In the afternoon, the Ninja Academy let out, and Kagaya and Sasuke left the school, heading toward the Uchiha Clan's compound.
As they walked, Kagaya chatted idly with Sasuke while thinking about the scene he had witnessed that morning.
That "starry sky" seemed to be a system. It claimed to have found a once-in-a-century genius in Kagaya back on Earth and brought him to this world. In the future, it might even send him to other worlds.
Hearing this, Kagaya's first reaction at the time was to jump up and curse the system for being utterly despicable!
He was thrilled to transmigrate into the "Naruto" world, and even more excited to be part of the overpowered Uchiha Clan. But why, of all times, did it have to be right before the clan's massacre? This was practically the worst possible moment!
If this lousy system had sent him back a bit earlier—ideally to Kakashi's generation—being an Uchiha would have been an absolute trump card!
If he had been sent to the Warring States period, with enough effort, the Uchiha identity would have been like a cheat code.
In short, transmigrating to Naruto and Sasuke's generation was the worst era. In the near term, the Uchiha massacre was looming just months or a year away.
In the long term, "Naruto" had a distinct trait: in the early stages, everyone dutifully formed hand signs and used ninjutsu, engaging in strategic battles with great excitement. But from the mid-to-late stages, starting with Itachi's Susanoo debut, the power levels skyrocketed. Meteors, giants tens or hundreds of meters tall—everything came into play.
Naruto and Sasuke, with their overpowered backgrounds, saw their strength soar at a ridiculous pace. But Kagaya didn't dare assume he could keep up with their progress. If he fell behind, he'd likely die at the hands of Obito or Madara in the future. For the sake of his survival, he had to drastically boost his strength in an extremely short time.
The problem was, Kagaya had no confidence in matching Naruto and Sasuke's growth speed. Why? Because those two were true prodigies/the chosen ones. At 12, when they graduated from the Ninja Academy, they were barely better than average genin. Yet, in just five years, by age 17, they had reached Six Paths-level power!
Five years! Five years! What kind of insane speed was that?
So, no matter how he thought about it, Kagaya felt this broken system was screwing him over.
Of course, the system denied all of Kagaya's accusations, solemnly claiming it was all random.
"Kagaya! Kagaya!"
"Huh?"
Kagaya looked at Sasuke, startled.
Sasuke sighed helplessly. "We're at my house. Stop spacing out."
Kagaya scratched his head sheepishly. "Haha, don't mind me."
"I don't mind," Sasuke replied.
As Kagaya and Sasuke chatted, a voice suddenly called out from behind them.
"Oh, Sasuke, Kagaya, you're back? You beat me here."
Kagaya turned around and saw a tall, slender young man wearing an Anbu uniform, a short sword strapped to his back, and two distinctive tear troughs on his face.
Uchiha Itachi! A pivotal figure in the entire "Naruto" story and, for Kagaya, the most critical person in the next six months to a year, as far as he could tell.
Itachi was five years older than Kagaya and Sasuke, making him around 11 years old now. But his appearance made him look more like a 16- or 17-year-old than an 11-year-old boy. During the massacre, Itachi would be about 12. It was hard to imagine the resolve it took for a 12-year-old to raise a blade against his entire clan and willingly bear the weight of that sin.
Was it countless hands that forced this boy onto such a cruel path? Or did he, knowing there was no turning back, cast aside those hands and walk that path himself?
In that moment, Kagaya suddenly wanted to ask Itachi:
'Do you regret it?'
Or perhaps…
Kagaya glanced at Sasuke beside him.
'Will you do it again?'
As Kagaya's thoughts wandered, Sasuke had already run happily to Itachi, speaking excitedly.
"Brother, Kagaya's here to train with you again! Teach us today, please?"
Itachi smiled gently and flicked Sasuke's forehead.
"Sasuke, I just got back from a mission. I'm exhausted. Next time, okay?"
Then, Itachi walked over to Kagaya, flicked his forehead as well, and smiled just as gently.
"And you, Kagaya, same goes. Next time. You should hurry home now, or Takayuki-sama might blame me, haha."
Kagaya rubbed his forehead and replied helplessly, "Got it."
Sasuke, also rubbing his forehead, glared at Itachi with a pout.
Despite the kids' resentment, Itachi just smiled as always, gentle and unruffled, before heading inside.
Soon after, Kagaya left. Meanwhile, after dinner, Itachi sat in his father's room, facing him.
"Itachi, did Kagaya come looking for you again?" The speaker wore a kimono and had a stern, square face. This was Itachi's father, Uchiha Fugaku.
Itachi nodded. "Yes, Father."
Fugaku frowned slightly. "I've observed that boy. He's very diligent. I don't know about his ninjutsu talent, but his effort alone qualifies him to be called a genius. If you have time, guide them a bit. The Uchiha's relationship with Konoha's leadership is extremely tense right now. I only hope these younger generations can grow up quickly."
Itachi's expression remained neutral, his thoughts unreadable.
"I understand, Father."
Meanwhile, on his way home, Kagaya unexpectedly ran into someone.
Dressed in black, with a short sword on his back and an unusual "dumpling nose" for an Uchiha.
Kagaya spoke up in surprise. "Senior Shisui? What are you doing here?"
Shisui smiled lightly, giving off the same warm, spring-like feeling as Itachi when dealing with kids like Kagaya and Sasuke.
"Oh, Kagaya, it's you. Nothing much, just wandering around. Where are you headed?"
Kagaya answered honestly, "I just went with Sasuke to his house to find Senior Itachi, hoping he'd train us. As expected, he turned us down again."
Shisui burst out laughing. "Still the same, huh? Haha."
Kagaya suddenly remembered something and hurriedly said, "Oh, Senior Shisui, can you teach me ninjutsu?"
Shisui paused, his laughter stopping. He pointed to himself. "Huh? Me?"
Kagaya nodded eagerly. "Yeah!"
Shisui thought for a moment, then smiled again. "Alright. Go home and tell Takayuki-sama first. Tomorrow after school, wait for me at your house. I'll come find you."
Kagaya's face lit up. "Really?"
Shisui, seeing his excitement, chuckled. "Of course it's true."
After a brief chat, Kagaya continued home, while Shisui stayed in place, watching Kagaya's back as he pondered something.
Just moments ago, Kagaya hadn't noticed, but during their conversation, he had fallen under Shisui's genjutsu. In that illusion, Shisui had asked him one question:
"Why are you trying to get close to Itachi?"
Kagaya had always seemed unusually interested in Itachi, constantly seeking him out. Both Itachi and Shisui had noticed this. If it was just a child's innocent admiration, neither would mind—in fact, they'd be pleased. But with the growing tension between Konoha and the Uchiha, Shisui had to be cautious. He tested Kagaya to determine if he was a spy planted by Konoha's leadership.
Though just a child, they couldn't be too careful. And the result? In the genjutsu, Kagaya couldn't lie, and Shisui got a very interesting answer.
Thinking about Kagaya's response in the illusion, Shisui decided he needed to talk to Itachi immediately!