"If an old lady slowly walks in front of you, slowing down your pace, would you want to hit her?" Obito asked Uchiha Itachi.
After hearing Obito's words, Uchiha Itachi looked at him with a puzzled expression, his large eyes full of confusion. "W-Why would I hit the old lady?"
Obito scratched his head. Of course, a normal person wouldn't hit her, but if you could commit genocide, wouldn't hitting an old lady be just a minor thing?
Obito thought for a moment and realized he needed to give Uchiha Itachi some options, so he didn't just answer the question with another question.
"When you're crossing the street and encounter a slow-moving old lady, you have three choices."
"A. Help the old lady across the street."
"B. Ignore the old lady and walk away."
"C. Steal the candy from the old lady's hand."
After stating the question and options, Obito immediately added, "No answering with another question, you must choose one option."
Shisui looked at Uchiha Itachi, curious about his choice.
Although Obito's question was somewhat childish, Uchiha Itachi was still young and wouldn't have too many complex thoughts, so it could serve as a bit of a test.
Uchiha Itachi stared blankly at Obito, and after two minutes, he answered, "I choose B, just walk away and keep my distance."
Obito made a knowing expression. He could tell right away that Uchiha Itachi wasn't exactly a good kid, someone who didn't even know about respecting the elderly or caring for others.
"Looks like he's a naturally evil little brat. With this kind of mindset at such a young age, when he's older, he'll probably steal candy," Obito thought to himself.
"Then Itachi, why did you choose B?" Shisui asked, wanting to know Uchiha Itachi's reasoning.
"I would fall if I walked, and if I got close to the old lady, I might cause her to fall too," Uchiha Itachi answered honestly.
Shisui looked at Uchiha Itachi in surprise. His speech was a bit unclear, yet his thinking was so clear, he might actually be an extraordinary genius.
Obito's expression froze, while Shisui showed a thoughtful look.
"Why not steal the candy from the old lady? She's walking so slowly, you could easily outrun her," Obito whispered, in a devilishly tempting way.
"How can I steal someone else's things, Big brother Obito? Stealing is a very bad thing," Uchiha Itachi said seriously.
Uchiha Itachi's words made Obito a bit speechless. He had been testing him, but now it felt like he had turned into the naturally evil Uchiha.
"Let's stop talking about this. Itachi, would you like to hear a story?" Shisui stepped in to break the awkward silence.
Uchiha Itachi turned his gaze to Shisui and nodded.
"Once upon a time, there was a Ninja..." Shisui told a very cliché, positive little story.
The plot was roughly about a Ninja with a tragic childhood who, through optimism, changed his surrounding environment and ultimately made the country and the world a better place.
After the story, Uchiha Fugaku returned to the living room and, seeing the harmonious scene, smiled. "Looks like you're getting along quite well."
Shisui smiled lightly and successfully praised Uchiha Itachi, and Obito followed suit with a comment.
Uchiha Fugaku's smile grew even more pronounced.
"Thank you for today, Uncle Fugaku" Shisui said, preparing to leave.
Uchiha Itachi was still too young, and Uchiha Fugaku would be more attentive to him, so it wasn't suitable to stay for too long.
"It's no trouble. If you have any questions, just come to me like today," Uchiha Fugaku said cheerfully.
"Big brothers are leaving. Itachi, do you have anything you want to say?" Uchiha Fugaku looked at Uchiha Itachi.
Uchiha Itachi nodded, then turned his gaze back to Obito. "Big brother Obito, it's wrong to bully old ladies."
Uchiha Fugaku looked at Obito in surprise, curious as to why Uchiha Itachi would say such a thing to him.
Obito: ...
"You're the one who bullies old ladies!" Obito shouted angrily in his mind. He was a good Konoha boy who always helped old ladies across the street.
"Itachi, I was just hypothesizing earlier, I didn't really mean I would do such a thing," Obito explained aloud.
Uchiha Itachi just said "Oh" and nodded.
Obito felt a sense of helplessness and his gaze toward Uchiha Itachi changed.
"No wonder this guy is the one who would destroy the Uchiha clan in the future, he's not someone to be underestimated," Obito thought to himself, feeling that Uchiha Itachi was difficult to deal with.
"He's just a child speaking without malice, Obito, don't take it to heart," Uchiha Fugaku smiled and explained for Uchiha Itachi.
Obito put on a magnanimous expression to show he wasn't bothered, and then he and Shisui walked out.
Once they were a little further away, Obito could no longer suppress his inner urge to complain.
