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***
"Then our ninja team is officially formed from now on."
Shikaku shifted his gaze from Itachi to the ecstatic Daisuke.
He glanced at Shinichi and Itachi again, smiling, "I hope you can maintain the teamwork you demonstrated today during our future missions together."
"As a jÅnin teacher, I should have explained the importance of teamwork to the freshmen in my class."
"But it seems that's not necessary for you."
Itachi, Shinichi, and Daisuke had each demonstrated their strengths in the teamwork they had just performed.
Shinichi, in particular, might have played the smallest role in the execution of the operation, but as the architect of the entire plan, he was the most crucial member of the team.
Of course, if Itachi's strength didn't far surpass that of an average freshman, this plan wouldn't have been possible.
"Yes."
Itachi and the other two nodded respectfully to Shikaku.
"As your guiding jÅnin, the ninja team is officially formed, and I wanted to treat you to a meal to strengthen the team's cohesion."
"However, I have some important matters to attend to, so I'll have to hold off on this meal."
"Meet at the main entrance of the Hokage Building tomorrow morning to begin our mission."
Shikaku's gaze lingered on Itachi again, then he vanished in an instant.
Itachi silently observed Shikaku's movements.
He was probably heading towards the Hokage Building.
"Since Sensei doesn't have time, let's go celebrate first," Daisuke said with a hearty smile, approaching Itachi and Shinichi.
His face was still filled with the unconcealed joy of passing the test.
"That's not appropriate. Without Sensei Shikaku, we can't even be called a ninja team, true ninjas."
Shinichi's gaze lingered on Itachi as he spoke.
"Sorry, I've got to go first. See you tomorrow," he waved, and quickly left as well.
"Whether it's Shikaku-sensei or Shinichi, it's strange how clever people seem."
Daisuke held his head in his hands.
He had previously looked down on Shinichi, a classmate who'd been held back and ranked near the bottom in every grade.
But after what had just happened, he had to reconsider the seemingly fragile boy.
However, compared to Shinichi, Daisuke looked at Itachi with even more admiration.
This was naturally due to the strength Itachi had just displayed.
"If it's just the two of us, there's probably no way to celebrate."
Itachi shrugged, nodded gently at Daisuke, and said, "Well, goodbye then."
With a flick of his foot, he leaped onto a tree and swiftly headed out of the mountain.
With his speed, Itachi quickly caught up with Shinichi, who had left before him.
He had noticed something strange about Shinichi's expression when he left.
Unnoticed by Shinichi, he followed him all the way to a clearing in a more secluded part of the village.
In the open space, Shinichi crafted wooden stakes for practicing Taijutsu and targets for Shurikenjutsu.
After bidding farewell to Itachi and the others, Shinichi returned to his training grounds and began his training.
He knew that, despite his brilliant mind, strength was the most important factor for a ninja.
Without strength, no battle plan could be implemented.
The strength Itachi displayed truly shocked his peers.
The gap between genius and frailty was even greater than Shinichi had imagined.
Whether to bridge the gap or to increase his chances of survival in future missions, Shinichi knew he had to become stronger quickly.
However, his training talent was indeed lacking, and Itachi watched quietly from the sidelines.
Although Itachi wanted to offer him some training advice, perhaps even guidance, it was clearly not the right time.
Meanwhile, Shikaku entered the Hokage Building and arrived at Minato's office.
"Have you observed him already?"
Minato turned and chuckled at Shikaku from the window of his desk.
Shikaku nodded, a meaningful smile on his face.
"As you said, Itachi is an unfathomable young man."
...
Itachi stayed beside Shinichi for a while before leaving.
He was wearing a Konoha ninja forehead protector and walking down the street.
Amidst the endless stream of people on the street, a slightly plump, gray-haired old man came towards him.
Itachi saw the old man and quickly walked up to him, nodded at him, and said, "Hello, Dean Crow."
The old man narrowed his eyes, finally recognizing the young man before him, and smiled kindly.
