Uchiha Kamito carried Uchiha Itachi as he walked out, with Uchiha Shisui closely following behind.
"Hey, be careful, you're about to bump into someone."
Kamito shifted his body slightly, avoiding a very anxious uncle beside him.
"Huh? How can a blind person still be this agile? Ah, that hurts!"
Itachi took a harsh flick to the forehead.
Thump.
A big swollen bump instantly rose on his head.
"That's rude. Don't ever directly point out someone's physical shortcomings again."
"Hmph."
Itachi snorted but didn't dare say anything. He knew he was in the wrong.
"Oh right, Itachi, I heard you got yourself a little girlfriend. Is that true?"
Shisui perked up his ears—this was something he had to hear.
"No, no! Don't talk nonsense! I'm only five, how could I have a girlfriend?"
Itachi's face flushed red as he waved his hands frantically.
"So what if you do? It's not like I'm the only one who knows. Her name's Izumi, right?"
"No, no! We're just really good friends."
"Is that so? That's great then. Your mom just went to warn that little girl named Izumi to stay away from you."
"What? Why would Mom do that?!"
"I'm messing with you. Just admit it openly. Besides, you're not the first guy to have a girlfriend at five."
Itachi's curiosity instantly sparked.
"Then who was the first?"
"The current Inuzuka clan head. At five, he already won over the daughter of the previous clan head. Now he's the clan head himself. What a despicable guy."
After walking for an hour, they arrived at the Hyūga clan grounds.
"Did you increase your weights again? How many times have I told you—take it step by step! Are you trying to kill me?"
A very irritable voice rang out.
"Kamito, you damn blind guy, what are you doing here?"
Itachi looked smugly at his uncle.
See? Even if you lecture me, others will still call you that.
Thump.
"Kid, think about something healthier."
Itachi clutched his head, rubbing the newly formed bump furiously.
Just wait until I grow up—you'll have a day when you're too old to move.
"You cataract idiot, do you keep your Byakugan active all day? I'm this far away and you still noticed me. Huh? Why is the Caged Bird seal on your forehead gone?"
"How did you know? Don't tell me you're not actually blind and just pretending. You can even see that?"
Hyūga Hiyasu walked over, his forehead smooth—the Caged Bird curse mark was completely gone.
He looked at Kamito in confusion, carefully examining his optic nerves with the Byakugan.
They weren't intact—he really was blind.
Hearing Hiyasu's question, Itachi and Shisui nodded vigorously.
They had always suspected their uncle (or teacher) wasn't actually blind.
Thump. Thump.
Both of them clutched their heads.
"When adults are talking, kids shouldn't let their imaginations run wild."
"Damn, did you learn mind-reading or something? You even know what these two kids are thinking?"
Hiyasu looked shocked.
Who would've thought that you, Uchiha Kamito—with those upright looks—would learn such a disgusting jutsu?
"Don't overthink it. I hit them because I know them well enough to be sure they weren't thinking anything decent. As for you—normally there's a murky mass of chakra in your head, but today it suddenly disappeared, so I guessed."
"I see."
The three of them suddenly understood.
But Itachi and Shisui immediately noticed a flaw.
"What if you guessed wrong and we weren't thinking that? Then what?"
"If I guessed wrong and you weren't thinking that, then you just got hit for nothing. Isn't it only natural for an uncle to hit his nephew, or a teacher to hit his student?"
Itachi and Shisui clenched their teeth.
You'll have a day when you can't walk anymore.
"So this is how your Uchiha clan raises kids—wild like this?"
"Forget me. Tell me about the Caged Bird. Didn't you call it the Hyūga honor badge? How did you just cancel it like that?"
"We didn't cancel it. But last time you told Minato that the Heavenly Net Plan was already quite complete. That means our Hyūga clan is absolutely safe in the village, so why keep that curse mark all the time? We just reapply it when going on missions."
"That casual? The Caged Bird can be that smart?"
"No. Shiken developed a kind of sealing-removal insect that works perfectly on this kind of curse mark. When we leave the village, we just carve it back on. We've even introduced various levels and designs—you should come check it out sometime."
"Isn't that organization still around? Aren't you being too reckless?"
"It's fine. Shiken also developed a new insect—the Reverse Four Symbols Sealing Insect. You know its effect: whoever comes dies. Besides, that person was already taken out by Shiken. There aren't any lunatics like that left in Konoha."
"Oh, in that case… pay up."
"Pay what?"
"Our Uchiha clan's Heavenly Net is protecting your Hyūga clan. Shouldn't you pay some protection fees?"
"No money. If you want my life, hell no."
...
The two of them continued chatting back and forth, while Itachi and Shisui stood there completely confused.
What organization? What person? What are you even talking about? The adult world is way too hard to understand.
"Two thousand eight hundred seventy-one."
"Two thousand eight hundred seventy-two."
A familiar voice rang out.
Hiyasu's face changed drastically.
"Oh my god, please just stop already."
Kamito sensed Hiyasu's frantic movements and smiled faintly.
Why did he come here today?
Wasn't it just for this moment?
"Itachi, Shisui, let's go."
Kamito led them to Hiyasu's training ground.
The moment they stepped inside, Itachi and Shisui were stunned.
Broken wooden posts were everywhere, worn-out bandages scattered around, and despite the clear weather, the ground in the training field was damp.
"Take a good look—have you ever seen land soaked with sweat?"
What?!
Both of them widened their eyes, staring at the muddy ground.
This… was actually soaked from sweat?
Then they looked in shock at the ninja in the green bodysuit.
He did all of this?!
"Guy! If you keep this up, how am I supposed to explain to Duy-san? Let's rest—just ten minutes, okay?"
"Hiyasu, youth is the time to burn with effort!"
The young Might Guy, while receiving acupoint massage from Hiyasu, gulped down water and spouted his classic lines about youth.
What was Kamito feeling right now?
Like being stranded in a scorching desert—the blazing sun overhead, lips cracked dry, eyes filled with helplessness— and then suddenly, from the sky, a waterfall of ice-cold soda pours down.
Pure bliss from head to toe.
Absolutely exhilarating.
Hiyasu—you've got your day too.
"Guy, blindly training hard won't get you anywhere. Perfect timing—Kamito brought two talented juniors. Why don't we have a sparring match?"
"Sure! Shisui, you're up."
Uchiha Shisui froze.
He pointed at himself blankly, then looked at the already fired-up Might Guy.
"I… fight him? Sensei, I haven't offended you recently, have I?"
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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