sasuke to build social connections.
No one seemed to listen to him—except the Third Hokage and Sarutobi Shinnosuke, who treated him like an equal and patiently taught him ninjutsu and various skills.
"In that case," Shinnosuke said, "let's meet here Saturday morning, Itachi-kun."
"Yes, Shinnosuke-sensei."
With that, they began the day's training. Currently, the focus was on close-quarters combat. As an elite Jōnin, Sarutobi Shinnosuke was highly skilled across all ninja disciplines and made an excellent sparring partner for Itachi.
"Four Purple Flame Formation!"
Eight members of the sealing corps worked in unison to erect a powerful barrier, enclosing Hanzo and a group of Konoha shinobi within a 100-meter radius.
The Four Purple Flame Formation was incredibly durable—strong enough that even Hanzo struggled to break free, at least for the time being.
"What do you mean!?"
Hanzo's expression darkened, and the three subordinates around him immediately moved to protect him. Konoha's actions were full of hostility, and he couldn't help but shout, "I informed the Hokage of the Hidden Leaf about this visit beforehand!"
"We're aware, Mr. Hanzo," one of the six accompanying Konoha Anbu replied. "But Danzo was once a high-ranking official in Konoha, and he possesses numerous classified secrets. This is a matter of great importance. We hope you'll surrender peacefully and accompany us to the Konoha interrogation unit to verify that you haven't extracted any information from Danzo. Once confirmed, the bounty will be processed."
As he spoke, the Anbu slowly removed his mask, revealing his identity.
"Konoha's White Fang?"
Hanzo recognized him immediately. Seeing the people behind him, he grew furious. 'Is Konoha doing this to provoke war with the Hidden Rain? No other nation will ever trust them again!'
The white-haired man with a single Sharingan had to be Hatake Kakashi, the son of the famous White Fang.
Standing beside him, a Uchiha about the same age could only be Shisui. Another with pale eyes and a faintly floating aura indicated the Hyuga clan.
But the most dangerous one here—by far—was Konoha's White Fang himself.
Hanzo had fought against White Fang during the Second Shinobi World War in the Rain Country. In both strength and character, White Fang had surpassed even the Sannin at the time. Now older and more refined, he was still a threat to be feared.
Hatake Sakumo calmly drew his short sword, its blade gleaming with a white glow.
"Please surrender peacefully, Mr. Hanzo," he said. "It's your only chance to live and claim the bounty."
There would be consequences for this mission, but they were not expected to be serious. Outside of the Rain Shinobi Village, few other nations would learn of the event.
Even if word got out, it would cause little trouble. Konoha had already stopped accepting reward missions from foreign countries. The workload from the Daimyo alone kept them too busy to bother with minor nations.
Moreover, Hatake Sakumo had a much broader vision than Hanzo. With a reward of 500 million ryō on the line, he had dared to show up—bringing only a small, elite team.
"Stop spouting nonsense! I am a demigod of the shinobi world! Do you think I'll just let myself be captured without a fight? Don't think I fear Konoha!"
Hanzo roared in defiance. His subordinates quickly pushed him behind them, but he drew his weapon and removed his own mask, revealing his battle-ready face.
However, the Konoha shinobi were not afraid of his poisonous salamander. Each of them had already taken the antidote—the poison posed no threat to them.
Knowing this might be his final battle, Hanzo fixed his eyes sharply on Konoha's White Fang. In his assessment, Sakumo was the only true threat on the field.
Whoosh.
Crackle!
With two swift sounds, both Hanzo and Hatake Sakumo vanished from their spots. A moment later, the sharp clash of metal echoed through the forest. White Fang's short sword had met Hanzo's scythe head-on.
'So fast! Even my Sharingan barely followed it. In terms of speed, these two might even surpass my best Body Flicker Technique...'
Uchiha Shisui was astonished, but he quickly gave the order:
"Attack!"
Inside the Four Purple Flame Formation, the battle erupted in full force. The battlefield quickly split into two fronts. Once Hanzo's guards were neutralized, his situation deteriorated rapidly.
Konoha had prepared specifically for Hanzo's techniques—his Body Flicker, Fire Style, and poisons. With those neutralized, his defeat was inevitable.
A few hours later, the battle concluded. The Four Purple Flame Formation was lifted immediately, and medical-nin, already on standby, rushed in to treat the wounded.
Despite the preparations and the strength of the team, there were still heavy injuries. Even Hatake Sakumo had sustained serious wounds.
However, Konoha had achieved its objectives—they had secured Hanzo's body and retrieved the scroll containing Danzo's sealed remains. After a short rest, Sakumo and his team began the journey back to Konoha.
Having orchestrated the plan to take down Hanzo, Nawaki now knew that the Rain Shinobi Village was finished. However, with Konoha's forces stretched thin, launching a full-scale assault wasn't feasible.
Still, Nawaki didn't want to waste the momentum. So he turned to someone else for help—his brother-in-law, Kain.
When he's not asking for favors, Nawaki always addresses him as Daimyo-sama. But Nawaki has realized that when he wants Kain to actually do something, calling him "brother-in-law" increases the success rate—especially when he refers to himself as Yoko's uncle.
Orochimaru seemed to be very busy recently, as seen from the surge in funds being consumed. Nawaki guessed that Orochimaru was likely in Ryūchi Cave.
However, since Nawaki had signed a contract with the Wetbone Forest, he had no way to locate Orochimaru directly.
Kain, generous as ever, handed over two hundred biomechanical warriors to Nawaki. These were fully matured models—cultivated to have skin and outward appearances almost indistinguishable from humans. But make no mistake—they were pure killing machines.
With these biomechanical warriors providing the military might, and the detailed intelligence on the Rain Shinobi Village obtained from Hanzo's head, Nawaki was now 80% confident that he could take the village.
At the Jōnin meeting where the mission was laid out, Uchiha Fugaku stood out and naturally assumed the command position. He also requested that Uchiha Shisui, currently in Anbu, be assigned as his deputy.
Although young, no one questioned Shisui's strength or qualifications.
Many of the other clans and veteran Jōnin could see that Fugaku was giving Shisui a chance to earn military merit—but they had no grounds to object. After all, there was no one in the younger generation as outstanding as Uchiha Shisui, and even many from the older generation couldn't compare to him.
Once the mission was finalized, Uchiha Fugaku gathered his team and prepared to depart. Before leaving, he asked Mikoto to handle all family matters in his absence.
Late at night...
Yakushi Nonō gasped like a fish out of water after their intense movement, collapsing on Kain's chest as she struggled to catch her breath.
Later, Kain and Nonō discussed future plans. He admitted he had told Kushina about their relationship and the strengthening process for his body. But Nonō didn't reply—she simply traced circles on Kain's chest with her finger.
She knew far more than Kushina—like the secret of the Hidden Three Tails Jinchūriki—something that idiot Kushina was still completely unaware of.
Not that it mattered. Nonō had already fallen for Kain without even realizing when.
After chatting with her for a while, Kain left once Nonō had fallen asleep.
He was curious about what Orochimaru had been researching over the past two years. Nawaki had mentioned that the Seven Tails Jinchūriki in Takigakure had recently gone on a rampage, and Kain immediately suspected Orochimaru's involvement.
If that was the case, he'd have to scold Orochimaru next time they met. If the tailed beasts were already rioting, why not seize the chance to extract them?
He summoned a small snake and instructed it to relay a message to Ichikishima-hime.
Just a few minutes later, Kain felt the response—a Summoning Call from Ryūchi Cave.
…
patreon.com/Vks_sh