Naruto: Born Gifted in Konoha

Konoha Village.

Hokage Office.

Thick white smoke filled the room, cloaking the Third Hokage behind his desk, his silhouette barely visible in the hazy air.

Clang! Hiruzen Sarutobi set down his pipe, his gaze returning to the intelligence report from Iwagakure's battlefield.

"Ahh!" Heaving a deep sigh, the Third stood up and walked toward the window, gazing outside.

"Has Danzo returned?"

After a long silence, he finally broke the stillness, addressing the empty room.

"Honored Elder Danzo returned to the village early this morning."

A masked Anbu agent suddenly appeared in a corner of the office, dropping to one knee as he answered the Hokage's question.

"Mmm." The Third gave a slight nod before lapsing back into quiet contemplation, continuing to watch over Konoha.

The Hokage Building towered above most other structures in the village. Whenever he felt weary or anxious, he would stand by the window and look at his beloved village—it always brought him peace and reminded him who he truly was.

"Danzo... is it you?" The Third narrowed his eyes toward the Uchiha Clan district, silently musing.

Danzo's departure and Saitama's death were too much of a coincidence. And it had been Danzo himself who delivered the news of Saitama's passing.

That made everything even more suspicious.

The Third knew that Danzo had always treated the Uchiha differently, and under the influence of the Second Hokage, the clan had never held a favorable place in his mind.

Recently, Danzo's behavior had also seemed unusual. Though the Third had aged, his sharp instincts remained intact, and he hadn't missed many of Danzo's subtle movements.

Soon after, a message carrier pigeon left Konoha Village, flying toward the Mist frontline with disappointing news.

The Third needed to deliver this information to Orochimaru, who would then pass it on to Fugaku Uchiha.

Saitama Uchiha was currently considered the most outstanding young talent of the Uchiha Clan. This news must reach Fugaku Uchiha, the clan leader.

...

"Father," said Itachi Uchiha, wearing his black high-collar coat, his face calm and composed.

"Hmm," Fugaku gave only a brief reply without looking up from his seat.

"Tomorrow I'll arrange for you to accompany the medical team onto the battlefield. Prepare yourself!"

Several minutes passed before Fugaku suddenly looked up at Itachi.

He had been at the war front for many days now, and it was time for Itachi to witness real warfare—even though the boy was only four years old.

"Yes!" Itachi's expression remained serene as he nodded toward Fugaku, having already expected this moment.

"You may go now. If you happen to meet Shisui, tell him to come see me."

Fugaku waved his hand dismissively before resuming his paperwork.

...

Orochimaru's golden slit eyes reflected the scroll he held.

His expression stayed perfectly calm, as if no feeling could reach him.

After a long while, he placed the scroll on the table and leaned back, pressing his spine firmly against the chair.

"I had such high hopes for you, Saitama Uchiha."

There was a trace of melancholy in his voice, and for just a fleeting moment, disappointment flickered in his eyes before vanishing entirely.

"Summon the Uchiha Clan Leader. I need to speak with him!"

Orochimaru called out toward the outside, his hoarse voice remarkably piercing.

Outside the tent, a shadow flickered before vanishing completely.

...

Saitama's death was stirring storms within certain people's hearts.

"Father?" Itachi Uchiha entered the tent and saw Fugaku wearing an anxious expression.

It had been a long time since he last saw Fugaku look like this.

"It's you, Itachi!" 

Fugaku lifted his head, sorrow in his eyes, and gestured for Itachi to sit down beside him.

"What happened?" Itachi knew people didn't become sad without reason. He asked with wide eyes.

"Itachi, is war scary?" Fugaku didn't answer immediately but instead posed a question.

"Hmm..." Itachi wore a thoughtful expression as he recalled those ninja who'd been carried back lifeless, then nodded heavily.

"Yes, war always brings endless killing and hatred. People pray for peace yet are forced to take up arms to protect what they cherish."

As he spoke, Fugaku lowered his head, looking at the report lying on the table.

