Uchiha orphan, so what if I'm ruthless?

The possibility of Kumogakure making a move wasn't important to Uchiha Taiga.

Even though he knew it was destined to happen, he didn't care.

During the Third Great Ninja War, Kumogakure was practically defeated by Namikaze Minato single-handedly.

The name "Yellow Flash" was enough to stop a baby from crying in the night over in Kumogakure. Those battle-hardened Kumo elites had to turn tail and run the moment they saw that flash of yellow hair.

That wasn't an exaggeration in the slightest.

Now that Namikaze Minato was dead, Kumogakure would only celebrate.

Then they would look for an opportunity to exact their revenge. It was inevitable.

After all, among all the hidden villages in the ninja world, regardless of size, Kumogakure was undeniably the most militant faction.

They believed in power, revered the strong, and held the deepest grudges.

With Konoha losing its anchor, the Yellow Flash, they were indeed lacking in high-end deterrence. It was entirely possible they would face provocations or even direct attacks from Kumogakure.

But what did that have to do with Uchiha Taiga?

He wasn't a ninja, so he didn't have to go to the battlefield.

If Konoha won, he would continue living his life.

If Konoha lost, he would still continue living his life.

At most, the village would just hang a different flag. It wouldn't affect him.

Therefore, he didn't take the matter to heart.

Days passed one by one.

Uchiha Itachi would visit the old clan compound every two or three days to learn from Uchiha Taiga.

Every time he came, he brought new questions.

At first, they were just questions about ninjutsu, such as chakra control for Fire Style, the throwing angle of shuriken, or power generation techniques in taijutsu. Uchiha Taiga could answer all of these with remarkable insight.

But as time went on, Uchiha Itachi's questions began to change.

For example, one afternoon after training, the two sat resting on a large rock at the edge of the Forest of Death.

Uchiha Itachi lowered his head, playing with a shuriken in his hands, and suddenly spoke up. "Taiga-sensei, why do you think people can never truly understand each other?"

Uchiha Taiga was drinking water, and his movements paused at the question.

He turned his head and looked at the four- or five-year-old child beside him.

Hearing such a question come from a brat's mouth felt somewhat out of place.

But on second thought, this was Uchiha Itachi—the Uchiha who had been pondering life, war, and peace since childhood. With that in mind, he felt relieved.

"Because independent individuals have a sense of self."

He put down his water canteen and gave his answer.

"As long as there is a sense of self, there is no such thing as one hundred percent mutual understanding. You cannot completely become another person, nor can you fully understand all of another person's thoughts and feelings. The best anyone can do is understand to a certain extent."

Uchiha Itachi fell silent.

He furrowed his brows, clearly somewhat confused by this answer.

He thought for a long time, and the shuriken in his hand stopped spinning.

"So... a person can never truly understand another person?"

"You could say that."

Uchiha Taiga paused. Looking at Itachi's earnest, thoughtful expression, he felt that these matters were still too early for this kid.

"These things are still too early for you. You don't need to think too deeply about them. Actually, you just need to remember one thing."

Uchiha Itachi looked up at him.

"What is it?"

"Discover your own talent, master the power that comes with it, and only then can you influence others."

Uchiha Taiga's voice was flat and calm.

"Because without power to support it, everything you think and everything you want to do is nothing but a pipe dream."

"Racking your brain over those grand philosophies right now won't yield any results. It's better to make yourself stronger first. Once you have enough power, then you can think about how to change this world. By then, your thoughts might be different, and you'll have more choices in how you act."

Uchiha Itachi nodded thoughtfully.

He didn't ask any more questions, but his eyes showed he was clearly still thinking.

A few more days passed.

The weather had turned cooler. The leaves in the Forest of Death began to yellow, rustling and falling with every gust of wind.

After training ended, Uchiha Taiga had Itachi go for a swim in the river.

This was a regular routine he had arranged for Itachi. Swimming in cold water not only built up physical endurance but also trained chakra control.

Maintaining chakra clinging to the surface of the body while in the water was much harder than on land.

Uchiha Itachi didn't say a word; he stripped off his clothes and jumped into the river.

He swam back and forth over a dozen times before climbing onto the shore. The water droplets on his body evaporated in the autumn wind, taking away his body heat, but Itachi's complexion remained normal, and his breathing was steady.

