"Itachi, what's wrong?" Mikoto Uchiha entered the room and instinctively reached out to ruffle her son's hair, gently comforting him. "Are you having trouble with your recent missions?"
"N-No, it's just..." Itachi began, but Mikoto interrupted him.
"Don't worry, Itachi. Don't put too much pressure on yourself. No matter what happens or what choices you make, your father and I will always love you, stand behind you, and support you," Mikoto said with a warm smile, making a fist in a cheering gesture.
Her smile was like a gentle breeze, and her tender gaze made Itachi's heart tremble, deepening his resentment toward Danzo.
That damned Danzo, that damned Konoha, trying to manipulate me into slaughtering the Uchiha clan, killing my own parents. Doesn't he feel any remorse? Politics truly corrupts the heart; without ruthlessness, one cannot stand firm.
"Mom, don't worry. I'm fine," Itachi said, sniffing.
"By the way, Mom, you used to be close friends with Aunt Kushina. Did you keep any of her belongings or mementos?"
"Mementos? Let me think." Mikoto held her right elbow with her left hand and touched her chin with her right, pondering.
"I don't have any of her belongings, but I did keep a lock of her red hair."
"Really?" Itachi's face lit up with joy he couldn't conceal.
"Yes, I'll go get it for you." Mikoto took Itachi's hand as they walked. "Itachi, don't always keep a straight face. You should smile more, just like now. This is what someone your age should enjoy."
Itachi blushed. Aside from holding his mother's hand when he was little, this was the first time since he'd grown up.
"Oh, my Itachi can blush?" Mikoto teased.
"Mom..." Itachi felt a bit embarrassed.
"Alright, don't be so shy. You didn't blush when eating the tri-colored dango Izumi gave you, so why blush when your mother holds your hand? What if you get nervous and can't speak during a date with Izumi in the future?"
"Mom!"
"Giggle!" Seeing Itachi's nervous and embarrassed expression, Mikoto couldn't help but laugh.
"Alright, alright, I won't tease you anymore. This is your Aunt Kushina's memento, the only thing she left me."
Mikoto gently touched a hair clip, her face full of nostalgia.
"If Minato and Kushina were still here, our Uchiha clan wouldn't be in this situation."
"Sigh."
Itachi took the hair clip and the lock of red hair. "Mom, why did you keep Aunt Kushina's hair?"
"That's a long story. Your Aunt Kushina was born in the Land of Whirlpools, in Uzushiogakure, and was a member of the Uzumaki clan."
"She was originally an optimistic, cheerful, and determined girl. Unfortunately, the Land of Whirlpools was destroyed. Before coming to Konoha, she lived in the midst of tragic wars every day, so she deeply understood the pain of losing her country and family and longed for a peaceful, stable life."
"After she came to Konoha, many classmates were intimidated by her red hair. At that time, I was the only one willing to befriend her."
"From then on, I helped her manage her hair. We also shopped for clothes and hair accessories together. Even after she got together with Minato, I gradually stepped back, but my friendship with Kushina never changed because of her marriage or the passage of time. Back then, we even hoped that Naruto and Sasuke would become good friends," Mikoto reminisced.
"I see," Itachi said.
"Yes, since then, I've kept her hair and hair clip as a keepsake."
"Similarly, I've also kept your hair, Fugaku's hair, and Sasuke's hair," Mikoto said playfully, taking out another box. Inside were three bundles of hair, each wrapped with a paper strip labeled with their names: Fugaku, Itachi, Sasuke.
"Mom..." Itachi murmured. Mikoto was so gentle, so attentive, so wonderful—just like his mother in his previous life. He must protect this goodness.
"By the way, Itachi, what do you need Kushina's hair for?" Mikoto asked.
"You'll find out soon, Mom," Itachi replied, keeping it a secret.
"Soon?" Mikoto looked at Itachi in confusion, noticing that his Sharingan had activated, as if he were on alert.
Could there be an enemy?
