At the entrance ceremony of the ninja academy, Sarutobi Hiruzen unsurprisingly preached the Will of Fire.
"Where the leaves are flying, the fire also grows…"
In a word, everything was for the sake of the village.
This kind of spiritual inheritance could lead people to chase the light, but it could also push them into darkness.
The problem was… this year's batch of students all seemed to have their own thoughts.
That little veterinarian with paint on her cheeks…
The girl with a mole who had been staring at Uchiha Itachi since she entered the school gate…
And a worried crow…
Perched on Itachi's shoulder, Beiyuan listened intently to the Hokage's speech. The Will of Fire was dangerous. Under its influence, many had thrown themselves into the flames, sacrificing everything for the village.
It had to keep watch.
Using chakra, Beiyuan connected with Itachi's mind, transmitting a new line of thought.
Benevolence and justice.
The weak—protected.
The strong—acting with righteousness.
As a ninja, one should not harm the innocent and defenseless, but rather, protect them.
Itachi murmured these words to himself. His Sharingan spun.
One tomoe. Two tomoe.
Three tomoe.
"Beiyuan, thank you."
Beiyuan stiffened.
"No… you're welcome?"
It was a bit nervous. Ideological shifts were tricky, and its own understanding of benevolence and righteousness was… limited.
What if Itachi suddenly veered off course?
What if, one day, Kaguya Otsutsuki were to break free of her seal, and Itachi activated his Sharingan, saying—
"The moon collapses. I, Uchiha Itachi, have only my eyes."
…That would be bad.
Beiyuan preferred not to think about it.
On the stage, Sarutobi Hiruzen noticed Itachi's momentary change in expression. A smile flickered across the Hokage's lips.
Throughout the entire ninja academy, there was only one student worth paying attention to.
From the parent section, a middle-aged man clapped enthusiastically.
He was rather annoying.
Freshman Classroom.
Inside sat a group of restless children.
After parting ways with his father, Itachi entered and found his seat. As expected, eyes turned toward him.
"Whoa… he's cool!"
"Hey, hey, is that Uchiha Itachi?"
"Does he bring a pet to school?"
"Ugh, show-off."
"They say he's the most talented Uchiha…"
Uchiha Izumi had noticed Itachi's arrival from the start, but her seat was already taken. She could only watch him with longing.
"Itachi! Beiyuan! Over here!"
Inuzuka Hana waved and pointed to the empty seat beside her.
"Thanks."
"Gah!"
"It's nothing." Hana placed Beiyuan on the table and sighed. "You're lucky. I wanted to bring Kuromaru with me, but my mom scolded me."
"Huh? The school allows it, doesn't it?"
"Kuromaru is my mom's ninja dog…" Hana slumped, looking defeated. "I'm supposed to get my own soon, but Kuromaru's pregnant, so…"
"So… (°ー°〃) …"
Hana's expression darkened as she thought about her mother's strictness. "I'll probably have to wait until after the pups are born!"
The first day of the ninja academy was uneventful.
Aside from the introduction of the curriculum and self-introductions, the teacher only covered chakra refinement. None of it was meaningful to Itachi.
Before long, school ended.
Hana packed up first, slinging her medical bag over her shoulder. Her eyes sparkled. "I'm heading out! Wanna explore the village together?"
"No, I need to go home early today." Itachi gently picked up Beiyuan, who had fallen asleep on the desk.
"See you tomorrow then!"
She was off. No doubt to look for injured animals again.
Uchiha Izumi hesitated before stepping forward. "Itachi… want to practice at the training ground? There's a shuriken and taijutsu test tomorrow."
Beiyuan stirred, then let out a lazy cry.
Gah… hungry…
Itachi adjusted his grip on the crow and shook his head. "Sorry, Beiyuan needs to eat."
"...Oh."
Izumi blinked.
Beiyuan suddenly felt wronged. Why was it being blamed?
The ninja academy, at its core, was less about training warriors and more about building bonds.
After his first day, Itachi had made no new friends beyond Izumi and Hana. He had no way of knowing that today would also be his last day at school.
When he returned home, he played with Sasuke for a while. But before he could go to his room, his father called him over.
Uchiha Fugaku studied his son with a complex expression. "The Hokage came to me today. Tell me… did you really awaken the three-tomoe Sharingan?"
Somehow, Sarutobi Hiruzen had found out. His loose lips were truly a problem.
"Yes, Dad."
Fugaku exhaled slowly. He should have expected this. "Itachi… you've grown."
For once, Fugaku seemed happier about Itachi's advancement than Itachi himself.
That Night.
Fugaku sat across from the Hokage, listening to his proposal.
"Hokage-sama, my son has only attended school for a day," he said, troubled. "He has yet to learn the full curriculum."
Sarutobi Hiruzen tapped his pipe against the table. "If he can handle the burden of a three-tomoe Sharingan, he is already beyond the level of a student. The jonin leader of his team will teach him far more than the academy can."
A single day of school, and now… graduation?
Fugaku's head ached.
The Hokage continued, "Jiraiya has recently returned to the village."
Fugaku's eyes narrowed.
Jiraiya, one of the legendary Sannin.
The meaning was clear. If Fugaku agreed, Itachi would be assigned to Jiraiya as an apprentice. He would, in a sense, become part of the Hokage's faction.
The Hokage was offering him something sweet—honeyed bread placed carefully in front of him.
Would he accept?
The graduation test was now set.