After traveling outside for nearly two years, Itachi felt very emotional when he returned to Konoha.
Not only did he grow during his travels, but Konoha also became more prosperous during his travels. It felt like it was almost catching up with the capital of the Fire Nation, except that there were fewer people.
"Let's go home first." Itachi withdrew his gaze and walked towards the Uchiha clan's territory according to his memory.
It was his first time leaving the village alone, and he was away for such a long time. Itachi also missed his family.
Is his father still busy with Uchiha affairs, will his mother worry about him late at night, and is Sasuke growing up healthily.
These were the things Itachi couldn't help but think about when he was alone and in a daze.
Itachi is a man with ideals and goals, but he also has feelings for family. Sometimes when he is walking alone in a dark forest, he would wonder if it would be better if someone were with him.
He just isn't good at expressing his emotions, that doesn't mean he has no emotions.
Walking in the Uchiha clan territory, Itachi also discovered some differences from before.
In the past, most of the Uchiha ninjas entered the police department directly and became ninjas of the police department.
Although there are still a group of Uchiha veterans working in the police department, most of the Uchiha, especially the younger generation, have been integrated into Konoha, instead of staying in the Uchiha's small circle as before.
It seems that for this reason, the Uchiha clan's territory is more vibrant than before, and many non-Uchiha clan members can be seen from time to time.
Because of Uchiha Fugaku's teachings and Itachi's own factors, he can be said to be very precocious.
Itachi still remembers the atmosphere in the Uchiha clan's territory for some time after the Third Ninja World War, which was dull and depressing.
Everyone was quite dissatisfied, as if Uchiha and Konoha had become two opposing individuals rather than a group.
Some middle-aged men who looked serious would often come to his house to discuss things with his father, sometimes speaking very loudly.
It was completely different now, the Uchiha was reborn.
"Itachi?" Suddenly, a female voice called Itachi, stopping him from taking a step.
Itachi looked towards the source of the voice and found that it was Uchiha Izumi looking at her with surprise.
I haven't seen him for over a year. Uchiha Izumi has only grown a little taller, not much different. He still has long, beautiful black hair, fair skin, and two bright big eyes that flash a hint of cunning from time to time.
Seeing Itachi's familiar expressionless face, Uchiha Izumi waved to Itachi happily, then trotted to Itachi's front. However, due to his impatience, he failed to brake and was about to fall on You.
But Itachi is a man who is single by his own ability. He instantly straightened Uchiha Izumi up at a speed that Uchiha Izumi could not even see clearly, avoiding the scene of the two of them playing stacking on the ground.
"Huh?" When Uchiha Izumi reacted, she was already standing upright in front of Itachi.
"What's the matter?" Itachi asked calmly.
"It's nothing, I just wanted to call you when I saw you. After all, I haven't seen you for so long. When did you come back?" Quan waved his hand and asked curiously.
"I just got back today and was about to go home." Itachi replied.
"Oh, I see. You've been outside for so long, you must miss your family. I won't disturb you anymore. You can go home first." Uchiha Izumi thought for a while and said with a smile.
Although she really wanted to chat with Itachi now, talk about what Itachi had experienced during this long journey, and confide in Itachi about the hardships of training, it would not be a good idea for her to keep chatting with Itachi when he had just returned.
Itachi nodded, and Izumi said goodbye before heading in the direction of his home.
It was exactly noon at this time. Itachi felt that at this time of the day, Sasuke should be playing in the yard, Fugaku was sitting in the living room reading a newspaper, and Uchiha Mikoto was preparing lunch.
When Itachi returned home, his parents were just as he expected. Fugaku was watching something in the living room, and Uchiha Mikoto was preparing lunch. However, he did not see Sasuke and did not know where he had gone.
Seeing his eldest son, whom he was proud of, return, Fugaku, who was always considered to be extremely calm by others, showed a surprised smile on his face.
Uchiha Mikoto was even more excited and walked forward to manually check on Uchiha Itachi's condition, observing him carefully, worried that Itachi might get injured during the long journey.
Uchiha Mikoto finally felt relieved after seeing that her beloved son was unharmed.
"You must have suffered a lot outside. Look how much thinner you have become." Uchiha Mikoto pinched Itachi's face and said with concern.
