Hatake Tatsuya in Naruto

Konoha, 54 Years

Rock Lee, Hyuga Neji, and Tenten had been enrolled in the Ninja Academy for a year. Meanwhile, the remaining nine Konoha 9, led by Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke, were preparing to officially enter the school.

In this peaceful era, few students graduated early. The comfortable environment made it easy to indulge, and there weren't many war missions requiring ninja involvement.

The night before their formal enrollment, Sasuke, feeling anxious about starting ninja academy, woke up in the middle of the night, intending to head to the bathroom. As he passed the guest room, he overheard his father's voice praising his brother.

Through the flickering candlelight, he could see his brother, Itachi, sitting across from their father. In response to the compliment, Itachi remained silent, clearly longing to hear more praise from their father. 

Sasuke couldn't help but feel a bitter pang of jealousy. To normal children, the words "I'm proud of you" were just an ordinary sentiment—something that every father should have said to his child but to Sasuke, he had never heard these words from his father. 

At that moment, Itachi's expression hinted at discomfort. His Sharingan had awakened after a deadly mission that had led to the loss of his entire team during a mission, a burden he silently carried.

Itachi's heart twisted with disgust as he watched his father revel in the awakening of his Sharingan. To him, Fugaku's priorities were a chilling reflection of a cold, calculating obsession with power—more about status and strength than a true acknowledgment of the lives lost in battle.

The indifference toward his fallen teammates gnawed at Itachi, igniting a flicker of rebellion within him. How could his father celebrate such a moment when it was built on the ashes of their sacrifices? In that instant, Itachi realized that the Uchiha clan's thirst for power came at a devastating cost, one that left him questioning the very reason for the existence of Uchiha.

What weighed on him even more was the masked man, a constant reminder of his regrets. It was likely the same masked man Shisui-nee and Tatsuya had mentioned to him. How he released the Nine-Tails six years ago had placed the Uchiha clan in a vulnerable position, with them being seen as the culprits. Yet here he was, powerless in front of the masked man's strength and failed to protect his teammates.

For reasons he couldn't fully understand, Itachi found himself letting go of some of that frustration, but he still lamented missing such a critical opportunity.

Suddenly, he noticed a faint noise coming from outside the door. He lifted his eyebrows beneath his bangs. "Sasuke, if you're going to the bathroom, hurry back to bed," he called out.

Sasuke, standing outside, and Uchiha Fugaku, sitting across from Itachi, were both taken aback.

"Yes!" Sasuke responded, quickly trotting back to his room.

After a brief silence, Fugaku spoke again. "I plan to recommend you for a position in Anbu."

Upon hearing this, Itachi's expression shifted slightly, but he concealed it well. He asked rhetorically, "Am I not performing well enough in the police force?"

"No, that's not it at all. You've done a great job," Uchiha Fugaku replied, shaking his head. "However, I believe Anbu would be a better fit for your talents. And…" He paused for a moment before continuing, "Joining Anbu would mean becoming part of the Hokage's direct forces. If you can secure a position there, it would greatly benefit our clan's future."

Itachi began to piece together his father's intentions. Was Fugaku hoping to use Anbu to keep tabs on the Hokage's faction? He lowered his head and replied, "I understand. I will work hard."

Uchiha Fugaku nodded in satisfaction. "Itachi, you… you need to be a bridge between the clan and the village."

...

...

The next day, Uchiha Fugaku escorted Sasuke to the ninja school. He had originally planned to visit the Hokage building to meet Tsunade in person and recommend his eldest son for Anbu. However, at Itachi's strong insistence, he decided to take his youngest son to the Academy entrance ceremony instead.

As father and son arrived, other parents and students nearby instinctively recoiled, their eyes betraying unnatural emotions like anger and fear.

"Here we go again, with those looks," Sasuke thought, gritting his teeth in frustration.

Suddenly, he felt a slap on his back that nearly knocked him off balance. Turning around, he glared in fury at the source of the disruption. "It's you again!"

