"Lord Hokage said that I will be able to join the Crown Guards in the future. This mark is the symbol of the Crown Guards, a gift given to me in advance by the Lord Hokage."
Itachi excitedly explained to his father the origin of the mark on the back of his neck.
In his eyes, being able to join the Crown Guards was a great honor—after all, even Shisui longed to be part of it.
Not only Shisui but many of his classmates at school also dreamed of joining the Crown Guards and becoming the Lord Hokage's most elite personal guards.
Looking at his son's enthusiastic and hopeful expression, Fugaku couldn't bear to say anything discouraging.
There was nothing he could do now but continue to struggle for survival in this village.
Would there be a day when he could break free from these shackles?
Fugaku didn't know. Perhaps death was the only way to sever them.
But the Hokage was only in his teens this year.
Itachi added, "However, Lord Hokage said that before I officially become a Crown Guard, I should avoid revealing this mark to others."
Fugaku forced a smile. "Since Lord Hokage said so, don't disappoint him."
Hearing this, Itachi nodded firmly.
He was filled with beautiful visions of his future, confident that he would become one of the Hokage's most trusted subordinates.
His father and mother would surely be proud of him.
Moreover, he could collaborate with Shisui in the future—there was nothing better than that.
Itachi couldn't wait to embark on his path as a ninja.
Later that night, in his dreams, Itachi heard a rustling sound.
He propped himself up and looked toward the door, seeing a familiar figure.
"Kaa-san, why are you back so late?"
Mikoto walked slowly to his side and spoke in her usual gentle tone.
"Mom had some things to take care of today. Sorry, Itachi. Did you have dinner?"
Itachi responded with a soft "Mm" and said, "Tou-san made dinner, but it's not as good as Kaa-san."
Mikoto gently ruffled his hair and said, "Mom will make whatever you want to eat tomorrow. It's been a long time since we slept together. How about I sleep with you tonight?"
"Okay."
Itachi scooted over to make room.
As soon as he lay down, Mikoto pulled him tightly into her arms.
Her embrace was firm, and her warm body seemed to be trembling.
Drops of water fell onto his face.
Was Kaa-san... crying?
The next morning.
In the classroom of the Ninja Academy's graduating class.
Itachi sat by the window, a bit lost in thought.
He had noticed that something seemed off between his parents.
This morning, they hadn't exchanged a single word, as if they'd had a fight.
His thoughts were interrupted when three Chunin instructors entered the classroom.
The room fell into silence.
"Starting today, you will begin carrying out missions assigned by the village. From now on, you'll form three-person squads, each led by a Jonin instructor who will guide you in completing missions."
"Now we will announce the team assignments."
The graduation exams had already taken place, and Itachi had, unsurprisingly, passed with flying colors, earning his ninja headband and officially becoming a ninja in the village.
Today was the team assignment day.
Itachi had a general understanding of the students in the graduating class and knew there were a few promising ones.
He was curious about who his future teammates would be, and his gaze began sweeping across the classroom.
Suddenly, a familiar figure caught Itachi's attention.
The person sat alone near the back of the classroom.
His silver, medium-length hair was tied at the back with a hair tie, and he wore glasses, giving him a refined and scholarly appearance.
Itachi remembered that this person was one of the three he had encountered earlier at his family's training ground.
Even Shisui had praised his impressive shuriken skills.
Didn't he say he wasn't a student at the Ninja Academy? Why is he here...?
"Uchiha Itachi."
Itachi suddenly heard his name being called.
"Yakushi Kabuto."
"Sakurada Shinako."
Itachi was slightly stunned, and at that moment, the silver-haired boy also looked his way.
The Chunin instructor said a few more words, instructing everyone to wait here for their Jonin instructors to arrive.
A girl with two braided pigtails walked over confidently and introduced herself, "Hi, I'm Shinako. We'll be teammates from now on."
Itachi quickly stood up and politely responded, "Hello."
Shinako smiled brightly. "I never expected I'd be lucky enough to be on the same team as a genius like you!"
She even waved at Kabuto, who was sitting alone nearby, motioning for him to come over.
"Didn't expect it to be you."
Kabuto nodded. "I didn't expect it either."
Shinako asked in surprise, "You two know each other?"
She knew that Itachi was a genius who had suddenly joined the graduating class, but she had never heard of Kabuto, who only appeared during the team assignments today.
After a round of introductions, Kabuto asked Itachi, "How old are you?"
"... Six."
Shinako exclaimed, "You're only six? Wow, when I was six, I had just started school!"
