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"Good job today, Naruto."
At the academy gate, Yami patted Uzumaki Naruto's little head. "Power is ant to protect those who acknowledge you, not those who are hostile toward you. When people realize that becoming friends with you ans being protected by you, more and more will naturally choose to be your friends."
"Rember, affection that's given freely is never truly valued. You don't need to spend every day trying to earn other people's approval."
A person's character is shaped by both nature and nurture.
Yami believed nurture had the greater influence, but Ashura's chakra was an anomaly.
Otherwise, for a normal child, even with soone like Iruka being genuinely kind to him, Naruto would've likely gone down a dark path long ago.
Yami didn't know exactly how Naruto would change with his intervention, but it was worth trying. After all, the unknown itself could be interesting.
At that mont, Naruto's big blue eyes were blank. Yami's words were drastically different from the usual teachings he heard from the Third Hokage.
One said that only by giving yourself to others could you gain recognition.
The other said that you only needed to protect those who recognized you and didn't need to care about those who didn't.
Naruto's brain wasn't built to grasp such complex contradictions. His mind short-circuited, and he stood there frozen.
Karin scoffed in disdain.
Idiot. Why not just listen to Yami-sama? Why overthink it?
"Let's go. Don't think too hard. I'll treat you to ran today."
Yami didn't expect Naruto to have so sudden revelation. He had simply planted a seed. Just so vague impressions would be enough.
When Naruto heard "ran," he imdiately snapped out of it and shouted excitedly.
"Let's eat ran! Let's eat ran!"
That evening, Yami returned ho with Karin.
Uzumaki Misa already knew about Yami being called in as a "parent" today. When the two got back, she asked what had happened, then sighed and gently tapped Karin on the forehead without scolding her further.
After all, she wasn't the highest authority in this household. If she scolded her, soone else would just co and protect her, so she simply didn't bother.
"I think Karin did a great job."
Uchiha Izumi softly rubbed Karin's little head. "Your red hair is so beautiful. Those brats just have no taste."
"Big Sis Izumi's hair is the prettiest!"
Karin looked admiringly at Izumi's waist-length black hair, still soft and glossy. "Yami-sama likes it the most."
Twelve-year-old Izumi had grown increasingly beautiful. Her gentle temperant was becoming more refined, and Karin had firmly latched onto her, building a strong bond.
"They're both very pretty. Karin, once your hair gets longer, it'll be even better."
Yami embraced them both with one arm on each side, looking like he was about to beco the king of dostic bliss.
"Okay!"
That night, Izumi originally intended to go ho, but Yami kept her there.
The two had gotten engaged a year earlier. As expected, Danzō had nearly exploded when he found out. The man had hated the Uchiha all his life, and now his grandson was going to marry one? It was practically a slap in the face.
But Yami managed to convince him with so twisted reasoning.
"Izumi already left the Uchiha clan. You hate the disobedient ones. Izumi listens to in everything. There's no comparison."
Rather than saying Danzō was convinced, it was more accurate to say he couldn't change Yami's mind. Stubbornness ran in the family.
Lying in bed, Yami held the soft Izumi in his arms, took a deep breath, and took in the scent of her hair.
"Ah…"
The girl's face flushed with embarrassnt. Even though she had been his hugging pillow for so long, every ti she was embraced, her heart still raced uncontrollably.
"Izumi, we haven't gone out in a while. Let's find a mission tomorrow and take a trip outside the village."
The girl answered softly, "Okay. I'll go wherever you go."
While one person had a beauty in his arms, another was shivering on a mountaintop in the wind.
Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Shisui stood on a familiar cliff.
Unlike his bright smile from earlier, Shisui now looked exhausted, physically and ntally drained.
"Itachi, the situation in the clan is getting worse."
Itachi remained silent. He hadn't attended recent clan etings, but Fugaku had been in increasingly frequent contact with Anbu and the village leadership. He could sense things heading in a dangerous direction.
Shisui didn't wait for Itachi's response and sighed, "Sotis I wonder if we made a mistake. We revealed too much strength and talent. While we gained more influence, we also fed our clan's ambition."
"No, Shisui, this isn't your fault."
Itachi finally spoke. "That ambition was always there, buried in their hearts. Without you, my father would've stirred it up. Another Uchiha genius would've eventually stood up."
"You and I are too small to stop this trend."
"No, we still have a chance."
Shisui took a deep breath, gathering his resolve. "I called you here because I need a favor."
"Na it," Itachi said without hesitation.
"I need to et with Yami."
Standing on the cliff, the wind rustling his robe, Shisui looked out at Konoha and locked eyes on Yami's residence. "So things are too important. Whether it's Danzō or the Third Hokage, they all take Yami's words seriously."
"I have to speak with him."
"I understand. I'll find him tomorrow," Itachi said solemnly.
"Thanks, Itachi."
The next morning, Itachi arrived early at Anbu.
He knocked and entered the office, only to find Kurenai alone inside.
"Itachi? What is it?" Kurenai looked up and asked.
As soone who knew the inner workings of Anbu, Kurenai understood Yami's playful and occasionally condescending attitude toward Itachi.
It wasn't quite hostility. It was more like watching a monkey perform. He'd tease him just to see what he'd do.
But she treated him like any other Anbu. To her, he was just another subordinate.
"Kurenai-senpai, is Captain Yami here?"
Itachi asked softly, sowhat uneasy.
From what Kakashi had said, Yami was a hands-off captain, often disappearing without a trace. If anything, Kurenai was the real captain.
