Akihiro and Kaia's training session was interrupted by a new presence.
Ryu turned before she could alert him, a knowing smile already on his face. "Itachi Uchiha."
Itachi returned the gesture with his own characteristic gentle smile, though his eyes remained locked on the twins. "Long time no see, Ryu."
Ryu cut straight to the point, radiating confidence. "Looking for a fight?"
Itachi's smile broadened, and the three tomoe in his eyes swirled minutely before settling. "Yes. It's been a long time."
Kaia's gaze moved between Ryu and the newcomer, her mind racing. 'He's Uchiha.' She recognised the intense focus immediately but sensed something profound behind Itachi's calm exterior—a maturity that felt almost unnatural for someone so young, the same as Ryu.
Itachi's attention lingered on Akihiro—the slight tilt of the boy's head, the absolute stillness of unseeing eyes that gazed somewhere random, nowhere specific. The crimson gaze seemed to catalogue every detail: chakra pathways, body language, and the way Akihiro's head tracked sound rather than sight.
Itachi asked, "Who are your new friends?"
Ryu replied, "They are my new brother and sister. They are, shall we say, somewhat special."
Ryu then said, looking at the twins and pointing at Itachi, "And this is Itachi, the genius of the Uchiha clan and the son of the clan leader."
"A blind shinobi," Itachi remarked, his gaze fixed on Akihiro. "The Sharingan's primary weapon is... neutralised… Are you building a counter to the Uchiha clan?"
Ryu's smile widened, clearly entertained. "That is quite the leap. Is that your first instinct—that everything I do revolves around your clan?"
"When patterns emerge, ignoring them would be foolish," Itachi replied calmly. "Visual genjutsu would be ineffective on him."
"But that's not all the Sharingan can do, can it..." Ryu interrupted, correcting Itachi.
Ryu knew the true power of the dojutsu lay in its copy and prediction abilities, making Akihiro's immunity to genjutsu ineffective, only a partial counter. And the Mangekyou Sharingan existed on an entirely different plane, capable of even bending reality.
Itachi acknowledged, "True. You understand the Uchiha's strengths better than most outsiders." Then with a slight tilt of his head, he changed the subject entirely, his gaze dropping to the small bird perched on Ryu's shoulder.
"By the way, that bird just looks identical to you," Itachi noted.
"This little guy will be my summoning once his family is big enough," Ryu confirmed, repeating his ambitious plan.
Itachi raised an eyebrow. "I thought you were a beast type and preferred a powerful summon, like a giant frog or snake or maybe a legendary dragon."
"Dragons are a myth... You think this little guy is not powerful?" Ryu challenged. He snapped his fingers, and the small bird was instantly charged with a faint white glow. A lightning surge ran through its tiny body, and the bird disappeared in a flash of speed, reappearing seconds later near Itachi and then disappearing again.
Itachi's eyes widened slightly. "What was that?"
"[Lightning Release – Body Flicker]," Ryu explained.
Itachi was surprised. "Your bird can use ninjutsu?"
Ryu nodded.
"And this is a rare and high-level lightning jutsu," Itachi continued.
"High-level summoning can use Ninjutsu," Ryu said. "You need to raise them from the start, from the egg, to establish a strong connection. You can use chakra to awaken them to ninjutsu."
"You should try having a bird summon. There are many advantages to them," Ryu continued.
"Like what?" Itachi's interest was clearly piqued.
"Have you heard of the term 'birds of the same feather flock together'?" Ryu asked.
Itachi nodded.
"Birds fly in numbers. Some birds are intelligent, and chakra evolution through summoning contracts makes them even smarter. You can teach them ninjutsu and use combo techniques with them."
"Combo jutsu?" Itachi echoed. "Like what?"
Ryu smiled, raising his hand and placing it on Itachi's shoulder and used genjutsu. Before Itachi could react, Ryu's entire body disintegrated into a swarm of hundreds of tiny, half-red and half-white hummingbirds. Itachi blinked, and in the next moment, Ryu was back, his hand still resting calmly on the Uchiha's shoulder.
"What was that..." Itachi asked, completely calm, yet visibly surprised.
"I was inspired by an amazing ninja from a story," Ryu said. "What I showed you is what I am trying to create, a combo jutsu with bird summons. Right now it's only a concept, and I will make it into reality. I am breeding these small birds to do that. It's the [Bird Clone Jutsu]."
Genuine interest flickered in Itachi's eyes. "That was cool. I know you are busy, but would you teach me this technique?"
"I think you can create something like this even without my help. If not, I'll teach you," Ryu replied.
Itachi was pleased.
"I plan to use the birds as spies; if I am able to establish a mental connection, I will be able to directly spy through these birds." Ryu observed the Uchiha meaningfully. "With your Sharingan, it would be very easy. You can also teach Genjutsu skills to your birds to put your opponents in illusions."
