Chapter 741: Sasuke: Itachi, This Is the Last Time

"Mr. Sasuke, what information did you gather yesterday?"

In the early morning, Boruto asked Sasuke curiously.

Last night, he had originally planned to stay awake until Sasuke returned, but he had experienced quite a lot over the past two days and was fairly tired, so he couldn't withstand the drowsiness.

"I verified Minato Namikaze's words; for now, he seems trustworthy."

Sasuke replied.

"Hehe, I told you Grandpa and Grandma weren't lying."

Boruto chuckled.

Although Boruto didn't know the reasoning behind it, he could still feel that Minato Namikaze and Kushina bore no ill will toward them.

"Should we go tell Grandpa the information now?"

"You go to the Hokage building and tell him, same time as yesterday. I'll go find him then."

"Me? And you, Mr. Sasuke?"

Boruto asked in confusion.

"I have other important things to do."

Sasuke said calmly.

"I see. Then after I notify him, where should I find you, Mr. Sasuke?"

"Don't bother looking for me. You can act freely for now, just don't leave Konoha."

With Minato Namikaze, the current Hokage, as his backing, Boruto would be very safe in Konoha; even if he tried to get himself killed, it would be difficult.

"Eh?"

Boruto looked at Sasuke in surprise, not expecting Sasuke to let him act freely. Was this an acknowledgment of his abilities?

"Mr. Sasuke, you can rest assured. I will definitely complete the mission perfectly."

Boruto puffed out his chest and raised his head, promising with great vigor.

Sasuke silently watched Boruto leave, then quietly left the inn.

In a small forest near the Uchiha clan's compound, Itachi Uchiha was practicing kunai throwing.

He stood still, quietly looking at the targets hanging on various trees.

After three seconds, Itachi Uchiha closed his eyes, suddenly extended his arms, and the eight kunai held between the fingers of both hands flew out simultaneously.

Crack! Crack!

The crisp sound of sharp implements piercing wood rang out, and all eight kunai struck the bullseyes of eight different targets at the same time.

"That's some impressive kunai throwing."

Suddenly, a voice of praise came from behind Itachi Uchiha.

Itachi Uchiha immediately drew a kunai and turned to look.

It was the suspicious black-robed man he had encountered yesterday.

"Mr. Suigetsu, escaping from prison adds to your crimes."

Itachi Uchiha took a step back and said, loosening his grip on the kunai slightly.

Sasuke:...

"It's not an escape; I was released with no charges."

Sasuke explained.

"If you don't believe me, you can go home and ask your father now."

"I know. I was just joking. Tobi-san said the world would be better with a sense of humor, but it seems my sense of humor still isn't enough."

Seeing Sasuke's expressionless face, Itachi Uchiha said somewhat disappointedly.

Because Sasuke had been arrested due to Itachi Uchiha's report, after he was released, Fugaku Uchiha specifically mentioned this to Itachi Uchiha.

Sasuke was speechless.

He had thought his older brother seemed a bit strange, and it turned out that Obito from this world was responsible.

"Once Uchiha Obito returns, I must test him."

Sasuke thought to himself.

Although the Obito that Minato Namikaze spoke of was a perfectly normal Konoha ninja, Sasuke believed this might be Obito's disguise.

In their world, Obito had disguised himself more than once.

He had played the role of Tobi, the newcomer to the Akatsuki, and also disguised himself as Madara Uchiha, deceiving tens of thousands of ninja, including Sasuke.

Perhaps the Obito in this world only pretended to be a normal ninja under pressure from the situation, while secretly plotting some world-subverting conspiracy.

"Sorry, Mr. Suigetsu, I misjudged you."

Itachi Uchiha apologized to Sasuke with a serious expression.

"There's no need for that. Your vigilance is commendable; many ninja don't have your insight and caution."

Sasuke shook his head slightly.

"As are your strength and hard work. Few children your age would get up so early to train alone."

"Can you tell me why you train so diligently?"

Sasuke crouched down to meet Uchiha Itachi's gaze and looked into his black pupils as he asked.

"The reason for training? I want to be as excellent as Shisui and become a ninja that Father can be proud of."

Uchiha Itachi thought for a moment and answered.

"As excellent as Shisui..."

Sasuke realized that Uchiha Itachi from the parallel world was somewhat similar to how he himself used to be.

In the past, he trained hard to catch up to Uchiha Itachi and earn his father's praise.

Or rather, Itachi Uchiha was originally like that too; Sasuke just didn't understand him well enough.

After all, ever since Itachi Uchiha became a ninja, they had rarely communicated.

"Mr. Suigetsu?"

Seeing Sasuke standing still in a daze, Uchiha Itachi waved his hand in front of his eyes.

Woken from his memories by Itachi Uchiha, Sasuke stood up, silently took four kunai from his ninja tool pouch, and threw them.

After throwing the first wave of kunai, Sasuke immediately threw another four.

