Uchiha orphan, so what if I'm ruthless?

And with that, Itachi's first official meeting with Uchiha Taiga came to an end.

After all, he was still just a child and didn't have a very deep understanding of the situation. He only knew that the person they had come to see today was highly regarded by his father and mother.

Naturally, as a child, he was easily influenced by his parents.

On the way back, Uchiha Itachi couldn't hold back his curiosity and asked, "Father, is that person... very strong?"

Uchiha Mikoto glanced at him, intending to explain, but after a moment of thought, she held her tongue, leaving the opportunity to Uchiha Fugaku.

Uchiha Fugaku remained silent for a moment before taking a deep breath.

"It's not a matter of whether he's strong or not. He's the type who is... very rare."

Uchiha Fugaku shook his head, finding it unusually difficult to describe.

If he explained it too deeply, he feared Itachi wouldn't understand. If he kept it too shallow, it would be meaningless.

Fortunately, Uchiha Mikoto bailed him out, continuing, "Taiga is a genius of the Uchiha clan. He was born with a Sage Body. In the past, he couldn't use ninjutsu due to his physical condition, but now that limitation is gone. With his talent, he will inevitably become a powerful ninja very soon."

Uchiha Fugaku sighed, as if lamenting.

"Actually, his greatest strength isn't his talent, but something else."

Itachi was very curious but didn't make a sound, knowing his father would answer his doubts.

Sure enough, Uchiha Fugaku continued, "He and I have never gotten along, but there is one thing I agree with. His vision and understanding absolutely surpass the vast majority of people in Konoha. Furthermore, his way of looking at things is particularly unique; he can often see through to their very essence at a single glance. That is the most important point."

Itachi only half-understood, but he still voiced the question in his heart.

"So... is he even stronger than you, Father?"

Uchiha Mikoto hesitated to speak.

Fortunately, Uchiha Fugaku didn't show much emotional fluctuation at this; instead, he nodded.

"In that regard, he is indeed better than me."

Saying this, he rubbed Itachi's head and instructed, "Itachi, I am the head of the Uchiha clan, and it is my responsibility to make the clan better. But he has abandoned all of that. His gaze has never been confined to just one clan."

"Therefore, while studying by his side, you must observe more, think more, and ask more questions. I imagine it won't be long before you gain something valuable."

Uchiha Itachi nodded solemnly.

"Yes, I understand, Father."

It was a good thing Uchiha Taiga wasn't present; otherwise, hearing Uchiha Fugaku say such things would probably make him feel a bit uncomfortable.

His discord with Uchiha Fugaku was known to the entire clan, and it had basically been out in the open since he was eight years old.

It was hard to imagine that an eight-year-old child had once said something to Uchiha Fugaku, who had just become the clan head at the time, that remained fresh in his memory even now.

"If you only accommodate the clan and accommodate the village, the future of the Uchiha can never be good."

At the time, Uchiha Fugaku didn't understand, but thinking back on it now, he felt that Uchiha Taiga might have seen through certain matters between the clan and the village long ago.

As for himself, even now, he could only barely hold things together.

This was exactly why he hadn't outright refused when Uchiha Mikoto suggested having Uchiha Taiga become Itachi's teacher.

Having his child study beside a smart person could never be considered a mistake, no matter how you looked at it.

Uchiha Taiga naturally didn't know what happened when Uchiha Fugaku's family returned, nor was he interested in knowing.

His life remained as mundane as ever, seemingly unchanged by this event.

However, the things around him were not entirely static.

He saw Uchiha Setsuna again, but this time, the old man wasn't alone.

The elders who had originally held their ground in the compound, refusing to move, had now resigned themselves to their fate.

The ninjas sent by the village helped them move without harming them. Working in pairs, they simply carried the people away, while the rest of the ninjas hauled off all their furniture and belongings in one fell swoop.

The elders didn't have to lift a finger. It was practically a full-service relocation, with everything being moved to the new clan compound.

In this regard, the village seemed to display a rare amount of patience.

Uchiha Taiga and Uchiha Setsuna's meeting this time took place at the entrance of the compound.

The compound was now extremely desolate. Since Uchiha Setsuna was also in the group being relocated, he seemed to have accepted his fate. He didn't put up any struggle and was actually quite cooperative.

It was hard to say what he was thinking. Perhaps he felt that since Uchiha Taiga had accepted the scroll, even if he verbally rejected the invitation, there were some things he simply couldn't avoid as an Uchiha.

Under these circumstances, Uchiha Taiga, returning from the training ground once again, ran into Uchiha Setsuna, who was in the middle of moving, at the compound entrance.

"Taiga, come visit this old man at the new compound when you have time."

Saying this, he smiled and nodded at Uchiha Taiga, then hunched over and left with the relocating ninjas without a second thought.

Uchiha Taiga found it baffling but didn't pay it much mind.

There were still several Konoha ninjas at the compound entrance. Upon seeing Uchiha Taiga, their leader stepped forward.

"Uchiha Taiga, by order of the Third Hokage, we are here to seal the entrance to the Uchiha compound. You..."

Before he could finish, Uchiha Taiga waved his hand to interrupt him.

"Seal it or don't, I don't care. Even if you seal it, I'll just open it. You don't actually think a wall can stop me, do you?"

Seeing their expressions change, Uchiha Taiga chuckled. "You do your thing and complete the mission the Third Hokage gave you, and I'll pretend I didn't see anything. I'll do my thing, and you guys shouldn't take it too seriously. Let's not cause any more trouble for each other."

"Uchiha Taiga!"

The leader's expression was very serious, clearly intending to say something else, undoubtedly some sort of warning.

