In a courtyard within the Uchiha Clan, a little boy, about four or five years old, stood holding a shuriken, trying hard to put on a serious expression. However, given his young age, this serious look only added to his cuteness rather than making him appear imposing.
*Whoosh—*
He threw the shuriken, which flew toward a target not far away.
*Thud—*
The shuriken landed squarely on the target, hitting the bullseye.
A bright smile lit up his face as the boy pulled out another shuriken from his ninja pouch and threw it at a different target nearby.
*Thud, thud, thud!*
One after another, the shurikens flew through the air and embedded themselves into the bullseyes of multiple targets spread across the courtyard, making a series of crisp sounds.
After a short while, every target in the yard had a shuriken embedded in its center.
"Yeah!" the little boy exclaimed excitedly. He turned to the adult man standing next to him and said, "Father, I did it!"
"Yes, well done," the man responded, patting the boy on the head. The little boy, clearly pleased with the gesture, grinned widely.
This father and son were none other than Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Sasuke.
In the past, Fugaku had not been particularly impressed with Sasuke's abilities, believing that Sasuke's talent paled in comparison to that of his older brother, Uchiha Itachi. Because of this, he placed more of his hopes and expectations on Itachi, often appearing cold toward Sasuke.
However, with the foresight Fugaku now possessed, he knew that Sasuke, as the reincarnation of Indra, was destined to achieve far greater things than even Itachi. For this reason, Fugaku made an effort to spend time with Sasuke and guide him whenever possible, strengthening their bond.
"Father, you promised that if I hit all the targets, you'd teach me ninjutsu!" Sasuke looked up at Fugaku with eager eyes.
"Don't worry, I'll keep my promise. Today, I'll teach you the Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu," Fugaku said with a smile as he began explaining the hand seals and techniques for the Fireball Jutsu to Sasuke.
Suddenly, Fugaku's sharp senses as a seasoned ninja made him aware of a feeling—someone was watching them.
He turned his gaze toward the direction where he sensed the presence and immediately spotted Uchiha Itachi standing quietly in the corridor beside the courtyard. Itachi stood in an inconspicuous spot, observing them silently.
In the past, Fugaku would have thought nothing of this, trusting Itachi as his eldest son and pride of the clan. But now, knowing Itachi's true nature—his betrayal of the clan—Fugaku couldn't help but be on guard.
'Is Itachi spying on me?' Fugaku wondered.
To confirm his suspicion, Fugaku spoke calmly, "Itachi, you don't have any missions right now?"
"That's right, Father," Itachi responded, feeling a momentary tension as Fugaku noticed him. However, Itachi quickly regained his composure and replied in a respectful tone.
"You're often busy with missions. Since you're free now, take the time to rest," Fugaku said, his expression remaining neutral, but his suspicion deepening. He was becoming more certain that Itachi had been ordered to monitor him.
After joining the ANBU, Itachi rarely had time off. There were often long stretches when Itachi was away on missions, sometimes for days at a time. This indicated how demanding the ANBU was.
Even though there was a chance that Itachi had some free time, Fugaku found it strange given the current situation in the village. The ANBU were heavily involved in the investigation of the murders of Shimura Ryoma and the other Shimura clan members. With so many resources tied up in that, it seemed unlikely that there would be a surplus of available ANBU operatives.
The only explanation that made sense was that Itachi had been given a special mission—to monitor Fugaku or the Uchiha clan.
"I will, Father," Itachi responded obediently, showing no outward signs of disloyalty.
If Fugaku hadn't already known Itachi's betrayal, he would have never suspected anything based on Itachi's current behavior.
"Brother, come train with me!" Sasuke exclaimed excitedly, happy to see that Itachi had some free time.
"Alright," Itachi said with a genuine smile, agreeing to Sasuke's request. Sasuke was the only member of the family who could still make Itachi smile so sincerely.
"Itachi's been busy, Sasuke. Let him rest for now. Isn't your father here to train with you?" Fugaku intervened.
"Oh... okay," Sasuke said, a little disappointed but still obedient. He reasoned that his brother must be tired from all his work, and since his father was with him, it wasn't necessary to bother Itachi.
"Itachi, why don't you head out and take some time for yourself?" Fugaku suggested, his eyes on Itachi.
"Understood, Father. I'll go now," Itachi replied, sensing that Fugaku didn't want him around. Despite being on a surveillance mission, Itachi didn't want to raise any suspicions, so he nodded and left.
Once Itachi was gone, Fugaku resumed teaching Sasuke the Fireball Jutsu.
He didn't want Itachi spending too much time with Sasuke, not after Itachi had betrayed the family. Fugaku feared that Itachi could negatively influence Sasuke or attempt to brainwash him.
Though Itachi didn't possess the same manipulative skills as the Third Hokage, Fugaku wasn't willing to take any chances.
After Fugaku finished explaining the jutsu to Sasuke and let him practice on his own, his thoughts returned to Itachi's surveillance.
'Why would the Hokage suddenly assign Itachi to spy on me?'
There had to be a reason for the Third Hokage to take such an action. He wouldn't have ordered Itachi to monitor Fugaku without cause.
'Could it be that they've discovered I was involved in the deaths of Shimura Ryoma and the others?' Fugaku initially thought. But he quickly dismissed the idea. If his involvement in their deaths had been uncovered, the situation would be far worse than just surveillance. There would be an investigation, and he would be interrogated.
'No, it must be because of the clan meeting we held recently.'
That was the only other event that could explain the surveillance. The Hokage must have learned about the discussions during the meeting and had grown wary.
'Neither Shisui nor Itachi attended the meeting... so how did the Hokage find out? There must be another traitor in the clan, besides those two,' Fugaku thought bitterly.
It was infuriating to think that, on top of Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Itachi's betrayal, there were other spies within the Uchiha Clan.
'Who could it be?' Fugaku wondered, his eyes growing cold with suspicion and a dangerous gleam of intent.
He would root out the traitors, no matter the cost.
*(End of Chapter)*
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