Then she leaned down and playfully pinched Itachi's face, laughing. "No wonder you look so young. Call me 'Onee-chan'!"
Itachi was flustered and took a step back. "Please don't do that."
After waiting in the classroom for about ten minutes, their Jonin instructor arrived.
It was a young man dressed in a green ninja combat uniform.
His gleaming white eyes clearly indicated his identity.
"Uchiha Itachi, Yakushi Kabuto, Sakurada Shinako — Ninth Squad, come with me."
Shinako whispered to Itachi and Kabuto, "Our teacher is from the Hyuga clan!"
Itachi and Kabuto were both surprised by their teacher's Byakugan.
Kabuto thought to himself, He's from the same clan as Lord Hokage.
The instructor led the three children to an empty classroom inside the school.
Once inside, he spoke kindly, "Hello, feel free to sit. My name is Hyuga Kiyomi. I'll be your Jonin instructor and guide you through your time as Genin."
"Let's start by introducing ourselves to get to know each other. Share your interests, things you like or dislike, and your dreams for the future."
Shinako immediately said, "Kiyomi-sensei, you go first!"
Kiyomi smiled gently and said, "I enjoy reading in my free time. I dislike disobedient children. If someone doesn't follow my orders during a mission, I will make sure to properly educate them in private."
The three students shuddered despite his kind smile.
"My dream is to achieve world peace."
"Sakurada Shinako, I like sweets and cats. My dream is to open a pet shop full of cats."
Kiyomi chuckled. "Then why did you become a ninja?"
Shinako answered matter-of-factly, "To make money, of course."
"..."
"My name is Uchiha Itachi. I like training and practicing with friends. I dislike overly greasy food. My dream is to become a Crown Guard."
Kiyomi smiled and said, "Then you'll need to work hard for that."
"Yakushi Kabuto. I like spending time with friends and dislike being alone. My dream is also to become a Crown Guard."
Kiyomi paused for a moment. "You two share the same dream, huh?"
Itachi and Kabuto glanced at each other.
Kabuto was a few years older than Itachi, even older than Shinako.
Kiyomi continued, "Joining the Crown Guard isn't easy. You'll have to train even harder and be more dedicated."
At this point, Shinako raised her hand and asked, "Teacher Kiyomi, do you know Lord Hakumen?"
"Of course I do."
They were from the same clan and had both served as the Fourth Hokage's personal Anbu guards.
They were quite familiar with each other.
In terms of clan seniority, Kiyomi was technically Hakumen's elder.
Shinako asked eagerly, "Can you introduce me to him?"
Kiyomi instantly saw through the little girl's thoughts and said, "Lord Hakumen is usually very busy. Maybe some other time. Anyway, to celebrate the formation of the Ninth Squad, how about I treat everyone to a meal?"
Kabuto remained somewhat quiet, and Itachi wasn't much of a talker either.
Fortunately, both had gentle temperaments and were unlikely to cause conflicts.
The lively and cheerful girl in their team balanced things out.
Itachi found himself curious about his new teammate and was filled with anticipation for his future as a ninja.
.......
Hokage Building
"Sunagakure has sent word that they will participate in the Chunin Exams as scheduled in two months, with nearly a hundred Genin."
Makoto asked, "How many do we have?"
The reporting ninja responded awkwardly, "Those who meet the requirements and are qualified number just over fifty."
"That's so few..." Makoto sighed with a hint of frustration.
The village's current biggest issue was the lack of personnel, which was why he had previously ordered the academy to significantly increase student enrollment.
The ninja added, "And that's after lowering the standards. Among these fifty-plus, very few are likely to actually make it to Chunin."
Makoto continued, "What's the current total number of active Genin in the village?"
The ninja thought for a moment and said, "There are quite a few active, but many are completely unqualified for Chunin-level responsibilities. If we forcefully send them just to fill numbers... it might reflect poorly on the village."
The implication was that they might embarrass themselves.
Makoto fell into deep thought.
The Chunin Exams were an important platform for showcasing a village's strength to the outside world.
Konoha and Suna were both part of the Five Great Ninja Villages, and such a significant difference in participant numbers could have negative repercussions.
Should they reduce and limit the number of participants from each village?
While the Chunin Exams had a competitive aspect, their core purpose was to provide a platform for Genin to advance.
Such a move would undoubtedly deprive Genin of their rights.
Makoto asked the ninja in front of him, "Is there any suitable solution?"
"Well..."
Makoto sighed helplessly. "Alright, let's put this matter on hold for now."
He glanced at the letter from the Fifth Kazekage, Pakura, on his desk.
