"Seal of Reconciliation!"
The two boys pressed their palms together, completing the seal. Though Sasuke's hands were still trembling slightly, the excitent on his face couldn't be hidden.
Anyone with a discerning eye could see it—both were exceptionally talented. If things continued like this, the top student of this year's class would almost certainly be one of them.
The afternoon passed quickly. When it was finally ti to go ho, Uchiha Sasuke didn't waste a second. He slung his bag over his shoulder and rushed out, not even sparing Naruto a glance before disappearing down the road.
Naruto, on the other hand, didn't head for his usual training spot. Today, he had other plans. He'd learned from Iruka that the school library would be open, and he intended to take advantage of it.
anwhile, Sasuke ran ho in high spirits. As he rounded a corner near a telephone pole, a familiar voice called out:
"Sasuke!"
Sasuke looked up. Instantly, joy lit up his face.
"Brother! What are you doing here?!"
Itachi stood above him, perched on the pole. Seeing Sasuke's expression, he leapt down lightly, landing with silent grace.
He had planned to wait at ho, but the anticipation had been too strong. Instead, he ca to wait along Sasuke's usual route, standing high to spot his little brother as soon as possible.
"I just finished my mission," Itachi said with a rare, warm smile. "I got here a mont ago."
He rarely smiled, but right now, in front of Sasuke, he couldn't help it.
I'll always protect you, little brother.
"Brother! I won first place in class today!" Sasuke said excitedly, bouncing on his toes. "The sparring match! I fought soone really strong. If he hadn't run out of stamina, I might've lost!"
"Haha, our Sasuke is amazing," Itachi said, gently pinching Sasuke's nose and ruffling his hair. Then he crouched down. "Hop on—I'll carry you."
Sasuke grinned and climbed onto his brother's back.
But when Itachi accidentally brushed against Sasuke's arm, Sasuke winced.
Itachi imdiately stopped. He set Sasuke down gently and rolled up his sleeve. Bruises and faint red marks covered his forearm—evidence of powerful impacts.
This kind of damage wasn't sothing an average Academy spar could cause. Whoever Sasuke had fought, they weren't ordinary.
Itachi narrowed his eyes slightly. Soone in his class is already this strong?
Without another word, Itachi knelt and opened his ninja pouch, pulling out a bottle of anti-swelling spray and a roll of dical bandages. Every shinobi carried basic first-aid supplies—it was a habit that often ant the difference between life and death in the field.
"Brother, I'm fine," Sasuke muttered, pouting. "If Dad sees
bandaged up, he'll get mad…"
He didn't think the bruises were a big deal. One night of rest would probably be enough. But still, he didn't resist when Itachi began treating the injuries.
Then Sasuke paused, eyes narrowing thoughtfully.
"Wait… how did you know my opponent was strong?"
Itachi smiled calmly.
"Sasuke, look at your arm. It's like this because you took a heavy hit. But you still won. That ans your opponent either wasn't serious… or was hiding their strength."
He said it lightly, but inwardly, Itachi was genuinely curious. Who could've landed a hit like this on Sasuke?
"Damn it!" Sasuke clenched his fists. Now that he thought about it… it had felt strange. Uzumaki Naruto had started strong, but suddenly seed exhausted. At the ti, he thought Naruto had simply burned out.
But now… it was obvious.
"That guy held back!" Sasuke growled. "He threw the fight on purpose!"
Sasuke's pride burned. Naruto had toyed with him. He let Sasuke win.
"I'm going to beat him next ti! Brother, you've got to teach —show
how to get stronger!"
Itachi chuckled softly.
"Alright."
He crouched again, letting Sasuke climb back onto his back. As they walked into the setting sun, the brothers laughed together, their shadows stretching long behind them.
Elsewhere, Naruto had already returned ho with the books he borrowed from the Academy library. The ninja on duty clearly didn't like him—like most adults in the village—but they still handed over the books with minimal fuss.
Naruto didn't care. What mattered was the knowledge.
He had borrowed three books in total. One of them caught his special attention: "Foundations of Genjutsu
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