Uzumaki Naruto stood there, grinning like a fool as if he were his natural enemy. Sasuke knew that meeting with him could only lead to trouble.

"Hey! Why the sour face on your first day? Did your entrance grades come back terrible?" Naruto teased without a hint of sympathy.

"I was number one on the entrance exam!" Sasuke shot back defiantly.

Naruto froze in surprise. While he wasn't at the absolute bottom of the class like in the original story, the interference of the Nine-Tails Chakra still impacted his performance. Sasuke's score landed him in the middle to lower tier, barely scraping by with a low ranking. 

"School grades aren't everything! Let's settle this with a fight!" Naruto shouted defiantly. 

"Bring it on! Who's afraid of you?" Sasuke retorted, rolling up his sleeves as the two prepared to clash. However, they were quickly restrained by their fathers. 

Uchiha Fugaku's voice cut through the tension, firm and low: "Sasuke, enough!" 

Namikaze Minato reluctantly placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder, bowing slightly in apology. "I'm sorry, Police Chief. Naruto is very energetic just like Kushina." 

Uchiha Fugaku's tone held a hint of annoyance. "There's no need to worry about that, Minister of Intelligence." 

Minato scratched the back of his head, embarrassment coloring his face. "Ah, you're too kind..." 

Nearby, Shikamaru yawned, observing the scene. "It feels like this year is full of troublesome figures—sons of clan leaders and ministers everywhere…" 

Akimichi Chōji, munching on potato chips, chimed in quietly, "My dad said to stay away from Uchiha; it's dangerous." 

"What a coincidence! My father said the same thing," Shikamaru replied, unimpressed. 

Meanwhile, Ino's gaze fixed on Sasuke, who was struggling with Naruto. Her eyes sparkled with admiration. "Sasuke-kun is so handsome!" 

Ino couldn't understand why a beautiful flower like her was in a group of lazy and fat idiots.

"Hokage-sama is here!"

At that moment, someone shouted, drawing the attention of countless onlookers. Tsunade approached, her impatience evident as she murmured to herself, "I have to come here every year at the beginning of school to say the same thing. How did Sarutobi never die of boredom back then...?"

"So beautiful! Hokage-sama is the strongest medical ninja today!" Ino exclaimed in admiration.

"It would be amazing to learn ninjutsu from Tsunade-sama," Sakura chimed in, momentarily shifting her focus away from Sasuke with a rare glimmer of excitement.

Hinata, who had been quietly observing, blinked and began searching for another familiar face. After scanning the crowd for a while, she frowned slightly when she couldn't find him, and a flicker of disappointment shone in her eyes.

...

...

In the Hokage's office, Tatsuya's gaze flickered between Uchiha Itachi, who stood before him, and the transfer application to Anbu he held in his hand. It was unclear whether he was speaking to himself or addressing Itachi directly when he muttered, "Maybe Tobirama was right after all. There's definitely something off about the Uchiha mindset."

Fugaku Uchiha's reason for Itachi's transfer was as clear as it was absurd: the boy's recent awakening of the Sharingan and his "potential" to serve as a spy within Anbu. Specifically, Fugaku had expressed interest in gathering intelligence on Tsunade and her faction.

"Sending an eight-year-old to Anbu for espionage... because of a newly awakened Sharingan?" Tatsuya shook his head, his tone dripping with disbelief. "Fugaku has truly lost it under pressure."

He leaned back in his chair, the application still clutched in his hand. "The Sharingan is a tool, not a justification for child exploitation. An 8-year-old child in Anbu is the very thing Hashirama and Madara stood for. The very values this village was founded on," Tatsuya said, as though lecturing the absent Uchiha patriarch. He turned his gaze back to Itachi, whose expression remained impassive.

"And you... you're just going along with this?" Tatsuya asked, searching the boy's face for any sign of resistance.

Itachi's reply was calm, almost detached. "It is my duty to serve the clan and the village."

---

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