Chapter 49: Power That Isn't Needed
If one day you meet a girl whose heart and eyes are completely filled with you, would you... snatch all her Three-Color Dango? Not even sparing the taiyaki in her food bag?
Kitahara stared blankly at their way of interacting...
Having not seen each other for a while, Uchiha Izumi talked non-stop about things at the Ninja Academy. The little boy's mouth didn't stop either, occasionally nodding with narrowed eyes. It was unclear whether he was agreeing with Izumi's words or savoring the sweets he hadn't enjoyed for a long time...
The smiles never left either of their faces... Just over an afternoon tea, their relationship actually made Kitahara feel like it was an eyesore. Is the cub trying to win over this girl?
Uchiha Izumi watched Itachi wipe his mouth, her eyes curving into crescents, "Itachi-kun, I'll become a ninja soon... I really want to grow up quickly..."
Her response was Uchiha Itachi's burp; he was full.
"Izumi..."
Before they parted, the little boy looked into Uchiha Izumi's eyes, wanting to say more, but ultimately stopped, only saying solemnly, "Thank you."
Kitahara: "Caw..."
What kind of move is this! Hopeless...
Do you like Uchiha Izumi... or do you like the Three-Color Dango she's holding? Kitahara wasn't used to Itachi's reticence; it preferred the cub to speak his mind.
"The Three-Color Dango Izumi brought were delicious." After Uchiha thought about it seriously, he continued, "I probably won't like others buying them for me in the future."
"...Caw..."
Kitahara didn't offer any opinion but suddenly posed a question: What if it were Shisui? Hearing his friend's name, Uchiha Itachi bit his lip in conflict, "..."
Kitahara cheerfully nipped his arm, "Caw..."
After all, besides the two of them, no one else has ever bought them for you... Honestly, this kind of heart-stabbing thing is becoming more and more interesting.
Apart from Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Izumi, not even Mikoto and Fugaku had noticed Itachi's preferences.
The little boy hid his minor picky eating habits very well because Fugaku hoped he would become the pillar of the future family or clan... According to Konoha's rules, when a person became a ninja, they needed to shoulder responsibility.
Kitahara was not a ninja.
Seeing Uchiha Mikoto watering flowers in the courtyard, it quickly dived towards Sasuke, who was toddling beside Mikoto... The little brat could actually walk a few steps in such a short time... He was clearly still crawling on the floor when they left Konoha.
The moment it saw the crow, Sasuke, standing on his short little legs, reached out to grab the crow's wings. His barely supported body instantly lost balance and fell to the ground with a thud...
The little brat immediately burst into aggrieved tears...
(_)…
"Sasuke, how... Kitahara?"
Uchiha Mikoto, who was initially looking at her younger son, suddenly had her face light up with a smile. Then, she helplessly picked up the crow, placed it on her shoulder, and bent down to help Sasuke up...
A pair of small, slender arms preemptively picked Sasuke up. Uchiha Itachi's expression was identical to Mikoto's, "You just got back and you already want to argue with Sasuke..."
"Caw!"
Kitahara's crimson eyes remained fixed on the softly sobbing Sasuke. It clearly wanted to tell the little brat how much it missed... the days of bullying him!
"Now... still the same as always!" Uchiha Mikoto, holding back a smile, supported Kitahara's swaying wing and asked softly, "Itachi, did you just get back to the village?"
"Mm... Don't cry anymore, Sasuke..." After Uchiha Itachi calmed his younger brother down, he looked at his mother, "We just came from Lord Hokage's place. Mom, hasn't Dad come home yet?"
A hint of worry appeared on Mikoto's face. She forcibly composed herself and nodded, "There's still a clan meeting at the Naka Shrine today... He might be a little late..."
"Then I'll take Sasuke to the shrine to wait for Dad to come back together!" Uchiha Itachi set Sasuke on his neck. The little brat clapped his hands and laughed joyfully...
Uchiha Mikoto looked at the crow on her shoulder in surprise and smiled, "Eh? Isn't Kitahara going with them?"
The crow opened its sharp beak and yawned, shaking its head... It had had enough of roughing it in the open. After coming back, it just wanted a good sleep.
Uchiha Mikoto watched the crow fly unsteadily towards the bedroom and could only call out loudly from behind, "It'll be dinner time a little later, you can't oversleep for too long..."
Kitahara didn't sleep comfortably. In a daze, it felt something pressing on its body, and it seemed a small hand was also plucking its feathers...
Its crimson eyes gradually opened. Kitahara saw Uchiha Sasuke staring with innocent eyes, still holding the feathers from its head.
Sasuke, caught in the act, suddenly cried out, "Bed..."
Kitahara, awakened abruptly and unsure of the situation: "..."
Kitahara simply grabbed Sasuke's collar with its beak and flew with the little brat to the main hall...
Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Itachi, father and son, sat silently at the table, not speaking to each other. It was unknown what had happened between them; perhaps they had just finished discussing something...
"Sasuke, come over here..."
Seeing his younger brother return, Uchiha Itachi smiled and rescued Sasuke from Kitahara's beak, "Sasuke is really amazing! He can actually wake Kitahara up!"
"Caw..."
Kitahara glanced at him. As if I often oversleep...
Uchiha Mikoto poked her head out from the kitchen and smiled slightly at the father and son sitting stiffly at the table, "Is the matter settled? We're about to eat! Itachi, can you come help?"
Her eyes were slightly red, as if she had been crying... It was likely the father and son in the family had had some sort of dispute.
Indeed, has everything been moved forward?
Kitahara secretly speculated. In the original timeline, Uchiha Fugaku hoped Uchiha Itachi could obtain intelligence about the village from ANBU... But now that Itachi had become Jiraiya's disciple, he instead had direct access to the village's higher-ups.
According to Uchiha Itachi's personality, especially with Jiraiya's dedicated efforts during their time out, Jiraiya also occupied a significant place in Itachi's heart.
Perhaps, it needed to have a good talk with Itachi tonight...
"Sorry, Mikoto, I don't have much of an appetite tonight." Uchiha Fugaku suddenly stood up, put on his wooden clogs, and left the main hall.
The expressions of Uchiha Mikoto and Itachi instantly froze.
Before leaving, Fugaku paused for a moment and said in a low voice, "Itachi, I don't want to do this either... As your father, I will never hurt you."
"I know." Uchiha Itachi lowered his head, making his expression unreadable, only a shadow visible beneath his ninja headband, "Dad, I don't need this cursed power. I can still become a strong ninja."
A pair of black wings unfurled silently from his back. The family didn't even notice Itachi's change. Kitahara looked at him in surprise...
When did the cub become able to independently activate Sage Mode?
No, no, what on earth happened that required him to activate Sage Mode at home to display his power to Uchiha Fugaku?
(End of this chapter)