-8- Tenth Form: Constant Flux? (I)

In the forest of training ground four.

The completely soaked chakra test paper, softened by water infiltration and increased weight, fell to the ground like a lump of white mud, making a "plop" sound.

The three brothers all took a step back, each with a different expression on their faces.

"Giyu," Uchiha Sasuke, still not understanding what had happened, said somewhat regretfully, "How did you ruin this paper? In that case, we won't be able to bring it back to show Dad."

Giyu withdrew his empty hand, with a look of innocence on his face.

"...I don't know what happened, it just suddenly turned out like this."

"You don't need to worry. The test paper was disposable anyway."

Uchiha Itachi shook his head gently. "However, Giyu, your situation is very special. The combination of water and fire chakra attributes, which counteract each other, rarely appears in the same ninja. Moreover..."

He looked solemnly into Giyu's eyes, his tone becoming more serious.

"Your chakra, with its high affinity for water attributes, is so high that it may surpass the Uchiha's inherited fire attribute. It's unlikely anyone would believe it if we were to tell them."

"Is this a bad thing?"

Sasuke looked at Itachi with a strange look, full of inquiry. "Why does it seem like you're not happy, Nii-san?"

"If Giyu is willing to become a ninja, perhaps it's not too bad."

"But it's still not ideal."

Itachi squatted down and explained to the two of them, "Although the offensive power of Water Release ninjutsu is not strong, it excels in its large range and can easily change the terrain and destroy wooden structures. With Giyu's high affinity for water attributes, as long as he has enough chakra, he could treat B-rank ninjutsu as forbidden jutsu, and this is without considering the presence of natural water sources nearby. Can you imagine how excited our clan members would be when they find out about this?"

He began to imagine Giyu behind his father, manipulating torrents to wash away the entire Konoha village, while his father laughed heartily in front.

According to the clan records, before the founding of Konoha, when the Senju and Uchiha were enemies, it was Senju Tobirama, who would later become the Second Hokage, used Water Release ninjutsu like the ocean to attack the Uchiha's former residence, completely destroying the clan's habitat and causing heavy casualties.

Now there is a chance to return the favor in kind, and those grudge-bearing clan members would not miss this opportunity.

More importantly, as long as Giyu's Water Release is powerful enough, the Sarutobi clan, who also excels in Fire Release, will be firmly restrained.

And in Konoha, there are very few earth-release ninjas who are good at dealing with Water Release.

Even if the ninja can survive in the flood, what about the civilians and the genin who cannot walk on water?

Itachi dared not think further.

"Let's make a promise."

He looked at Sasuke and Giyu and said, "If Dad asks about today's situation, we'll just say that Giyu's chakra has both water and fire attributes, without going into specifics about what happened when the chakra test paper changed."

Then he turned to Giyu and cautioned him separately, "If Dad tries to test you again with the paper, just refuse as usual."

Giyu nodded deeply in agreement.

"But why do we have to keep this from Dad?"

Sasuke didn't quite understand.

Isn't it a good thing to be noticed by Dad?

Before, it was just that Giyu didn't care about Dad's opinion, but now, even his brother is encouraging this behavior?

Is Dad's approval really not worth mentioning to them?

"Sasuke, once Dad knows about this, Giyu will no longer have any freedom."

Itachi sighed, realizing that there were many things he couldn't explain to Sasuke, and Sasuke couldn't understand.

"Dad will be forced by the clan's high-ranking ninjas to train Giyu and practice Water Release, treating him as a secret weapon to cultivate. Then you won't be able to see him anymore, and you won't be able to eat the food Giyu makes."

"Not to mention what the clan members might do to make him improve his doryoku..."

Then he paused, his gaze piercing as he stared at Sasuke. "Do you really want this to happen?"

"N-No, I don't."

Sasuke shook his pale face, "But Dad wouldn't do that, would he?"

"He is first and foremost the head of the Uchiha clan, and secondly our father, he must consider the future of the clan."

