Chapter 207 - Three Years Later
To become a scientist, you don't necessarily have to be good at fighting. Not every scientist is Orochimaru, and not every forbidden jutsu researcher is Tobirama Senju.
A normal researcher only needs vast knowledge, a powerful intellect, and that occasional spark of inspiration or imagination. Of course, it's even better if they also happen to know some ninjutsu and chakra nature transformation—
…
Meanwhile, in the ninja classes, several new subjects had been introduced. The one most unpopular among students was obviously:
Literacy Theory.
This subject included the most comprehensive bloodline limit encyclopedia in the shinobi world, biographies of powerful shinobi, and inspirational stories of growth.
Examples included:
How Kazane turned his "trash" status around.
How Might Guy rose from dead last to top-tier ninja.
How Might Duy, the eternal Genin, succeeded through sheer perseverance.
All were standard Konoha case studies used to instill the belief that hard work can change your destiny, that effort can bridge the gap of talent, and that with dedication, even you can become a top shinobi one day.
It drilled into the students' minds that three years of grinding could match the thousand-year legacy of a prestigious clan.
And real-life examples were everywhere:
So-and-so trained hard and defeated a Hyuga clan prodigy in sparring.
Another student overcame an Uchiha genius.
Yet another beat someone from a great clan, all through "effort."
These stories inspired the commoner kids to push themselves, even willingly buying into the system. They dove in headfirst, happily brainwashed by the dream.
And to be fair—it was all true. Those defeats really happened. The ones who lost were indeed from major clans.
But what no one said out loud. Those clans had put in a lot of effort to play along with Kazane's education reform.
They started pulling their true prodigies from school, opting for home education instead. The ones sent to ninja school were often side-branch kids with muddled bloodlines, barely favored by the clan.
Why?
Because if a true clan prodigy accidentally lost to some random student, it would wreck Kazane's carefully crafted "hard work beats talent" campaign—and they'd have to answer to him.
Only Uchiha Itachi remained the sole exception, attending school despite his status as a clan genius. Why? Because he was Orochimaru's student and a likely candidate for future Hokage.
These fantasies might have fooled the commoners, but not Uchiha Itachi. Educated by Fugaku, Itachi was far too mature for his age—he understood how the game was really played.
But what irritated him the most. Every day, some commoner kid would challenge him at school.
Of course, they never won. But after every loss, they'd puff their chests and say:
"Uchiha Itachi, you're truly a genius of the Uchiha clan. But just you wait. Through hard work, I'll rise up and step on all you clan elites one day!"
Or worse:
"Thirty years east, thirty years west—don't bully the poor youth!"
They'd say all this with shining eyes.
The more pathetic their beatings, the cooler they tried to act.
But what truly crushed Itachi's spirit. They never gave up. No matter how often he stomped them, they just kept coming back. Eventually, it seemed like they couldn't even sleep without a daily beating.
And since he was at school every day, there was no escape.
Today's appearance in the forest behind the village was a total coincidence.
Not long ago, Itachi had skipped class (as usual) to visit his younger neighbor, Uchiha Izumi.
On the way, he ran into Jiriku, who was on patrol.
Seeing Itachi so free while he himself was swamped with work, Jiriku got annoyed. So he found an excuse and dragged the kid along on patrol.
At first, Itachi was not happy. But when he realized that whenever he ditched school and said he was with Jiriku, even his teacher let it slide…
Well. That was a game-changer.
From that day on, Itachi made it a habit to seek Jiriku out every morning.
~
Jiriku casually swung little Itachi around by the collar. When the kid didn't resist, Jiriku got bored and tossed him aside, brushing the dust off his clothes.
"Alright, brat. I've got patrol today. No time to babysit. Go play with your little girlfriend or something."
(?)(?＼)
As soon as the words left his mouth, Itachi's eternally expressionless face flushed pink. His usual cool demeanor crumbled.
"She's not my girlfriend! Izumi and I are just… just friends!"
Jiriku had only been joking, but now he was intrigued.
Wait—do little kids these days actually have relationships? Isn't this brat only seven?
Thinking it over, Jiriku paused his patrol plans and reached out with a hand gesture: thumb rubbing between index and ring fingers.
"Huh… might be time to have a serious chat with the boss about kids dating early. Wonder what he'll do… lock the kid up? Tell their parents?"
