Kazuki then softened his tone and said sincerely: "But I promise I won't do anything like that to you. I just want to help you quickly become familiar with how to properly use your power—so that you can unleash its full potential."
Kaguya's heart stirred slightly. She hesitated and bit her lip.
Should she try giving Kazuki this trust?
If she did, and Kazuki had ill intentions toward her, then she truly wouldn't have any way to fight back…
But if she didn't—
Would it damage the trust the two of them had only just begun to build?
Especially since Kazuki had laid out the risks and benefits so clearly—without hiding anything from her at all—
Kaguya found it very difficult to say no.
'I… I can't overpower Kazuki anyway. If I don't work on my shortcomings, my strength will plateau—and I might damage the trust between us too…'
'Besides… I clearly can't learn this on my own. And Kazuki probably wouldn't lie to me, right?'
She recalled Asuma's lecture on the Will of Fire.
In fact, this whole situation was very similar to how Kazuki once hypnotized Asuma with the Sharingan to teach him the essence of Fire Release...
Back then too, Kazuki had been eager to help—not just with her.
After another round of internal convincing, Kaguya finally gave a soft "Mm," not daring to meet Kazuki's gaze.
"You… you can go ahead, Kazuki…"
"What should I do to cooperate?"
Kazuki smiled gently and replied in a soft voice, "Just relax. You'll be fine…"
With Kaguya fully lowering her defenses,
Kazuki took over her consciousness. His hands slowly formed the seals, guiding her through the subtle sensations of how to efficiently control chakra—and how to swiftly release a jutsu…
After running through the process several times in her mind—
Kazuki gradually let go of her consciousness, allowing her to take control again. Relying on momentum, she used just a trace amount of chakra to successfully cast the Three Basic Techniques!
This was the beginning of Kaguya truly learning to control her own power. The Rabbit Goddess had finally taken her first step forward.
And for Kazuki—
It was his first major step in marking both Kaguya's soul and body with his imprint.
A fully relaxed consciousness was the perfect opportunity for Kazuki to infiltrate and assimilate her…
In a brief daze—
Kaguya woke to find that Kazuki was no longer guiding her. She had released the jutsu on her own. Covering her mouth in surprise, she exclaimed: "Kazuki, I did it!"
Kazuki smiled with narrowed eyes and nodded: "Yes, you did, Kaguya. I believe in you—you can achieve even more."
Meanwhile, outside—
Uchiha Itachi watched, astonished, as Kazuki—who had just seemed completely discouraged—lowered his head for a brief moment of thought and then, almost without forming any visible hand seals, executed the technique flawlessly.
Just one look?
And he completely optimized the summary his father had worked so hard to compile?
"You… what's your name?"
Uchiha Itachi stared at Kazuki, voice serious.
"You're a genius."
"Kaguya, did you hear that? This kid just called you a genius…"
Kazuki held out his fist to her, beaming.
"To commemorate our first teamwork effort…"
Kaguya, overjoyed, bumped fists with him and swayed proudly.
"I really am a genius!"
[From the target Kaguya Otsutsuki, you get a special talent—Assimilated Rabbit Goddess!]
[Assimilated Rabbit Goddess]: Chakra from Kaguya, or from the Ten Tails and its derivatives under her control, can no longer corrupt you.
"You flatter me, Itachi."
Kazuki shook his head and replied in a low voice, "My name is Uchiha Kei. Thanks for your demonstration."
It was like a two-man comedy act—if one played the joker, there had to be someone playing the straight man.
After teaching Kaguya, having a character like Uchiha Itachi react with shock from a third-party perspective helped maximize her sense of accomplishment… and earn more gold coins as well.
Uchiha Itachi had played a role in the little game between Kazuki and Kaguya—and that alone was something he could take pride in.
Moreover, within the setting of the Ninja Academy…
A school environment was naturally suited to subtly nurture a new kind of bond between Kazuki and Kaguya—like childhood friends growing up together, walking to school side by side. Yet theirs carried an additional layer: that of teacher and student.
