"Ninjutsu is meant to counter techniques and gain the upper hand, not to create openings for your enemies."
A massive flaming lion charged toward Itachi.
Itachi's voice lingered in the air, dissipating as if it had never been.
The figure, however, had long vanished without a trace.
"You vile Uchiha brat, what do you know?!"
Watching his comrade fall, the remaining ANBU operative's eyes flashed with sorrow, then fury, as he roared in anger.
A sea of flames surged once more from his mouth, intending to burn down the bothersome trees around him. He wanted to leave no place for this brat to hide.
His mind, however, was now a mess.
Two elite ANBU members—one killed by this kid, and then mocked.
This made him furious, especially since he'd looked down on Itachi from the start.
---
"Quite a bit of chakra you've got there, and you know a decent amount of ninjutsu. What's next, this move…?"
Before he realized it, Itachi had appeared in front of the ANBU operative, watching him quickly weave hand signs.
Itachi stood there calmly, watching his opponent form seals.
And just as the opponent was about to finish, Itachi opened his mouth.
A molten fire jutsu erupted from Itachi, targeting the ANBU operative preparing to unleash his own jutsu.
---
The ANBU operative was initially enraged that this brat dared to walk up to him and look at him with such contempt.
His fury drove him to weave seals even faster, pushing beyond his limits.
Filled with anger, he was determined to incinerate this arrogant kid who didn't know his place.
He hadn't expected, however, that the brat would cast a jutsu faster than he could, without even forming hand signs…
"Is this some kind of witchcraft?"
His movements froze, and he muttered under his breath, his eyes filled with disbelief.
---
"An illusion!"
Itachi's figure emerged from behind the ANBU operative. The ANBU-issued sword he held pierced straight into the man's heart.
The scene shifted.
The ANBU operative stood motionless, staring ahead.
His pupils were dilated, lifeless.
A bloodstained blade protruded from his chest.
The battlefield showed no signs of the fire jutsu that had supposedly been released.
It had been nothing more than an illusion cast when Itachi forced him back.
---
Pulling the bloodied sword from the ANBU operative, Itachi let a stream of hot blood spill.
The ANBU's lifeless body collapsed onto the ground.
Itachi flicked the blood from his sword, then crouched down, slightly annoyed. He wiped the blade on the cleanest part of the ANBU's cloak.
Replaying the battle in his mind, Itachi stood up after a moment of reflection.
He turned to leave, leaving behind a single remark that lingered in the air.
"Whoever said avoiding my eyes would stop my illusions was far too naive…"
---
As a genius of the Uchiha clan, Itachi knew that no one would be foolish enough to look directly into his eyes during battle.
He had long developed a unique genjutsu technique to compensate.
This technique was intricate, breaking the conventional limits of genjutsu that required eye contact.
However, it was still imperfect.
The prerequisites were numerous, and it was challenging to subtly draw someone into the illusion without their notice.
After all, when battling an Uchiha, opponents are always on guard, prepared to counter genjutsu.
---
"Itachi-kun, enjoying yourself?"
A young man appeared before Itachi. His ninja forehead protector bore a prominent scratch, and behind the mask, Obito's twisted expression curled into a slight smile.
"It was enjoyable, but it's not enough—I still have a long way to go…"
Itachi replied softly, his tone calm as he gazed at the man in the dirt-yellow mask.
"Let's go. Take me to your organization."
Itachi's words left no room for negotiation.
Obito paused, surprised by Itachi's seemingly changed demeanor.
The Itachi he remembered was calm and reserved.
But this Itachi felt different—arrogant, bold, almost domineering.
Obito shook his head, trying to dismiss his doubts.
He couldn't figure it out. How could Itachi have changed so much in just a few hours…
…
Then, he remembered: Itachi was only twelve years old right now.
It was normal for someone his age to become a bit arrogant after discovering their own strength.
He thought back to his own younger self. When he first mastered the Fireball Jutsu, he had strutted around as if he were invincible, eager to test it out on someone and roast them like skewers.
At this thought, Obito's mood instantly worsened, and he fell silent.
A young figure flashed through his mind…
"Rin, wait for me. I will create a world with you in it again… A world without you is a world I refuse to accept…"
Obito roared in his heart.
At that moment, he wasn't feeling any better.
…
The two of them walked on in silence, with one following the other. Their footsteps were the only sound in the quiet morning.
Having lost interest in conversation, Obito retreated into his own thoughts and found everything meaningless.
Itachi, on the other hand, walked calmly, occasionally glancing at the scenery around him.
Even the constant war hadn't destroyed the beauty of the landscape.
Although there were traces of destruction here and there, time had concealed most of them, making it seem as though nothing was ever truly harmed.
After an intense and exhilarating battle, the tranquil scenery felt just right.
…
Of course, there was one minor imperfection.
Itachi noticed that his vision had deteriorated significantly.
In the near future, the world around him might become increasingly blurred.
That was why he was so eager to take in everything now.
Soon, a sliver of dawn began to rise on the horizon. The clouds in the sky, white and pure, appeared to be grilled to a golden brown by the sunlight, resembling roasted meat…
The sun itself had not yet fully risen.