"It's Itachi, it's been a while."
The old man before him was the director of Konoha's nursing home, and Itachi would often bring him some daily necessities.
Crow was a former ninja himself, having participated in the minor Ninja World War between Konoha and Suna during the First Ninja World War.
He was a contemporary of Chiyo of Suna.
He had also been seriously injured in that war, and after the war, the newly ascended Hokage, the Third Hokage, had reassigned him to a different position within the village.
The old man's face trembled slightly at the sight of Itachi's ninja forehead protector, and he couldn't help but sigh, "Itachi has become a ninja now."
"Well, I've been busy lately with graduation, but I'll make time to visit you and the other grandparents," Itachi said.
The elderly in the nursing home almost all had children who had died in the Ninja World War.
Therefore, supporting and caring for them was the responsibility of the living Konoha ninja.
After bidding farewell to Dean Crow, Itachi returned home.
Mikoto and Sasuke were naturally delighted to hear that Itachi had successfully passed the test to coach a jÅnin.
That evening, Fugaku had already received the news when he returned.
He then privately instructed Itachi on a few things.
Swish!
Even after successfully graduating, Itachi hadn't slacked off in his training.
After dinner, he dashed out of the house.
In reality, at his current level of recovery, this basic training wouldn't have any positive impact.
However, slacking off when there were no missions would dull his body's reflexes and instincts.
Itachi was incredibly fast, and in the darkness, few within the Uchiha clan could detect his full speed.
At some point, a figure suddenly appeared directly in front of Itachi's path.
The white robe fluttered gently.
Minato looked at Itachi and said with a kind smile,
"Congratulations! You've successfully passed Shikaku's test."
Minato knew Itachi well, and to him, this was nothing.
So Minato's congratulations have other meanings.
...
"So, Shikaku-sensei saw through my flaws?"
Itachi said helplessly.
His performance today shouldn't have revealed any flaws.
However, the absence of flaws was actually the biggest flaw.
"He was just suspicious,"
Minato said, looking at Itachi.
"You won't blame me for making this arrangement, will you?"
"You did this so I could learn something useful."
Itachi shook his head, sensing Minato's good intentions.
As a Hokage, the Fourth Hokage was far more merciful than the Third.
"I'd actually like to teach you something, but I've always lacked the time, and I'm not sure if I'm truly qualified to teach you."
Minato suddenly looked at Itachi seriously.
Itachi's talent was no less than his, having once possessed the MangekyÅ Sharingan.
"How's your strength recovering?"
He asked.
Itachi was reborn, and his growth rate couldn't be measured against the average genius.
This was because Itachi didn't need to go through a "learning" phase.
He was simply reclaiming what he once possessed.
"It's hard to say, but I think I should be able to fight any of the current Five Kage, except you."
Itachi answered truthfully.
He didn't know the Fourth Hokage's true strength, having never formally fought him.
But he was able to quickly identify the mysterious masked man's weakness and defeat him five years ago.
Minato was also the most powerful ninja in the current ninja world.
Otherwise, the Iwa and Kumo ninja wouldn't have issued such a humiliating order during the Third Shinobi World War.
Furthermore, five years had passed since that incident, and with the Fourth Hokage's talent and age, he would surely have improved.
"Is that so?"
Minato's eyes were calm.
Itachi's physique had been enhanced by Tsunade's drugs, and he inherited the Uchiha clan's bloodline.
Although only ten years old, his Chakra was already far superior to that of an ordinary ninja.
He raised his azure eyes to Itachi and said meaningfully, "How about it? Can you let me see your power?"
Itachi paused, his mind pondering.
The Fourth Hokage wanted to test his strength.
He could understand this, for, considering the position of Hokage, Itachi was a special individual.
Minato had just appointed Shikaku as his mentor, but Itachi's strength was already greater than Shikaku's.
He had already made Itachi a crucial figure in the future development of the village, so he naturally needed to know his level.
"I understand."
Itachi nodded at Minato, a hint of anticipation in his eyes.
