Uchiha orphan, so what if I'm ruthless?

Uchiha Taiga looked at Sasuke. “You take some time to adjust first. I’ll teach the One-Tail how to restrain its power before we can begin.”

He raised a hand and pointed at Pikachu.

“This little guy was just born and doesn’t quite know how to control its power yet. If we seal it right away, you won’t be able to handle it.”

Uchiha Sasuke took a deep breath, nodded, and spoke solemnly.

“Alright!”

His voice was firm, without a hint of hesitation.

Uchiha Taiga looked at him, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly.

“Good, keep up that spirit. The future of the ninja world belongs to you.”

With that said, he glanced around.

His gaze swept over Pikachu, Nagato, Yugito Nii, Namikaze Minato, and the young ninjas present.

Then, his gaze paused, his expression turning a bit odd.

“By the way, where is your brother?”

Uchiha Sasuke froze for a moment.

He thought about it, then shook his head.

“I don’t know. I haven’t seen him these past two days.”

He frowned slightly, a flash of confusion passing through his eyes.

Uchiha Taiga waved his hand dismissively.

“Forget it, never mind him. He’s a grown man, it’s not like he can get lost.”

…

Meanwhile, in a certain corner of the Land of Rain.

A figure emerged from a dark cave.

The cave entrance was narrow, only wide enough for two people to pass through, and pitch-black inside, obscuring everything. The man walked out of the darkness step by step, his shoes stepping on the stone slabs with faint sounds.

He stepped out of the cave and stood in the sunlight.

The sunlight shone on his body and face, casting his shadow on the ground.

He had a peculiar hairstyle.

The sides of his head were completely bald, revealing pale, bluish skin. Hair only grew down the middle, extending from his forehead to the back of his head, tied into a long braid at the nape of his neck.

The braid was thin and long, hanging down his back all the way to his waist.

His facial features were sharp, with deep contours, high cheekbones, and a pointed chin. His skin was incredibly pale, almost entirely devoid of color, as if he hadn’t seen the sun in a very long time.

The man wore a cold, stern expression. His eyes were as black as ink and very bright, like two black glass beads. His thin lips were pressed into a tight line, making him look like an unsheathed blade.

He stood there, casting his gaze toward Amegakure. His eyes narrowed slightly as he spoke, seemingly muttering to himself.

“That sensation… it’s even stronger than before.”

His voice was soft and ethereal, as if meant only for his own ears.

“Is it Tailed Beast chakra?”

He frowned.

“No, it’s not quite the same. The concentration of natural energy is too dense; it’s masking the perception.”

He paused, his gaze growing heavier.

“If this is that person’s doing, I might need to go take a closer look.”

As he muttered to himself, his figure was fully revealed in the sunlight.

He stood beneath a tree.

The tree was massive, its dense foliage blocking the overhead sunlight and casting a large shadow on the ground. He stood in the shade, half of his body bathed in sunlight and the other half hidden in darkness.

His gaze remained fixed in the direction of Amegakure.

His frown deepened, and his lips pressed even tighter together.

He continued to murmur to himself.

“To think that a planet like the ninja world could produce such a figure.”

His voice was soft, carrying a hint of awe.

“Even within the Main House, he would be considered an extraordinary individual.”

He paused, raising a hand to inspect his palm. His hand was large with long fingers, the skin so pale that the faint blue veins underneath were visible.

“Unfortunately, my injuries are too severe. This body cannot bear the burden.”

His voice carried a sense of regret.

He lowered his hand and shook his head slightly.

“I hope the item I left over there will catch that person’s attention.”

With that, he turned around, intending to head back into the cave.

Just then, he seemed to sense something.

His footsteps halted. His body stiffened slightly as he tilted his head, listening intently.

Then, he turned his head to look in another direction.

His eyes narrowed slightly, revealing a faint smile.

“Are they here?”

His voice was soft, as if he were waiting for a long-lost friend.

The corners of his mouth curled up slightly, and his figure quickly vanished.

Without any visible movement, his body disappeared from where he stood. It was as if he had been erased from the air itself, leaving no sound and no trace.

In the spot where he had just been standing, only a few fallen leaves and two shallow footprints remained.

A short while later, a person walked out from another dense part of the forest.

The person’s pace was brisk, weaving through the trees, their footsteps rustling against the fallen leaves. His figure emerged from the shadows, first half of his body, then his entire form.