Itachi seemed to understand Fugaku very well, but his tone became colder.

He remembered when he was eight years old, when his teammates Tenma and Shinko were killed by the masked man, and his father didn't care at all that someone had lost their lives. He was just feeding the fish, congratulating him on awakening his Sharingan and "truly becoming a member of the Uchiha."

Since then, he had never expressed any real thoughts in front of his father, just quietly observing.

However, the more he saw and heard, the more resistant he felt to the so-called "pride of the Uchiha."

If it weren't for his reluctance to leave Sasuke and Giyu, he really wanted to leave this family.

Really wanted to.

"Sasuke, if you intend to become a ninja, remember this."

Itachi touched Sasuke's tender face gently, his eyes filled with tenderness. "Sometimes, being better than others will only make you be used and consumed sooner. If possible, I really wish you were born in the Fire Capital (Capital of the Land of Fire, a.k.a. Oujisama City) not in the ninja village and the Uchiha..."

At this unusual wish, Sasuke suddenly felt as if he had entered an ice cave, unsure how to respond.

Giyu glanced deeply at Itachi, recalling how many times he had refused his father's invitation to take the Chunin Exams.

Presumably, Itachi also understood that once he became a Chunin, he would have to get involved in more complex conflicts.

[He's only ten years old...]

[Yet he's already seen through the nature of ninjas as expendable commodities?]

For the first time, he felt that Itachi was working harder than he was when he was thirteen or fourteen.

At that time, he was engulfed by hatred for demons and guilt for the death of his sister and Sabito, but he could still use those emotions to push himself forward, with an inexhaustible drive, without having to consider "why he was living."

But Itachi understood rationally that he was a "commodity," yet he could still persist, unwavering, unaffected by that despair and sense of meaninglessness...

This cannot be summed up by words like "mature" or "precocious." It also carries a hint of paranoia, ready to rebound at any time.

He grabbed Itachi's sleeve and said sincerely, "Don't force yourself too much."

Itachi was stunned for a moment, then after a while, he showed a brilliant smile.

With this, the morning training was completely over.

After the three brothers finished lunch, Itachi said to them, "Resting is also part of training. You can take a nap here first, or go swimming in the nearby shallow lake. I have to leave for a while and will be back in the afternoon."

"Huh?"

Sasuke suddenly realized, "Does Nii-san have a mission today?"

"Yeah, it's a C-rank mission."

Itachi nodded and said, "Because it's commissioned by the Daimyo, we have to go on time."

The Daimyo's governing area is in the capital of the Land of Fire.

But most of his family members, except for his eldest son, like to vacation in Konoha.

For example, the Daimyo's wife, her dozen or so cats would get lost every day, and finding them had become a daily task for Konoha's Genin, with generous rewards.

"Then, Nii-san, you have to come back early."

Sasuke said somewhat reluctantly.

Being awake and alone with Giyu is quite a test of patience for him.

He wants to talk and communicate with Giyu, but Giyu always says things that make him angry.

"I'll try."

Itachi rubbed Sasuke's head, "After I come back in the afternoon, I'll teach you the secrets of the Great Fireball Jutsu."

"For this period of time, you cannot quarrel with Giyu, nor can you sulk and ignore him."

"Oh."

Sasuke imitated Itachi's tone and said, "I'll try my best too."

Itachi smiled, patted him on the head, and was about to leave, but was stopped by Giyu.

"Wait a minute."

Giyu opened the bottom layer of the food box and took out a fox mask, handing it to Itachi. "This is for you."

"A disaster warding mask?"

Itachi immediately understood Giyu's intention. "Thank you, Giyu."

After speaking, he waved goodbye to his brothers, disappeared with a flicker, leaving Sasuke amazed and admiring, wanting to learn.

However, what the two of them did not know was that although Uchiha Itachi had left, another pair of crimson Sharingan eyes erupted with bursts of red light from the depths of the forest, observing their every move.

...

"Giyu."

