Naruto : Transforming the Ninja World into a Harem World

The rain was pouring down on us with intensity. Standing next to Itachi, Fugaku showed no sympathy or support. Knowing Itachi, I don't think he wanted any. But none of that mattered, I walked calmly through the corpses.

"Don't forget, this is a battlefield," Fugaku warned as Itachi followed me, looking at the battlefield.

The term "battlefield" was familiar to me, but for a four-year-old boy who had lived in ignorance of this reality until then, it was truly cruel. The scene before him was even less suitable for a child's eyes. Bodies, bodies, bodies. Mountains of corpses as far as the eye could see. And not a single one at peace. The bodies were stiff, faces twisted in agony.

"In a few years, you will also be ninjas. This war may end, but the reality of the ninja world does not change. This is the world you will enter," explained Fugaku, his ruthless voice filling our ears.

Itachi remained still, enduring. If he let go of his control, his tears would flow. It wasn't that he was afraid. It wasn't that he was sad. An emotion he couldn't put into words had welled up inside him. Watching him, I understood more and more why he was always alone; no child in the world could behave the same way after experiencing this.

'Look at this bastard,' I thought, giving Fugaku a glance, 'what kind of father takes his sons to a battlefield.' Ending my thoughts, I continued on my way.

The people with Konoha headbands, ninjas from other lands, the countless corpses covering the earth no longer had any connection to national borders. They had all been unable to free themselves from their own death because they had fought, cried, twisted. Those faces filled with anguish were all the same, no matter which country the ninja came from. None of them had wished for death. And yet, they were all dead. Why? Because of the war.

"No, it's because they were all weak," I murmured in disgust, not towards them but towards myself.

"Father," for the first time, Itachi spoke, and as I looked at him, I noticed he was trembling. It wasn't from the cold rain. It wasn't a fear of the corpses. It was surely the rage that made him tremble. "Why did you bring me here?" he asked.

Fugaku remained silent for a moment at his eldest son's question, then began to answer, as if choosing his words carefully. "You are intelligent compared to others your age."

Still gazing at the corpses, Itachi waited for his father to continue. He felt warmth on the top of his head. His father's palm. "I wanted to make sure you saw this reality."

"Is this the world we will live in?" asked Itachi, beginning to grasp the situation.

"Yes, it is true, ninjas are creatures who fight. Never forget what you saw here today." Fugaku's voice made Itachi rub his eyes.

Dawn was slowly breaking on the battlefield, painting the sky with pink and golden hues that cruelly contrasted with the horror that lay on the ground. The morning dew mixed with the blood soaking the earth, creating a reddish mist that floated close to the ground.

Itachi stood still, his silhouette outlined against the rising sun. His dark eyes scanned the horizon when a movement caught his attention. A severely wounded Iwa ninja was crawling towards him. His uniform was torn and covered in blood, a testament to the violence of the battles he had endured.

"Help... please..." begged the ninja in a hoarse voice.

Itachi remained impassive, observing the man crawling towards him. The Iwa ninja looked up and then saw Itachi's forehead protector, adorned with the symbol of Konoha. His expression instantly shifted from pleading to hatred.

Drawing on his last bit of strength, the Iwa ninja pulled a kunai from his pouch and lunged at Itachi with a cry of rage. But Itachi was already in motion. In a fluid and precise movement, he dodged the attack and slit the ninja's throat with his own kunai. The Iwa ninja collapsed, his blood spraying in a scarlet arc in the morning light.

A few meters away, a cry pierced the air.

"Ahhhhhhh!"

Another ninja, limping heavily, emerged from the shadows and rushed towards me, a kunai aimed directly at my throat. I stepped back just enough for the blade to graze my neck without cutting it. He immediately followed with a downward strike, but I pivoted to my right, easily dodging the blow.

Frustration contorted the features of this wounded ninja as he saw all his attacks fail. "Damnnnn!" he yelled, launching a new desperate offensive.

I parried the blow, then struck my opponent with the palm of my hand. The impact was so intense that he spat out saliva mixed with blood, his entire body trembling under the force of the blow. His legs gave way, and he fell to his knees, now at my mercy.

Without hesitation, I seized the kunai he still weakly held and, in a swift motion, plunged it deeply into his chest. Blood spurted, splashing my face.

As life slowly left his eyes, the agonizing ninja whispered in a final breath, "Wh-why?"

I looked at him coldly, my eyes devoid of any emotion. "Why!? Isn't it obvious?" I answered in a cold voice. "It's because you are weak."

But my words found no more ears to hear them. He was already dead, his glazed eyes staring at the sky, indifferent to the tragedy unfolding beneath him.

I stood still, contemplating the lifeless body at my feet. Soft steps were heard behind me, and soon Itachi came to stand by my side. A long silence settled between us, only disturbed by the rustling of the wind in the surrounding trees and the distant cries of crows beginning to gather above the battlefield.

Finally, it was Itachi who broke this moment of apparent calm. "What do you think of war?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

I turned slightly towards him, absentmindedly wiping the blood off my face with the back of my hand. "War is just an excuse given by the strong to fulfill their desires," I replied.

"Do you think a world without war can exist?" he continued, his eyes fixed on the horizon where the sun continued its inexorable ascent.

I casually sat on the back of a nearby corpse, as if it were a mere bench. "As long as there are human beings in this world, war will continue," I stated with a disillusioned pragmatism.

"I see," Itachi acknowledged, a note of sadness in his voice.

I looked down at my blood-stained hands. "Yet..." I murmured with a tinge of melancholy, "I wish all of this would stop one day."

Itachi's eyes widened slightly, surprised by this unexpected confession. "Do you think it's possible?" he asked, a glimmer of hope breaking through his usual impassiveness.

"Yes, I believe so," I said with conviction. "That's why we must do everything we can to make it possible."

A faint smile appeared on Itachi's lips as he nodded in agreement.

A smile formed on my lips, a smile that didn't reach my eyes. At that moment, a new presence was felt, and Fugaku came to stand near us, his piercing gaze fixed on the horizon stretching before us.