Mikoto instinctively tightened her grip on the box, her muscles tensing. At that moment, with a puff of smoke, Itachi vanished before her eyes using the Body Flicker Technique.
By the time Mikoto reacted and was about to rush out, Itachi had already returned, dragging someone in from the courtyard.
Still startled, Mikoto looked at the man with green hair and a red-and-white body in Itachi's hand and couldn't help but ask, "Who is this?"
"This is White Zetsu," Itachi explained. "He's been following me for a long time."
"White Zetsu? Following you? Could he be one of Danzo's men?" Fugaku Uchiha entered with a grim face and asked.
Noticing Itachi's return, he had asked Mikoto to check on him. Unexpectedly, in the blink of an eye, Itachi had captured a spy, prompting him to come out.
"No," Itachi shook his head upon seeing Fugaku.
"No?" Fugaku's expression darkened further. "Could he be one of the Third Hokage's men?"
"Also no," Itachi shook his head again.
"Then who is he?"
"Father, I can't tell you his origin for now," Itachi said seriously.
Fugaku looked deeply at Itachi and, after a moment, said, "Itachi, no matter what you do, I support you."
"Also, remember, I don't want to fight my own son, and your mother doesn't either."
"Fugaku," Mikoto looked at the father and son with concern.
"Father, I understand," Itachi said, sniffing. "I don't want us to fight either."
Hearing this, Mikoto breathed a sigh of relief.
In the original timeline, during the Uchiha clan massacre, Fugaku couldn't bear to harm his own flesh and blood and voluntarily allowed himself and Mikoto to be killed by their son, Itachi.
Now, having said it aloud, the relationship between father and son had eased.
"Then why did you capture him?" Fugaku asked.
"Father, you'll understand soon," Itachi said, throwing the genjutsu-controlled White Zetsu to the ground. He took out a scroll and placed Kushina's hair on it.
[System Notification: First-time use of the scroll. Reward: Universal Capsule Manufacturing Method from the Dragon Ball World.]
[Note: The Universal Capsule is a high-tech product developed by the Brief family in the manga "Dragon Ball" by Akira Toriyama. A small capsule can contain motorcycles, cars, airplanes, and houses. It's an essential item for travel and adventure.]
Itachi: (ー`ー)
With this technology, traveling will be much more convenient!
If I establish a Universal Capsule company... hmm... I might become the richest person in Konoha!
Itachi quickly formed hand seals: Tiger – Snake – Dog – Dragon.
[System Notification: First-time hand seals. Reward: Instant Ninjutsu Activation Technique.]
[Note: Which serious ninja still uses hand seals? Hashirama, do you use hand seals? Hashirama: No, I don't.]
Under the watchful eyes of Fugaku and Mikoto, black runes crawled out from the scroll, forming a magic circle that surrounded White Zetsu. Then, a large amount of dust appeared around him, enveloping him from bottom to top.
Finally, Itachi clasped his hands together and shouted, "Reanimation Jutsu!"
Accompanied by a painful howl, the dust-covered White Zetsu slowly transformed into Kushina Uzumaki before the astonished eyes of Mikoto and Fugaku!
"This..." Mikoto pointed at Kushina with one hand and covered her mouth with the other, her eyes filled with shock.
"This..." Fugaku was equally stunned.
Kushina opened her eyes in confusion. Upon seeing Mikoto, she exclaimed with joy, "Mikoto, you've aged so much! Don't tell me you're dead too?"
Mikoto's face darkened. "You're the one who's aged!"
"Wait, is that Fugaku? And this must be Itachi?" The straightforward Kushina looked at Fugaku and Itachi with surprise. "Is everyone dead?"
"Could it be that Konoha has fallen?"
"Well, with that scoundrel Danzo and the old Third Hokage around, Konoha was bound to fall sooner or later," Kushina said.
But then she paused.
"Oh no, if Konoha has fallen, what about my Naruto?" Kushina panicked, grabbing Mikoto's arm. "Mikoto, where's my Naruto? Don't tell me he's dead too?"