Naruto: Starting with Tsunade

Chapter 30 The Arrival of Uchiha Madara

Those who fall under the Sharingan's genjutsu are manipulated like puppets, and Aokiji is no exception.

Elder Itachi didn't waste any words and went straight to the crucial question: "Have you... awakened the Sharingan?"

He held his breath and waited quietly for the answer.

Aokiji nodded, his eyes glazed over.

Elder Itachi took a breath, his calm expression flickering with emotion: "Let me see your Sharingan."

Not long after he finished speaking, Aokiji's eyes turned crimson, and small circles appeared in his round pupils, each containing a magatama-shaped pattern.

This is the Sharingan, a dojutsu that the Uchiha clan is very proud of.

Upon seeing those eyes, Elder Itachi could no longer suppress his emotions, and his breathing became rapid.

The child in front of me was born with two bloodline limits, no wonder he has such a huge amount of chakra at such a young age.

When did your Sharingan awaken?

Five years old.

Upon hearing this, Elder Itachi was both surprised and delighted.

He awakened the Sharingan at the young age of five.

Having good aptitude doesn't necessarily mean awakening one's Sharingan early. A prime example is Madara Uchiha, whose Sharingan awakened relatively late, but that didn't prevent him from becoming the strongest Uchiha ninja in history.

However, a ninja who awakens his Sharingan earlier is unlikely to have poor aptitude.

If I remember correctly, at this age, his grandmother passed away, which seems to have been a huge blow to him.

To awaken the Sharingan at the age of five requires both opportunity and talent.

Shocked, Elder Itachi made a quick decision.

His most recent student, Fugaku, possesses a maturity and composure beyond his years, making him a rare genius in Uchiha history. Elder Itachi had high hopes for him and even decided early on to train him as the head of the Uchiha clan.

But all of this paled in comparison after Aokiji Uchiha's dual bloodline limits appeared.

Although doing this is somewhat unfair to Fugaku, the candidate for clan leader will probably have to be moved.

Although Aokiji has personality issues, as the saying goes, flaws don't overshadow virtues; in the face of absolute talent, these flaws can be ignored.

The Uchiha clan is a clan that reveres strength, and the position of clan leader is invariably held by the strongest member, which is the only way to gain the respect of the clan.

Furthermore, Aokiji's Ice Release has a special significance for the Uchiha clan.

Besides the Yin and Yang attributes, ninjutsu is divided into five major attributes: wind, fire, lightning, water, and earth. These attributes are mutually reinforcing and mutually restraining. Among them, the Uchiha clan's mastery of fire-style ninjutsu is second to none. Even ordinary water-style ninjutsu with opposing attributes is no match for the Uchiha clan.

So here's the question: can someone who can become an opponent of the Uchiha clan be an ordinary person?

Tobirama Senju.

Elder Itachi uttered the name.

If you think about it carefully, you'll find that most of the human ninjutsu that Tobirama Senju possessed was developed specifically to counter the Uchiha clan.

The Flying Thunder God Technique is so fast that even the Sharingan can't react. The Multiple Shadow Clone Technique is designed to weaken the Uchiha's perception and make it impossible to distinguish their true form. The Dark Technique is even more extreme, directly eliminating the Sharingan's vision. There's also Water Release, which is a Fire Release specifically designed for the Uchiha. In addition to these, there are a series of other ninjutsu developed specifically for the Uchiha.

He's definitely an anti-Uchiha fanatic.

The appearance of Ice Release can now effectively counter Tobirama's Water Release.

Ice Release, if developed properly, can counter Water Release. The best way to counter Ice Release is Fire Release, but the Uchiha clan happens to be the most skilled in Fire Release.

Using Fire Release in front of the Uchiha would only be inviting humiliation.

The thought of Tobirama's helpless expression because his Water Release was countered by Ice Release made Elder Itachi want to laugh out loud if he weren't old and mature now. Tobirama, you've finally been targeted! It must be a bitter pill to swallow.

