Some days earlier in the Hokage's Cabin –
The golden rays of morning filtered through the windows of the Hokage's cabin, casting soft light on the aged figure of Hiruzen Sarutobi as he puffed his pipe thoughtfully. Across from him stood Itachi Uchiha with hands behind his back, the weight of responsibility evident in his eyes.
Hiruzen offered a gentle smile, laced with curiosity.
"So, Itachi… how are you planning to train your first Genin team as their sensei?"
Itachi's expression didn't falter, but there was a subtle hesitation before he replied.
"Hokage-sama… I'm not certain I'm ready to lead a Genin team yet. Not as a Jounin-sensei."
Hiruzen's smile faded slightly, replaced by a tone of seriousness.
"Still thinking about your clan?" he asked, leaning forward. "If that's the case, don't worry. I've told you already that things are under control. You have a responsibility now to those children. Focus on them. I've already set measures in motion to curb the unrest—without bringing harm to the Uchiha. Or… do you not trust my word?"
Itachi's gaze lowered slightly.
"It's not that, Hokage-sama."
"Then speak. What's your plan?"
Itachi paused, gathering his thoughts before responding.
"I haven't mapped out a complete strategy yet… but I was thinking of having them perform their first kill in the T&I department. After that, I'd begin their real training."
Hiruzen raised an eyebrow, intrigued.
"Their first kill so soon? Why rush into something so heavy?"
"Because it teaches them the value of life," Itachi said quietly, his voice calm but firm. "For most shinobi, the first kill happens during chaos—a fight, a mission gone wrong, a bandit ambush. Some hesitate… some kill instinctively… but either way, they don't learn the weight of taking a life. They just react. I want my team to understand what they're truly stepping into—not just physically, but emotionally. The gravity of their roles."
The old Hokage exhaled a long stream of smoke, eyes narrowing thoughtfully.
"...A noble sentiment. But I'd advise you to take it slow. Let them go on a couple of missions first—build camaraderie, get used to relying on each other. Then, when they face that moment, they won't be strangers to one another. Afterwards, give them a mission to ease the burden—something light that strengthens their bond. Only then, begin their training proper. Understood?"
Itachi nodded respectfully.
"I'll follow your guidance, Hokage-sama. Is there any mission you suggest as their first?"
A glimmer of amusement touched Hiruzen's aged features.
"Start with that merchant mission. Observe their reaction time, how they handle stress in the field. As for the merchant himself… well, he's been getting a little too bold for his own good. A gentle reminder of the village's presence might do him well."
He tapped his pipe against the ashtray and reclined slightly.
Itachi bowed his head again in acknowledgment. Their conversation continued, with Hiruzen giving further advice on handling young Genin, especially regarding their first kill. He emphasized the importance of emotional processing—particularly his instruction to only unseal the mouth of the prisoner in front of Kazeo, to let the child hear the pleading. The suggestion surprised Itachi slightly, but he didn't object.
"Let them hear the final words," Hiruzen had said softly. "Only then will they begin to comprehend the weight of taking a life."
Eventually, Hiruzen dismissed him with a wave of his hand.
As the door closed behind Itachi, the Hokage leaned back in his chair, eyes staring into the drifting smoke.
'Let's see… will taking a life not affect him at all? Or will it give birth to a second personality, like Yakumo?'
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(Present time)
Next day, Team 2 stood at Training Ground 6 for their scheduled spar. Three genin, each carrying different emotions, waited with growing anticipation.
Daichi looked the most energetic—bouncing slightly on his heels. For him, this was the first time witnessing a jounin in action up close. His late mother had only been a chunin, and the idea of sparring with someone as elite as Itachi made his blood rush with excitement.
Beside him stood Ren, expression unreadable as ever. But inside, his nerves buzzed with a mix of excitement and pressure. He was about to spar with his idol, and more importantly, it was a step closer to meeting his father's expectations. Deep down, he hoped—almost wished—that Itachi would defeat them easily, just to confirm that the man lived up to the legendary image he carried in Ren's mind.
Then there was Kazeo—calm and composed on the surface, but quietly fired up inside. This was his rare chance to understand what the gap between him and an elite jounin looked like. He knew he was nowhere near Itachi's level yet, but the opportunity to test himself—even slightly—against someone like him wasn't something a genin typically got, unless they were either born into a famous clan or had deep connections. Kazeo knew that this spar wouldn't be just genjutsu like Itachi often relied on in the series. He hoped to see more.
