Turn the time back to an hour ago, after Uchiha Itachi and Sasuke Giyuu separated.

The moment Weasel left the training ground No. 4, a slender black cat appeared from the transparency.

It was wearing a vest and carrying a small schoolbag. It was Weasel's ninja cat.

"Did you find out who it was?"

Itachi knelt down and asked softly, taking out a piece of spicy dried fish from his ninja tool bag and handing it over.

This cat has such a special taste.

"It's Fugaku-sama, nya."

The black cat curled up its tail happily and swallowed the dried fish after chewing it twice. It looked like it was enjoying it very much.

"He was hiding deep in the woods over there, using the wind attribute chakara to blur his figure. Even I almost didn't notice him, nya."

Itachi narrowed his eyes.

[No wonder I felt an inexplicable pressure before, but there was no hostility...]

As early as when the three of them had lunch together, Weasel felt something strange, so he went to the corner on the pretext of going to the toilet, called out the psychic cat with excellent vision, and let him explore the surroundings.

The result was similar to his guess.

After all, it was hard for him to imagine that other than his father, who else would be so interested in the three brothers (Obito & Zetsu: don’t q).

At the moment, Itachi still couldn't figure out when his father started peeping. How much he had seen and heard in the past.

Is Yiyong, who opened his eyes at the age of five, really worthy of his attention?

If he also knew that Giyuu possesses water-type chakra with extremely high affinity...

Itachi's expression gradually became serious, far from what he should look like at his age.

The more interested the father is in righteousness, the greater the danger that righteousness faces, and the higher the possibility that he will become a tool of a coup.

Therefore, he must find out how much his father knows; and what else does his father want to do now that he is still here.

"Thank you for your hard work. Go back and say hello to everyone for me."

Weasel touched the kitten's head and released the psychic spell.

Then, he separated two shadow clones and said to the first one: "I leave the mission of the Daimyo Madam to you."

"I understand. You have to be careful."

The first clone disappeared instantly.

In fact, Itachi had no interest in the mission at this time, but the Daimyo's wife was an important client and could not break the appointment.

Itachi turned to look at the second shadow clone: ​​"You know where Shisui may be. When you ask him to come, tell him to pay attention to my signal."

"knew."

Shadow Clone No. 2 turned around and ran at full speed in the direction of the Uchiha clan.

Itachi sighed helplessly.

Although he didn't want to infer his father with malice, what he heard and saw in the past few years told him that he must use the worst plan to predict the behavior of an Uchiha tribesman.

If his father really knew about Yiyong's situation and planned to use him to deal with the village——

[Then I just ask Shisui to use that technique to make him change his mind.]

For Itachi, no matter what his father asked him to do, it was fine, but Sasuke and Giyuu were his bottom line and should not be involved in such things.

Even if he had to break up with his father, he would still prevent this from happening.

After the two clones completely disappeared from sight, Itachi quietly returned to Theater No. 4 and lurked under the trees marked by the cat.

He opened his Sharingan and finally saw a dark green shadow twenty meters away. His father used the color of wind chakra to hide his figure, blending perfectly with the surrounding leaves.

After finding the target, Itachi immediately looked away to prevent being sensed.

[Obviously I have left, but my father is still waiting here...]

【What is he waiting for?】

Itachi frowned and made various guesses in his fast-running brain.

In the end, he still felt that he should stay here and wait for things to happen. After all, patience is the most basic quality of a ninja.

Five minutes later, the shadow clone searching for Shisui was released on its own, and the relevant memories were transferred along with it.

After a while, Itachi saw a crow on the treetop behind him, indicating that Shisui had arrived nearby and was lurking in the dark like him.

No one could have imagined that the most talented members of the Uchiha clan would gather together in Theater No. 4 just like this game. You stared at me, I stared at him, using the basic skills of ninja to...

, performed to the fullest.

Soon, an hour passed.

When Uchiha Flame appeared in this place, Uchiha Itachi couldn't figure out for a moment whether this was within his father's expectation.

If so, what exactly does his father, who knows that he should be on a mission at the moment, want Uchiha Enhuo to do?

Was it his father's own plan that lured him here?

Although he knew Shisui was nearby, Itachi was still worried that Sasuke and Giyuu would be harmed.

When Uchiha Enhuo was still a genin, he was a powder keg who dared to barbecue in public and connoted the Hokage-sama to be old, weak and fatuous. He often had conflicts with his fellow clan members within the clan, and it was not surprising that he did anything he did.

According to the information collected by Itachi, not long ago, because Uchiha Enhuo pursued personal performance too much and disdained cooperation with others, he failed to pass the jounin examination. He was also criticized on the spot by Elder Mito Kadoren, becoming the new jounin of Konoha.

jokes.

Since he couldn't prove himself through the examination, he set his sights on those young people in the clan whose strength was obvious to all, thinking that as long as he defeated them, he could prove that he had the strength of a Jonin.

Shisui, the most dazzling Uchiha, and Itachi, who was recognized by Shisui, were naturally on his list.

Itachi thought that he was slightly inferior to him in frontal combat, but he had many ways to defeat him.

But he also knew that even if such a person defeated him, he would stick to him endlessly and continue to challenge him, so he simply hid away and never went to the training ground within the clan again.

Unexpectedly, he actually found this place.

But when Itachi saw the Uchiha genin being suddenly defeated by Giyuu, he was shocked and decided one thing -

I can't let my father watch anymore.

Although I don’t know how much my father knows, the less the better.

So, he gestured to the crow, or Shisui's clone——

【They will leave it to you.】

He was confident that he would use tactics to deal with Uchiha Enhuo's bad temper, but Shisui, who had up to par in terms of physical strength, would only be faster than him.

[If the father leaves a shadow clone, destroy him.]

After conveying the news, Itachi transformed into an ANBU ninja, put on the disaster relief mask given by Giyu, and threw a kunai directly towards his father's hiding place, the kind that went straight, without using the Uchiha clan's kunai.

Throwing skills.

When the kunai flew over, it was caught between two fingers without any accident, successfully attracting Uchiha Fugaku's attention.

When the Sharingan, whose pupils were far more powerful than Itachi's, looked at him warily, Itachi felt as if the veins behind his knees were crawling with spiders, and he almost lost control of his body.

too strong!

Is this what it felt like to face his father's enemy?

And the difference in pupil power——

[Could it be said that father and Shisui have the same eyes? 】

The thought passed away in a flash.

Itachi came back to his senses the moment he fell into a trance, and escaped at great speed. After leaving the training ground No. 4, he continued to rush towards the outskirts of Konoha, but was soon chased away by his father who was even faster.

Coming up, the way was blocked by a volley of kunai.

At such a close distance, he didn't expect his transformation technique to be able to hide from his father's Sharingan, so he immediately changed back to his original state.

"Father."

Itachi turned around and took off his mask, bowed slightly and saluted.

Although his attitude was respectful, his face was gloomy.

Fugaku's expression was not much better after his secret was exposed - just now, the shadow clone he left behind was also silently destroyed.

And he could probably guess who did it.

"I have already made arrangements for Sasuke and Giyuu."

Itachi said calmly: "Next, I hope to have a conversation with you between father and son."

The tense atmosphere spread between the two.

Could it be said that the father and son, who have been estranged since two years ago, are finally going to show off their cards to each other?

…
To be continued...