But Uchiha Taiga had already turned around and was walking into the compound, his voice drifting back from afar.

"Tell you what, you can go back and report to the Third Hokage now. If you flap your gums any more, I won't be so easy to talk to."

These people looked unfamiliar, clearly not ninjas from any of the noble clans. After all, Uchiha Taiga remembered most of the clan ninjas.

That made it obvious; these people were of civilian origin.

Sarutobi Hiruzen had been Hokage for decades, after all. He knew that when dealing with the Uchiha like this, it wasn't appropriate to send clan ninjas to do the job. After all, they might sympathize with the plight of a fellow clan.

It was very easy to understand.

These people were clearly furious at Uchiha Taiga's attitude, but remembering Lord Hokage's orders before they came, they held it in.

The entire Uchiha clan had been moved to the new compound. Even if Uchiha Taiga remained in the old one, it didn't really matter anymore.

After all, this was originally just a way to give the village an explanation.

It was precisely because Uchiha Taiga understood this point that he cared even less.

He continued to live his life as usual. The desolation of the compound seemed to have no effect on him whatsoever.

On the morning of the day he had agreed upon with Uchiha Mikoto and the others, there was a knock on Uchiha Taiga's door.

Upon opening it, he found a little pipsqueak standing at the entrance.

It was none other than Uchiha Itachi.

He was holding a small backpack and immediately bowed respectfully upon seeing Uchiha Taiga.

"Teacher Taiga."

The little guy was very polite, and with his delicate features, he could even be called cute.

"Come in. Have you eaten breakfast yet?"

Uchiha Taiga let him in while asking casually.

"I've already eaten."

Saying that, he set the backpack down, opened it, and said, "Father asked me to bring this. He said it's the tuition fee for you, Teacher."

Uchiha Taiga didn't stand on ceremony. He took the backpack and looked inside to find three stacks of cash, totaling three million ryo. It was no small sum.

It should be known that when ninjas went on missions, the reward for even the highest S-rank mission was only around a million ryo.

And even that had to be split with the village; the remainder was what the ninja actually received.

Moreover, a ninja's expenses were quite high.

Daily maintenance of ninja tools or purchasing new ones was not a small amount, not to mention the costs of ninjutsu training and daily living expenses, all of which required money.

This was also why ninjas were so enthusiastic about taking on missions.

Because ninjas didn't engage in production, their main source of income was mission rewards.

It was clearly the ninjas who held the power, yet they were controlled by mundane secular authority. No matter how one looked at it, this system was unreasonable, yet no one stepped up to change it, as if it were simply a matter of course.

It was truly baffling.

At this moment, Uchiha Itachi added, "Father also said that this is for this year."

Hearing this, Uchiha Taiga raised an eyebrow in slight surprise, but he still smiled. "Not bad, not bad. Your father is finally being generous for once. Tell him when you get back that I am very satisfied."

"Yes, Teacher Taiga."

Uchiha Taiga didn't waste any more words and got straight to the point. "Your studies begin today. I will teach you chakra control first. It will be quite grueling. Can you endure it?"

Uchiha Itachi nodded solemnly. "I can endure it, Teacher Taiga."

"Alright, wait for me a moment, and then we'll head out."

Uchiha Taiga naturally packed up quickly. Without making Uchiha Itachi wait too long, he led the boy outside, walking one after the other.

Looking at the desolate scenery in the compound now, Uchiha Taiga asked, "How does it make you feel?"

From the moment they stepped out the door until now, Uchiha Itachi had been very silent, his gaze mostly fixed on the buildings lining the streets. Uchiha Taiga could naturally tell that something was on his mind.

Uchiha Itachi thought for a moment, but still shook his head.

"Never mind. If you can't figure it out, observe more. If you want answers, ask me."

"Yes, Teacher Taiga."

The two of them walked all the way out of the compound. Sure enough, the main gate of the compound had already been sealed, with paper talismans pasted over it.

Uchiha Itachi spoke up at this moment, "Teacher Taiga, I climbed over the wall to get in."

Uchiha Taiga nodded, stepped forward, and directly ripped off the seal, unceremoniously pushing the gate open.

"Teacher..."

Seeing this, Uchiha Itachi was a bit surprised and slightly uneasy.

"It's a small matter."

Uchiha Taiga merely smiled and didn't say anything more.

"Let's go."

The two walked to the training ground, which didn't take long. Uchiha Itachi remained silent the whole way, and Uchiha Taiga had no intention of helping him sort out his inner thoughts, so they walked in silence the entire trip.

In the training ground, the two came to a halt. Uchiha Taiga set down the backpack containing water and other miscellaneous items. Just as he was about to say something, he furrowed his brow.

He looked in a certain direction, where a thick tree stood.

At the same time, he pulled Uchiha Itachi behind him before speaking up, "Whoever is hiding over there, get the hell out."

Uchiha Itachi was slightly startled but didn't make a sound. He knew this was not the time to make any unnecessary moves.

Before long, a person stepped out from behind the thick tree.

The newcomer was dressed in a black robe and wore a single-eyed mask with black stripes, standing there quietly.

Uchiha Taiga raised an eyebrow. He naturally recognized the person, but he still asked, "Dressed like that and wearing a mask... you're not from the village. Who are you?"

The person walked step by step toward where the two were standing, speaking in a hoarse voice.

"I am Uchiha Madara."

Uchiha Taiga didn't have much of a reaction, but Uchiha Itachi was given a fright.

"Uchiha Madara?!"

Sensing his tension, Uchiha Taiga didn't even turn his head as he chuckled lightly, "I see, so you're not dead yet, you fool?"