“Brother, won’t doing this damage the relationship between the clan and the village?”
Itachi, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke.
Qiyu’s steps paused for a moment.
Then he turned with a smile and looked at the uneasy Itachi.
“Itachi, no relationship can survive through the efforts of only one side.
Whether it is between friends, family members, or the village and the clan, harmony requires both sides to contribute.
Do you understand?”
Qiyu gently tapped Itachi on the forehead.
Although the two of them were nearly the same height now, Itachi had never resisted these affectionate gestures from his elder brother.
“But Brother, I want to become a bridge between the Uchiha and the village.
If we prove ourselves and become geniuses recognized by everyone, we can attract the attention of the village’s leadership.
As the clan leader’s sons, perhaps we can serve as a link between both sides and ease the conflict through gentler means.”
Looking into Itachi’s determined eyes, Qiyu sighed softly.
His little brother had matured far too early.
He was still so young, yet he already possessed the mindset of a Hokage, forever trying to shoulder responsibilities that should never have belonged to a child his age.
Qiyu’s feelings toward Itachi were complicated—a mixture of love and resentment.
He loved Itachi for being sensible and obedient.
Yet he resented the future in which Itachi would disregard their father and mother and choose the village above all else.
Itachi watched his contemplative brother, his heart filled with unease.
He depended deeply on Qiyu, but not merely because they were brothers.
At times, Qiyu displayed a maturity and rationality far beyond his years, as though every action he took had a carefully considered reason behind it.
“Itachi, you and I are still only children.
How could we possibly bear such pressure and responsibility?
We are only six years old.
Our understanding of this world is still far too limited.”
“Do not make your choice so early.
Look around more.
Experience more.”
“The relationship between the village and the clan may seem complicated, but in truth, it can also be very simple.
It is nothing more than unfairly divided interests and a game of power.”
“For now, let us simply be children.
Let us grow up healthy, happy, and free.
All right?”
Qiyu rubbed Itachi’s small head.
“Your brother only hopes that you will smile more often.”
“And right now, we should behave like two greedy little brats.
We cannot let Izumi’s kindness go to waste.”
Itachi stared blankly at his brother, his gaze gradually becoming distant.
He still remembered what had happened when he was five years old, when their father had decided to take him to the battlefield.
Qiyu had opposed the decision fiercely.
It was the first time Itachi had ever seen his brother truly angry.
His brother was strong.
Although Qiyu rarely trained with any apparent diligence, Itachi knew that he was powerful.
At only five years old, his Fire Release had already been comparable to their father’s.
Even now, Itachi remembered that day with perfect clarity.
Their mother had been silent and tense, while Qiyu gripped his small hand tightly.
“Father, what kind of thought could possibly make you take a five-year-old child onto a battlefield?”
Qiyu’s expression had been frighteningly calm—so calm that Itachi, seated beside him, had grown deeply uneasy.
He had tried to pull his hand free from Qiyu’s grasp, but no matter how hard he struggled, he could not escape.
“What would you understand?
This is the destiny of the Uchiha clan.”
Fugaku cast Qiyu an indifferent glance from across the room.
“Heh.
Only the weak speak endlessly of destiny.
The strong decide their own fate.”
“I will never allow someone as young as Itachi to set foot on a battlefield.”
“Itachi, stand behind me.
This unfit father will not take you away from my side today!”
Itachi looked up at his brother as Qiyu turned toward him.
He could not understand why he had obediently hidden behind Qiyu at that moment.
Perhaps it was because flames seemed to burn within his brother’s eyes—scorching, furious flames unlike anything Itachi had ever seen before.
For the first time in his life, the usually composed and unshakable Qiyu had revealed such intense anger.
“Hmph!
You do not even train properly, yet you dare speak of strength?
Those are nothing but the reckless words of an ignorant child!”
Fugaku’s expression instantly turned severe.
He had already begun to give up on his eldest son.
Even now, Qiyu had yet to learn the most basic Academy Three Techniques.
He could not compare to Itachi in the slightest.
Fugaku was disappointed, but somewhere deep inside, he also felt a trace of relief that his eldest son might never become a shinobi.
In an era like this, perhaps being unable to walk the path of a shinobi was a blessing in disguise.
“Then let us test it, Father.”
“Let us see whether my words are truly nothing more than childish boasting.”
Itachi’s small body trembled when he heard the conviction in Qiyu’s voice.
He was deeply moved, yet equally afraid.
He knew his brother was not weak.
But the man standing before them was their father.
The current leader of the Uchiha clan.
The strongest among them.
“Brother, I’m willing to—”
“Itachi!
Are you determined to make me a failure as an elder brother?”
The rest of Itachi’s words died in his throat.
He stared blankly at the brother who stood so firmly in front of him, shielding him without the slightest hesitation.
For the first time, amid the suffocating weight of their father’s expectations, Itachi experienced another feeling.
The peace of being protected.
“Qiyu, are you certain about this?”
A flicker of astonishment and surprise flashed through Fugaku’s eyes.
Beside him, Mikoto reached out as though to take Fugaku’s hand.
But whether because of her trust in her husband or her habitual respect for him as the head of the family, her hand stopped halfway and slowly withdrew.
She could only watch Qiyu with concern as he continued to shield Itachi.
“There is nothing to be afraid of.
Itachi is my little brother.
Isn’t it only natural for an elder brother to protect his younger brother?”
“Even if a powerful enemy stands before me, anyone who wishes to harm Itachi will have to step over my body first!”
Itachi suddenly felt something wet slide down his cheek.
It tasted salty.
Yet it also made him feel safer than he ever had before.
“Then let me test the limits of your resolve, Qiyu.”
“Anyone can make grand declarations.”
Without another word, Fugaku turned and walked toward the training ground in the rear courtyard.
Qiyu entrusted Itachi to their mother, who had been watching him anxiously, and gave her a reassuring look.
Mikoto opened her mouth, wanting to tell her eldest son that he did not need to go this far.
Yet when she saw the determination in Qiyu’s back as he turned away, the words once again remained unspoken.
There was nothing left to say.
Now that matters had reached this point, she could only trust her husband.
After all, Qiyu was his son.
“Qiyu, show me your true strength.”
“Otherwise, take back those arrogant words.”
The moment Fugaku finished speaking, an overwhelming pressure erupted from his body.
Standing beside his mother at the entrance, Itachi instantly felt as though the air had been crushed from his lungs.
His back bent slightly beneath the oppressive force.
If even he could barely breathe from this distance, then what kind of terrifying pressure was his brother enduring while facing their father directly?
Itachi stared at Qiyu’s unwavering figure.
His brother’s back remained straight, refusing to bend even slightly beneath Fugaku’s power.
And in that moment, Itachi suddenly felt as though the brother standing before him had grown immeasurably taller.
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