Itachi smiled, already envisioning the powerful team of birds he could create. "Which bird should I pick?"
Ryu thought for a moment. "Something that matches your style. Considering your hair and your style, a crow or raven should be a very good choice for you. They are smart too, so training them would also be easy."
"How about chickens?" Kaia joked, signing with a mischievous grin. "They should be easy to breed too."
Both Ryu and Itachi ignored her.
"You can also teach them Fire Ninjutsu. A flock of burning birds, like phoenixes, will be awesome in the night sky. Like a shooting star."
"What is a phoenix?" Kaia asked.
"A mythical bird made entirely of fire. They die in flames and are reborn from the ashes—a symbol of rebirth," Ryu explained.
Itachi then said, "If they exist, then they would be the perfect summon for an Uchiha clan member."
Ryu brought the conversation back to the fight. "So, where do you want to eat dirt?"
"That's what I was going to ask you," Itachi replied, scanning the limited space around them. "This place is small, and we'd be interrupting their training. How about we take it to the Uchiha training grounds?"
"Sounds good to me." Ryu's eyes gleamed with mischief. "But before that, would you like to fight the weapon I'm building against the Uchiha clan?"
Itachi studied Akihiro. "I don't think that is a good idea. They look like they just started their training. I am not looking down on them, but..."
Ryu clarified. "It's a drill. I am not talking about an actual battle. A simple duel using training swords shall do. I want to give him the real experience and thrill of the battle."
"Okay," Itachi agreed, accepting the terms.
Ryu turned toward the other side of the field and called out, "Yasashii! Come here, and pay attention."
Yasashii jogged over, attentive as always.
Ryu formed a rapid sequence of hand seals and said, "[Earth Release- Earth Core Shift Jutsu]."
The ground beneath them rumbled, and the soil rearranged itself in a smooth, controlled motion. Ryu gestured while maintaining the flow of chakra through his hands. "See this, Yasashii? The trick isn't force. It's stability—shaping movement from the base instead of the surface."
As he finished, the earth settled into a perfect, evenly lowered pit about half a foot deep, circular and smooth-edged.
Yasashii nodded, focused. "I think I understand. Move the chakra in layers, not in a single thrust."
"Good," Ryu said with a small approving smile. "You'll practise it later."
He then gestured toward the pit. "Now, this will be our stage."
Ryu called for Jiyuu, who was sitting in the distance, working on his seal. Jiyuu slowly stood up and started walking toward the pit, leaning heavily on his cane.
'Training someone with such severe physical limitations... Most would consider it a waste of resources. But Ryu doesn't think like most people,' Itachi thought, watching the boy's careful approach.
"Jiyuu, generate a water arena for us in the pit," Ryu instructed.
Jiyuu was visibly excited. "I'll help. I am always left with boring stuff; this would be my first time watching a ninja battle."
Jiyuu walked slowly to the edge of the newly formed pit and used his [Water Release- Water Fountain Jutsu]. The sheer volume of water generated instantly filled the large, wide pit, creating a shimmering, shallow pond.
Itachi was astonished by the scale. "Is he also being trained to counter the Uchiha clan's Fire Jutsu?"
Ryu laughed. "Even though our ancestors were at each other's throats, it has nothing to do with me. Jiyuu has a strong Yin Chakra, but he lacks the Yang Chakra and physical strength that comes with it due to his strange illness. He is getting better every day."
"So much water with lacking Yang Chakra... his chakra reserves must be huge," Itachi realised.
"Yes, in fact, for some reason, everyone here has good quality and quantity of chakra, and with enough training, they would become exceptional shinobi." Ryu observed Jiyuu, who was now walking back slowly.
Itachi smiled, respect flickering across his features for Ryu's belief in his students. "If you believe that, then I'll trust you. I'm looking forward to future ninjas of the Hamura clan." He glanced pointedly at the water pit. "Is it some kind of training for him? ... I'm being used as a training dummy?"
Ryu smiled. "I'm teaching him to sense opponents using the vibrations they generate when water moves. Every step, every shift in weight creates ripples in the water. Later they will be reading ground and air ripples."
"You should not have told me that," Itachi deadpanned, realising he now had to negate his own movements.
"You're smart enough to figure it out the moment you step into the ring, so it's fine," Ryu replied.
Itachi's smile returned, showing his acceptance. "I will take it as a compliment coming from you. I am really looking forward to your students. They are your students... right?"
"In a way, yes. They're my students, and they're also my younger brothers and sisters, so please take care of them….. You have a younger brother, so you must know how I feel," Ryu said.
"Yes, I know. It's a great feeling seeing them learn how to walk," Itachi replied, thinking of Sasuke.
Kaia, irritated by the paternal tone and being treated like a child, cut the conversation short with sharp hand signs.
"Are you two lovebirds done bonding? Some of us are ready to train," she signed, her gestures sharp with impatience.
A/N:
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