"You worry too much. Itachi is not that fragile. He had already won the first place in the Chunin Exam jointly held by the four major ninja villages before he set off. He will not encounter any danger if he only stays in the Land of Fire." Fugaku retracted his surprised smile and said seriously.
"I wonder who was in a hurry to ask Nagase about Itachi's condition before..." Uchiha Mikoto didn't give Fugaku any face and exposed his secrets with a smile.
Fugaku's expression suddenly changed, but he quickly calmed down and said stubbornly, "I had something to ask Nagase Fusaku that day, and asking about Itachi was just a side note."
There were some difficult to understand words coming out one after another, like "the police department is busy with reform" and "the clan leader's majesty", which made Uchiha Mikoto laugh, and for a moment the room was filled with a happy atmosphere.
"Where's Sasuke?" Itachi suddenly remembered that his brother was not at home.
Fugaku checked the time and said, "He should be on his way back. Sasuke is now training with Nagase Sasuke. It was not long after you left."
"Practicing with Teacher Nagase? That's great." Itachi's eyes flickered and he nodded, thinking it was very good.
It was naturally a good thing to be able to practice with Yongze. He started practicing with Yongze at the age of six, while Zuo Zhu started practicing with Yongze at the age of three, thus saving three years of detours.
It’s not that Itachi looks down on his father and the people of the Uchiha clan. Compared with Nagase, they are really not good enough. The gap is too big.
Mention Sasuke and he will appear. Not long after Itachi and Fugaku mentioned Sasuke, Sasuke went home.
When Zuosuke saw the figure he often saw in his dreams, he rushed up excitedly and hugged Itachi.
Itachi smiled and opened his hand to cooperate with Zuosuke.
"Brother, why did you take so long to come back? I missed you so much. I even dreamed about you yesterday." The excited Zuo Zhu didn't care about being shy and spoke out his real thoughts directly.
"It's okay, I'm back." Itachi smiled and touched Zuosuke's head.
Zuo Zhu then realized that what he had just said was too direct. Like a child who couldn't leave his brother, his fair face turned red rapidly and soon became as red as a red apple.
Afterwards, the family had a harmonious lunch. After the meal, Zuo Zu excitedly pulled Itachi to the yard, saying that he wanted Itachi to see the results of his hard training over the past year.
Then, Sasuke used the Moon Breathing in front of Itachi and chopped his own yard fiercely. Even a tree in the yard that was more than one meter thick fell down under Sasuke's knife.
"Brother, am I doing well in my training?" Zuo Zhu stared at Itachi as if asking for praise, his eyes full of expectation.
"Very good. When I was your age, my strength was not as good as you are now." Itachi praised with a smile.
"Hehe." After receiving the compliment from his beloved brother, Zuo Zhu blushed slightly and showed a satisfied smile.
This was something he had always imagined and looked forward to during Itachi's absence.
Especially since Itachi actually said that he had surpassed Itachi of the same period, this made Zuosuke even more excited. This was the greatest recognition from Itachi.
Zuo Zhu, in a very happy mood, quickly told Itachi that he had something yet to show him. Zuo Zhu raised his right hand and suddenly a flame rose from his right hand. Zuo Zhu punched out suddenly and a huge flaming fist flew out. The fierce flames directly burned the branches and leaves of the book, leaving only black ash on the ground.
Itachi's face showed a hint of change, because he actually couldn't understand this move. It seemed that Zuo Zhu didn't even use chakra just now, so how could the nature change? Moreover, he hadn't even formed a seal yet, and the temperature of the flame was not low.
"Is this what Mr. Nagase taught you?" Itachi asked.
Zuo Zhu thought for a moment and said, "It probably doesn't count."
He was thinking, isn't it just using the power of the Flame-Flame Fruit to throw a punch? Does he need Nagase to teach him
"Developed it by himself?" Itachi fell into deep thought. Could it be that Sasuke was actually a very rare ninjutsu genius
Zuo Zhu nodded and said, "Isn't this very simple? How could Mr. Nagase teach this?"
When Itachi heard Zuosuke's Versailles words, he felt that this cute younger brother was suddenly not so cute anymore.