This time, Sasuke precisely controlled his chakra to use stronger force, causing the later kunai to catch up to the first wave and collide with them.

Clang!

Clack, clack, clack!

The collision between the kunai didn't deflect them; instead, it made them hit dead angles that would normally have been impossible, such as a target behind a rock.

"Amazing."

Uchiha Itachi showed a surprised expression.

Shisui could also do something similar, but Sasuke seemed even more impressive.

"Over a decade ago, I received a favor from an Uchiha ninja, which is why I said earlier that I admire the Uchiha.

If you don't mind, I can teach you how to become stronger, so you can catch up to Shisui faster."

Sasuke slowly withdrew his arm and said.

In Sasuke's opinion, surpassing Shisui wasn't difficult — after all, his brother was a genius by nature, and with his own experience added, surpassing Shisui was only a matter of time.

Sasuke was worried that Itachi Uchiha, who didn't know his true strength, might think he was boasting or unreliable, so he chose his words carefully.

"So you're actually a ninja? Then you were lying before. I'll have to think about whether to believe you."

Uchiha Itachi looked thoughtful as he spoke.

Just as Sasuke was about to say something, Uchiha Itachi added,

"Just kidding. If Mister Suigetsu is willing to teach me, I'll accept."

For some reason, when he saw Sasuke he felt an affinity, and listening to Sasuke was very comfortable—a strange feeling.

On top of that, Sasuke was a Konoha-officially certified safe person, so Uchiha Itachi naturally wouldn't refuse.

Sasuke was speechless.

He really wanted to say that Itachi was completely unsuited for telling jokes.

But in the end, Sasuke didn't say it.

If he liked joking around, let him—it was better than bearing darkness.

"To make a kunai obey you like your own arm, to send it exactly where you want, precise control of force is crucial."

Sasuke was a person of swift action; as soon as he said he'd teach, he began, immediately getting into the zone.

Uchiha Itachi didn't waste this rare opportunity either, diligently memorizing the techniques Sasuke explained, then trying them out and mastering the new skills step by step.

Besides ninja tool throwing, Sasuke also taught Uchiha Itachi his Uchiha-style swordsmanship.

This was a swordsmanship Sasuke had created by summarizing what he had learned from sword techniques and combat experience, discarding flashy moves in favor of speed, precision, and lethality—one cut to kill.

Since Sasuke was also skilled in Lightning Release, he had even developed a corresponding lightning-attribute enhancement technique to use in conjunction with his swordsmanship.

However, Uchiha Itachi was too young, and to prevent the problem of biting off more than he could chew, Sasuke only taught the swordsmanship.

During the instruction, Sasuke didn't deliberately hide anything—he demonstrated by cutting a man-sized boulder cleanly in two with one stroke.

Seeing Uchiha Itachi's eyes sparkling, the corners of Sasuke's mouth involuntarily lifted slightly.

"Practice some more."

Sasuke handed the Kusanagi Sword to Uchiha Itachi.

Uchiha Itachi only had kunai and shuriken on him, so he could only practice with Sasuke's Kusanagi Sword.

Taking the Kusanagi Sword Sasuke offered with both hands, Uchiha Itachi began practicing again, quite excited.

Earlier he had wished Shisui would hurry back to guide his training, but now Uchiha Itachi hoped Shisui would come back a bit later so he could spend more time training in swordsmanship.

Uchiha Itachi was really looking forward to Shisui's surprised expression.

One was happy teaching, the other happy learning, so time passed quickly. Without noticing, the sun set in the west and the sky began to grow dark.

"It's already almost evening?"

Uchiha Itachi looked at the gray-yellow sky and realized he had been training all day.

"Mister Suigetsu, I need to go home."

"Not having been home all day—Father and Mother must be worried about me."

Uchiha Itachi wiped off his sweat and said goodbye to Sasuke.

He had been completely absorbed in training, and when he got hungry at noon, Sasuke also gave him food, so he hadn't thought about going home at all.

"Your father came by at noon. He saw you were fine and didn't disturb you."

Sasuke said.

Uchiha Fugaku had come at noon. At the time, Itachi happened to be eating the meal Sasuke had bought.

Uchiha Fugaku watched for a while, found that Uchiha Itachi and Sasuke were getting along happily, and since Uchiha Itachi had already eaten, he simply left.

"But it really is getting late. Goodbye."

Sasuke waved his hand.

"Mister Suigetsu, how about coming to my house? It's very close to here. You can have some tea and rest before you go."

Uchiha Itachi invited him.

He had caused Sasuke to be caught and locked up in the Police Department for most of the day, yet Sasuke still taught him ninja tool throwing and swordsmanship without holding a grudge. Uchiha Itachi thought Sasuke was a good person.

Of course, you should be polite to good people.

"Then I'll take you up on that offer."

Sasuke initially wanted to refuse, but his mind unconsciously recalled his parents' faces, and he agreed against his better judgment.

"Then Mr. Suigetsu, please follow me."

