Kuragami Uchiha thought for a moment, then took Sasuke to the study, picked out a scroll, unrolled it, and tore off a small portion before handing it to him.
"What is this?" Sasuke asked, puzzled by Kuragami's actions.
"This is a movement-based Taijutsu technique I created when I was ten years old. It's called Thunder Step Teleportation Jutsu."
Kuragami explained. "It's also the introductory jutsu for the Lightning Style Chakra mode that I developed."
"You should start practicing the Taijutsu portion first. Although it's just basic Taijutsu, it should be enough for you to dominate the academy."
Kuragami continued. "Also, don't stop practicing the Lightning Ball."
"What about the rest?" Sasuke looked at the half-scroll in his hand, confused.
"You can't learn the later parts yet. Once your Chakra reserves and control improve to the point where you can manipulate four Lightning Balls at once like I just showed you, then I'll teach you the rest." Kuragami said.
"Alright." Sasuke nodded and put away the scroll.
"It's already late. You should head home early." Kuragami told him.
He walked Sasuke to the door. As soon as he opened it, he saw Itachi Uchiha standing outside.
"Brother!"
Sasuke, having not seen his brother in a long time, immediately ran over.
Itachi reached out, caught Sasuke, and gently ruffled his hair.
"Itachi, you're back from your mission."
Kuragami remarked from the doorway. "You two really have a strong bond. You came straight to pick up your brother as soon as you returned."
"Yeah."
Itachi nodded, looking at Kuragami. However, his gaze was noticeably less than friendly.
Kuragami didn't seem to mind at all and casually said: "Since you're here, that saves me the trouble of sending this kid home. Sasuke, go with your brother."
"Yes!"
Sasuke, still hanging onto Itachi, turned back and said: "Goodbye, sensei!"
"Goodbye."
Kuragami smiled and waved at Sasuke before closing the door.
On the way home, Sasuke, riding piggyback on Itachi, kept talking.
"Brother, sensei is amazing! I practiced for so long before I could do the Jutsu like he showed me."
"Is that so? Clan Head Kuragami is a genius of our clan. If you can learn his jutsu, that means you have great talent too."
Itachi said while suppressing his worries and indulging his little brother.
After a moment, Itachi asked: "Sasuke, aside from ninjutsu, what else has your teacher taught you?"
Itachi was tense as he asked this. He feared that Kuragami was instilling his ambitions into his innocent little brother.
"Oh, a lot!"
Sasuke said excitedly, as if boasting about a prized possession. "Sensei told me many interesting stories and taught me a lot about how to be a good person."
Hearing this, Itachi's heart tightened. Has his precious little brother really been influenced by Kuragami?
"What exactly did he teach you?" Itachi asked quickly.
"Well, a lot of things. Some I don't fully understand yet, but there are also many that make perfect sense to me." Sasuke replied.
Itachi wanted to ask more, but by then, they had arrived home. Sasuke said: "I'll tell you more after dinner."
"Alright." Itachi nodded and entered the house with Sasuke.
"I'm home!" Sasuke announced energetically at the door.
"Welcome back, Sasuke. Wash your hands and get ready for dinner."
Mikoto said warmly when she saw her cheerful younger son. "You too, Itachi, go wash up; dinner is ready."
"Okay."
Itachi nodded and led Sasuke toward the bathroom. On the way, he noticed their father, Fugaku, wasn't in the dining area. He turned to his mother and asked: "Mother, is father not home yet?"
"No, he said the Konoha Military Police Force has a major mission, so he won't be coming home for dinner these days."
Mikoto replied as she served food for both brothers.
Once at the table, Sasuke immediately began devouring his meal. Demonstrating his skills in front of Kuragami earlier had consumed a lot of his Chakra, making him ravenous.
"Sasuke, slow down."
Mikoto said, shaking her head as she refilled his bowl.
"Hehe, Mom's cooking is the best!"
Sasuke grinned. "Even Naruto said so after eating the bento you made."
"Oh? Really?"
Mikoto smiled. "Then I should prepare an extra bento for Naruto tomorrow. By the way, Sasuke, do you know what Naruto likes to eat?"
"Mom, I'm your son, right? Why are you more concerned about Naruto?" Sasuke pouted.
"Haha, are you jealous, Sasuke?" Mikoto laughed at her son's reaction.
"I am not!" Sasuke huffed, refusing to admit it.
As Sasuke and Mikoto joked around, Itachi's mind was in turmoil. Naruto... He knows who he really is. Is the clan now openly involving the Jinchūriki?
Shaken by these revelations, Itachi hurriedly finished his meal. Afterward, Sasuke grabbed his hand and looked up at him expectantly.
"Brother, can we sleep together tonight? I want to tell you some of the stories sensei told me!"
"Alright." Itachi agreed.
Back in their room, Sasuke pulled out a book that Kuragami had compiled for him and eagerly started explaining its teachings to Itachi.
Itachi listened patiently as Sasuke went through each lesson.
From the "Human nature is inherently good" to "Isn't it a joy to learn and practice?" The more Itachi listened, the more he felt something was off. It wasn't that these teachings were bad; on the contrary, they were excellent. If Sasuke could truly follow these principles, he would become the ideal shinobi who embodied the Will of Fire.
But this didn't align at all with the scheming, power-hungry image Itachi had of Kuragami.
Thinking this through, Itachi decided to probe further.
"Alright, Sasuke, let's talk about something else. Do you know what happened in the village a few days ago?" Itachi asked.
"Yes." Sasuke blinked, surprised by the change in topic.
"Then, what do you think about it?" Itachi pressed.
"The Konoha Military Police Force handled it well. The villagers were clearly in the wrong, and they received the punishment they deserved." Sasuke replied firmly.
'As I suspected, what Kuragami has been teaching Sasuke is indeed problematic!'
Itachi thought as his heart sank to the bottom.
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