Chapter 22: Waiting by a Stump for a Hare to Bump Into It
While Uchiha Itachi was taking care of Sasuke, he appeared even more meticulous than Mikoto.
On the streets and alleys of Konoha, that little boy reappeared – carrying a swaddled infant, a crow perched on his shoulder, rushing about the village…
"Boss, could you please pack a bag of Three-Color Dango and sticky rice dumplings for me?" Itachi stood at the entrance of the sweet shop, holding Sasuke in one arm, gently patting him with the other, looking quite adept at carrying a child.
The uncle at the sweet shop was taken aback by Itachi's posture, "O...Okay."
"Caw..." The crow on Uchiha Itachi's shoulder flew down and landed on the table, a banknote unknown where it came from, held in its beak.
The customers in the sweet shop seemed to be witnessing such a scene for the first time, looking at them with surprise... Of course, there were exceptions, like the ninjas at a certain table having afternoon tea; they had more important matters.
Arguing... and mediating arguments...
One of the young men was clearly more hot-tempered, slamming the table, "Old man... no matter what you say... you can't escape the fact that you're still acting as Hokage! Lord Third Hokage!"
His voice clearly drew everyone's attention... Indeed, an old man was sitting at that table, holding the Hokage's conical hat. It was indeed the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, being quite close to the people...
Kitahara observed the few people who could share a table with the Third Hokage. They looked familiar, but he didn't recognize any... No, there was one he could recognize, even if his appearance was still youthful...
But that green jumpsuit, representing various meanings, the thick eyebrows, and the bowl-cut hairstyle – the one and only Might Guy of Konoha...
Guy clutched his head, forcing a smile as he defended his direct superior, "Asuma, Lord Third was originally Lord Hokage, you know..."
The young woman at the same table was clearly more outstanding, stating meticulously, "Moreover, there's no more suitable candidate in the village. Lord Hokage is clearly considering the village's best interests..."
"...Puff puff..." Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at his irritable son, merely puffing away at his pipe, his troubled demeanor... not much different from any other worried father...
"...He's just greedy for power and position!"
Asuma, disregarding everything, pulled away the young female ninja's hand and left in a huff... As friends, it was, of course, impossible to abandon him like that. The female ninja was the first to chase after him.
Might Guy let out a long breath, suddenly stood up, and rushed out of the sweet shop, leaving behind a powerful, resonant sentence, "Lord Third, please rest assured! I will persuade him properly!"
"...Puff puff..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi continued smoking his pipe, seemingly not holding out much hope for them. Finally, he blew out a large smoke ring and leisurely walked out of the sweet shop.
Smoking in such a public place was impolite, but seeing Hiruzen Sarutobi's appearance and status, no one dared to step forward and say anything...
"Customer, your Three-Color Dango and sticky rice dumplings!"
The owner suddenly spoke, catching the Third Hokage's attention. The old man looked down and saw Uchiha Itachi holding a child, and that crow extending its claw to hook the food bag...
"So it's Itachi... What a well-behaved child!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice was filled with the vicissitudes of parenthood. If his wife, Biwako Sarutobi, were still alive, Asuma wouldn't cause him so much worry.
"Lord Hokage."
"Is this Fugaku's second child? A girl? What's her name?" Hiruzen Sarutobi tapped his pipe and glanced at the peacefully sleeping child in the swaddling clothes.
"No, he's my younger brother. His name is Sasuke."
"Cough cough... cough... cough..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi choked. He had almost forgotten this matter. Uchiha Fugaku had mentioned before that he wanted to name his second child after his father, Sasuke Sarutobi...
It felt strange. The old man suddenly remembered his own father... Back then, in his father's eyes, he was probably much like Asuma, right?
"What a good name..." After catching his breath, Hiruzen Sarutobi stroked Sasuke's sparse hair, "Grow up quickly and become a reliable man!"
Uchiha Itachi looked at his younger brother's small face, affectionately nuzzling his forehead, "Did you hear that, Sasuke? You have to grow up quickly!"
"Hmph hmph hmph hmph~" Sasuke hummed a few times with his eyes closed, let out a small yawn. The noisy journey outside had been too tiring, and he drifted back into a deep sleep.
"Caw!"
The crow, holding the bag in its beak, landed on Itachi's head. Its crimson eyes looked disdainfully at Sasuke. Like a little piglet, all he knows is sleep, sleep, sleep... If you have the guts, keep arguing...
The Third Hokage observed Kitahara's actions and suddenly spoke, "Is this the crow Itachi is raising? The whole village is talking about you two. It does look a bit fierce..."
"He's my friend." Itachi freed a hand and stroked the crow on his head, "Actually, Kitahara has a very gentle temperament!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi: "..."
Is there something wrong with this kid's eyes... Judging by its appearance, it clearly doesn't look like a good bird. And just now, its eyes were fierce enough to want to tear Sasuke apart. The feeling it gives off... very unfriendly... and its chakra strength is clearly indistinguishable...
Usually, when a leader is speechless, an unobservant subordinate should jump out, report some trivial matter, and incidentally give the leader a reason to leave.
As Lord Hokage's direct department, ANBU had to share his burdens... Sure enough, a masked ANBU member suddenly jumped out, half-kneeling before Hiruzen Sarutobi.
It's just this ANBU ninja, whether he wore a mask or not... besides Kakashi Hatake, how many white-haired individuals were there in the entire Konoha Village?
"Lord Hokage, ANBU... has received top-secret intelligence!" Kakashi suddenly raised his head, his tone resolute.
Hiruzen Sarutobi put his pipe back in his mouth, seemingly unconcerned that they were on a public street, and extended his hand towards Kakashi, "Oh my? Just give me the scroll..."
"The person who delivered the intelligence is in your office! He wishes to see you personally!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi was pulled away by Kakashi. He was usually incredibly busy, especially liking to handle things personally. Today was just supposed to be for afternoon tea. As a result, he was fiercely mocked by his own son, and his mood was far from wonderful...
He finally wanted to chat with a child for a bit, and maybe offer a couple of spoonfuls of chicken soup for the soul, but now Kakashi was about to bring him even worse news.
Encountering the Third Hokage was just a small interlude; Uchiha Itachi didn't pay it much mind. He bought a full bag of sweets, found a place with beautiful scenery, and teased his younger brother for a while longer...
Kitahara rather approved of his idea... If that "teasing his younger brother" was changed to "beating the child," that would be even better. It's not like you can only beat children when it's raining...
Today was clearly not going smoothly... Their usual spot had been taken... This place was very close to the Memorial Stone's graves. People who came here to enjoy the scenery had questionable thought processes, including but not limited to Uchiha Itachi and Shisui...
Now they could only watch helplessly as the little girl sitting on the grass stood up... Uchiha Izumi waved her small hand and ran towards them, "Itachi-kun..."
A fable suddenly came to Kitahara's mind...Waiting by a stump for a hare to bump into it... Uchiha Itachi was clearly the hare...
(End of this chapter)