He wore dark clothing, his long hair tied into a low ponytail at the back of his head. His features were refined, and there was a calm, steady aura about his brow and eyes.

Uchiha Itachi.

He stepped out of the thicket and stopped beneath a large tree, frowning as he observed his surroundings.

His gaze swept the area. Finding nothing, he lowered his head and took an object out from his clothes.

It was a small black rod.

The black rod was short, only about the length of a finger and the thickness of a chopstick. Its surface was incredibly smooth, remaining a pure, abyssal black even in the sunlight, as if it could absorb all light. It was impossible to tell what material it was made of.

Uchiha Itachi stared at the black rod, his frown deepening.

He spoke, his voice soft, as if muttering to himself.

“This thing… it looks very similar to Nagato’s Yin-Yang Style creations, but there’s a difference.”

He paused.

“Why would it appear in Sasuke’s room?”

His eyes narrowed slightly.

“It clearly wasn’t left by Uchiha Taiga or the others.”

His gaze grew heavier.

“Who could it be?”

He raised his hand, holding the black rod up to his eyes for a closer look. Then, he closed his eyes to sense it.

Opening his eyes, he continued to murmur.

“The residual chakra in this thing points here…”

He paused for a moment, and then his expression drastically changed.

“Something’s wrong!!”

Uchiha Itachi’s expression shifted violently.

His eyes widened sharply, his pupils constricting. His eyelids twitched, and his body stiffened.

He immediately threw the black rod in his hand to the ground.

The black rod slipped from his grasp, hitting the ground with a soft clatter and coming to rest among the fallen leaves.

Uchiha Itachi’s eyes instantly transformed into the Mangekyo Sharingan.

The red irises and black patterns, shaped like three-bladed shuriken, slowly spun within his eye sockets.

At the same time, he raised a hand to clutch his forehead.

His fingers pressed hard against his forehead, the tips digging in until the skin turned white.

His breathing grew rapid, his chest heaving violently.

“This isn’t right.”

His voice was tight, carrying an uncontrollable tension.

“Why did I come looking for this place alone?”

His brows knitted together tightly.

“I clearly noticed there was something strange about this object. I should have told Uchiha Taiga and the others right away.”

The patterns in his eyes spun even faster.

“Why did I secretly leave Amegakure?”

His voice grew even tighter.

“There’s something wrong here.”

He paused.

“Could I have been caught in a Genjutsu?”

His gaze swept his surroundings, taking in the trees, the bushes, the rocks.

Everything looked perfectly normal.

But he felt that it wasn’t.

*Clap, clap, clap.*

Someone was clapping their hands.

The sound wasn’t loud, but it was crisp and rhythmic, clapping one beat at a time.

The sound came from within the woods, from behind a large tree.

Uchiha Itachi’s body instantly tensed. He directed his gaze toward the source, his Mangekyo Sharingan locked onto the tree.

Then, a voice spoke.

“Your instincts are quite sharp.”

The voice was calm, so calm it sounded as if it were stating a simple fact.

“But unfortunately, it’s too late.”

As the voice spoke, a figure emerged from behind the tree.

He stepped out from behind the trunk, walking step by step, his shoes rustling against the fallen leaves.

He stepped into the sunlight, standing before Uchiha Itachi.

It was the very same man who had emerged from the cave earlier.

The peculiar hairstyle, bald on the sides with hair only in the middle, tied into a long braid at the back. The cold, stern face, the black eyes, the pale skin.

He looked at Uchiha Itachi, the corners of his mouth curling up into an intrigued smile.

The smile was faint, but genuine.

His gaze fell upon Uchiha Itachi’s eyes. Staring at the Mangekyo Sharingan, his eyes gleamed with interest.

Uchiha Itachi looked at him, leaning forward slightly. His right hand hung by his side, fingers slightly curled, ready to strike.

His Mangekyo Sharingan stared at the man, the figure reflected in his pupils.

“Who are you?”

His voice was deep and heavy.

The man looked at him, the curve of his smile unchanging.

He spoke, his voice perfectly calm.

“You do not need to know who I am.”

He paused.

“You only need to know that I am very interested in those eyes of yours.”

His gaze lingered on Uchiha Itachi’s eyes for a long time.

Then, he spoke again.

“Come with me.”

His voice was calm, so calm it sounded as if he were stating a matter that left no room for discussion.