"At first, some people laughed at me, but someone helped me." Uzumaki Kushina stroked her red hair and murmured, "Grandma Mito, do you know? Itachi and Mikoto are both very, very good people..."
Then Uzumaki Kushina chattered on, recounting everything that had happened that day.
Uzumaki Mito did not stop Kushina from continuing; instead, she patiently listened to Uzumaki Kushina's narration.
The Uchiha Clan had produced several very, very good people? Uzumaki Mito was somewhat bewildered, but more than that, she was happy about it.
Because of Senju Hashirama, Uzumaki Mito was not as hostile towards the Uchiha as other Uzumaki Clan and Senju clan members, even though Senju Hashirama's death was inextricably linked to Uchiha Madara.
But even until his death, Senju Hashirama felt that he had wronged Uchiha Madara. As an observer, how could Uzumaki Mito not know that Uchiha Madara had been forced away by Senju Tobirama?
If one were to truly consider it, Senju Tobirama might very well be the culprit.
Even Senju Tobirama himself had once said that as comrades, the Uchiha were more reliable than anyone else.
And Uchiha Kagami was clearly that kind of trustworthy Uchiha, so would Uchiha Itachi be the next one?
Uzumaki Mito looked at Uzumaki Kushina with deep eyes. Originally, she had wanted Kushina to become the Nine-tails Jinchuriki, which would also be a form of protection. But if that were the case, Kushina would clearly not be suitable for too much contact with the Uchiha Clan.
However, could she keep Kushina away from Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Mikoto?
Clearly impossible!
Kushina had finally made friends; perhaps she needed to find an opportunity to meet Uchiha Itachi.
After Uzumaki Kushina finished speaking, Uzumaki Mito comforted her with a loving expression: "In a few days, your Tsunade and Nawaki will be back from the Great Name's Mansion. You can interact with them more, and if anything happens in the future, you can tell your Tsunade."
"Tsunade?" Uzumaki Kushina hesitated. She hadn't met these two before. Although they were relatives—Uzumaki Mito was her great-aunt, and Tsunade and Nawaki were indeed her older cousins—since they hadn't met, Uzumaki Kushina's heart was still very anxious.
"Yes, Kushina, starting tonight, we will practice Sealing Jutsu for two hours every evening!" Uzumaki Mito then continued, "You don't want others to have to save you when you go out on missions in the future, do you!"
Uzumaki Kushina thought of the scene where her parents entrusted her to Uchiha Kagami and his team, and then remembered Uchiha Kagami covering their retreat for her. Her baby-faced little face nodded with determination.
........................
"Huff, huff, huff!" On the other side, Uchiha Itachi was panting heavily, his eyes fixed with determination on the Second Elder, Uchiha Yohei, not far away.
His single-tomoe Sharingan stared intently at Uchiha Yohei, his Chakra almost depleted.
Uchiha Yohei, standing opposite with his arms crossed, commented, "Your talent is excellent. You are indeed the earliest to awaken the Sharingan.
In terms of overall strength, you are already stronger than an average Genin, but your experience is still a bit lacking."
He paused, then Uchiha Yohei continued to add, "However, don't get too arrogant. When Uchiha Madara was your age, although he hadn't awakened the Sharingan, his strength was still superior to yours. He started killing at the age of three."
Uchiha Itachi felt somewhat speechless. Uchiha Yohei was indeed someone from the Sengoku era. Having followed Uchiha Madara, his combat experience was not something an ordinary Ninja could compare to.
However, comparing himself to Uchiha Madara was truly giving himself too much credit.
Even though Uchiha Itachi now possessed Indra Chakra, Uchiha Itachi found it difficult to guarantee that his talent was not inferior to Uchiha Madara's, or even better than Madara's.
Uchiha Madara was truly someone who had fought from birth until death.
Although the final boss of Hokage was Ōtsutsuki Kaguya, the sense of oppression Kaguya gave was not comparable to Uchiha Madara's.
Little did he know, Uchiha Yohei's eyes were filled with shock as he looked at Uchiha Itachi. Although Uchiha Itachi only had a single-tomoe Sharingan, the feeling he got was that its dōjutsu power was in no way inferior to a two-tomoe Sharingan.
He had taught Uchiha Kagami before and could clearly feel that Uchiha Itachi's dōjutsu power surpassed Kagami's. This discovery made Uchiha Yohei even more excited.
This child, Itachi, has even more potential than Kagami. In the future, he might be able to awaken that pair of eyes.
However, he couldn't reveal this matter yet. He couldn't let Itachi become arrogant, and he also needed to worry about others who might wish Uchiha Itachi harm.
Like Uchiha Itachi, Uchiha Yohei also harbored suspicions about the Uchiha clan leader and Danzo Shimura, but he could do nothing.
Despite being the Uchiha Clan's Second Elder and the leader of the dove faction, he was ultimately just an elite Jonin. With increasing age and hidden ailments, his strength as an elite Jonin was likely even diminished.
He could do nothing; in the future, it would have to depend on Uchiha Itachi himself.
"I still have a lot to learn." Uchiha Itachi gave a self-deprecating laugh, recalling how he couldn't even defeat the gate guardian in the battle space, which he indeed felt was shameful.
"Hmm, it's best that you understand that." Seeing Uchiha Itachi like this, Uchiha Yohei nodded in satisfaction: "From now on, after school every day, come here for my training, especially regarding the use of the Sharingan. You still have a lot to learn."
"Yes, thank you, Second Elder!" Uchiha Itachi said gratefully.
Regardless of the opponent's strength, he was ultimately a veteran of countless battles, with too much for him to learn.
This was the difference between Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Sasuke. Uchiha Itachi had a complete system to learn from, while Uchiha Sasuke could only grope his way forward on his own.
Even though Kakashi's reputation with the Sharingan was great, when it came to using the Sharingan, Kakashi could only be considered an amateur.
Over the next month, Uchiha Itachi maintained his daily routine of attending classes, having lunch with Uzumaki Kushina and Uchiha Mikoto, and being trained by Uchiha Yohei in the evenings. He could feel his strength improving at a visible rate.
If Uchiha Itachi were given another chance to challenge the gate guardian, he might not lose.
As for the other two Jonin, Uchiha Itachi currently had no such thoughts.
Finally, after training at Uchiha Yohei's house that day, the battle space finally refreshed.