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***
"If you have any questions, come to me," Shisui Uchiha nodded, accustomed to Itachi Uchiha's reactions that seemed out of place for his age.
"You want to train a crow as a summoning beast, so you can use it as a medium for performing ninjutsu in the future, right?"
As a summoning beast, a crow has little destructive power besides obstructing the enemy's vision.
Therefore, its most common use is as a medium for releasing ninjutsu, reducing chakra cost.
"Have you started thinking about this from now on? Have you already learned ninjutsu?"
Shisui asked, looking at Itachi with a hint of surprise.
"Yes," Itachi replied.
His chakra was now sufficient for simple B- and C-rank ninjutsu.
With his experience and talent, he wouldn't need much practice to perform all the ninjutsu he had previously mastered.
Of course, knowing Itachi well, Shisui wouldn't be surprised that he could master ninjutsu within a month of waking up after two years in a coma.
He had just observed Itachi's shuriken-throwing technique from a distance.
With Itachi's skill, he was more than capable of graduating from the Ninja Academy.
However, Shisui probably understood why Itachi didn't do so.
He himself was a prime example.
The relationship between the Uchiha clan and the village was currently undergoing a period of change, and at this time, the Uchiha clan couldn't afford to pose too much of a threat to the rest of the village's leadership.
If the village leadership knew of someone like Itachi, they would undoubtedly view him as a monster and be wary of him.
Regardless of whether Itachi harbored any ulterior motives, his Uchiha origins and being the clan leader's son made him a threat from the political perspective of those high-ranking officials.
Knowing that Shisui had just returned from a mission, Itachi didn't bother him further.
On his way back to his home, the first thing he saw was the backyard.
There, Sasuke Uchiha was practicing.
Uchiha children are naturally stronger than their peers, so those with a certain ninja talent begin training from the moment they can move.
Itachi had also begun training around the same age as Sasuke.
Itachi landed lightly on the eaves of his home.
Sasuke, now so absorbed in his practice, hadn't noticed his return.
He could probably guess why Sasuke was so dedicated.
Because of the two years Itachi had been in a coma, the Fourth Hokage, Kushina Uzumaki, and his parents had become closer.
Sasuke and Naruto Uzumaki had seen each other frequently since they were infants, and as the Fourth Hokage's son, the latter naturally intended to become a ninja.
Naruto, inheriting his parents' excellent genes, possessed a remarkable talent for cultivation.
He had heard Sasuke mention that Naruto had begun training in chakra refinement.
Sasuke was still a little behind, not because his talent was inferior to Naruto's, but because Naruto, having inherited half the Uzumaki clan's bloodline, possessed a far stronger constitution than his peers.
As Itachi pondered this, Sasuke had already sat cross-legged in the shade of a tree in the backyard, his small hands, still somewhat rusty, practicing hand seals as he began to refine his chakra.
Seeing this, Itachi chuckled softly.
Training requires encountering an opponent to accelerate growth.
His cultivation also faced two towering obstacles.
Even though Itachi possessed the power of the Mangekyō Sharingan and could eventually regain full mastery over time, this strength was insufficient to achieve his ultimate goal.
The two figures he considered his towering strengths were naturally the surviving Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, and Shisui Uchiha.
The next day, Itachi and Izumi Uchiha went to the village market selling crow chicks suitable for becoming ninja beasts.
With a clear goal, Itachi quickly found a vendor of crow chicks.
The shop naturally didn't stock that many crows, so Itachi only came by appointment.
Arriving at the market, Izumi surveyed the area with great interest.
When she saw a white ninja cat chick, her gaze froze.
"If you want a ninja cat as a summoning beast, we have one within our clan," Itachi advised.
The Uchiha clan also had specially contracted summoning beasts.
While not a family of summoning beasts, the ninja cats there were generally well-trained, and their breed was much better than those at the market.
But Izumi, though a student at the Ninja Academy, was only seven years old.