"This Uchiha Itachi is indeed not simple. At such a young age, he already has such thoughts. Maybe he used a lot of schemes during the massacre," Obito complained.
Shisui, however, offered a different perspective. "I think we shouldn't look at the current Uchiha Itachi with a biased view because of future events."
"The future Uchiha Itachi, no matter what difficulties or reasons he had, committing the massacre was an unforgivable sin, but that is the future Uchiha Itachi."
"Right now, Uchiha Itachi is just a little child who can barely speak clearly. He doesn't necessarily have any great malice."
Shisui felt that judging someone based on future events was unwise. One shouldn't just assume that the crimes of future Uchiha Itachi apply to the Uchiha Itachi of the past.
"I think you make a good point, Shisui, but what should we do? We can't just ignore it," Obito scratched his head.
"Of course we should intervene. We can guide him toward goodness," Shisui offered his solution.
Shisui planned to guide Uchiha Itachi as a senior, helping him become a Ninja who loves his clan and village, with a sense of responsibility.
...
In Tsunade's courtyard.
Mutsuki and Tsunade sat on the stone bench in the yard, while Shizune and Rin stood attentively in front of them.
Half a year ago, Mutsuki and Tsunade made a deal to exchange mentorship for six months. Although Mutsuki had taken Rin on a few missions during that time, overall, Rin spent most of the past six months learning Medical Ninjutsu from Tsunade.
Today was the time to evaluate her progress.
"Rin-chan, show us your progress," Tsunade said confidently, her arms crossed.
Rin had a great talent for Medical Ninjutsu and worked very hard during her training. After six months of guidance, Tsunade was very optimistic about Rin's future in Medical Ninjutsu.
With Rin's current medical skills, Tsunade felt she was ready to be promoted to Special Jonin.
A formal Jonin rank was still some distance away for Rin, as she lacked in direct combat.
"Alright, Tsunade-sama," Rin nodded and walked over to the stone table to pick up a bloody fish.
"Mystical Palm Jutsu!" Rin gathered a large amount of Chakra in her palm, then performed a Yang Chakra Nature Transformation to alter the Chakra's properties.
A strong green light radiated from Rin's palm, enveloping the bloody fish in her hands.
Under the influence of the Yang Chakra, the wounds on the fish rapidly healed, leaving no trace of a scar.
The fully healed fish became lively again, wriggling in Rin's hands.
Mutsuki nodded. That fish had been on its last breath just moments ago. If Rin had been any slower, it would have died.
Next, Rin took a purple pill from the stone table and placed it in the fish's mouth.
The fish, which had been struggling energetically before, gradually stopped fighting after swallowing the purple pill, and its body began to show ominous purple markings.
"Detoxification is also a core lesson for medical ninjas. If you don't detoxify first in the case of poisoning, no treatment will be effective," Tsunade explained.
The reason she was the strongest medical ninja wasn't just because she could heal the body at incredible speeds, but also because Tsunade had the strongest detoxification abilities in the ninja world. The Hidden Sand Village, known for its extensive use of poison, was particularly troubled by Tsunade's skill in this area.
"Delicate Illness Extraction Jutsu!"
Rin tightly held the poisoned fish in her hands and performed the ninjutsu to locate the source of the poison.
Once she pinpointed the location, Rin held the fish with her left hand and slightly raised her right hand.
"Chakra Scalpel!"
Rin focused a large amount of Chakra into her hand, making it incredibly sharp. The moment her palm touched the fish's body, a fine cut appeared.
She precisely extracted the poison and then proceeded to heal the fish.
Rin had also learned how to prepare detoxifying medicine, but that took much longer, so it wasn't suitable for demonstration.
Rin then demonstrated some basic Medical Ninjutsu techniques such as hemostasis and recovery, showcasing her solid foundation.
After completing the demonstration, Rin took a few deep breaths and looked expectantly at Mutsuki.
Achieving this was the result of Rin's hard work; she had only recently perfected her Chakra Scalpel technique just a few days ago.
"Very good. Even if some Jonin who are proficient in Medical Ninjutsu were to try, they wouldn't do it any better," Mutsuki generously praised Rin's excellence.
To keep up with Kakashi and Obito, Rin had indeed worked incredibly hard, and Mutsuki had been watching all along.
Rin's nervousness eased immediately, and a joyful smile appeared on her face.
Though she greatly respected Tsunade, in Rin's heart, Mutsuki was her true sensei, the one whose approval she most longed for.
"Thank you so much, Tsunade-sama," Mutsuki said with a smile, expressing his gratitude to Tsunade.
