Plop.
Just as Ren was quietly observing the area outside the village, a figure suddenly dropped down beside his feet.
He frowned and instinctively kicked out.
"Pakkun, scram. I'm not in the mood to play with you right now."
Smack.
His little leg was blocked.
"Ren, it's me." Itachi narrowed his eyes slightly, wearing that gentle, warm smile. "Sunbathing again today?"
As he spoke, he casually brushed the dust off Ren's shin.
The top of the wall really was dusty.
"Oi, 'One-Hit-Seven.' Why aren't you out on missions today?" Ren glanced at his older brother and replied weakly.
He hadn't copied a single trait today, so he really didn't feel like having a deep conversation with Itachi.
"No. Lately Father's preparing to have me enter ANBU."
Itachi sat down beside him.
His voice was mild—like spring sunlight, comfortable and soft.
But the words made Ren lift his gaze.
Enter ANBU?
If he remembered right, wasn't this the period when "One-Hit-Seven" went undercover… and ended up getting completely turned?
"What is it?" Itachi looked at him.
"'One-Hit-Seven'… the clan and the village—has it really reached that point?"
Hearing Ren say that, Itachi's smile paused.
Even his half-closed eyes opened a little wider.
"As expected… you're still as sharp as ever."
He was clearly just a kid who loved sunbathing.
Yet with one small piece of information, he could accurately infer the entire situation.
That wasn't something normal people could do.
"It feels like Ren's brain… even compared to the Nara clan, it wouldn't lose."
Itachi thought that and unconsciously nodded.
The light in his eyes dimmed for a brief moment.
The conflict between the village and the clan truly had reached a point of fire and water.
No exaggeration—if Father hadn't been holding them back, the clan would've already launched a coup.
But—
Those were "outsiders."
Itachi took a deep breath. When he looked up again, only determination remained on his face.
"Don't worry, Ren. I'll protect you and Sasuke."
"Then what about Izumi-nee?" Ren asked.
Itachi: "..."
"…Let's talk about the part where you made dogs chase Sasuke."
He inhaled, switched topics, and asked,
"I watched the whole thing, so—"
But before he could finish, Ren cut him off instantly.
"Father, you heard that, right?! 'One-Hit-Seven' admitted he watched the whole thing!"
Itachi: "?"
Ren suddenly flipped around, jumped up, and pointed at Itachi while tattling.
Down below—
Fugaku was holding Sasuke by the back of his collar like he was lifting a chick, and threw him near the wall.
The little boy who was normally clean, pale, and adorable…
Was now covered in filth.
And there was even a faint smell of dog pee.
Instantly… unappealing.
Majorly unappealing.
Fugaku had just reached the wall when he heard Ren's shout.
He looked up—at his most intelligent, most talented, most reliable eldest son—
and let out a sigh so small it was almost invisible.
What a sin…
Even this obedient genius of a son was starting to develop problems!
Fugaku frowned slightly, choosing his words carefully.
"Itachi… Sasuke idolizes you. He loves you. You…"
He didn't finish the sentence, but the message was loud and clear:
As a big brother, you actually let your little brother get bitten by dogs?
Itachi's expression turned complicated.
His eyes moved between Ren and Fugaku, then finally landed on Sasuke by the wall.
He sighed deeply.
No further explanation.
Pointless rebuttals only made things worse.
Even though he'd stopped because he noticed the villagers' attitudes improving…
Sasuke wanted to argue too, but he'd already been disciplined on the way back.
So he didn't dare make a sound.
"Hmph! The three of you—reflect properly today!"
After a moment, Fugaku gave a hard flick of his sleeve and walked away.
He couldn't even bear to say anything harsher.
Only the three brothers remained, staring at each other.
A moment later, Itachi chuckled, picked Sasuke up, and soothed him like a little kid.
"You stink. Go wash up."
Ren watched their backs, then silently shifted position—
lying down more comfortably.
A line of system text slowly appeared before his eyes.
[Defeated Uchiha Sasuke. Attempting to copy a trait.]
[Copy successful. Congratulations, host obtained: Tsundere (White).]
Ren: "..."
Feed it.
Feed this trait into Flying Thunder God right now.
…
One month later.
Morning. Uchiha clan grounds. After breakfast.
Fugaku looked at Sasuke and tapped the table.
"Later, come with me to the river. I'll teach you how to refine chakra."
Thunk.
Sasuke's eyes widened so hard they looked like bull eyes.
He tried three times before finally swallowing the rice ball in his mouth, face blazing with excitement.
"R-really, Father?! I can finally start training?!"
"Really." Fugaku rubbed his head.
This youngest son had way too much energy!
For a whole month—
he went from getting chased by dogs every day…
to chasing dogs every day.
Absolutely outrageous.
Now when Fugaku went out to handle things, villagers pointed at him and laughed:
"Look, that's the dad of the kid who chases dogs."
"Hehe, yeah—his kid got chased by dogs for half a month!"
"So the Uchiha have fallen so far they're playing with dogs now? Hahaha!"
All kinds of voices made his head ache.
Someone even started calling Sasuke and Ren the "Uchiha Twin Dragons."
One chased dogs all day.
One chatted all day.
Compared to the old "untouchable" image of the Uchiha—
it was like heaven and earth.
He had no choice.
He needed to find a way to burn off Sasuke's energy.
Worth mentioning:
During the dog-chasing era, Sasuke had even gained a "team."
The blond kid and the green-suit kid became the representatives—
and joined the chase squad.
And it wasn't limited to just those seven Shiba pups anymore.
If it was a dog in the village—
they chased it.
This made the village dogs live in fear recently.
Thinking that, Ren turned and glanced at Pakkun outside the door.
Those seven Shiba pups behind him…
had even started developing muscles.
Biceps.
Sure enough—chasing really was the ultimate training.
After breakfast, Fugaku led Sasuke away.
Itachi thoughtfully helped their mother Mikoto clean up.
And Ren?
Ren grinned and followed into the kitchen.
Before he could even open his mouth, Itachi spoke at lightning speed:
"Don't worry. I'll protect you and Sasuke, even if the enemy is someone from the village."
"And if anyone tries to take Shisui's eyes, I'll stop them— even if it's Danzo!"
Days of Q&A had taught Itachi what kind of answer Ren liked.
In short:
Always stand on the side of your own people.
Satisfied, Ren chatted a little longer to make it a full ten minutes, then turned to leave.
But the moment he lifted his foot—
the scene in front of him made him freeze.
"Hmm? Ren, what is it?" Itachi asked.
"N-nothing." Ren forced a smile.
He stood on tiptoe, patted his brother's shoulder, and sighed.
"'One-Hit-Seven'… when you've got time, go get your body checked."
"You're so young—how are you already… weak?"
[Conversation target: Uchiha Itachi.]
[Conversation 10 minutes. Attempting to copy a trait.]
[Success. Congratulations, host obtained: Frail (White).]
[Frail: Under the influence of 'Too Smart, Dies Early,' the body can't bear the strain of the mind's deficit, and it's difficult to recover.]
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