hree days later.
The buzz around the two Uchiha prodigies—golden children who had graduated early—had finally begun to fade.
As the undercurrents of tension settled...
Konoha Ninja Headquarters.
For the first time, Qing Chuan stepped inside, alongside Itachi, to receive their Forehead Protectors.
Waiting in the office—
Aside from the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi—were an unremarkable shinobi and two older boys.
These were Itachi's Jonin Instructor and his two teammates.
Clearly.
The two of them weren't assigned to the same squad.
Konoha would never allow two Uchiha prodigies to grow up together.
Qing Chuan watched Hiruzen's arrangements with a cold gaze.
Inwardly, though, he pitied Itachi's teammates.
Two mediocre genin.
To Hiruzen, they might be deadweight meant to slow Itachi's growth.
But to others... these two would become nourishment for Itachi's eyes.
That man, Obito, has probably had his sights on Itachi for a while now, hasn't he?
Qing Chuan had been counting the days.
Itachi hadn't taken long to awaken his Sharingan after graduation.
In the original timeline, after a series of routine missions, during a C-rank Escort Mission—
Obito slaughtered Itachi's teammates and the protection target.
And with that, the cursed eyes were awakened.
Qing Chuan had already started keeping watch.
For the gaze of Obito, who could appear at any moment.
This guy's ruthless.
Forget his personality—Qing Chuan had even started finishing his showers and bathroom breaks at lightning speed, mostly because of this guy...
Appearing and disappearing like a ghost. Annoying as hell.
After a brief ceremony, Qing Chuan and Itachi finally left the Hokage Building.
Of course.
From this moment on, they wouldn't be able to train together every day.
This made Qing Chuan breathe a sigh of relief deep down.
But for Itachi, this was far from good news...
At their parting.
Itachi's Jonin Instructor and teammates tactfully gave them space for a final farewell.
Qing Chuan silently tied his Forehead Protector around his neck.
Gotta prepare early... in case future developments expose my secret.
Itachi hesitated for a moment.
For a second, he considered removing his own Forehead Protector, but ultimately decided against it.
"Haruko, I can't change the Hokage's arrangements, but I'll train hard and become a chunin as soon as possible."
Itachi rarely looked directly into someone's eyes, but now, his gaze was unwavering and serious.
Qing Chuan's heart skipped a beat.
His own eyes darted away nervously...
"Then... good luck, Itachi!"
Good luck.
That was all Qing Chuan could offer.
Honestly, he was starting to dread meeting Itachi's gaze.
The overwhelming guilt felt like it would swallow him whole...
I wonder if this guilt could help awaken the Sharingan.
Damn it!
"I... actually, there's something else I wanted to say."
"Don't know if you..."
After making his promise, Itachi suddenly remembered his father's words from a few days ago and grew hesitant again.
"Yeah! Go ahead!"
Just say it and let me run away already!
Qing Chuan urged him on eagerly.
"It's... actually Father's idea."
"Father wants to celebrate us becoming shinobi, so he'd like to invite you..."
"Could you come to my house for dinner tonight?"
The more Itachi spoke, the smoother his words became.
The more Qing Chuan listened, the more his face froze...
What the hell...
This is getting out of hand!
Meeting the parents?! Are you kidding me?!
One minute later.
"Nine hundred ninety-eight!"
"Nine hundred ninety-nine!"
"Nine hundred... one thousand!"
In a small grove.
Qing Chuan vented his frustration on the air itself!
He wanted to slap himself silly right now!
Why didn't I refuse?!
How could I possibly agree?!
How could I dare to meet his family?!
In the end, Zhuangzi dreamed of a butterfly... in the end, I lost my damn mind...
Truthfully, Qing Chuan hadn't actually agreed.
He'd just been so stunned, and with his head bowed in shame, Itachi had mistaken his silence for consent...
By the time he thought to refuse, it was already too late!
Now, Qing Chuan was drowning in regret.
What had driven him to wake up every day, to swing his sword relentlessly, was the impending Night of the Uchiha Massacre—just seven years away.
By then, Itachi would be emotionless.
But the Itachi of now was so earnest!
So earnest that the guilt in Qing Chuan's heart was reaching critical levels!
"A person only truly sees themselves in the moment before death."
Those were Itachi's words.
In the original timeline, as Itachi lay dying, his greatest wish seemed to be speaking to his younger self.
Maybe there's another way.
To be honest.
Qing Chuan had a feeling Itachi might not walk that path this time.
But no matter what, once Qing Chuan revealed his identity, the blade in Itachi's hand would have only one target...
This is such a mess.
Just thinking about it made Qing Chuan's head throb.
But then—
A familiar, nauseating presence snapped him out of his rage.
"Congratulations, Haruko."
"Graduating so quickly... It seems you're just as eager for our little deal as I am..."
The raspy, sinister voice of Orochimaru slithered from behind Qing Chuan.
Yes.
Orochimaru had come to congratulate him.
For the fascinating master-disciple relationship about to unfold—
Orochimaru could hardly wait!
Qing Chuan took several deep breaths.
Only then did he manage to suppress the turmoil in his heart.
Turning around, his crimson eyes already active, Senbonzakura pointed straight at Orochimaru.
"You came at just the right time, Orochimaru-sama."
"Now die."