Uchiha Itachi's path as a ninja had been going quite smoothly.
He enrolled at six, completed just one year of study, and at seven, under the recommendation of his teacher Funeno Daikoku, graduated alongside upper-year students.
He was one of the rare top-tier prodigies among the academy's graduates in recent years.
After that, unlike his clan senior Uchiha Shisui, he did not form a team with fellow clan members. Instead, he was assigned to a standard genin squad, with teammates and a jōnin instructor who were both ordinary civilian shinobi.
Although they usually carried out simple missions, Itachi found it quite satisfying. He got along well with his teammates and believed that this was the proper starting path for a ninja of the Uchiha clan.
The shinobi world had largely entered a period of peace. Genin squads no longer needed to rush through missions to temper themselves before heading to the battlefield, so their daily routine was relatively relaxed.
Not long ago, they had just completed a C-rank escort mission for a merchant caravan. After returning, their teacher gave them two days off.
Approaching noon, Itachi, having just finished his training, sat on the engawa outside his home to rest. As he looked at the buildings of Konoha beyond the courtyard, he found himself contemplating the relationship between his clan and the village.
Recently, some of the more radical members within the clan had grown increasingly dissatisfied with the Uchiha's standing in the village. They had made tremendous sacrifices during the war and rendered great service to Konoha, yet had received no corresponding recognition.
Lack of rewards would have been one thing—but their situation had actually worsened. Even their clan compound had been forcibly relocated to the outskirts of Konoha. Such blatant exclusion was obvious to anyone with eyes.
Although it was due to the suspicions surrounding the Nine-Tails incident, driving out one of the founding clans of the village from its center without evidence was something most Uchiha—known for their straightforward temperaments—could not tolerate.
Itachi was still too young to attend clan meetings, but every time he waited outside for his father, he would overhear plenty of complaints from clan members as they came out.
At such a young age, he couldn't help but think: as a ninja of Konoha, wasn't fighting for the village only natural? Why dwell on gains and losses that held little real meaning?
Since the village suspected the Uchiha of controlling the Nine-Tails, shouldn't the proper course of action be to work hard to clear that suspicion?
If they kept complaining, it would only push the village and the clan toward an irreconcilable conflict, one that could ultimately lead to an irreversible outcome.
He felt that his clansmen were too narrow-minded. They constantly talked about "the clan, the clan," as if they had never truly considered themselves part of Konoha.
At that moment, Sasuke, who had seen his older brother return, happily put on his ninja sandals and jumped into the courtyard.
"Brother, you're free now! Hurry and teach me how to train!"
Itachi looked at his beloved little brother with fondness and beckoned him over.
Sasuke ran up happily—only to be met with a two-finger poke to the forehead.
Itachi tapped Sasuke's forehead firmly. "Sasuke, it's too early. Wait until you're a bit older."
Sasuke clutched his forehead, dissatisfied. "Hmph, you say that every time! So when exactly do I have to wait until?"
"At the very least, until after your birthday this year."
"Alright then, but you're not allowed to lie to me," Sasuke said, figuring it was only a few months anyway, and agreed. Then, as if sensing something, he suddenly looked up past the rooftop of their house and said, "Brother, look—the clouds in the sky were split apart by a giant."
Under normal circumstances, Itachi might have thought his brother was joking.
But he could feel the surging fluctuations of chakra from the outside. Stepping into the courtyard, he looked toward Konoha's back mountain and saw a towering chakra giant rising into the sky.
He said in surprise, "Makoto-senpai?"
Fugaku also sensed it. He quickly arrived in the courtyard, and the moment he saw the chakra giant, he exploded on the spot.
"Susanoo? How is that possible?! Who is it?!"
Itachi had read some of the clan's confidential records. "Father, is that the legendary Susanoo? But why does it look like Makoto-senpai?"
Fugaku: "…"
The hell are you asking me for? Who am I supposed to ask?!
...
Like the Uchiha, the Akimichi clan also fell into doubt.
Akimichi Torifu, an elderly disciple of the Second Hokage, looked at the mountain-like giant in the distance and muttered, "That's definitely the Expansion Technique."
Beside him, Akimichi Chōza, who had taken over as clan head, was confused. "The Expansion Technique can be that outrageous? What kind of food did he grow up eating?"
Torifu: "Is this really the time to be talking about what he eats?"
Chōza: "…"
Isn't that exactly how our clan works? If we're not asking what he eats, what are we supposed to ask—whether he grew up drinking air?
At that moment, members of the nearby Nara and Yamanaka clans also rushed over.