Looking at this scene, Itachi suddenly realized he was a little hungry.
…
"Hey…"
Itachi stopped in his tracks, halting abruptly.
Hearing Itachi's voice, Obito stopped as well and turned back with a hint of confusion.
"What is it?"
Obito's tone carried a trace of curiosity, his earlier aloofness seemingly gone.
Of course, this conclusion could only be drawn from his voice.
After all, with Obito wearing a mask, Itachi couldn't see his expression.
"Well, I'm hungry. Let's catch some small animals to roast and eat…"
In hindsight, Itachi, who had a lifelong love of sweets but endured so much bitterness, was determined to treat himself better in this new chance at life.
He was adamant about not following the same path as in the original story.
…
"You're such a troublesome brat…"
Hearing Itachi's words, Obito muttered softly under his breath.
A moment later, his stomach growled loudly.
In the stillness of the morning, the sound was particularly jarring.
Beneath the mask, a faint blush quickly spread across Obito's face.
Unfortunately, Itachi couldn't witness this amusing moment and could only imagine that Obito had a rather thick skin.
Even when betrayed by his own stomach, he managed to act unbothered.
Soon, the two of them activated their Sharingan to begin hunting.
With the Sharingan, they scanned the grass for the faintest traces of small animals.
"It's so early… Where could there possibly be any… animals?"
Recalling Itachi's mention of roasted meat, Obito couldn't help but swallow audibly.
Beneath the mask, his eyes darted around, scanning every nook and cranny…
…
Leaning against a tree, Itachi watched as Obito busied himself with the hunt.
After a while, having found no traces of animals, Itachi began to feel bored and decided to slack off.
Watching Obito, who looked like a seasoned hunter, Itachi crossed his legs and casually bit down on a blade of grass, his gaze distant.
At this moment, Itachi seemed like someone transported back to the 21st century—sometimes aloof, sometimes passionate, and occasionally lazy.
Since Obito still had use for him and wouldn't harm him just yet, Itachi allowed himself to relax slightly, savoring the small joys of life.
…
"Annoying brat…"
Obito returned, holding two cleaned small animals in his hands. Seeing Itachi lounging around, he felt a surge of irritation.
Suppressing the urge to smack the kid, he muttered under his breath, repeatedly reminding himself that Itachi was still useful.
"Hey, brat, go gather some firewood."
Seeing Itachi still lost in thought, Obito swallowed his frustration and spoke calmly.
Itachi's pupils refocused as he looked at the figure holding the prey in front of him.
"Got it."
Itachi stood up and patted the pants that had become damp with dew and dirt.
He then turned and left.
...
Looking at Itachi, who had already walked far away.
The forehead beneath Obito's mask furrowed.
"This brat is like he has multiple personalities, switching between different behaviors. Which one is his true nature?" Obito thought to himself...
"Grrr..."
His stomach growled again in displeasure.
Obito snapped back to reality.
"Why hasn't this brat returned yet?"
Obito sat on the ground, holding the prey, which was still dripping with blood, feeling a bit irritable.
...
"I found something interesting. It can be put inside the prey's stomach to make it taste better later."
Itachi's figure appeared in front of Obito.
He then bent down and placed the dry twigs he had gathered on the ground.
Then, without any grace, he sat down on the ground and took out some spices he had found from his robes.
He carefully began to prepare them.
"Brat, has Konoha become so corrupt already? You're doing a mission and you have fresh food and military rations to eat, and now you're so particular?"
Obito, watching Itachi fuss with the herbs, grew impatient and said irritably.
...
"A mission is a mission, and life is life…"
Hearing Obito's sarcastic words, Itachi responded, as he continued to prepare the strange plants.
Obito didn't say anything more. He started forming hand seals and released a small fireball onto the pile of dry twigs in front of him.
Seeing the twigs catch fire, Obito's mood improved slightly.
"I really can't figure you out. Last night, you killed your own parents and slaughtered your entire clan. And today, it's as if nothing ever happened."
With his mood slightly improved, Obito sneered mockingly at Itachi, venting his dissatisfaction.
His ears were waiting for Itachi's response.
He was constantly trying to build a personality profile for Itachi, gathering information on him.
But Itachi kept undermining his assumptions, which left Obito feeling helpless.
...
"Didn't you call yourself Uchiha Madara? Didn't you also kill with pleasure and show no hesitation when gouging out eyes?"
Hearing Obito's words, Itachi answered, recalling the scenes from last night in his mind.
Obito paused slightly as he used kunai to carve the branch.
"Betrayed me... a foolish clan, that's all…"
The atmosphere grew quiet again. The relatively amicable mood earlier had been completely destroyed by the verbal jabs and emotional wounds.
The two masters of acting were putting on a performance, collecting information about each other through close contact.
"It's up to you..."
Obito stopped carving the stick and threw the straight branch to Itachi.
Then he lay down on the ground, resting his hands behind his head.
He stared blankly at the sky, as if Itachi had broken through his defenses.
...
The branch landed beside Itachi.
Itachi didn't take the branch. Instead, his eyes turned blood-red.
The Mangekyō Sharingan appeared in his eyes.
Black flames surrounded Obito's body.
In an instant, Amaterasu flames erupted!
---