The unmarked ninjutsu that even he could hardly understand was actually said by Zuo Zhuo to be too simple and Nagase could not teach it.
Itachi flicked Zuosuke's forehead lightly with his finger, and the defenseless Zuosuke cried out in pain.
"Brother, what are you doing?" Zuosuke looked at Itachi with his innocent big eyes.
"There was a mosquito just now." Itachi said calmly.
"So that's how it is." Zuosuke, who trusted Itachi very much, immediately believed Itachi's words and really thought that Itachi was helping to kill mosquitoes, rather than simply wanting to flick him away.
After rubbing Zuosuke's little head, Itachi went out.
The first thing he did after returning to Konoha was to go home. After spending some time with his family, Itachi prepared to look for Nagase.
In Itachi's mind, Nagase holds a unique position. During the journey, he is eager to tell Nagase what he has seen and heard, to confide his inner distress to him, and to hear Nagase's opinions.
Itachi was thinking about what he would say and what questions he would ask when he saw Nagase later, and he gradually walked towards Nagase's house.
However, what Itachi didn't expect was that Nagase had not returned home yet, but instead ran into Kabuto who had just returned home.
"You're back." Dou was slightly stunned when he saw the familiar figure he hadn't seen for a long time, then he said with a smile.
"Just got back today." Itachi nodded and said.
"Teacher Nagase, he hasn't come back yet?"
"He should be back soon," Dou said uncertainly.
"Wrong, I'm already back." Nagase Youyou said who suddenly appeared.
"Teacher Nagase, long time no see." Itachi greeted Nagase.
Yongze nodded slightly and said with a smile: "How was your trip to the Fire Country? Did you gain a lot?"
"Well, I've gained a lot. I used to be too complacent and naive." Itachi said with a complicated expression.
In the past, Itachi's understanding of the world and people was still very one-sided, because he only lived in Konoha, and even because of Nagase, he had not been exposed to the darkness of Konoha.
Konoha covers a large area, about the size of a big city, but most of the land is used for various training purposes. There are very few places for people to live, and not many people, so it can be considered a "small place".
For Itachi, who has always lived in such a "small place" and is from an autistic family like the Uchiha, it is inevitable that he has some cognitive deficiencies.
This trip around the Land of Fire made up for Itachi's lack in this aspect. He felt that he had really grown a lot. Although not in terms of strength, its significance was no less than a huge improvement in strength.
"It's good to have some gains." Yongze said with a smile.
"Knowledge is important, strength is also important, and cultivation has not been neglected, right?"
"I didn't forget to practice during my journey. Unless there were any accidents, I still maintained my daily practice, but the time was less than when I was in Konoha," Itachi replied.
In this world of ninja, you need not only knowledge but also power, otherwise no one will listen to you or do what you arrange.
However, because he is outside, the training time is definitely not as much as that in Konoha. He still has to observe, and it is not like he is training outside.
"During the days when you were away from Konoha, I have been practicing hard. Now Itachi, you may have been surpassed by me," said Kabuto.
"The training time is a little short, but this journey has also pushed my Sharingan to the limit of three magatama. It's not certain who will surpass whom." Itachi's eyes suddenly turned blood red, and three black magatama were spinning in his blood-red eyes.
Itachi's main gain this time was spiritual growth. With the stimulation he received during the journey, if he had not currently insufficient chakra, he might have been able to produce the Mangekyō.
"You are all very energetic. Let's have a battle full of youthful passion." Nagaze clapped and laughed, then took the two of them to an uninhabited forest.
Kabuto's current strength is really not to be underestimated. He ate the ice fruit given by Nagase, and then developed his own breathing method, ice breathing, based on water breathing.
If Kabuto could last longer in battle, Nagase felt that Kabuto would have the strength to defeat ordinary Kage-level warriors. He is still too young now, and although he has worked hard to train, his physical strength is still relatively insufficient.
Facing such a Kabuto, if Itachi only had the three-magatama Sharingan and his other training had not been too advanced, then Itachi might have been defeated by Kabuto in this battle.
I have developed a breathing method that suits me perfectly, coupled with the powerful ice fruit, and the profound ninjutsu library passed down by three generations of Kabuto, all together make me extremely difficult to deal with.