Under the shade of a tree, Sasuke leaned lazily against the trunk, skillfully tossing and catching the shuriken in his hand, hoping to elicit an expression of "envy" and "desire to learn" from Giyu.

But the latter lay down bored at the end of the shade, with the reflection of white clouds in his eyes, as if contemplating the shapes of the clouds.

[The analysis rate needed for the Breath of the Moon is ten times that of the Breath of Flame, so the Breath of the Sun should be similar.]

[Itachi has three tomoe, analyzing three ten-thousandths of an hour. Even if I can collect the analysis rate of the Breath of the Moon three times a day, it will still take me ten thousand days, which is more than twenty years. That's too long...]

[Except for Itachi, father, mother, and Shisui are also three tomoe.]

[If I can find some excuses to let them use genjutsu on me, maybe the progress will be much faster...]

Giyu was thinking, when the face of his twin brother, Sasuke, suddenly entered his field of vision.

The latter was kneeling on the ground, staring carefully at his eyes, as if trying to see through him.

"What are you doing?"

Giyu asked in confusion, "If you want me to train with you, please forgive me for refusing. We're too far apart."

[With the strength of this body, I should be able to punch a big hole in the circular stone on the mountain that Master Urokodaki placed (the one Tanjiro split before taking the exam).]

"It's because you're not training? Of course you can't beat me if you're not training."

Sasuke snorted arrogantly, completely misunderstanding Giyu's meaning, but in an instant, a hint of loneliness appeared on his face.

"But if you really try, you'll surpass me soon, won't you?"

"Your body is so strong, and you're so powerful, even your chakra attribute is so exaggerated."

Sasuke's voice grew smaller and smaller, making Giyu have to sit up to hear clearly.

Sasuke pouted, stuttering as he said, "Y-y-you, you might..."

"Might what?"

Giyu patted Sasuke's shoulder, "Speak clearly."

"I mean!"

"You might have known long ago that I'm useless, so in order to indulge me, you pretended not to want to become a ninja, pretended not to care about Dad's attitude towards you, right?"

Sasuke finally said what was on his mind.

"If that's the case, I don't need your pity."

A summer breeze passed through the canopy above their heads, making a pleasant rustling sound.

After this refreshing breeze passed, Sasuke, with a blush of shame on his face, turned his head away, his eyes reddening.

Uchiha Sasuke has always been an unyielding child.

When Giyu started doing household chores, he also wanted to help with the chores, but he messed up completely.

When he was criticized by his father, he was so flustered that he couldn't sit still, but Giyu interrupted directly, asking when he could start preparing dinner.

Although Sasuke never said it, he really envied Giyu's ability to easily do things that neither he nor his brother could do.

But as he grew older, Sasuke understood that what Giyu was good at was not what his clan and father wanted.

This is a ninja village, a place where only the strong have a presence.

To have strength, to become a ninja, like his brother, is to earn his father's praise.

At around four years old, Sasuke started pestering his brother to teach him shuriken jutsu, three basic jutsu, and Uchiha's Fire Release.

After a year of this, he felt that he finally had something stronger than Giyu.

He even felt sorry for Giyu, because he didn't want to be a ninja, he was attacked by his father's gaze every night.

Until last night, when this untrained younger brother suddenly awakened for some reason, and his father said, "Giyu's talent is stronger than Itachi and Shisui's," Sasuke felt a little depressed.

This morning, when Giyu effortlessly lifted the food box and ran long distances without even panting, Sasuke finally understood his father's meaning and realized that he had not been wrong.

Gradually, details that he had never considered before flooded into his mind.

Like every time Giyu buys vegetables, the size and weight of those vegetables.

Like every summer, he sweats profusely, while Giyu is always cool.

Like every time he goes out, his mother always reminds him to be careful, but she rarely says the same to Giyu, even though he carries so much money.

Because his mother realized early on that Giyu had always been strong.

And he thought about it carefully, in this family--

Only he is treated completely as a child and a weakling!

"Why are you crying?"