Aokiji's father married Aokiji's mother for this reason, more or less.

At this moment, Elder Itachi felt genuinely fortunate for his prudence. If he had allowed Aokiji to continue his decline and squander such a great talent, he would have died with regrets.

In this world, those who possess great talent will have their descendants benefiting to some extent.

With such outstanding talent, Elder Itachi was even considering arranging a marriage for Aokiji.

Aokiji is ten years old now. In two more years, he will be an adult in their time and will be old enough to have children with women.

Perhaps based on the above associations, Elder Itachi suddenly had a bold idea in his mind, which even startled him.

If this succeeds, the Uchiha clan will not only be able to return to the center of power, but could even go further and usher in a period of greater prosperity than when Madara Uchiha led the Uchiha clan.

After analyzing the feasibility of the plan, Elder Itachi made a hand seal to erase Aokiji's memory. Unless Aokiji's eye power could reach a level close to his own, the memory would not be restored.

(P.S.: The Sharingan can erase memories; see "The Unburnt Transformation" where Sasuke travels back in time.)

Aokiji gradually regained his senses, paused for a moment, and then noticed Elder Itachi looking at him with a fatherly smile. He felt a little guilty and asked, "Elder Itachi, is there anything else?"

As if nothing had happened, Elder Itachi coughed and said, "I've thought about it carefully, and your suggestion to become a medical ninja might be a good one."

ha?

Aokiji was dumbfounded. What was going on? Hadn't she just rejected him?

"What? You don't want to?"

Aokiji hurriedly shook his head, then immediately nodded like a chicken pecking at rice: "I'm willing, of course I'm willing, but why did you agree to let me become a medical ninja out of the blue?"

Elder Itachi gazed into the distance, seemingly recalling something, and sighed deeply: "Actually, I personally hope that you will become a combat ninja, which is the destiny of the Uchiha clan. But I just thought about it carefully, and in your current state, even if I force you, it probably won't have a good effect. It will definitely be a waste of effort."

"If you really don't want to learn, I can't just hold a sword to your throat, can I? After all, I'm not a devil."

"Furthermore, I promised your grandmother I would take good care of you. Considering all these factors, I've decided to go by your opinion and let you become a medical ninja. Although the Ice Release bloodline limit is very precious, for the Uchiha clan who possess the Sharingan, the power of Ice Release is just a trivial icing on the cake."

Is this what a wealthy family is like?

Although this statement might seem like boasting about their own Sharingan, it's quite magnanimous of them to give up such a precious bloodline limit ninja to become an unpopular medical ninja.

Aokiji was startled by the atmosphere of his own home.

"but……"

The appearance of this sentence implies that everything before was just fluff, and what follows is the important part.

I knew he wasn't being kind... Aokiji crossed his arms and nodded, indicating that this was more like it.

How could a clan be so generous as to let a bloodline limit ninja like myself become an unpopular medical ninja? There must be some additional conditions attached.

Elder Itachi said in a deep voice, "If you ever awaken the Sharingan, I hope you will obediently follow the clan's arrangements and become a combat ninja. As a member of the Uchiha clan, you should know what the Sharingan means to the clan."

Elder Itachi knew, of course, that Aokiji had already awakened the Sharingan. He said this on purpose, as a way to make Aokiji obediently become a combat ninja when necessary in the future.

But Aokiji didn't know that. He was still kept in the dark, naively thinking that he had hidden himself very well. He even convincing himself that Elder Itachi had agreed to let him become a medical ninja and that he was hoping to awaken his Sharingan.

Although medical ninjas don't go to the front lines often, they witness just as many life-and-death situations as those on the front lines. Seeing wounded soldiers lose their lives because they don't receive timely treatment inevitably causes emotional fluctuations, and at such times, these emotions can easily become the nourishment for awakening the Sharingan.

Aokiji nodded reluctantly, trying to make it look convincing: "I understand..."