Nara Shikaku looked at the giant's familiar face in astonishment. "It's Higashino Makoto. Chōza, since when did he learn your clan's Expansion Technique?"
Chōza: "How would I know?"
Torifu: "Stop guessing. You should all go take a look. Won't you know just by asking? I've heard that kid is quite easy to talk to."
At the same time, throughout Konoha, many people were just like them—staring in shock at the two enormous figures that had appeared one after another in the distance.
Civilian ninja, the Hyūga clan, the Inuzuka clan, the Aburame clan…
Fortunately, after the initial brief panic, someone recognized that the giant was Konoha's genius hero, Makoto. The crowd quickly calmed down and began wondering what kind of astonishing ninjutsu this was.
On the rooftop of the Hokage building, Sarutobi Hiruzen's mind was filled with the image of the chakra giant that had just appeared. He was all too familiar with something like that—back then, Uchiha Madara had used this terrifying technique to fight the First Hokage.
The battlefield where the two had fought had been completely reshaped. Mountains were flattened, valleys were filled in, and in the end, a massive chasm had been carved into the earth—the Valley of the End.
That was not power a human should possess. It had already stepped into the realm of gods.
Fortunately, something reassured him—the white chakra giant looked different from what he remembered. It bore the image of Makoto.
And when the physical giant appeared afterward, it confirmed it—it really was that kid.
An ANBU suddenly appeared behind him, kneeling on one knee.
Hiruzen asked, "What's the situation in the village?"
"There was some panic at first, but things have stabilized now. Everyone has recognized who the giant is."
"Is that so? Good. Send out orders—say that this is someone from Konoha testing a new ninjutsu. Tell everyone not to worry and to carry on as usual."
"Yes!"
At that moment, among all those who witnessed this scene, the one most on the verge of collapse was Higashino Megumi, standing by a hospital window.
Of course she recognized that it was her son. But what she was thinking was: 'I understand ninjutsu—but why did Makoto become that big? How much food will he need to eat in the future to sustain that? It's over—the Higashino family is going bankrupt!'
Meanwhile, at work, Higashino Jirō was silently calculating how many days their savings could last.
...
In midair, still immersed in his own transformation, Makoto suddenly sensed quite a few Konoha ninja heading this way. Their speed was extremely fast, and before long, they arrived outside the dōjō.
He glanced at them. There weren't many, but they were all familiar faces—mainly two generations of Hokage, along with the current heads of several major clans.
All of them were representatives of Konoha's main powers.
Others had wanted to come watch the spectacle, but a single order from the Third Hokage had stopped them.
It was enough for these people to come and understand the situation. If everyone rushed over, who would handle Konoha's security?
Fortunately, these people only looked puzzled, not aggressive.
His figure slowly descended from midair like a feather, landing at the edge of the plaza.
That alone made everyone envious—ninjas who could fly held an enormous advantage in battle. Just look at Ōnoki of Iwagakure.
"Apologies, Hokage-sama, Third Hokage-sama, and all clan heads and senpai. I caused quite a disturbance while testing a new ninjutsu and alarmed everyone."
Hiruzen asked, "Makoto, have you made progress in your recent training?"
"Yes, Third Hokage-sama. I got a bit carried away for a moment. My apologies."
Hiruzen was deeply pleased. "Oh? It seems your results are quite impressive. Still, it would be best to explain things to the clan heads, so no misunderstandings arise."
Makoto naturally understood his meaning. Ninja clans were extremely sensitive about the leakage of their secret techniques. Even ordinary ninja would not easily reveal their own techniques.
These were the foundations of their survival in the shinobi world. Even when they joined Konoha, the village had never required them to hand over such secrets—only to contribute some unimportant, basic techniques to help build Konoha's ninjutsu archive.
If something involved the leakage of a clan's secret technique and no one came to ask about it, how could they explain it back to their clansmen?
Makoto said, "Of course. Please come inside. Welcome, everyone, to my dōjō."
Inside the main reception room of the courtyard facing the plaza, everyone sat cross-legged on the wooden floor.
The dōjō was currently just a place for Makoto's training. He didn't live there yet, so it was quite empty—there wasn't even a place to prepare tea.
Fortunately, no one had come to drink tea, so no one minded these details.
Fugaku was quite anxious, but after glancing around, he saw that none of those present were ordinary ninja. Everyone had at least some knowledge of Uchiha secrets.
Even so, though eager, his tone remained relatively restrained.
"Makoto, that chakra giant transformation ninjutsu you used just now… was it Susanoo?"
"Fugaku-ojisan, what is Susanoo?"
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