It was just routine greetings meant to maintain friendly relations between the two villages.
Casually tossing it back onto the desk, Makoto stood up from his chair and stretched lazily.
The Chunin who had been reporting had already left.
Makoto walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing at the scenery outside.
He felt there were significant issues with the current structure of the ninja system, thinking he could completely overturn it and redefine the rules.
But achieving that wouldn't be easy — it required standing at the pinnacle of the ninja world.
As Hokage, he was already considered one of the strongest figures in the world, capable of stirring the winds and waves of the ninja realm.
Yet in Makoto's view, the power of a village leader was still too limited.
Only by standing above everyone could he truly act as he pleased and implement his ideals.
To achieve that, he had to become even stronger.
Another knock on the door interrupted his thoughts.
"Come in."
Makoto returned to his seat.
"Ah, it's Shisui."
Seeing the visitor, Makoto's face softened into a kind smile.
"Lord Hokage."
Uchiha Shisui, currently a Genin in the village, was one of the most closely watched young talents.
After all, in the original timeline, this child's Mangekyo Sharingan abilities were terrifyingly powerful.
Although the village was now entirely different from before, and Shisui might never awaken those same eyes, his talent was undeniable.
Makoto smiled and said, "It seems this mission went smoothly."
Shisui handed over the mission feedback report from the client.
Makoto accepted it and casually flipped through it, finding it filled with glowing praise.
He nodded and said, "Not bad. You can go collect your reward. Thank you for your hard work."
Shisui quickly replied, "Serving Lord Hokage is never a hardship."
After excusing himself, Shisui left the office, only to run into someone head-on.
He immediately bowed in respect.
"Lord Hakumen."
"Oh, it's Shisui," the man said with a surprised smile, clearly recognizing him.
"Are you here to see Lord Hokage for something?"
"I just came to report after completing a mission."
Hakumen nodded. "Keep up the good work, Shisui. One day, you'll be part of the Crown Guard too."
Shisui respectfully responded, "Yes."
The Crown Guard currently had only four members, with the most famous being Kakashi.
Word had spread about his prior feat of single-handedly killing nearly thirty Iwagakure shinobi, leading many to believe he would surpass his father, the legendary White Fang of Konoha.
Next was Hakumen, a member of the same clan as the Fifth Hokage.
It was said that Hakumen's taijutsu was terrifyingly powerful — a single strike from him could shatter a mountain.
However, few had ever witnessed it firsthand.
As for the other two members, their fame was slightly less prominent.
Might Guy had gone to serve as a guardian ninja for the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, while Mitarashi Anko had rarely showcased her strength.
In Shisui's view, anyone who was part of the Crown Guard was definitely not an ordinary person.
He needed to work even harder since his most powerful Fire Release technique already required significant effort just to shatter a somewhat larger rock, let alone a whole mountain.
He often wondered just how strong Lord Hokage truly was...
Shisui sometimes speculated, though he ultimately believed that Lord Hokage's power was beyond anything he could imagine.
In the office.
After listening to Hakumen's report on official matters, the time was nearing noon.
With no more official business left to handle, Makoto planned to visit the newly established Science and Crafts Department in the afternoon.
This department had recruited several master craftsmen, intending to delve into chakra and physical research.
Makoto wanted to develop things from the original work, such as the Star Destroyer Cannon, aerial fortresses, flying ninja tools, and the lightning train (railroads).
"Lord Hokage," Samui approached at that moment.
"It's time for lunch."
Makoto lazily responded, "Just have someone bring it over."
As he lay resting on the bed in the lounge, he was suddenly awakened by a faint noise.
Opening his eyes, he saw two figures moving around in front of him.
There were plenty of dishes set on the table, but Makoto's attention was completely drawn to the two individuals.
Normally, only Samui had access to the lounge, but today it wasn't her—it was Yugito and Mabui.
Mabui wore a seductive bunny-girl black stockings maid outfit, holding a serving tray in her hands.
To his surprise, Yugito was dressed in a similarly provocative black stockings cat-girl outfit.
Her cheeks were flushed, and she stood there looking extremely embarrassed.
Makoto had seen Mabui in such attire before, but it was his first time seeing Yugito in this appearance.
Upon noticing that Makoto had woken up, Mabui naturally carried the tray to the window and knelt gracefully.
"Lord Hokage, would you like to dine?"
Yugito also stepped forward hesitantly, mimicking Mabui's posture as she knelt on the floor with a tray in her hands, her pretty face burning red like fire.
"Lo-Lord Hokage..."
"Lunch..."
--------------
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