Seeing Sasuke agree, Uchiha Itachi smiled, turned around, and walked toward their home.

Sasuke had no choice but to follow.

It wasn't easy for Uchiha Itachi to take the initiative to invite someone. Since Sasuke had agreed, backing out now would surely make Uchiha Itachi feel bad.

The home in this parallel world was a bit different from the one Sasuke remembered—similar, yet not exactly the same.

"Big brother, why are you only back now? You promised to play with me this afternoon."

Little Sasuke ran up to Uchiha Itachi, his face full of displeasure.

He could have been having a great time outside, but he came home because of his promise to Uchiha Itachi, only to wait all afternoon without any sign of him.

As if to prove how angry he was, Little Sasuke puffed out his slightly reddened cheeks, his little face like an inflated red apple.

Little Sasuke's jet-black, shiny eyes also strained to open wide, shimmering with a hint of childish grievance and stubbornness.

"Sorry, Sasuke. Mr. Suigetsu taught so well that I lost track of time while training."

Uchiha Itachi said apologetically.

He was so happy training with Sasuke that he even forgot to go home for dinner, let alone his promise to Little Sasuke.

"Who is Mr. Suigetsu? Is it you?"

Little Sasuke looked at Sasuke, who had been silent.

Sasuke nodded.

"You're just too mean!"

Little Sasuke racked his brains, using every word he knew to say what he thought was the harshest insult.

Staring at the black-haired child with wide eyes before him, Sasuke's mouth twitched slightly, and he fell silent.

"Sasuke, don't talk about Mr. Suigetsu that way. He's a good person."

Uchiha Itachi admonished him.

"It's my fault today. I'll definitely play with you tomorrow afternoon."

Hearing his brother make a promise, Little Sasuke immediately beamed with joy, his usual smile returning.

"Big brother, you can't forget this time, okay?"

"Mm, I definitely won't."

Uchiha Itachi nodded in assurance.

Their exchange was overheard by Uchiha Fugaku inside the house, so he left the room and went into the courtyard.

"Father, this is Mr. Suigetsu. Today he taught me ninja tool throwing and swordsmanship."

Uchiha Itachi explained to Uchiha Fugaku.

"Hello, I am Uchiha Fugaku."

Uchiha Fugaku nodded, introduced himself, and then led Sasuke to the tea table in the living room.

He was very curious about who "Suigetsu" really was.

Since the release order was personally given by the Hokage, Uchiha Fugaku had gone to ask Namikaze Minato what was going on.

The reply he got was that his rank was insufficient to know the intelligence about "Suigetsu," and that the intelligence classification for "Suigetsu" was top secret in the ninja world.

This greatly astonished Uchiha Fugaku—the person he had casually captured actually involved the highest secret of the Ninja Alliance.

"Suigetsu, do you want to take Itachi as your disciple?"

Uchiha Fugaku asked.

Although curious in his heart, Uchiha Fugaku understood that knowing some things would be useless and even harmful.

Compared to "Mizuki's" identity, he wanted to know more about why Mizuki suddenly wanted to teach Uchiha Itachi ninja knowledge.

"I just felt he was compatible with me, so I taught him a few things."

Sasuke shook his head in denial.

A teacher is a very important existence. Sasuke didn't think he was suitable to be Uchiha Itachi's teacher.

He wouldn't stay in this world forever. Once the "Plow" completed its charging and Otsutsuki Urashiki appeared, he would leave this world.

"I see. I'm sorry about yesterday."

Uchiha Fugaku apologized.

"Sasuke, don't pester your brother anymore. It's time for dinner. Go wash your hands."

Uchiha Mikoto lectured little Sasuke, then came to the living room to pour tea for Sasuke and Uchiha Fugaku.

Sasuke glanced at little Sasuke who was laughing and playing with Uchiha Itachi, then looked at Uchiha Mikoto who was pouring tea with a smile and Uchiha Fugaku who was sitting upright. He was silent for a while, finished his tea, stood up, and said:

"I still have some matters to attend to. I won't disturb you any longer."

Uchiha Fugaku made a polite attempt to detain him, but didn't say much more.

Indeed, they were not familiar, and "Mizuki" was also a mysterious person of no small importance.

"Mr. Mizuki, won't you stay a little longer? I still want to ask you some things."

Uchiha Itachi looked at Sasuke's somewhat lonely back and called out sincerely.

"I'm not lying to you this time. I really have something to do."

Sasuke turned back to say, but did not agree.

Next, he was going to meet Namikaze Minato.

"Then, Mr. Mizuki, can you tell me your story sometime? I'm very curious."

Uchiha Itachi asked.

Sasuke thought for a moment, then beckoned to Uchiha Itachi.

Uchiha Itachi quickly walked up to Sasuke.

Snap.

Sasuke's index and middle fingers together lightly tapped Uchiha Itachi's forehead.

"Next time."

Having said that, Sasuke turned and left with a faint smile. Although he was alone, he did not seem lonely.