Uchiha Itachi stared silently at Kazuki's departing figure.
Was he truly the Child of Destiny?
Why was it that an ordinary academy student—a relatively unknown member of the clan—displayed talent greater than his own?
Itachi couldn't hold back anymore.
Tonight, he would return home and confront Uchiha Fugaku face to face…
And in the dead of night—
Kazuki strolled through the streets of Konohagakure, speaking softly to Kaguya: "The first lesson was about power… The second lesson will be about understanding the complexity of the human heart."
"Are you ready, Kaguya?"
Kaguya glanced around the village with wide, curious eyes, both excited and serious as she nodded: "I'm ready, Kazuki!"
"Are you really ready for this?"
Kazuki looked at the visibly excited Kaguya and shook his head with a smile.
After spending a full day attending classes at the Ninja Academy, the student-version of Kaguya seemed to have rekindled a bit of hope in the concept of trust between people.
First of all, it was because—despite having the chance to harm her—Kazuki never once showed any ill intent. With a simple and wholehearted attitude, he taught her how to control chakra. Through that, the two of them built a bond of trust that had been tested.
Then, Asuma's little 'Will of Fire' classroom presented Kaguya with a vision of unity and cohesion.
Everyone tried to understand and help one another, doing what they could toward a shared goal, gathering around Kazuki.
It was just like the kind of ninja order the Sage of Six Paths had once envisioned.
Did Kaguya like this vision?
Of course, she did!
Even though she had been betrayed in the past, the truth was—at her core—the reason she created the two brothers, Hamura and Hagoromo, was because she had wanted to rely on others to help her.
Under Kazuki's guidance—
Even though Kaguya still viewed most mortals as 'useless riffraff',
She had nonetheless begun to develop a hint of respect for their techniques.
'Kazuki… he probably wants to show me how respected he is in this village, doesn't he?'
Kaguya thought to herself: 'He must be trying to tell me not to grieve too deeply over those two rebellious sons of mine… That this Shinobi World still holds trust within it…'
Holding onto such thoughts,
Kazuki brought Kaguya to the Uchiha Clan Head's residence—
The home of Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Itachi.
Thanks to multiple layers of stealth illusions and the Mayfly technique, Kazuki moved like he was walking through his own garden—unseen, unhindered—as he entered the inner chamber.
And there—
Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Fugaku sat facing one another.
A flash of surprise flickered in Kaguya's eyes. She still remembered this boy with tear lines beneath his eyes. He had once eagerly demonstrated his mastery of the Three Basic Techniques to Kazuki and even praised her as a genius.
'I see… This is Kazuki's clan. He wants me to witness the warmth of his clan…' Kaguya mused silently.
Kazuki casually sat off to the side.
Not far from him, Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Itachi—completely unaware of Kazuki's presence—had begun a solemn father-son conversation.
"Father…"
Itachi looked at his father and spoke softly:
"Why… why do you always say that I possess extraordinary talent? Why do you say that I carry the burden of the clan and the Shinobi World on my shoulders?"
"I don't understand. The clan already has Kazuki-sama…" Itachi hesitated as if unsure whether to continue.
Had Fugaku's prior indoctrination left Itachi with the mistaken impression that he needed to compete with Kazuki?
Let's not even mention that he was still just a child.
He had seen Kazuki's terrifying power with his own eyes, and the care Kazuki extended to the clan and village was widely acknowledged by all.
Given all that, why did Uchiha Fugaku still cling to such unrealistic expectations?
If not for the fact that this man was his father, Itachi might have bluntly demanded—
"Where does your confidence even come from?!"
Especially today—
Itachi, who had always taken pride in his own talent, witnessed Kazuki—while posing as Uchiha Kei—go from being completely unable to control his chakra to demonstrating perfect ninjutsu in an extremely short span of time…
That pride he once held had mostly dissipated without him even realizing it.
A completely unknown, ordinary member of the Uchiha Clan… was already far stronger than he was!
He was just a regular person, after all.
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