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The Land of Fire, outskirts of Konohagakure.
The Uchiha clan had been forced to relocate from the village center to the outskirts.
From hidden places, countless eyes silently watched over the entire Uchiha territory.
"Nii-san!"
"You promised to practice shuriken with me after school!"
A five or six-year-old child, barefoot and wearing a shirt with the Uchiha clan crest, ran out of the house. His childish, round cheeks were puffed up, and his bright eyes were filled with discontent.
Uchiha Itachi, sitting at the doorway, shook his head apologetically.
"I have something to do. Let Father accompany you today."
Sasuke pouted, his dissatisfaction evident. He'd heard this excuse countless times lately.
"Nii-san always treats me like a nuisance. Shuriken is something you're better at, anyway."
Seeing Sasuke's sulking face, Itachi sighed helplessly and beckoned him with his hand.
Sasuke, thinking Itachi had changed his mind and would stay with him, instantly broke into a smile and ran towards his brother.
Itachi gently poked Sasuke's forehead, but before he could apologize, a lighthearted, teasing voice rang out from outside.
"Next time, Sasuke."
Both turned towards the smiling youth at the doorway.
He looked about sixteen or seventeen, still growing, lean and tall. A black blindfold covered his entire upper face, and his messy silver hair was tucked under it. Despite the half-hidden face, his delicate features were evident.
"Eh? Sorry, did I interrupt your brotherly bonding?"
Seeing their gazes on him, Hatake Kuroshi tilted his head with a smirk.
"Why is it always you?"
Sasuke deflated like a punctured balloon, turning away with displeasure.
"Call him Kuroshi nii-san properly."
Itachi looked between them with a headache.
Sasuke already resented the one who always dragged his brother away, and Kuroshi always added fuel to the fire by showing up and attracting attention.
"Oh, kids always throw tantrums like this. My little one is the same."
Kuroshi said lightly.
His voice suddenly drew closer, the word "kids" carrying the scent of sweets as it reached Sasuke.
Sasuke, still annoyed, turned around and locked eyes with Kuroshi, who was leaning down, stroking his chin. It was unclear whether Sasuke could see his eyes through the blindfold.
Kuroshi's sudden proximity startled Sasuke, who took a step back.
He simply grumbled, "I'm not a kid," and turned back to run inside.
The wind from Sasuke's movement brushed against Itachi's sideburns, making them sway gently.
Itachi sat at the doorway, staring blankly at Kuroshi, who was smiling as he watched Sasuke run away.
Just now, Kuroshi had instantly moved in front of Sasuke.
Even the Sharingan hadn't detected a trace of chakra flow.
But Itachi had seen it with his own eyes: a flash of shadow, and Kuroshi was instantly there.
Even the Mangekyo Sharingan couldn't track his movements.
The more time he spent with his friend, the more he realized Kuroshi was full of mysteries.
He was far from simple.
...
Sitting in a dumpling shop, Itachi sat upright, taking a sip of his tea.
"I saw Kakashi-senpai in the ANBU today."
"You guys really share a mask, huh?"
"I keep imagining Kakashi-senpai's upper face on yours."
Kuroshi sat sideways in his chair, recalling Kakashi's furrowed brows and deadpan eyes as he stared at him.
He grimaced, stretching out his hand and waving it in front of him with a serious expression.
"Don't, I don't have the same boring face as that guy."
Itachi, unable to contain his curiosity, examined Kuroshi from head to toe, his gaze lingering on the blindfold.
"Speaking of which, why do you wear a blindfold? Can't you see?"
"Oh? I can see, of course. There's a reason for this."
Kuroshi touched the edge of his blindfold with a grin.
As Itachi knew, he didn't possess chakra, something almost everyone in the ninja world had.
From their perspective, Kuroshi was just an ordinary civilian.
But in reality, Kuroshi was a transmigrator.
And what's a transmigrator without a cheat system?
Kuroshi opened a translucent system panel in his mind.
[Host Template: Gojo Satoru from Jujutsu Kaisen.]
[Template Restoration: 19%]
[Acquired Skills: Six Eyes, Blue, Short-Range Instantaneous Movement.]
The Six Eyes were a rare, innate talent of the Gojo family, appearing once every few hundred years!
The Six Eyes also allowed Kuroshi to see perfectly despite wearing a blindfold.
Everyone was like a star in the darkness, and he could detect their movements within a three-meter radius.
The system indicated that this range would likely expand as his restoration percentage increased!
Blue was a reversal technique that could instantly reduce the distance between multiple objects or people to negative infinity.
In simpler terms, it erased the distance between objects, causing them to collide directly.
If the speed was too high, the impact force could cause an explosion between the objects.
However, it required careful distance adjustment.
Otherwise, the explosive force might be too strong and throw him off.
While his abilities weren't very strong due to the low restoration percentage, they were enough for him at this point.
Itachi had never asked about the blindfold, knowing that Hatake Kuroshi wouldn't give a straight answer. But Kuroshi fell into deep thought, and Itachi couldn't help but feel a surge of anticipation.
It was as if the mysteries surrounding Kuroshi would finally unravel.
Though he always acted mature, that expectant expression was just like his younger brother's.
Kuroshi smirked, his hand on the edge of his blindfold as he leaned in towards Itachi.
"The reason?"
"It's because I'm too handsome, of course. If I took it off, you guys wouldn't have any girlfriends."
Still the same nonsensical answer. Itachi didn't know what he was expecting. He shifted back slightly, creating some distance between their faces.
"You're not actually blind, are you? That's why you always lean in when you talk?"
"It's just my habit..."
Before Kuroshi could finish, Itachi's gaze fell on a child carrying a tray behind him.
Golden hair, worn orange clothes, goggles on his head, and three distinct whisker marks on his cheeks.
The Nine-Tailed Fox Jinchuriki, Uzumaki Naruto.
Naruto's mouth was smeared with sauce as he scanned the room, carrying his tray towards them. The old wooden floor was warped, with a corner jutting up.
As expected, Naruto, preoccupied with looking around, tripped over the raised floorboard.
The steaming dumplings on his tray went flying, their sticky sauce trailing behind them, heading straight for Kuroshi's back.
Naruto's face paled as he stumbled back, clutching his tray, unsure what to do.
"Behind you..." Itachi couldn't help but warn Kuroshi, seeing the dumplings about to fall.
"Oh, I know." Kuroshi remained calm, reaching behind him with a slightly curled hand. He murmured, "Blue!"
A translucent blue energy materialized in his hand!
The two flying dumplings were instantly engulfed by the Blue blue energy.
"Pop!" The two dumplings collided within the energy, fusing together in a blink.
Kuroshi now held two misshapen, three-colored dumplings, their sticky rice unable to withstand the force of the impact.
"Be careful, little one."
"You should fix that floorboard."
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