She simply wanted to take the white kitten home as a pet.
Izumi's father was a Chūnin of the Uchiha clan, and her mother, a non-ninja, worked in other clan businesses.
Therefore, her parents rarely spent time with her.
To fill that void, Izumi bought the white kitten.
After visiting the Ninja Beast Market with Izumi, she returned home with the kitten.
Itachi, on the other hand, was planning to go find Shisui.
He had just approached the forest when he keenly sensed some noises.
So, Itachi slowed down and reached the edge of the training ground.
"Ding-dang!"
At that moment, two figures crossed paths in the forest, echoing the sound of metal clashing.
Without his Sharingan activated, Itachi's vision couldn't follow their movements.
But even without seeing, he could guess who was fighting.
One of them was Shisui, and the only person in the village who could spar with him there was Kakashi Hatake.
As Itachi approached, Shisui and Kakashi noticed almost simultaneously, paused, and looked towards him.
"Sorry to bother you," Itachi said, approaching them.
"It's you," Shisui chuckled.
"Kakashi-senpai, long time no see."
Itachi said, looking at the white-haired young man standing next to Shisui, also holding an ANBU sword.
The two had met two years ago at Konoha's Martyrs' Cemetery.
"I've heard both Minato-sensei and Shisui mention you."
Itachi continued, using this as a source of information about Kakashi's name to avoid the latter's suspicion.
He gazed at Kakashi, who had straightened the forehead protector that had been covering his left eye, revealing a scar running through it.
His left pupil was blood red, and three magatama slowly swirled within it.
"Sure enough," Itachi muttered to himself.
Kakashi had already evolved the Sharingan, left to him by his dear friend, into a three-magatama form.
Even a genius like Itachi couldn't help but admire Kakashi's talent.
Within the Uchiha clan, only a handful could achieve the three-magatama form of the Sharingan.
Furthermore, Itachi knew that Kakashi had later evolved it into the Mangekyō form.
While Kakashi's talent was indeed astonishing, and while the Mangekyō's power was certainly formidable, Itachi believed that possessing a higher form of the Sharingan wasn't a significant advantage for someone not from the Uchiha clan.
...
"Yeah," Kakashi Hatake looked at Itachi Uchiha and nodded indifferently.
His reaction was still the same as when he was in the ANBU, and he hardly talked to strangers.
"Since it's not convenient to spar today, I'll leave first," Kakashi looked at Shisui Uchiha and slowly raised his palm, as if about to start making hand seals.
"Your sparring with others is over, so come and fight me!" a slightly excited voice suddenly rang in the ears of Itachi, Shisui, and Kakashi.
A figure jumped out from between them.
Even Shisui was slightly shocked by his appearance.
Because before this person showed up, someone had been hiding nearby.
However, Shisui, Kakashi, and Itachi were not on guard because they knew who the person was just by the sound of his voice.
This man, clad in his signature green tights and a shiny black bowl-cut hairstyle, raised a thumb and smiled in front of Kakashi, his white teeth gleaming with light.
"Ah," seeing Might Guy, Kakashi's usually calm face shifted to a helpless expression.
He pressed his hand to his forehead and sighed softly.
"It's him," Shisui raised an eyebrow.
At this moment, Guy, standing in front of Kakashi, turned and flashed his signature smile at Itachi and Shisui.
"Hello!"
He looked at Itachi and introduced himself, "I'm Might Guy."
"Hello," Itachi twitched his lips.
"Next time," Kakashi saw this opportunity and started to leave.
But just as he was about to move, Guy blocked his way.
"As rivals, we must learn from each other to grow. That's what true youth is!"
Guy clenched his fists, his eyes blazing with fire.
"You and Shisui's fight was halted mid-fight, but the passion of youth must not be abandoned halfway. Besides, isn't it to further your own growth that you're fighting here?"
Guy's words seemed to touch Kakashi's heart, his languid expression turning serious.
