Upon hearing Takeshi muttering to himself in the tent, Uchiha Shisui's expression didn't change. He turned his head to glance at Itachi behind him, then gave a light cough as he lifted the tent flap and stepped inside, subtly reminding Takeshi of their presence.
"We'll stop training here for today. Shisui, if you've got something else to do, feel free to head back."
Looking up at the two who had just entered, Takeshi waved in Itachi's direction. The latter flinched back a step but still walked over with a grimace on his face.
Like picking up a kitten, Takeshi reached under Itachi's arms and effortlessly lifted him up, placing him in front of him while skillfully squishing his cheeks.
"Itachi, didn't I tell you? Stop wearing that gloomy face all the time."
Uchiha Shisui & Uchiha Itachi: ...
Watching Itachi fall victim once again to Takeshi's "poisonous hands," Uchiha Shisui was utterly helpless.
Like Itachi, he had assumed that the so-called White Reaper would be someone cold and ruthless, just like Danzō.
After all, someone with a gentle personality couldn't possibly create rivers of blood on the Kumogakure battlefield.
But this guy called Takeshi—his daily routine seemed to be: wake up, mess with Itachi, train, then go back to messing with Itachi.
Sometimes, Shisui even suspected that this guy had claimed someone else's military merit for himself.
Though, the massive Ice Release technique from earlier had dispelled a bit of that suspicion.
To be able to use such a wide-range jutsu at this age was already proof enough of Takeshi's strength.
Takeshi, unaware of Shisui's inner thoughts, continued kneading Itachi's cheeks, lost in thought about how to answer the question Itachi had asked a few days ago.
That's right—the reason he was bullying Itachi like this wasn't just because the kid was indeed pretty cute when he was young (though that was... mildly relevant). The real reason was simple: Takeshi himself didn't know what the meaning of life was.
Worse still, he didn't dare to make something up just to brush the kid off.
What if he said something offhandedly, and Itachi, being who he was, somehow interpreted some weird philosophy from it, and years later came back to stab him over it?
This was Uchiha Itachi, after all. If he were just a few years older, there's no way Takeshi would treat him this casually.
If he couldn't solve the question, he'd have to solve the person asking it.
Afraid that Itachi might open that little mouth of his again and come up with even more philosophical bombs, Takeshi simply shut him up.
But after thinking about it for a few days, he actually managed to come up with a solution.
Not an answer—a solution.
"Hey, Itachi. Starting tomorrow, come train with me."
Takeshi suddenly stopped his movements, forcefully turning Itachi's head to make him look straight at him.
"Train?"
Feeling the pressure on his face ease up, Uchiha Itachi blinked, observing this man called Takeshi up close for the first time.
"Yeah. Training. You're a bit young for ninjutsu, but how about taijutsu?"
Takeshi looked eager, flexing his arms to show off his biceps.
Back when he was Itachi's age, he didn't have the luxury of pondering the meaning of life.
His biggest and most pressing problem back then was how to dodge fists and Yamanaka Akira's whip.
In Takeshi's eyes, Itachi was overthinking things. Keeping him busy would leave him no time for existential nonsense.
Yamanaka Akira...
Thinking of the one who had accompanied him for so many years—his... sensei?
A hint of sadness flashed across Takeshi's face.
If Akira and Shimura Ikku were still alive, he would absolutely recommend them as mentors for Uchiha Itachi.
But now, he had no choice but to play the role of the Whip-Tamer himself!
...
"Pa!"
"Pa!"
"Pa!"
Takeshi moved quickly. At dawn the next day, he took Itachi to a makeshift training ground at the edge of the camp. Shisui stood at a distance, silently watching them.
As the sharp wind brushed past his face, Uchiha Itachi immediately focused.
At the moment, he hadn't activated his Sharingan. Facing invisible wind blades, he could only rely on instinct to dodge.
This method, obviously, wasn't foolproof. Very soon, a huge rip appeared in his clothes.
Fortunately, Takeshi was merciful—the strength he used wasn't too heavy. Otherwise, that slash would've done far more than just tear fabric.
Using his Sharingan, Uchiha Shisui could see that Takeshi was clearly holding back, and he relaxed slightly.
Reaching for his torn shirt, Uchiha Itachi's expression remained calm, but his eyes locked onto the kunai Takeshi was using to generate the wind whip.
As Takeshi swung again, Itachi immediately reacted by observing the arc of his arm.
With a sudden leap, Uchiha Itachi—under Takeshi's surprised gaze—dodged the attack cleanly.
Takeshi: "..."
Was that a fluke?
It had to be a fluke, right?
Definitely, absolutely a fluke.
Unwilling to accept it, Takeshi swung the kunai again, aiming at Itachi's side.
But Itachi ducked smoothly under the strike with a single backbend.
Out of the next fifteen attacks Takeshi unleashed, Itachi only got hit once—and that was because the angle was too weird for him to avoid in time.
This kid... really is a genius.
From the direction Itachi was watching while dodging, Takeshi could tell he was reading the trajectory of the strikes based on Takeshi's hand movement.
Why hadn't he thought of that back then?
He'd taken all those beatings for nothing.
For the first time, Takeshi began to question his own intelligence.
Was he the idiot all along?
As Takeshi stood frozen in place, pondering life, Itachi sat down nearby to rest.
Though he had dodged Takeshi's attacks and even managed to crush his confidence, Itachi's young body couldn't keep up. On his final landing, he twisted his ankle.
Feeling the pain in his joint, the stubborn Itachi decided to rest for now and get it treated later once he was back with his father.
Takeshi didn't spend long questioning his IQ.
He had seen Itachi stumble during that final landing. Putting the kunai away, he strode over to the boy.
"Getting ready to go back—"
Itachi looked up at Takeshi and was about to grit his teeth and stand, but instead, he saw Takeshi crouch down and roll up his pant leg.
"Not bad, no broken bones."
Takeshi pinched Itachi's injured ankle gently and made his judgment.
Seeing Itachi's confused gaze, Takeshi rolled his eyes.
"What're you staring at? I'm at least a jōnin, okay? I've got that much observation skill."
After quickly treating the injured area and confirming there were no other wounds, Takeshi finally stood up.
"This kind of injury's not worth using medical ninjutsu. I'll take you back to my tent and put some ointment on it."
Without waiting for a response, Takeshi hoisted Itachi onto his back and started walking toward his tent.