"Itachi, your mother mentioned you returned rather late last night."
"Provide me with a reasonable explanation."
Breakfast concluded.
Preparing to depart for school punctually, Itachi found himself detained by his father's command.
The living room.
Fugaku Uchiha sat solemnly upright while his son knelt formally before him - a tableau of stern authority.
Itachi kept his gaze lowered, words trapped in his throat.
He yearned to explain.
Yet the starting point eluded him.
Should he confess his delayed homecoming stemmed from encountering a mysterious girl during his evening training?
Or...
Ultimately, silence prevailed.
Instinct warned him.
Revealing yesterday's discoveries to his father seemed unwise.
Regardless of consequences for either of them... or for that enigmatic girl.
"Enough."
"I won't force explanations you withhold."
"But I expect you to comprehend your responsibilities."
After prolonged silence, the smoldering anger in Fugaku's eyes dissolved into fleeting paternal softness. As clan patriarch, his time for familial matters remained scarce.
Yet Itachi's achievements brought pride - early academy enrollment, consistent academic excellence, reigning as class valedictorian. A father's satisfaction ran deep.
"Proceed to school."
"Remember - you're the firstborn son of the Uchiha clan leader."
"You represent the Uchiha legacy."
With these words, Fugaku's figure blurred into an afterimage, vanishing from sight.
Long moments passed before Itachi exhaled tension.
His father's lingering words hung in the air - guidance or mandate?
"Represent... the Uchiha..."
The boy murmured, comprehending yet paradoxically feeling more adrift despite understanding.
Shaking his head, Itachi shouldered his backpack and embarked toward campus.
At a crossroads, he deployed a Shadow Clone to attend classes while his true self veered toward the secluded training grove.
Never had he craved cultivation this fiercely - desperate to immerse in practice, to obliterate swirling thoughts.
Though...
Another encounter with yesterday's peculiar girl wouldn't displease him.
...................
Elsewhere, Qingchuan had completed his dawn blade drills by first light.
With Zanpakuto sheathed, he now channeled energies into Kido practice.
Lead-weighted arms trembled, yet paradoxically sharpened his mental focus.
Foreign spiritual power surged through his veins, coalescing violently within - energies alien to this world.
Reaching critical mass, the condensed energy erupted from his fingertips.
"Hadō #1: Shō!"
Boom!
A white shockwave blasted from his index finger, smashing into a waist-thick oak.
Violent tremors shook the tree, spiderweb fractures radiating from the impact zone.
"Not bad!"
Though physically drained, Qingchuan's eyes blazed with triumph as he inspected the damage.
For novice-level Kido, this matched his hours-long sword practice results.
He acknowledged the truth - his current physical vessel remained pathetically weak. In his original world, such basic spells became obsolete in high-tier battles...
Yet this marked tangible progress.
The rustle of approaching footsteps froze his celebration.
As inheritor of Shinigami arts, spiritual perception ranked among Qingchuan's paramount skills.
Company approached.
Without hesitation, he spun blade-first - his Kido practice demanded utmost secrecy.
Should witnesses survive, only bloodline-based excuses or... permanent silencing remained options.
Crossdressing notwithstanding, ruthlessness ran in his marrow.
"Peace. It's me - Uchiha Itachi."
"We met yesterday. Have you forgotten?"
The raven-haired boy appeared, hands raised placatingly.
Qingchuan's blade didn't waver, frost creeping into his glare.
"You again?"
Couldn't this pest be avoided?
Panic flickered beneath Qingchuan's stern mask. How much had the prodigy observed? Deceiving this five-year-old with genius-level acuity seemed improbable.
Yet...
Itachi's earnest, apologetic gaze sparked unexpected... possibilities.
"I was training nearby," the Uchiha heir stammered, executing a deep ninety-degree bow despite the threatening blade. "The noise intrigued me. My intrusion was unintended - sincere apologies."
Qingchuan's eyebrow arched.
Observing the flustered genius, a wicked scheme crystallized in his mind...