Medical Ninjutsu is indeed Tsunade's domain. Although Mutsuki has been teaching the techniques, his knowledge limits the skills he can pass on.
"You know, you should make some delicious food to reward me," Tsunade replied without any hesitation, listing several of her favorite dishes.
For Tsunade, there was no need for subtle hints; if Mutsuki didn't understand or pretended not to, she'd be at a loss.
Mutsuki readily agreed, as it was an easy task for him.
"Tsunade-sama, you're the one who knows Shizune's previous abilities best, so you should be the one to evaluate her progress," Mutsuki said after a moment of thought.
It's hard for one person to notice progress in strength alone, and since Shizune hasn't learned any high-level Ninjutsu, it's better to experience it through combat.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Tsunade formed the hand seals and created a Shadow Clone to assess Shizune's training results.
"Shizune, come at me with all your strength, don't hold back," Tsunade's Shadow Clone said with a relaxed expression.
Shizune nodded and immediately entered the Total Concentration Breathing state to enhance her abilities.
"Tsunade-sama, be careful!" Shizune warned, then exploded with Chakra, using Soru to dash forward.
Although with her current strength, she definitely couldn't defeat Tsunade's Shadow Clone, she still showed the respect she should.
Whoosh!
Shizune's figure flickered, and in an instant, she was beside Tsunade's Shadow Clone. Gathering a large amount of Chakra in her right leg, she swung it fiercely at Tsunade.
Bang!!
Just as Shizune was about to make contact with the Shadow Clone, it quickly retreated, causing Shizune's enhanced kick to hit the ground, shattering it into pieces.
The real Tsunade watching from the side was a bit surprised. The speed and force with which Shizune moved and struck made her look like a Taijutsu expert. But just half a year ago, Shizune's Taijutsu wasn't particularly remarkable even among Genin.
Shizune, after missing her first attack, didn't get discouraged. She quickly regrouped and launched a second wave of attacks. The sharp Chakra scalpel she used even felled a large tree in Tsunade's courtyard.
Unlike Rin, who had to go to Tsunade to learn medical knowledge, Shizune had lived with Tsunade for a long time and absorbed a vast amount of medical knowledge. Mutsuki's teachings of Enhanced Strength and Chakra scalpel went exceptionally smoothly for her.
For the first two minutes, Tsunade's Shadow Clone didn't initiate any attacks and just dodged, allowing Shizune to display her offensive abilities.
After two minutes, Tsunade's Shadow Clone began to show some of its strength, immediately reversing the situation.
Though Shizune was gradually being pushed back, she remained calm, defending with all her might while searching for an opening.
Of course, due to the large gap in their strength, Shizune ultimately fell to Tsunade's palm strike.
"Shizune, were you slacking off when you were training with me?" Tsunade asked, dismissing her Shadow Clone.
"Of course not. I was always serious when learning from you, Tsunade-sama," Shizune quickly replied, brushing off the dust from her clothes.
"Alright, I was just joking," Tsunade laughed as she saw Shizune hurriedly explaining.
Tsunade turned to Mutsuki, "You're such a good teacher. If you teach Shizune for another year, try to make her strong enough to knock out a Jonin with one punch."
Shizune's progress had surprised Tsunade. Not only had she learned Enhanced Strength and Chakra scalpel, but her Taijutsu had improved drastically as well.
"Teaching her for another year is fine, but I can't guarantee that Shizune will be able to knock out a Jonin with one punch in a year," Mutsuki replied.
"Tsunade-sama, please don't make things difficult for Mutsuki-sensei," Shizune said helplessly.
Knocking out a Jonin with one punch was something even Tsunade herself might not be able to do. If it was just one ordinary Jonin, Tsunade could easily deal with it. But if she had to face dozens of Jonin at once, she wouldn't be able to do it as effortlessly as a single punch.
"After just half a year of learning from Mutsuki, you're already siding with him," Tsunade said disapprovingly, pinching Shizune's smooth, fair cheek.
"Ugh~" Shizune tried to explain, but her words became unclear due to Tsunade's actions.
Shizune's six-month training plan came to an end, and Mutsuki took some time to check Asuma's progress and offer guidance. After the training, Mutsuki, citing the need to consult Sarutobi Hiruzen about Ninjutsu, went with Asuma to his home.
As for the real reason, one was to let Sarutobi Hiruzen know that he had successfully mastered the Flying Thunder God technique, increasing his apparent strength and making his genius personality more perfect. The second reason was to use Transformation to record Sarutobi Hiruzen's Panel.
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