Standing calmly in front of them, Itachi spoke in his usual quiet, composed tone, "The spar begins the moment this coin touches the ground."
With that, he flicked a coin into the air.
The instant it hit the dirt with a soft clink—
Ren and Kazeo vanished from their spots, instantly flickering away to create distance and observe. Meanwhile, Daichi, full of impulsive enthusiasm, rushed straight toward Itachi, engaging in taijutsu.
Itachi didn't even activate his Sharingan. He casually deflected and countered every strike, keeping his movements fluid and efficient.
Itachi thought as he exchanged blows with Daichi, 'Charging straight at a Jounin like this... He's too eager. He needs to learn restraint.'
He tilted his head slightly, his eyes catching movement from the other two. Three mud bullets shot toward him—he weaved effortlessly between them without missing a beat in his spar with Daichi.
Suddenly, Daichi dove sideways, as if evading something. In that moment, a large fireball burst forward from behind him. Itachi sidestepped swiftly, analyzing the situation mid-motion.
'A distraction… Daichi was the bait. Ren launched the fireball, and Kazeo amplified it with wind chakra. Good thinking.'
Just then, a pair of hands erupted from underground, grabbing for his legs. Instinctively, Itachi flickered twenty meters away, expanding his chakra field. His senses picked up Kazeo retreating beneath the ground—and the Kazeo standing near Ren… was just a clone.
A faint smile tugged at his lips. 'Imperfect… but promising. They're coordinating this well without any guidance. Better than I expected. This might not be as difficult as I thought.'
He flickered again and let a few shuriken fly at the clone. The clone dodged, but one of the shuriken ricocheted mid-air, changing trajectory and striking the clone from an unexpected angle. It dispersed in a puff of smoke.
The moment the clone vanished, Ren closed the distance and engaged in taijutsu. Itachi smoothly parried his strikes with minimal effort. Then, without warning, he formed two quick hand signs and launched a fireball at Ren from point-blank range.
Underground once again, Kazeo sensed Itachi performing jutsu through his chakra field. Acting swiftly, he performed the Headhunter Jutsu on the startled Ren. Ren's body was pulled downward just in time, his head barely above ground as the fireball roared past him.
Itachi hadn't actually aimed to hit Ren — the fireball was a ruse to draw out Kazeo. But before he could capitalize on it, Daichi lashed out with a water whip. Itachi sidestepped fluidly, dodging the strike without even glancing at him.
Kazeo wasn't idle either. He softened the ground around Ren and pushed him back up to the surface — emerging himself as well, gasping for air.
Noticing Daichi faltering in taijutsu, Itachi calmly remarked, "Is that all? I expected more from you three. If you've got nothing left, let's wrap this up."
Hearing those words, a single thought stabbed Ren's mind: Is he disappointed in me?
He grit his teeth and began forming hand seals, chakra crackling in his palms.
"Lightning Style: Lightning Beam!" he roared, thrusting a blinding streak of lightning straight at Itachi. The Uchiha dodged swiftly, stepping three times to the left — but Ren redirected his hand mid-jutsu, angling the beam to track Itachi's movement.
Sensing an opening, Kazeo infused chakra into his wires, slithering them unseen through the earth toward Itachi's legs. Realizing the Sharingan was still dormant, he allowed the wires to silently wrap around Itachi's ankles, the other end extending to Ren's charged hand — forming a direct conduit for the lightning.
As Kazeo connected both ends and let the wire do its work, everything played out just as he had planned. Electricity surged through the chakra-conductive wire, electrocuting Itachi. Smoke rose from his body as Ren's chakra finally gave out, and the lightning beam died after eight seconds.
Daichi cautiously stepped forward and pressed his water claw against Itachi's neck. "Do you surrender, sensei?" he asked, breathing heavily.
"…Yes, I surrender," Itachi replied in a calm but slightly strained voice.
"Yay! We defeated him!" Daichi cheered, turning to Ren with a wide grin. "Ren, I told you we could do it if we followed the plan!"
Ren stood frozen, eyes wide with disbelief at the outcome. Meanwhile, Kazeo stared at Itachi's collapsed form, doubt creeping into his mind.
'Did we really… defeat him?' he wondered.
He was just about to shout in triumph when a memory surfaced from his previous life: "If you think you've defeated Itachi…
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