Chapter 73: Uchiha Itachi's Observations
Uchiha Itachi walked the road back to his clan's compound in a daze. Just now, he had questioned several villagers, and though the words differed slightly, the answers were all roughly the same.
It was hard to believe—he'd only left the village for a short time, and yet the Uchiha clan had become like this?
In the past, although the Police Force would occasionally have conflicts with the villagers, there was never an incident like the entire Police Force being deployed to brutally beat civilians in the streets.
"Could it be that Shisui just stood by and watched all this happen?" With such doubts swirling in his mind, Itachi returned to the clan's compound. But as he passed by the Police Force headquarters, a scene on the training grounds caught his attention once again.
On the training field, Uchiha Zaidou was hurling shuriken at a boy wearing Police Force training gear. The boy was stumbling and scrambling away, and every now and then, a Great Fireball would explode behind him.
Unable to dodge one of the attacks in time, the boy was thrown to the ground by the shockwave of a Fireball Jutsu, rolling several times before finally coming to a stop. When he looked up, his cheek was bleeding from having been scraped by gravel.
And yet, the man behind all this—Uchiha Zaidou—stood there shouting coldly:
"What's with that expression? That look in your eyes? And those tears—can they protect the village? Can they defend the Will of Fire?"
"Get up! Don't dodge—charge through my shuriken and jutsu!"
He pointed a kunai at the boy, barking the order with unrelenting sternness.
After a moment, the boy—Fujiwara Yōju—gathered his courage, shouted to pump himself up, and charged straight at Zaidou.
Zaidou launched several shuriken and followed up with multiple Fireball Jutsu. Fujiwara dodged skillfully while screaming, using substitution techniques when he couldn't evade completely. After a fierce struggle, he finally reached Zaidou and struck out with his kunai.
But Zaidou simply extended a hand and caught the boy's wrist, causing the kunai to fall.
Fujiwara Yōju, completely drained of strength, collapsed to his knees and panted heavily.
Zaidou glanced down at him with a cold gaze and said, "That's it? Pathetic."
Seeing this, Itachi frowned deeply, shook his head, and walked off toward his house.
"So even their treatment of comrades has become like this? The clan really is beyond saving."
However, after Itachi left, Fujiwara Yōju staggered back to his feet. Upon seeing this, Zaidou's eyes flashed with a barely noticeable glimmer of approval, though his tone remained cold:
"Finally starting to look like something. But it's not enough. Go home, get some rest. Tomorrow—double the training."
"Yes, sir!" Fujiwara replied, lifting his head with effort.
At that moment, a token was tossed into his hands. Fujiwara looked confused.
"I haven't claimed this month's stipend. Go collect it for me, then head to the Nara family's pharmacy and buy five sets of medicinal herbs for recovery baths. Use them yourself. Bring the remaining money to my office tomorrow morning."
"Captain, that's not necessary—I still have some money." Fujiwara hesitated.
"Take it." Zaidou snapped. "Keep your own cash to buy better food. If you slow me down on the next mission again, I won't be so lenient."
"Yes!" Fujiwara nodded, his expression tinged with shame. In the recent Police Force operation, only a few were injured—he was one of them. This had reflected badly on Zaidou. So as soon as he recovered, he was dragged back for extra training.
Still, Fujiwara had no complaints. After all, Zaidou was one of the most elite among the younger generation of the village. Even some jōnin would have a hard time against him. The chance for one-on-one instruction from such a powerhouse? Not something you came by easily.
After training, Fujiwara went home smiling, while Itachi finally arrived back at his house.
"I'm home!" he called as he opened the door.
"Itachi? You're back?" Mikoto peeked out from the kitchen with a bright smile.
"Mom? Is it just you here?" Itachi asked.
"Yes. Your father's still working overtime at the Police Force, and Sasuke went to his teacher's place to learn a new jutsu."
"Teacher? Sasuke has a teacher now? I wasn't told anything about this." Itachi was stunned.
"It's Clan Leader Douhuan," Mikoto said with a smile. "Sasuke doesn't have much of a talent for Fire Release, but he's more suited to Lightning Release. So your father asked Clan Leader Douhuan to teach him."
"What?" Itachi's expression changed drastically. "How could Sasuke become Uchiha Douhuan's student?"
"Itachi, that's no way to speak about the clan leader." Mikoto's gaze sharpened. "Haven't your father and I taught you basic etiquette?"
"Sorry, Mom… but—" Itachi quickly apologized.
"No buts. Sasuke really likes his teacher." Mikoto's tone softened again.
"…Fine." Itachi didn't argue. He dropped off the things he'd brought home and rushed back out. In his mind, Douhuan was a dangerous influence on his adorable little brother. He couldn't sit by and do nothing.
Sigh Mikoto could only watch her son rush out the door with a helpless sigh.
---
In Uchiha Douhuan's backyard, Sasuke quickly formed hand seals and summoned a sphere of lightning. Compared to when he first started learning, his progress was obvious—the ball was more solid now, its color shifting from a faint yellow to pale blue. Though still far from Douhuan's ghostly-blue refined version, for someone Sasuke's age, this was already genius-level work.
Sasuke then directed the ball to orbit the two of them before launching it skyward, where it exploded mid-air.
"Sensei! I did it!" Sasuke turned to look at Douhuan, beaming with anticipation.
"Mm, not bad at all." Douhuan patted his head approvingly.
"Then, Sensei, what are we learning next?" Sasuke asked curiously.
That question actually stumped Douhuan. All of the offensive jutsu he knew—whether learned or self-developed—were still far too advanced for Sasuke's current chakra reserves.
[To be continued…]
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