Uchiha Taiga sat on a rock by the shore, watching him get dressed.

Itachi moved quickly, throwing his clothes on in a few swift motions.

But halfway through dressing, he suddenly stopped, looked down, and wore a somewhat confused expression.

"Taiga-sensei."

He looked up.

"I've already discovered the talent within myself, but there's one part I just don't understand."

Saying that, he looked down again.

"I always feel like this thing must have some other use, but when I asked my mother, she wouldn't tell me. Sensei, can you tell me?"

Uchiha Taiga fell silent.

Sitting on the rock and looking at the dead-serious child in front of him, only one thought crossed his mind.

This brat was no ordinary genius anymore.

This was far more profound than any mutual understanding between people.

"That question..."

Uchiha Taiga carefully weighed his words.

"When you're a few years older, you'll naturally understand. Knowing it now won't do you any good."

"Why?"

"Because if you know, you'll think about it. If you think about it too much, you'll get distracted. And if you're distracted, you won't be able to focus on your training."

Uchiha Taiga's logical response was airtight and flawless.

Uchiha Itachi thought about it, felt it made sense, and didn't press the issue.

Uchiha Taiga breathed a sigh of relief in his heart.

He felt he should find an opportunity to talk to Mikoto about this.

After all, he was a teacher; some things were hard to say, and others were inappropriate to say.

This kind of thing should be taught by parents. Let Fugaku deal with that headache.

As time passed day by day, the atmosphere in Konoha gradually changed.

The reconstruction following the Nine-Tails incident had been completed. The busyness and exhaustion were gone, and the villagers' lives had returned to normal.

But recently, an indescribable heaviness had settled over the village.

There were fewer pedestrians on the streets and more patrolling ninjas. The street vendors that used to be everywhere were now much scarcer.

Walking down the street, Uchiha Taiga could clearly feel the shift.

He occasionally overheard snippets of conversation from passing ninjas and villagers, mostly discussing the current state of the ninja world. The most frequent topics were Kumogakure and the border.

Around the same time, he also noticed that the village's ninjas were being mobilized. Although it was done covertly, he could still detect it.

Familiar faces he used to see often on the streets suddenly disappeared, and the Police Force's manpower had also decreased. Rumor had it they had been drafted for missions.

Everything indicated that something was about to happen.

One evening, as Uchiha Taiga was bringing Uchiha Itachi back from the training ground, they saw a squad of ninjas assembling halfway there.

They wore standard Konoha ninja uniforms, some with ninja tool pouches hanging from their waists, others carrying ninja swords—clearly geared up for an outside mission.

The leading Jonin was counting their numbers.

"Is everyone here?"

"We're still missing two."

"We're not waiting. Let's move out first; they can catch up."

The squad began to move rapidly, heading toward the outskirts of the village.

Uchiha Taiga stood by the roadside, watching them pass by.

The ninjas glanced at him. Some recognized him and let their gazes linger for a moment longer, but no one spoke.

The squad moved further away, disappearing into the direction of the setting sun.

Uchiha Taiga withdrew his gaze and continued walking toward the old clan compound.

Although he hadn't deliberately asked around, he had heard quite a few scattered pieces of news.

It seemed Kumogakure had already amassed forces at the border, and Konoha was making corresponding deployments. The Third Great Ninja War hadn't been over for long, yet it looked like fighting was about to break out again.

However, none of this had anything to do with him. Except this time, he saw someone waiting outside the old clan compound.

Uchiha Fugaku.

He had come to pick up Uchiha Itachi personally.

"Father."

Seeing his figure, Uchiha Itachi hurried forward.

"Mm. How was your training today?"

Uchiha Itachi replied, "Taiga-sensei taught me another Fire Style ninjutsu. I've almost mastered it."

Uchiha Fugaku nodded. "Not bad. Wait here for a moment; I have something to discuss with your teacher."

Saying that, he stepped forward and pulled three stacks of bills from his pocket.

"This is for Itachi's training expenses for the month after next."

Uchiha Taiga raised an eyebrow. "The month after next? Then what is he doing next month?"

Uchiha Fugaku said in a deep voice, "I want to take Itachi to see the battlefield."