Thunk! Thunk! Thunk!
Several kunai were thrown in succession. After launching a second wave, they collided mid-air, altering each other's trajectory, and all struck their respective targets dead center.
After showing off that technique, Itachi turned to Yun. "Didn't you use to look down on these kinds of tricks? Why are you trying to learn them now?"
Yun looked at his own miserable target, then at the kunai in his hand. This wasn't really his idea; his clone Ku needed this skill.
Back when he fought Danzo and Orochimaru near the orphanage, even though he had Flying Thunder God, his poor aim with multiple kunai held him back. If not for that, he might've been able to assassinate Danzo that day.
"Just teach me. I'll treat you to dango later."
Itachi frowned. He still hadn't gotten over that three-colored dango addiction.
After another thorough explanation of the trajectory calculations, Itachi once again showed off his perfect technique.
To Yun, the instructions sounded like: The brain understands the theory, the hands claim they're ready, but then...
Miss!
"Hahaha... Yun, this is the first time I've seen you struggle like this."
Shisui was watching with amusement, but still suggested, "Itachi's calculation ability is excellent. But if adjusting trajectory is too hard for you, why not focus on hitting multiple targets with precision instead?"
"That alone would be more than enough. After all, everyone has their own rhythm in battle. You can't be perfect at everything."
Yun thought for a bit and nodded. After a few more practice rounds, he turned to Shisui."You're this free after a mission? Didn't Uchiha Yashiro summon you for clan matters?"
Shisui glanced at Itachi to make sure he wasn't listening, then replied: "Ever since Captain Fugaku passed, the police force has been under Yashiro. He's actually got a clear view of the Uchiha–village dynamic."
Yun scoffed. "So the real issue is his father, right? That so-called Seventh Elder Uchiha?"
Shisui nodded with a helpless sigh. "Back in the day, Elder Seventh was a strong supporter of Uchiha Setsuna. He's always been a hawk, believing that since Konoha was founded by the Uchiha and Senju, and since the Senju produced two Hokage, the Uchiha deserved one too. But instead…"
Yun finished the thought: "Instead, they've been pushed to the village outskirts, completely excluded from the center of power. Some of this stems from Second Hokage's legacy, but the Uchiha themselves are part of the problem too."
Their conversation ended when Itachi walked over.
By now, it was noon. Just as the three were about to get food, Yun and Itachi both froze.
They exchanged glances. Shisui asked, "What's wrong?"
Itachi replied: "Looks like I need to head home. My shadow clone was dispelled."
Yun smiled. "Same here, but mine didn't get dispelled. Those upperclassmen got beat up so badly that my clone self-destructed and told me to come clean up the mess…"
Itachi looked over. "You've got a lot of chakra?"
Yun casually responded: "Not much, just a tiny bit more than you… by like, a billion."
He was joking, but with the chakra reserves of the First Hokage Senju Hashirama, he wasn't really joking at all. If his Sage Body were fully developed, he could go out and casually tame tailed beasts as pets.
At the Ninja Academy infirmary, Yun looked at a few bruised and battered upperclassmen and instantly felt a headache.
The memories from the shadow clone didn't seem like a big deal. If it were the real him, he still would've hit them. But why the hell did the clone go pick a fight with all the upperclassmen?
Was this some kind of "One-Punch-Man goes to preschool" arc?
He patted his wallet. Could it even survive this?
He glanced at Itachi beside him. As the son of the former Uchiha clan head, surely the guy wasn't strapped for cash?
Itachi immediately caught that look and whispered, "Don't even think about it. I didn't beat up every upperclassman. Also, I'm broke."
Bang!
The infirmary door was kicked open.
A bunch of worried chunin and jonin parents rushed in to check on their kids, then glared daggers at the two Uchihas standing nearby.
The shadow clone did the crime, the main body does the time. Was he really this violent? Ridiculous!
Yun silently pulled out his wallet. Itachi sighed and whispered, "If you cover me, I'll keep teaching you the kunai techniques. I've got a shortcut formula."
'You sneaky little!'
After paying and apologizing, Yun and Itachi finally escaped their teachers' scolding.
At the end of it all, Yun recognized two familiar faces, Iruka Umino and Mizuki.
Apparently, even they got whooped by his shadow clone. Iruka laughed and asked how he trained to be that strong.
Mizuki pretended not to care, but Yun noticed a glint of hatred in his eyes.
On the way home, Yun turned to Itachi. "This all started because those guys wanted revenge on you. If I didn't share your last name, they wouldn't have targeted me. So…"
Itachi nodded. "Don't worry. I'll make sure you master the technique."
After a pause, Yun asked, "Hey, Itachi… are you poor or something?"
Itachi looked away and was silent for a bit."The police force's budget comes from the village. When my father was alive, he had to account for every coin. Our clan compound is big, but it's on the outskirts. That makes business difficult for regular clansfolk."
He didn't say much, but Yun understood the implication.
No wonder in the original story, the Uchiha were always in debt to that cat lady. And no wonder Shisui gifted Itachi a ninja gear kit not long ago.
The budget probably wasn't controlled by the Fourth Hokage, either. Danzo? No, he only ran Root. So it must've been… Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado, those two stubborn old fossils.
Outside the Uchiha home, a toddler was wobbling around, clinging to the doorway and peeking out.
"Yo. Is that your little brother, Sasuke?"
The smile on Itachi's face vanished in an instant. "Why are you still here?"
Yun pointed. "He peed his pants. Aren't you gonna change him?"
Itachi immediately turned to look, sure enough, Sasuke's pants were soaked, even dripping a bit.
"Watch him for a second. I'll go get a clean pair."
As Itachi rushed inside, Yun, who had been grinning, slowly walked toward Sasuke.
"Waaaahhh!!"
Barely a year old, Sasuke couldn't speak yet, so he just bawled loudly.
A moment later, Itachi returned with their mother. What they saw nearly made Itachi draw his sword.
"You… What are you doing?!"
Yun looked at him calmly. "Relax, I just flicked him once."
Itachi looked like he was about to murder someone.
"Itachi, that's rude."
Mikoto's calm voice stopped him, but her eyes clearly said: We'll talk about this tomorrow.
Yun declined Mikoto's invitation to dinner and gave baby Sasuke a wide creepy smirk before leaving, causing the little guy to cry even harder.
Back at his house, Yun dropped a small lock of hair into a glass bottle.
Not sure if hair samples would work… In hindsight, maybe he should've scraped a bit of blood instead.