The cliff loomed above him like a wall of stone, jagged and merciless. Gotham's outskirts weren't kind, but here, where abandoned industrial zones met patches of nature left to rot, Itachi had found something that called to him.
He stood at the edge, kunai clenched tightly in both hands, the city wind biting at his face. His nine-year-old body was small, deceptively fragile, but his eyes burned crimson — three tomoe spinning slowly.
This was madness. Even with shinobi knowledge, even with his Sharingan, even with chakra to guide him, a single mistake meant death.
And yet, his heart told him this was necessary. A test. A leap.
He took a deep breath.And jumped.
The world dropped beneath him. The rush of air howled in his ears, his body spinning down the jagged cliff face. His kunai scraped sparks against the stone as he dug them in, slowing himself just enough to keep from splattering on the rocks below.
His arms screamed with effort. The stone tore at his flesh. Once, his grip slipped, and for a heartbeat, he was falling. Pure panic seized him—until instinct took over. He twisted midair, flipping back into the cliffside, kunai stabbing into rock just in time to catch him.
The descent turned into a dance of death — flips, rebounds, narrow saves. He was bleeding, gasping, his body trembling with exhaustion and terror.
And then, somehow… he reached the ground.
He collapsed to his knees, chest heaving, rain mixing with sweat and blood. He had survived. Barely.
And the system spoke.
[Survival Milestone Achieved: Near-Death Training Trial.][Template Synchronization increased: 20%.][Current Strength: Chunin-level Itachi.][Upgrades: Expanded combat experience. Substantial chakra increase. Advanced Fire, Wind, and Water Release ninjutsu knowledge unlocked. Full Genjutsu knowledge (Chunin level). Uchiha Swordsmanship mastery (Chunin level).][Equipment Obtained: Standard ANBU Sword.][Body Adjustment: Aging recalibrated – nine years old.][Summoning Contract Acquired: Crows.][New Techniques: Crow Clone Jutsu. Shadow Clone Explosion.]
Power surged through him, flooding every muscle, every nerve, every fiber of chakra. His breathing steadied as his body adjusted, no longer that of a frail child but of a trained shinobi. His mind brimmed with new instincts — the subtle twist of chakra for genjutsu, the way a blade should flow in combat, the whisper of hand seals for elemental jutsu.
And then he heard it.
Caw.
Crows gathered on the cliff above, their black wings blotting out the moonlight as they circled. Their eyes gleamed red, mirroring his own. One landed near him, tilting its head, as though acknowledging a contract already sealed.
Itachi raised his hand. The crow leapt to his arm without hesitation.
He closed his eyes, exhaustion finally catching him, but a faint smile tugged at his lips.
"I survived."
But more than that — he had ascended.
In Gotham's endless night, the crows had chosen their master.