Giyu became somewhat annoyed.

He wasn't like Kocho Shinobu; he has no idea on how to comfort children.

"Answer my question first."

Sasuke stared at Giyu stubbornly, "Did you say you didn't want to be a ninja just to make me look less pitiful?"

The Sharingan pupils in the depths of the forest also seemed to want to know the answer to the question.

Given Giyu's "favor" towards Sasuke, he could definitely do something like that.

Giyu took a deep breath and solemnly uttered a few words, "Absolutely not."

"Why?"

Sasuke paused, "Why don't you want to be a ninja?"

"You should ask yourself why you want to be a ninja."

Giyu asked back without thinking.

"Uh, because Dad, Mom, and Nii-san are all ninjas—"

"Are you saying you're just imitating them?"

"But Dad also wants us to be ninjas—"

"So, you're just following the family tradition and their expectations of you."

Giyu looked deep into Sasuke's eyes, "Even if you don't know what you'll do after becoming a ninja, as long as you have power, as long as you make father and the clan acknowledge you, as long as you make the Uchiha name famous, is that all that matters to you?"

"..."

Sasuke looked at Giyu in astonishment.

This was the first time he had spoken such a long string of words to him, as if trying to make up for the words he hadn't said in the past few years.

"Is there anything wrong with this way of thinking?"

Isn't this what every clan member is doing?

Fugaku, who was in the distance, frowned, fearing that Giyu would spread some strange ideas to Sasuke.

Giyu didn't answer immediately, but stared at the clouds in the sky for a while.

The shape of that cloud looked very much like the clasped palms of Himejima Gyomei.

"Sasuke, you chose to be a ninja, but do you know what you might have to face more than others in the future?"

Giyu turned his head to look at his brother who bore some resemblance to himself.

"Have you ever thought that one day you might be in a life-and-death battle with others, with blood flowing like a river and corpses littering the ground in front of you?"

That was the scene of their battle with Kibutsuji Muzan in the Infinity Castle. They had to tread on their comrades' bodies to make their way.

"Have you ever thought of watching your friends and family being killed by enemies who cannot be reasoned with right in front of you?"

The bodies of his sister and Sabito, broken and maimed, appeared before his eyes.

"You only see the ninjas in the clan being respected by others, but do you know that they are just the ones who have survived?"

"Choosing to be a tool in the hands of others as a profession, completely ignorant of the possibility of being killed, completely unaware of the pain of losing loved ones and friends, just to offer everything for 'fame', 'glory', 'pride', such empty words, and revel in it."

Giyu tilted his head back, squinting against the sunlight.

"To deceive children who know nothing and have never seen other options into becoming ninjas with all sorts of beautiful words, and then, after they see the cruel truth, to use the hatred and pain brought by the sacrifices of their loved ones and friends to maintain their identity as ninjas.

To transform the conflicts and interests between users of tools into mutual hatred between tools, and to pass it down from generation to generation until it becomes common sense.

You ask me why I don't want to become a ninja?"

Giyu glanced at Sasuke, whose mind was already dizzy from incomprehensible words.

"That's the reason. I'm not prepared to blindly follow a simple order to destroy a life I don't understand. I just want to have enough power to protect my present life. But to achieve this, one doesn't need to be a ninja..."

*Clap, clap, clap.*

The sound of applause rang out, but it wasn't Sasuke.

Giyu and Sasuke turned their heads simultaneously to see a young man they didn't recognize squatting on a mudflow wall about ten meters away from them.

But in the next second, with a swish, the man appeared in front of them.

Not losing to Itachi's Body Flicker Technique.

The man's handsome face bore the typical beauty of the Uchiha, but his eyebrows were raised high, giving him a somewhat bad-tempered look. He was the one who had just applauded.

"I didn't expect to hear such words from the clan leader's son."

He smirked disdainfully, "This kind of twisted reasoning shouldn't be something a kid like you can come up with, right? Did you hear it from the clan leader, or did that coward Itachi tell you?"

