Although Uchiha Fugaku couldn't attack Ren, that didn't mean he would accept the claim that Uchiha Itachi might die young.
Fugaku glared at Ren with his three-tomoe Sharingan spinning in his crimson eyes.
"Ren… are you cursing Itachi?"
"No," Uchiha Ren shook his head calmly.
"I'm not that malicious."
"I'm simply stating a fact."
"Starting chakra extraction too early can affect a child's physical development. That's common knowledge in the shinobi world, isn't it?"
"Chakra itself is a form of life energy."
"The more you use it, the faster you die."
"After all, shinobi generally have very short lifespans."
Chakra was produced by combining a person's spiritual energy and physical energy in a specific ratio.
From a fundamental perspective, using chakra meant consuming both mental and physical vitality.
In other words—it placed a burden on the body.
When all chakra in a person's body was exhausted, it meant their mind and body had both been drained dry.
Death would soon follow.
In the original timeline, during Pain's assault on Konoha, Kakashi Hatake had died exactly this way—after completely exhausting his chakra.
Fugaku immediately argued back.
"There's still a key condition to that—excess!"
"Just like physical exertion. As long as it isn't excessive and you get enough rest, it won't cause permanent damage."
"I started training at Itachi's age too!"
Ren glanced at him indifferently.
"You're right."
"But here's the problem."
"Children don't understand what 'excess' means."
"When you evaluate Itachi's progress, do you actually observe his training process?"
"Have you ever clearly warned him about overexertion?"
Fugaku froze.
As the head of the Uchiha Clan and the chief of the Konoha Military Police Force, Fugaku was incredibly busy.
And with the war still ongoing, how could he possibly supervise Itachi's training from beginning to end?
Moreover, Itachi's unusual maturity made it easy for people to forget how young he actually was.
Many times, Fugaku subconsciously treated him like an adult.
Seeing Fugaku's reaction, Ren shook his head slightly.
No wonder in the original timeline Itachi had developed a terminal illness while still so young.
Cause and effect.
The roots of Itachi's physical problems had begun accumulating since childhood.
Ren continued calmly,
"The phrase 'great intelligence brings harm' means that someone who is too perceptive understands the complexities of human nature too early."
"That constant thinking consumes enormous mental energy."
"And that inevitably damages the body."
"Just like physical strength, mental strength is also limited."
"When the mind is overworked, the spirit suffers."
"And the spirit is connected to emotions and mental stability."
He continued thoughtfully,
"Anger harms the liver.
Grief harms the lungs.
Rage harms the heart.
Excessive thinking harms the spleen.
Fear harms the kidneys."
"The mind and body are one."
"When the spirit is exhausted, the damage eventually manifests in the body."
"Itachi is only five, yet he's already overexerting himself both physically and mentally."
"So when I say he won't live long…"
"There is logic and evidence behind it."
Ren's explanation was calm, structured, and impossible to easily refute.
Fugaku's face alternated between pale and flushed.
Just moments earlier, watching Itachi exchange blows with Uchiha Shisui had filled him with pride.
But now—
After hearing Ren's words, the scene suddenly felt unsettling.
"Enough!"
"Stop!"
Fugaku suddenly shouted.
The sparring between Shisui and Itachi halted immediately.
Both looked toward Fugaku with confusion.
They had no idea what had just happened.
Fugaku took a deep breath, suppressing the turmoil in his heart before speaking to Itachi.
"Itachi, we have matters to discuss."
"That will be all for today."
"Yes, Father."
Although confused, Itachi glanced briefly at Ren before nodding obediently.
"Ren, Shisui—come with me."
Fugaku turned toward the house.
But after taking a step, he suddenly stopped.
Then he turned back toward Itachi again.
"Itachi… go find your mother."
"Ask her to take you to the hospital for a full medical examination."
"Huh?"
Itachi froze in confusion.
"It's nothing," Fugaku explained.
"It's just to check your health so we can develop a more suitable training plan for you."
"Make sure the examination is thorough."
After saying that, Fugaku walked into the house without another word.
Shisui patted Itachi's shoulder.
"Go on. There's no harm in getting checked."
He gave the boy an encouraging smile.
Itachi nodded.
"Alright. I'll go in a moment."
At that moment, Ren suddenly spoke with a meaningful tone.
"Itachi."
"When you go, have your mother get a physical examination too."
"You might discover a pleasant surprise."
Itachi frowned slightly, completely confused by Ren's words.
Ren didn't elaborate.
Instead, he simply motioned to Shisui and walked into the house.
In truth, the thought had only just occurred to him.
If he remembered correctly, Uchiha Sasuke was a few months older than Naruto Uzumaki.
Which meant Sasuke should have been conceived around this exact time.
Although Fugaku had only returned to the village today, he hadn't been stationed permanently on the Kirigakure frontline.
The situation on that battlefield was different from others.
Kirigakure's attacks on Konoha were mainly amphibious raids, consisting mostly of small-scale encounters and medium-sized assault operations.
There had never been the kind of massive battles involving thousands of shinobi seen on other fronts.
Because of this, Fugaku regularly returned to the village every month for several days to handle administrative duties as clan head and Military Police chief.
And occasionally relieving stress with Uchiha Mikoto during those visits…
was perfectly normal.
Which meant—
There was a good chance Sasuke was already on the way.
After Ren and Shisui disappeared inside the house, Itachi stood there for a moment with a puzzled expression.
Then suddenly—
He seemed to realize something.
A hint of excitement appeared in his eyes.
He quickly ran toward the main hall.
Who said children understood nothing?
Itachi had long wished for a younger sibling.
Once he connected the clues—
Mikoto… medical checkup… surprise…
The possibility immediately clicked in his mind.
He didn't know how Ren had somehow learned about it beforehand.
But the thought of soon having a little brother or sister completely overwhelmed him with excitement.
His footsteps became light as he hurried away.
Right now, he only wanted to bring Uchiha Mikoto to the hospital as soon as possible to confirm it.
As for his own medical examination—
Itachi barely cared about it.
After all, he felt perfectly fine.
Right now, only one thing mattered.
His future little brother or sister.
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