"For you to change your mind, I want you to swear an oath to your deceased grandmother."

Aokiji paused, gritted his teeth, and knew he couldn't catch a wolf without risking his cub. If he backed down now, it would prove that he still harbored some hidden grudges: "I swear, if I awaken the Sharingan in the future and the clan needs me, I will obey. Otherwise, I will self-destruct and die."

I, Uchiha Aokiji, swear, what does this have to do with me? Aokiji is just the name of my host.

Moreover, the vow I made was for the future, and I've already awakened to it now. LOL.

Elder Itachi was shocked; this kid was really ruthless in his decision not to become a ninja.

"I don't want you to die. I want you to live well and serve the family."

A sly glint flashed in Elder Itachi's deep eyes as he continued, "And..."

Aokiji retorted, "Anything else? Can you please just say it all at once?"

"If you find it too verbose, then don't be a medical ninja, go be a combat ninja."

Elder Itachi scolded him impatiently.

Although he knew Aokiji had the Sharingan, he pretended to be convincing to avoid arousing suspicion.

The more conditions you add, the less suspicious the other party will be, and it will also make it easier to control Aokiji. Why not do it?

Aokiji obediently fell silent.

Elder Itachi snorted: "Although I agreed to let you become a medical ninja, I want you to make time to come here to train every day."

Aokiji wholeheartedly agreed with the suggestion, as this way he wouldn't be working in isolation. However, to maintain his persona, he could only feign reluctance: "Eh, a medical ninja like me has to train? Seriously? I'm not going to the front lines."

Elder Itachi sighed: "I know what happened to your grandmother. It was a huge blow to you, making you depressed and averse to fighting. But I hope you understand one thing..."

He paused deliberately at this point, not continuing.

Seeing that he didn't speak, Aokiji guessed that he was just trying to provoke him into asking questions in order to highlight his own class and show off his tendency to be a know-it-all.

"What?"

As expected, with that statement as a prelude, Elder Itachi started to show off: "You need to understand, there's a difference between a ninja having a shuriken and not using it, and not having a shuriken at all."

Aokiji pondered for a moment, then nodded as if he understood.

Elder Itachi was somewhat pleased to see this; the boy was teachable.

After thinking it over, Aokiji came to a conclusion and said seriously, "It is indeed different. Only those ninjas without strength would use something as low-level as a shuriken. Truly strong ninjas disdain using shuriken and instead choose to clap their hands together to activate ninjutsu."

Elder Itachi: ? ? ?

………………

Not long after the blue pheasant left, it began to get dark.

Unlike the gloomy sky, Itachi's mood was as bright and clear as a sunny day, and his legs, which had become less agile with age, had become lighter without him even realizing it.

Upon entering the foyer, as usual, there were no words such as "Welcome back." The house was empty; his partner and descendants had all died in the war, so naturally they hadn't said anything like that to him.

Whenever he thought of this, he felt a little lonely, but he had gotten used to it. Now he completely entrusted his emotions to his family. As long as his family was doing well, he would feel happy.

"If these two children can develop a strong bond in the future, or even go further, the Senju clan and the Uchiha clan might be able to achieve a true reconciliation."

"When two opposing forces combine, all things in the universe will emerge, and the world will usher in true peace..."

Elder Itachi leisurely brewed himself a pot of tea. Just as he turned around with the teacup in his hand, a sharp voice, like a dagger, came from behind him, seemingly causing the air to tremble.

"That's not what I meant when I told you that."

Although it had been a long time since he had heard it, Elder Itachi would never forget that voice in his lifetime.

"Clatter".

The teacup slipped from my hand and shattered on the ground, spilling its murky liquid all over the floor, steaming hot.

As they were talking, a man emerged from the shadows.

His black hair was as deep and dark as the abyss, and his sharp, scarlet eyes would terrify even ghosts and gods.

"Uchiha Madara".

Elder Itachi opened his dry lips and slowly uttered the name.

(End of this chapter)