"Guy is right. We're not strong enough yet, so we need to help each other improve," Shisui stepped in front of Kakashi and said, "Neither you nor I have our weapons sheathed yet. The battle just now isn't over yet."
Kakashi's eyes sparked with fighting spirit.
"Hehe, in that case, let's have a blast!" Guy said excitedly.
Then, the three of them locked gazes, each piercing with intent.
Swish!
Itachi, seeing this, stepped back, putting some distance between them.
His expression was quite significant.
Shisui, Kakashi, and Might Guy—these three were the foremost among Konoha's new generation of ninja.
Though none of them had yet reached their peak power, a clash like this was unprecedented.
He also wanted to see how far each of them had grown in the two years since the original history changed.
Just as Itachi retreated a certain distance, Shisui's eyes suddenly turned blood-red, and three black magatama appeared.
Although Shisui hadn't yet activated his Mangekyō Sharingan, he had already evolved it to three magatama.
"Chi!"
Simultaneously, the magatama in Kakashi's left eye froze.
"Third Gate, open!"
Guy shouted softly, and the air around him instantly rippled slightly due to a powerful aura.
A green energy glow gradually emanated from his pores.
"Eight Gates." Itachi narrowed his eyes.
He had heard of this taijutsu, a technique mastered only by Might Guy, but he had never seen it in person.
However, the power of the Eight Gates is undeniable.
Years prior, during the Third Shinobi World War, Might Guy's father, Might Duy, had once unleashed all eight gates in a single-handed battle against all members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.
Following that battle, Might Duy was killed, but the original Seven was reduced to three.
While Guy, as a ninja, lacked natural ninjutsu skills, his aptitude for taijutsu was rare in the ninja world.
Mastering the power of the Eight Gates wasn't something that could be achieved through sheer effort!
Swish, swish, swish!
Then, before Itachi's eyes, three shadows flashed by, colliding instantly.
"Bang!"
Shisui and Kakashi, each holding their respective ANBU swords, resounded with a thud as they clashed.
Guy, with his body, blocked the blows, the force so overwhelming that both were thrown back.
"What a powerful force!"
Shisui sighed as he retreated.
Kakashi had fought Guy many times, so he wasn't surprised.
"Hit, hit, hit!"
Guy pursued like a charging beast.
He lunged at Shisui, for Guy was also sparring with him for the first time.
Seeing this, Shisui gripped the hilt of his sword tightly.
"Boom!" A fiery glow instantly erupted from the blade.
He swung his arm, slicing a blazing blade through the air as he slashed at the oncoming Guy.
Because Shisui struck head-on, the distance between Guy and his weapon was less than thirty centimeters.
Shisui had never failed to intercept such a close-range attack.
But Guy, originally moving at high speed, forced himself to a stop with the power of his legs, then swung his body repeatedly, sticking to the blade and dodging all of Shisui's attacks.
Shisui had never seen such a physical move before.
After perfecting his swordsmanship, this was the first time a close-range attack had completely missed.
He wasn't in a hurry, however.
As Guy launched his attack specifically at him, Kakashi, standing nearby, had already seized the opportunity to quickly complete his hand seals.
"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"
"Whoosh!"
A powerful gust of wind erupted from his mouth, so strong it even reached Itachi, who was watching the battle, ruffling his hair.
Itachi, taking advantage of the three men's concentrated attention, had activated his Sharingan.
Two magatama now shone within his blood-red pupils.
With the chakra in Itachi's current form, maintaining the dual magatama Sharingan without any other chakra drain was no problem.
"This…"
Itachi had originally thought that after using the dual magatama, his insight would only be enhanced enough to clearly see fragments of the clash between Shisui and the other two.
However, he could now clearly see every attack, even partially catching Guy's evasive maneuver as he dodged Shisui's weapon.
He carefully examined himself and was surprised to find that although his Sharingan was still in the double-magatama state, his pupil power seemed to have been amplified, reaching a level comparable to that of the previous three-magatama state!
....
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