Seeing the familiar gesture, Itachi's cheeks turned crimson—not from shyness this time, but pure rage.
(▼皿▼#)
Forgive him. He's still young, unacquainted with the evils of man…
…Forget it. This can't even be spun anymore.
Never have I seen such shamelessness!
Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!!!
With burning indignation, Itachi let loose a massive fireball. The searing heat warped Jiriku's eyebrows before the flame even reached him.
"Argh!"
Jiriku yelped, flipping away just in time to dodge.
But Itachi wasn't done. He launched a Leaf Whirlwind, followed by Awei-18 Style, then a Summer Princess Combo—and just like that, the two were play-fighting again.
Their brawl lasted a good while.
---
Three Years Later – By the River in the Forest
Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!!!
A massive fireball, over 10 meters wide, hurtled toward Jiriku. The oppressive heat warped his eyebrows instantly.
Yet Jiriku, ever the madman, spaced out mid-battle.
As expected of Uchiha Itachi. My pupil truly is amazing—casting such a powerful jutsu even in this damp environment.
Noticing Jiriku zoning out, Itachi's eyes glinted with mischief. His chakra surged.
Today, I ascend by slaying my teacher! Go, Fireball!
But Jiriku didn't dodge. Instead, he smiled ominously.
Itachi frowned—what was he up to?
Before he could react, the fireball engulfed Jiriku.
Gone. Just like that.
Melted?
Wait—melted?!
Itachi's mind raced. That had to be an Earth Clone! He's hiding somewhere!
But it was too late.
A large hand burst from underground, grabbing his ankle.
Earth Release: Headhunter Jutsu!
With no mercy, Itachi was yanked into the ground—only his head remained visible.
From beneath, Jiriku's bulky form emerged, beaming with pride.
"Brat… mada mada da ne~" (?￣▽￣)?
But then—he paused.
Something felt off.
This match had gone a bit too smoothly.
He looked down—and saw Itachi smirking.
A moment later, the "Itachi head" disintegrated into a flock of crows.
Damn it! Genjutsu!
Jiriku scrambled to release it, quickly forming hand seals.
But before he could finish, tentacles burst from behind and bound his arms, locking him to a giant cross.
Shit… looks like I'm screwed.
As crows reformed into Itachi's body, Jiriku considered his options.
But he was no stranger to defeat.
"Itachi, be a good kid. Think back—haven't I always treated you well? Come on, cut me some slack. Let your big bro go, yeah?"
But Itachi wasn't moved. Behind him, barbed green whips began to rise.
"Hehe. Finally, your turn, Jiriku-nii. This is my genjutsu world. Time here doesn't pass outside."
(￣ー￣)
"You ready? Welcome to your first 72 hours."
He waved.
The barbed whips lashed out.
Whip! Whip! Whip!
Painful—yet oh so satisfying.
Itachi had waited for this day.
Whip! Whip! Whip!
Sweet.
More... More!
…
Even Jiriku's steel-like muscles reddened and bled under the relentless assault.
But inside, he smirked.
Worth it. I've found a way out.
Despite being tricked into the genjutsu, Jiriku realized this wasn't a Mangekyō illusion. The pain? Too mild.
Just a standard Sharingan trick.
Time to break free.
"Welcoming Approach: Thousand-Handed Murder!!!"
Still bound, a giant Kannon-like statue appeared behind him.
With Itachi's smile growing stiff, the Thousand-Armed Kannon unleashed a barrage of fists, shattering the illusionary world like glass.
CRACK!
Reality returned. Everything looked brighter—bluer skies, greener grass, clearer waters.
From Anko and Uchiha Izumi's point of view, the two boys had just locked eyes for a moment—then Jiriku stood there staring into space, looking up at the sky and down at the water, like he was pondering life.
Was he… underestimating my Itachi?
Now freed, Itachi could only laugh awkwardly.
"Haha… Jiriku-nii, I'm tired. Let's cancel our match for today and continue tomorrow, okay?"
Jiriku grinned, flashing eight perfect white teeth.
"Sure. If that's what you want."
But he didn't stop walking.
He was already charging.
> "Welcoming approach: Thousand-Handed Murder!!!"
The warm afternoon sun bathed the forest. But deep within, one could hear a blood-curdling scream echoing.
Truly heart-wrenching. Enough to move one to tears.