Konoha: The Soul King from the Uchiha Clan

Chapter 208 A Different Childhood

"Brother Xuan, what brings you here?"

Itachi ran up to Uchiha Gen, stopped in front of him, and looked up with a smile.

"We're having dinner at Kushina's house tonight. Your mother and brother are there right now. I'll come pick you up."

"I see. What about Father?"

"I think Mikoto-nee must have taken some time to go home and cook for the clan chief, right?"

"Yes, Mother would probably do that."

"Hey, hello there." Uchiha Gen greeted the girls who came out with Itachi with a smile.

Wow, this older brother is so handsome!

Uchiha Gen was already handsome, and his calm, composed, mature, and serene demeanor, honed by years of experience, made him incredibly attractive to young girls.

"Hello...

The girls blushed slightly, bowed and greeted each other in a flurry, showing a hint of Hinata's shyness, and then... fled in panic.

"Haha..." Uchiha Gen chuckled softly, finding it quite amusing.

"Itachi's pretty popular with girls, huh?" Uchiha Gen teased, looking down at him.

Itachi blushed slightly and shook his head, saying, "Girls really don't mean anything; they only affect the speed and accuracy of my shuriken attacks."

Uchiha Gen: "..."

This sentence sounds so familiar.

"You're still young. You'll understand the wonders of women when you grow up."

"Let's go."

"Um."

"Shisui, haven't you been in the village lately?"

"Brother Zhishui has gone on a mission and has been gone for three days."

Uchiha Gen nodded slightly. It seemed that Shisui and Kakashi were not in the village at the moment, otherwise the two of them would have replied to him with crows and dogs.

Well, those two are out of luck.

I haven't tried Kushina's cooking before, so I'm not sure about it, but Mikoto's cooking is quite good.

"How's it going at the ninja academy?"

"It's alright, it just doesn't feel very difficult to learn."

"I reckon I won't learn anything useful at the ninja academy next year."

Uchiha Gen did some quick calculations and realized that next year would be the year Uchiha Itachi graduated early in the original story.

"What do you plan to do if you can't learn anything new?"

"Apply for early graduation to learn from practical experience."

"Graduating early may not be a good thing. You'll only be seven next year. You should actually enjoy campus life more."

"Once you graduate, it will be difficult to go back. You will be faced with endless tasks and countless dangers."

You'd better think this through.

The pressures of life were naturally absent for Itachi, the eldest son of a wealthy family.

Upon hearing this, Itachi hesitated for a moment, but quickly regained his composure and said, "I want to help my father and the clan as soon as possible, and I also want to fight alongside Brother Gen and Brother Shisui."

"Alright, since you've made up your mind, I won't try to persuade you any further."

"But you're still a long way from being able to fight alongside me and Shisui. You need to work harder."

"I know, I will try my best!"

Shisui and Gen are far more famous in the ninja world than he is now.

With a bang, a cloud of white smoke rose up, and Uchiha Gen took out a scroll with a black background and red patterns and handed it over.

"Brother Xuan, what is this?"

"You'll know once you open it and take a look."

"Um."

Itachi took the scroll and opened it. The first thing he saw was three big characters: Explosive Flame Bullet. Then came the technique, the chakra circulation diagram, and the precautions listed one by one.

"What exquisite ninjutsu!" Itachi Uchiha exclaimed, his eyes lighting up.

"This is a fire-style ninjutsu I created. If you have high aptitude, you can learn the complete version at B-rank difficulty; if you have low aptitude, you can learn the simplified version at C-rank difficulty."

"How far have you progressed in your Fire Release ninjutsu?"

"I have learned the Great Fireball Technique and the Fierce Fireball Technique."

The former is a D-rank ninjutsu, and the latter is a C-rank ninjutsu.

In the original work, Fugaku was quite disappointed with Sasuke's aptitude because Itachi, who was the same age, learned the Great Fireball Technique on his first try, while Sasuke never learned the Great Fireball Technique on his first try, only managing to spit out a small flame the first time.

"Then you should start with the simplified version. This ninjutsu is a bit dangerous; you might burn your throat if you're not careful. It's best to practice with an adult present."

"OK."

"But why did Brother Xuan give me ninjutsu?"

"This is a graduation gift for you, so I won't forget it later if something happens."

Itachi was taken aback and asked in surprise, "Brother Gen, you really believe I can graduate early?"

"Of course, you are excellent. Neither Shisui nor I can compare to you at the same age."

Itachi was moved and raised his head with a determined look, saying, "I will definitely not let Gen-nii down."

"Unfortunately, even if I graduate early next year, I still can't compare to Kakashi-senpai."

"I heard that Kakashi graduated at the age of five and became a Chunin at the age of six. This record is unprecedented and probably no one will be able to break it in the future."

Uchiha Gen smiled and said, "That's different. Kakashi graduated right during the most brutal period of the Third Shinobi World War. Konoha was extremely short of soldiers and had to send children to the battlefield."

"In peacetime, the graduation age for ninjas will only get older and older, which is not a bad thing, but a good thing."

"You don't need to compare yourself to him. He's a special case. Your level of excellence is no less than Kakashi's."

"I see."

"Brother Xuan, why are we going to Aunt Kushina's house for dinner today?"

"To celebrate, Kushina found her lost clansmen."

"You know the Uzumaki clan, right?"

"I've heard my father and mother talk about it; it was once a very powerful family."

"..."

The two chatted casually and soon arrived at Kushina's house.

The doorbell rang, and the door opened quickly. Anna Uzumaki opened it, and after a few pleasantries, the two went inside.

After politely greeting him, Itachi ran over to Sasuke, who was playing.

Upon seeing his older brother return, Sasuke immediately abandoned his two playmates, Naruto and Karin, and reached out his arms to hug him.

In the kitchen, Kushina and Mikoto were busy together, while Anna was taking care of the three children in the living room. The aroma of food filled the air, and laughter echoed throughout the room, creating a joyful atmosphere.

"Gen, where are Shisui and Kakashi?"

Kushina, wearing a pine-green apron and holding a spatula, peeked out from the kitchen.

"We couldn't find him; he's probably not in the village."

"It's a pity they won't get to enjoy the meal tonight; it's going to be very lavish."

"Do you need my help?"

"I know you're a good cook, but you're a guest today, so please get some rest."

"Alright."

Uchiha Gen didn't stand on ceremony. He ran over and grabbed a few tangerines and a handful of melon seeds. He found a chair, sat down, crossed his legs, and watched Naruto and Karin play house.

It's a pity that Kushina doesn't have a sofa; apart from the dining table, the rest of the furnishings are quite traditional.

There was no television at that time; television had not yet been invented.

Sasuke liked to stick close to Itachi, and Itachi liked to be near Uchiha Gen, so soon Itachi came over carrying Sasuke.

Perhaps because Sasuke wasn't there, playing house wasn't quite as fun, so Naruto and Karin arrived shortly afterward.

Karin was very affectionate towards Uchiha Gen, and opened her arms for a hug.

Uchiha Gen placed him on his lap, patted the head of the big pillar, and pinched the cheeks of the second pillar. Teasing him back and forth was quite interesting and not boring at all.

Ten minutes later, all the dishes were ready, and Anna helped set them out. Soon the table was full of dishes.

Once the drinks are served, cups, spoons, bowls, and chopsticks are set out, everyone takes their seats, raises their glasses together, and the banquet officially begins.

Kushina especially enjoyed the lively scene; her smile never stopped throughout...

(End of this chapter)