Regardless of the circumstances, it was imperative to report this matter and the mysterious organization to the Hokage as soon as possible. The stranger's space-time ninjutsu made Itachi extremely wary. With this in mind, Itachi returned home at top speed, needing to consult with his father first.
Just as he pushed open the front gate, a delicate-looking child rushed toward him.
Big brother!
Sasuke, who had just started his first year at the Ninja Academy, wore an incredibly pure smile as he lunged into Itachi's arms. Seeing his younger brother, Itachi allowed a rare smile to surface. He extended two fingers and gently poked the forehead of the charging Sasuke.
"Ah, big brother, you poked me again!"
Sasuke let out a small cry of pain and then muttered with a hint of resentment. Itachi's eyes crinkled with happiness.
"Sasuke, how is your schoolwork coming along today?"
As the son of the Uchiha Clan Leader, Sasuke's talent for ninjutsu was also formidable. However, compared to Itachi, he still appeared somewhat immature and naive. After all, at the same age, Itachi had already followed his father onto the battlefields of the Third Shinobi World War to personally take the lives of enemies.
Of course, Itachi did not wish for Sasuke to follow in his footsteps; what he wanted to protect most was precisely this innocence.
"It's all finished! I was the first one in the entire class to master the Transformation Jutsu!"
Sasuke lifted his chin slightly, his voice brimming with pride. Hearing Sasuke's confident answer, Itachi reached out and ruffled his hair.
"Very impressive. As expected of our family's little man."
Praised by Itachi, Sasuke grinned. Suddenly, he seemed to remember something and hurriedly pulled a wooden model from his pocket. It was a lifelike crow carved from wood.
"Big brother, this is a gift I bought at the shop after school today. I thought it suited you perfectly!"
Sasuke handed the wooden crow to Itachi, his eyes full of expectation. He knew that his brother liked crows more than anything!
The moment Itachi took the model, his expression shifted slightly before quickly returning to normal. However, Sasuke keenly captured that split-second change.
"What's wrong, big brother? Do you not like the gift?"
Sasuke asked in confusion; his brother was supposed to love crows. Itachi shook his head and offered a faint smile.
"No, I like this gift very much."
Hearing this, Sasuke cheered up again and asked, "Then can you teach me shurikenjutsu today?"
"I have other matters to attend to today."
Itachi stood up with an apologetic look, indicating that today was not possible. Sasuke could only pout and say unwillingly, "You say that every single time!"
As soon as he finished, he felt two fingers poke his forehead.
"Forgive me, Sasuke. Next time, for sure."
Leaving behind an apology, Itachi gripped the crow model and stepped back out of the house.
The moment he left the home, Itachi's face was instantly shrouded in a layer of frost. He let go of the model and gripped a kunai with his other hand. With a lightning-fast strike, he sliced the crow in two. A small slip of paper tumbled out from the center of the shattered wood.
"Meet me at Training Ground 8 in the Forest of Death."
Looking at the words on the paper, Itachi's expression became utterly cold. Indeed, the moment he had taken the model, he had sensed the chakra within it. It was Wood Style chakra, and it bore the signature of that man!
This was the reason for Itachi's fury. He could tolerate people plotting against him, or even against the Uchiha or the Hidden Leaf. But Sasuke was the one eternal sanctuary in Itachi's heart.
Since the opponent dared to target Sasuke, he would never be forgiven!
Itachi arrived at the address on the note at his maximum speed, where Simu had long been waiting. Seeing Itachi's arrival, Simu mockingly glanced at his empty wrist and said, "That was fast, Itachi."
Itachi looked at Simu, a terrifying killing intent rarely surfacing in his eyes.
"I am warning you. You had better not lay a finger on Sasuke, or you will die a very painful death."
"Tsk..."
Simu jumped down from a large tree, speaking with great curiosity. "I didn't expect that even Shisui Uchiha's death couldn't make you angry, yet your reaction is this intense after I just had one interaction with Sasuke."
Ignoring the mockery, Itachi asked directly, "What exactly do you want?"
Facing Itachi's stern interrogation, Simu spread his hands and said without concealment, "I simply want to witness your strength. That is all."
Having said that, he slammed his hands together.
"Wood Style: Deep Forest Emergence!"
Instantly, the entire training ground shook violently as if hit by an earthquake. Boundless vitality erupted from the earth as countless giant, crazily growing branches easily shattered the ground. Like ten thousand giant hands, they surged toward Itachi from every direction.
Such an exaggerated scene caused even the well-trained Itachi to show a hint of surprise. He expected Simu to attack, but he hadn't expected him to strike so suddenly!
However, he was ultimately the genius bearing the Uchiha name. After a moment of shock, he immediately responded.
"Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu!"
A massive amount of chakra gathered in Itachi's mouth as he wove hand signs, eventually transforming into a fierce dragon of fire that blasted outward. The scorching fire dragon pierced into the surging woods like a sharp sword, instantly turning it into a sea of fire.
"As expected of the Uchiha genius."
Battle intent flared in Simu's eyes as his chakra surged wildly.
"But if this is all you have, you are far inferior to Shisui!"
"Wood Style: Wood Human Technique!"
Within the sea of fire, a vast number of branches converged, constructing a massive wooden giant! Looking at the enormous titan appearing amidst the flames, Itachi's gaze flickered with uncertainty.
"Shisui..." Itachi narrowed his eyes. "Was Shisui killed by your hand?"
The giant took a step forward, walking straight out of the fire. The raging flames around it seemed unable to erode it in the slightest. Facing Itachi's question, Simu nodded.
"Shisui Uchiha did indeed die by my hand. To be precise, he was killed by me only after Lord Danzo defeated him and took one of his eyes."
Simu's tone carried a hint of regret. "The one I killed was not Shisui Uchiha in his prime. It failed to prove that the power of Wood Style is superior to the Uchiha."
At this point, the fighting spirit in Simu's eyes grew even stronger.
"So! I must defeat you here!"
As those words filled with surging battle intent fell, the Wood Human swung a righteous iron fist the size of a house, crashing down toward Itachi's position!