"Don't insult my brother!"

Hearing Itachi being called a coward, Sasuke stood angrily in front of Giyu, holding his kunai in front of his chest.

"To avoid meeting me, he didn't even go to the clan's training ground and ran out to this place, yet he says he's not a coward?"

As he spoke, he looked behind Giyu and Sasuke, where three young boys of about the same age were walking out. "What do you three think?"

The three exchanged glances, seemingly wanting to say something, but seeing impatience in the leader's eyes, they quickly nodded in agreement.

"Who is he?"

Giyu scanned the relative positions of the four people and was a little confused. These people should be clan members, so why did they look unfriendly?

"This guy is Uchiha Enka. He wanted to challenge Nii-san at the Uchiha training ground before, but was stopped by a jonin from the clan."

Uchiha Sasuke looked at Uchiha Enka, his eyes full of anger.

If it weren't for this person, he and his brother wouldn't have to come out so far every day.

"Oh?" Giyu suddenly realized.

This was similar to Shinazugawa in the Demon Slayer Corps, always causing trouble for him for no reason, but actually, there was no malice.

However, the term "coward" was much milder than the words Shinazugawa Sanemi used to curse him.

He opened his Transparent World and glanced at the four of them. From the volume of energy in their brains, he could tell that Uchiha Enka had three tomoe Sharingan, while the other three had one tomoe each.

According to Itachi, these three should all have chakra at the level of a genin and should have graduated from the ninja academy.

"Alright, I'm too lazy to talk nonsense with you two idiots."

Uchiha Enka arrogantly raised his head, "I just heard the elders in the clan say that Itachi was here, so I came specially, but only saw you two. So, where did that guy go? Could it be that he knew I was coming and hid?"

"What does Itachi have to do with you?"

Sasuke retorted, "At fifteen and you're still a chunin. What qualifications do you have to yell here? Shisui-niisan said that Itachi already has the level of a jonin, how many times stronger do you think he is compared to you!"

An '井' appeared on Uchiha Enka's forehead, and the other three showed incredulous expressions.

Although the elders in the clan didn't recognize Uchiha Shisui's position, they publicly acknowledged his status as the best in the clan. If he made such an evaluation...

"You dare to say that."

He stared at Uchiha Sasuke and explained fiercely, "I was picked on by that Mitokado Homura, so I didn't become a jonin! Besides, I've been looking for Uchiha Shisui for a long time. He's almost the same as your brother, never daring to show up in front of me!"

"Wait a minute."

Giyu interrupted him, analyzing seriously, "If you are disliked by the village elder and cannot become a jonin, why not try to mend relationships? By looking for trouble with Itachi, you will only make the clan dislike you even more."

Uchiha Enka fell silent.

He stared quietly at Giyu, looking at the expressionless face that seemed to be full of ridicule...

Suddenly, a string in his heart snapped.

He waved his hand to his follower who had just brought the rope.

"Tie up these two and hide them."

Uchiha Enka's face twisted, grinning as he ordered, "If Itachi Uchiha refuses to fight me, let these two brats starve in the wilderness for a night."

Uchiha Fugaku, deep in the forest, saw this scene and prepared himself.

With Sasuke's personality, he would definitely resist and be subdued.

When the two brothers felt helpless and began to yearn for power, he, as their father, would appear miraculously to stop things from getting worse and to punish the juniors who had recently caused the clan to complain.

Changing Giyu's mindset while also making up for the somewhat stiff parent-child relationship of the past, it could be said to kill two birds with one stone.

However, as soon as he took a step forward, he saw the child holding the rope suddenly clutching his stomach and kneeling to the ground without warning.

Giyu supported the boy's shoulder and gently guided him to lie down.

[ Maybe I used too much force.... ]

"I'm sorry, Itachi is very tired lately."

In almost an instant, he tied the boy who had just tried to tie him into a tight knot (Inosuke: ???).

"If your only reason for challenging him is to spar, please don't disturb him and leave."