Sure enough, Kurenai shook her head.
"He left the village on a mission."
"When will he be back?" Itachi asked anxiously. Shisui was waiting. This could determine the clan's fate.
"Seven to ten days."
Kurenai frowned and didn't answer directly. "If it's important, you can tell ."
This morning, Yami had left Konoha with Izumi. It happened often. Sotis he took Yugao, sotis her. It was always called a mission, but it was clearly just traveling.
"Thank you, Kurenai-senpai, but I'll wait for Captain Yami to return." Itachi shook his head and turned to leave.
"Wait. Since you're here, take this mission."
Kurenai pulled out a scroll and tossed it over. "Gather evidence of these people's cris. Report back once you've completed it."
Itachi opened the scroll and glanced at the targets, frowning slightly.
"Is this really sothing Anbu needs to investigate?"
Kurenai offered a sharp explanation. "They've endangered the village. Even if we don't have hard evidence, we'll create so. Understood?"
The targets were the parents of the kids who had mocked Karin.
If Karin was hard, then Yami was hard. Given Yami's status, wasn't it fair to say he was Konoha?
With Kurenai's serious tone, Itachi asked no more and left with the scroll.
After he left, Kurenai still felt sothing was off. She pulled out another scroll, wrote a brief ssage, bit her finger, and ford hand seals.
"Summoning Technique!"
With a puff of white smoke, the chubby pink dream tapir appeared.
"Kurenai-sama!"
A sweet voice ca from the dream tapir's mouth.
"Tapir, were you with Yami just now?" Kurenai stroked the creature's head, clearly reluctant to let her go.
"Yeah, Izumi-sama was giving a bath." The tapir squinted happily.
"Then I'm interrupting." Kurenai smiled and tied the scroll to her. "Give this to Yami later. No need to reply."
"Got it, Kurenai-sama. I'm off!"
The tapir humd and vanished into smoke.
Land of Rivers.
Yami had booked a hot spring inn. Aside from the staff, the only guests were him and Izumi.
When the dream tapir was summoned, Yami guessed what was up. About ten minutes later, he used the summoning technique again.
Sure enough, the tapir allowed herself to be summoned.
"Yami-sama, this is from Kurenai-sama." She shook her head, drawing his attention to the scroll on her neck.
Yami opened it, scanned it, and casually tossed it aside.
Izumi leaned closer. "Is Kurenai looking for you? Should we go back?"
"No need." Yami pulled her into his arms. "It's just about Uchiha Itachi acting strange. Kurenai sent a report. Nothing urgent."
"Okay." Izumi responded softly.
By the ti they left the hot spring, it was already dark.
Wearing casual clothes, Yami took Izumi to the liveliest night market to enjoy so local food.
People's tastes really do change depending on who they're with. Izumi had once loved sweets like dango and daifuku. But she noticed Yami wasn't into sweets, so he always ate salty food instead. Over ti, her preferences gradually shifted too.
They happily sat at an oden stall, octopus balls in hand.
As a resort destination, the Land of Rivers wasn't known for military strength, but its comrce thrived. This street was packed with snacks, izakayas, brothels, and gambling dens.
Yami and Izumi wandered the bustling comrcial street. But in reality, he was heading toward a particular presence.
Using the Mind's Eye of the Kagura, he sensed an extrely strong chakra.
It reached Kage-level—perhaps even stronger. Comparable to the Fourth Raikage.
When they approached, Yami stopped in front of a gambling hall.
So this is…
He was almost certain, but stepped inside to confirm.
Sure enough, a tall blonde woman with twin ponytails was shouting at the table.
"Big! Big! Big!!"
And promptly lost again.
"Damn it, small again!"
Izumi noticed Yami watching soone and followed his gaze. "Whoa… she's huge."
Damn. Another kage-level bust. Almost like Samui.
"You know her?" Izumi asked.
"No, but I sense a fat sheep. Let's go earn so pocket money."
Yami pushed through a few frustrated gamblers and placed all his money opposite the blonde's bets.
After a few rounds, his 100,000 ryō beca 500,000, then a million, and finally 2 million.
Beside the blonde, a woman in black holding a pink piglet looked like she was about to cry.
"Tsunade-sama, please stop! We're going to lose everything again!"
"Shizune! Trust . We'll win this ti!"
She slamd down her last chips.
Yami calmly bet on the opposite.
Tsunade glared at him.
This brat kept betting against her.
Fine. She'd make him cough up everything he won.
But when the results were called…
She lost again.
Shizune nearly burst into tears.
It was over. Back to living broke.
She frantically tried to drag Tsunade away to stop her from borrowing money and gambling more.
Yami collected the 5 million ryō he'd won with a bright smile.
Izumi stared at him with sparkling eyes. "Yami, you're amazing!"
"It's not . It's the big fat sheep who's amazing."
Tsunade and Shizune were still nearby.
When Tsunade heard "fat sheep," a vein bulged on her forehead.
She suddenly turned around, her expression fierce.
Shizune sensed danger and tried to stop her. "Tsunade-sama! Don't pick a fight with a kid!"
"Outta my way!"
Tsunade shoved her aside and strode up to Yami with a powerful presence… only to suddenly put on a sweet smile.
"Hey there, little guy. You won a lot just now, didn't you? Want to lend a little? I'll pay you back more once I win!"
Yami sneered. "A fat sheep talking about profits? No way. But next ti you go gambling, be sure to call . I've got a big household to feed. Can't do it without you."
Tsunade's expression cracked. "You little brat!"
(To be continued.)
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