"Saitama has been killed in battle!" After a brief pause, Fugaku said solemnly, his voice filled with deep grief.

"What?!" Itachi couldn't believe it. He suddenly stood up, his eyes fixed intently on Fugaku.

"During a mission, Saitama was surrounded by enemies and, unfortunately, was killed in action."

Fugaku repeated, his hand unconsciously touching Saitama's personal file on the table.

"Is...is this intelligence confirmed?" Although Itachi hadn't spent much time with Saitama, the latter had always lived up to the image of a role model.

Hearing about Saitama's death was something he found difficult to accept immediately.

This was also the first time he heard news of someone close dying.

Slowly sitting back down, Itachi's youthful face revealed flickering emotions behind his eyes.

At just four years old, only a few people occupied his world, and Saitama might've been one of them.

Could this be the cruelty of war? Itachi lowered his head, gazing at the ground while pondering.

...

Tsunade's tent.

As Orochimaru's teammate, Tsunade learned about Saitama's death almost immediately.

However, she didn't know how to break the news to her apprentice properly.

"Shizune...you don't need to rush. Take a rest first."

Seeing Shizune still organizing documents, Tsunade called out, signaling her to come over and take a break.

"Ah...Tsunade-sama, I'll finish quickly!"

Clearly not having heard what Tsunade said, Shizune hurriedly sped up her movements, accidentally scattering several documents onto the floor.

Blushing, she crouched down to start picking them up.

"I'll handle it." At some point, Tsunade had already arrived beside Shizune, picking up the scattered documents from the ground.

"Mm." Shizune felt slightly embarrassed. Her condition these past few days had been quite poor, anxiety clinging to her heart constantly.

She poured herself a glass of water and sat on one of the nearby chairs, trying to calm herself.

"Shizune, I need to tell you something, but I want you to remain calm. Can you do that?"

Leaning both hands against the table, Tsunade stood facing Shizune, staring directly into her eyes.

"Mm?"

A cold dread settled in Shizune's stomach as she held the cup with both hands, staring at Tsunade.

Frowning, Shizune gazed up at Tsunade, her dark eyes wide and glistening.

"Just now Orochimaru called me over and told me some news... about Saitama Uchiha."

Tsunade walked toward Shizune as she spoke.

"And then?" Shizune seemed to foresee what Tsunade would say next. Her eyes began to redden, and her hand holding the cup started trembling, sending ripples across the water's surface.

"During his mission, he fell into an ambush and was killed!"

Crash! The cup shattered on the floor.

"This isn't true... is it?" Tears shimmered in Shizune's eyes as she stared into Tsunade's.

Tsunade knew exactly how Shizune felt. She'd endured this same heart-wrenching loss not once, but twice before.

Pulling the tearful Shizune tightly into her arms, Tsunade wore a look of shared sorrow.

"Saitama was so powerful... how could this happen?" Buried against Tsunade's chest, Shizune still couldn't believe it.

Tsunade didn't speak. When she heard Dan had died, she didn't believe it either. Dan had also been strong—how could he suddenly be gone?

"Stop crying. Just stop crying," Tsunade comforted like soothing a child, continuously patting Shizune's back.

"Tsunade-sama, let's leave this place!"

After a long while, Shizune raised her head, her face streaked with tears, her eyes red.

...

On a small hill near the camp, Itachi and Shisui sat side by side.

Since learning of Saitama's death, Shisui had been sitting there motionless, staring toward Iwagakure.

He wasn't crying, nor did he show any expression, but the spiritual pressure around him became terrifying.

"I've always worked hard to catch up to you. Just when I was finally close enough to fight beside you, you left like this!"

Gazing at the sky, Shisui looked as though seeing Saitama there.

"Weren't you determined to restore our clan? Weren't you going to bring the Uchiha back to glory?"

Itachi remained silent as Shisui muttered to himself, knowing full well that Shisui's pain ran even deeper than his own.

A flash of crimson passed before Shisui's eyes. His eyes throbbed with pain, as if he had overused his Sharingan.

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