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Watching the two little brats in front of him start bickering again, Itachi felt the fog in his mind slowly lift as memories came rushing back.
That's right.
These two kids were his and Izumi's children.
Twins.The boy was Uchiha Taki, the girl Uchiha Yue.
Right now, they were still students at the Ninja Academy.
As for the Boruto and Sarada the kids had mentioned earlier, they were the children of the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki, Naruto, and of his younger brother, Akira.
The more he remembered, the more the fragments in his mind snapped together like pieces of a puzzle. His memories grew clearer by the second.
He remembered now.
More than ten years ago, he had used the power of his Mangekyō Sharingan to resolve the conflict between the Uchiha clan and the village.
A war had been averted, and he had become Konoha's hero.
A few years later, the Third Hokage had grown old. His strength and focus waned, and he eventually stepped down.
With Orochimaru, one of the Legendary Sannin, having defected, and with Tsunade and Jiraiya both refusing to return to the village to take the position, the Hokage had to be chosen from the younger generation.
Itachi was the obvious choice.
He had ended the Uchiha crisis, brought stability and prosperity to Konoha, and possessed strength worthy of the title.
Backed strongly by the Third Hokage, and opposed only by Danzō Shimura, Itachi was supported by nearly every major clan in the village.
And so, naturally, he became the Fifth Hokage.
The first thing he did after taking office was investigate Danzō Shimura, gathering evidence of the crimes he had committed over the years.
After all, if you don't want people to know, don't do it in the first place.
Danzō's sins were far too numerous. Once Itachi seriously began digging, the dirt piled up fast.
In the end, Danzō's crimes were exposed to the public. Amid the curses and condemnation of the entire village, he was sent to hell.
At last, Itachi had avenged his close friend, Uchiha Shisui.
After that, he married Uchiha Izumi, who had always loved him. A year later, she gave birth to their twins. His life was complete.
At the same time, the village's next generation came into its own.
His younger brother Akira became close friends with Naruto, the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki.
The two of them were incredibly powerful, the strongest among Konoha's new generation.
The village grew more prosperous by the day.
Everything was good. Everything was peaceful.
"Come on, honey, try this tricolor dango! I've improved my cooking again. It's definitely better than last time!"
At the dinner table, Izumi gently placed a dango into Itachi's bowl, her voice soft and full of anticipation.
Itachi took a bite, his eyes lighting up.
"Huh? This is really good."
Izumi broke into a happy smile.
The affectionate scene made the two kids sitting across from them stare with open envy.
"Oh! I almost forgot about you two. Sorry!"
Noticing their looks, Izumi quickly put a dango into each of the children's bowls.
Watching the warm, lively scene, a smile spread across Itachi's face.
This was real.
This was the real world.
…
Without him even noticing, six years passed.
So good…
Sitting in the Hokage's office chair, Itachi gazed out at the blue sky and white clouds beyond the window and let out a heartfelt sigh.
Knock, knock, knock.
Someone gently knocked on the door.
Itachi immediately straightened up, grabbed a document and a pen, and put on the look of a diligent Hokage at work.
"Ahem."
After a light cough, he spoke in a calm, warm voice.
"Come in."
Creak.
A young ninja with a pineapple-shaped hairstyle pushed the door open and walked in.
"What is it, Shikamaru?" Itachi asked with a smile.
Looking at the young man, there was clear appreciation in his eyes.
Nara Shikamaru had inherited all the best traits of his father, Nara Shikaku.
Brilliant, level-headed, and incredibly capable. For six years, he had served as the Hokage's secretary, handling matters with flawless efficiency.
His only flaw was his laziness.
But compared to his talents, that was nothing worth mentioning.
All in all, he was an outstanding ninja, and Itachi thought very highly of him.
"Hokage-sama, the Chūnin Exams begin tomorrow. Will the test format be the same as previous years?"
Shikamaru looked at Itachi with undisguised respect.
"Oh, time really flies. It's already time for another Chūnin Exam."
Itachi looked up from his chair, a hint of nostalgia in his voice.
"Yes, keep the format the same. No need to change anything."
"Oh right. Your kid is participating in the exam this year too, isn't he?"
Itachi smiled at Shikamaru.
"Ah, my kid's nothing special," Shikamaru said, rubbing his temples with a headache. "He's basically just there to make up the numbers. I doubt he'll even make it past the second round."
Then he looked at Itachi with envy.
"Your two kids are the real prodigies. In this exam, they're definitely going to steal the spotlight."
"You're giving them too much credit," Itachi said, shaking his head modestly. "This time, all four great nations, plus several smaller villages, are sending their own geniuses."
"As long as Taki and Yue make it through smoothly, I'll be satisfied."
After that, Itachi pushed a thick stack of documents toward Shikamaru.
"Here, help me with these."
"I want to head home early and cheer the kids on a bit. Please. I'll treat you to a huge meal next time."
He looked at Shikamaru with sincere eyes.
"…Sigh. Fine."
Shikamaru scratched his head helplessly.
…
Wanting his kids to be in top shape for tomorrow, Itachi made a special stop at the marketplace on his way home and bought a mountain of ingredients.
Tonight, he planned to cook a proper meal for them himself.
Now he walked through the streets with bags in both hands. Villagers greeted him along the way, and he smiled back at each of them.
Soon, he entered the Uchiha district and arrived at his front door.
"I'm home."
Itachi pushed the door open.
The house was dark. No lights. Empty.
Normally, whenever he came home early, Taki would come charging out, excitedly asking him to teach new jutsu.
But today, there was nothing.
"Izumi, I'm home. Are you all here?"
He stepped into the living room, turned on the lights, and called out loudly.
His voice echoed through the house.
No answer.
"Anyone home? Taki? Yue?"
Still nothing.
Itachi's heart sank.
It was nearly dinnertime. Izumi would never take the kids out at this hour.
A terrible feeling crept into his chest.
Bang!
He threw open the door to the master bedroom, his and Izumi's room.
Empty.
Bang. Bang.
He opened Taki's room. Empty.Then Yue's room. Empty.
There was only one room left.
The storage room.
Standing in front of the door, Itachi took a deep breath, then slammed it open.
Boom!
Outside, the sky suddenly darkened. A massive bolt of lightning tore through the darkness, flooding the world with brief, blinding light.
And in that instant, it illuminated the scene inside the storage room.
Buzz.
Itachi's mind went blank.
Cold flooded his body, as if he had fallen straight into an icy abyss.
Izumi's eyes were wide open, frozen in terror. A long blade had pinned her to a worktable, blood pooling beneath her.
Uchiha Taki's body had been cut clean in two. He lay in a pool of blood, his eyes dull and lifeless.
The thick stench of blood rushed into Itachi's nose.
"Oh, you're back, Itachi."
A lazy, mocking voice rang out.
"How is it? The gift I prepared for you. Are you satisfied?"
Akira stood there in white robes, a ninja blade more than a meter long slung over his shoulder.
Skewered on the blade was a body.
It was Itachi's daughter.
Uchiha Yue.
"..."
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