"I couldn't ask for more."
In truth, he also wanted to witness the legendary yellow flash of Konoha.
Even more than a decade after the Fourth Hokage's death, stories of his deeds still circulated in the ninja world.
Although Itachi knew he couldn't hold Minato's full attention with his current strength, he should be able to discern some clues.
"This isn't the right place."
Minato glanced around, then instantly appeared before Itachi, placing his hand on his shoulder.
Swish!
In the blink of an eye, the two had vanished over the rooftops.
Itachi's eyes flashed.
He was already familiar with this spatial transformation ability, so he wasn't particularly surprised.
He glanced around.
The place Minato had taken him to should be outside of Konoha.
Of course, it wasn't far from there.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a specially crafted kunai stuck in a tree trunk nearby.
"That's all right. Go ahead and attack,"
Minato said calmly, standing two meters away from Itachi.
Chi!
As soon as he finished speaking, Itachi's pupils turned blood red in the darkness.
Within their blood-red irises, three black tomoe began to spin rapidly.
"Did they open their eyes directly to this degree?"
Minato had never inquired about the form in which Itachi's Sharingan had reopened after his rebirth.
Normally, each evolution of the Sharingan required arduous training and intense stimulation.
But it seemed Itachi didn't need to repeat these steps again.
Swish, swish, swish!
Itachi's Sharingan had just appeared when dozens of shuriken pierced the air, shooting towards him like wisps of light.
"What a swift move!"
Even Minato couldn't help but admire it slightly.
Shurikenjutsu was generally used in combat to lure and suppress the enemy.
Itachi's intention was similar, but the speed and angle of his shuriken were inherently an extremely sharp and lethal attack.
Even Fugaku, the current head of the Uchiha clan, couldn't match Itachi's mastery of ninja tools.
However, these shuriken, capable of blocking the movements of a jÅnin, naturally had no effect on Minato.
As Itachi launched his shuriken, his hands formed hand seals, his gaze fixed on the blond man before him.
He knew that his shuriken techniques would be of no use in delaying this man.
However, even with Itachi's amplified three-tomoe eyes, he could only faintly detect a flicker of golden light, unable to discern his precise trajectory.
Konoha's yellow flash, the Flying Thunder God Technique, dominated the ninja world, but his speed was far more than just that!
As Itachi formed hand seals, he spun around.
Minato was already standing by the tree behind him, reaching out to pluck the specially crafted kunai from the tree.
But Itachi knew full well that Minato hadn't flown there directly with Flying Thunder God, but had teleported there using a teleportation Jutsu.
"What a swift hand seal!"
Minato might not have possessed the clairvoyance of the Sharingan, but his reaction speed was among the fastest of the current ninja masters.
Itachi's hand seals were so incredibly accurate that they seemed almost unreal to him.
He had fought many of the ninja world's greatest warriors, and none had surpassed Itachi's in hand seal speed.
Of course, this clash was meant to test Itachi's strength, so Minato wouldn't just defend without attacking.
Drawing his kunai, he instantly appeared behind the young man, striking down with a swift blow!
"Ah, ah, ah!"
At that moment, a multitude of crows suddenly appeared around Itachi.
"Was that a summoning seal?"
Minato muttered, but a few summoned crows alone couldn't protect against his physical attacks.
At that moment, Itachi's hand seals shifted again.
A dozen crows behind him quickly spread their wings, linking together to block Itachi's back.
Then, Minato's slash fell.
However, this made him hesitate.
Did Itachi actually rely on a few crows to protect him from harm?
Just as Minato hesitated for a moment, a dozen crows transformed into Itachi's figure before him.
"So they're the medium for performing Ninjutsu!"
The specially crafted kunai, slashing down, stopped just a fraction away from Itachi's Crow Clone.
Buzz!
Minato chuckled softly.
The next moment, he felt a chaotic and violent Chakra surge from the crow clone before him.
"Clone Great Explosion!"
....
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