Flowerhead_Evan

At just four years old, Uchiha Itachi is introduced to the harsh reality of the ninja world when his father, Fugaku, takes him to a battlefield strewn with corpses. The sight stays with him, planting a deep desire to end the endless cycle of war. Determined to grow stronger, Itachi throws himself into training, convinced that power can be a tool for protection rather than destruction.

When his brother Sasuke is born, that resolve hardens. Sasuke’s fragile presence becomes everything to Itachi, and he swears to keep him safe. But the world around them grows more dangerous. The Nine-Tails attacks Konoha, leaving ruin behind. In the aftermath, the Uchiha clan is blamed and pushed to the village’s outskirts.

Tensions rise between the Uchiha and the village leadership. Itachi is torn — caught between his family’s growing resentment and his hope for peace. His bond with his friend Shisui offers some comfort, but even Shisui can’t shield him from the pressure closing in. Fugaku, Itachi’s father, grows fixated on the clan’s struggles, and whispers of rebellion begin to spread.

Trapped between duty and loyalty, Itachi struggles to find a way forward. His love for Sasuke remains his anchor, but the burden he carries feels heavier by the day. As conflict brews, Itachi faces a choice that will define his legacy — and change the course of the ninja world.

Naruto : Itachi's Story (Completed)

Itachi had trained nonstop since the day his father had taken him to the battlefield. Just one more year until his long-awaited start at the academy. His sole objective was to hone his skills so that he could be a ninja among ninja.

Why a ninja among ninja? To rid the world of fighting, of course. Itachi simply refused to accept his father's conception of a ninja as someone who lived in the midst of killing.

Were the ninja arts and chakra really only for fighting? Itachi was sure they were not.

If you had the greater strength, you could step in between people fighting to stop them. If you were a ninja more powerful than the ninja at war, if no ninja—however skilled—stood a chance against you, then everyone would listen to and obey your commands.

Itachi wanted to be that kind of ninja. He believed that if he was more powerful, more capable than anyone else, he would be able to stop even enormous fights like the last Great War. He had a goal, so his devotions were not difficult.

A grove near his house was his training ground. Wooden targets were hung on the cedar trees in the cluster surrounding him. Each was about the size of a human head, with two black circles drawn on it.

Itachi stood alone in the deserted wood, kunai tucked between his fingers. Four in each hand, the eight kunai were his weapons of choice.

"Haah…" He closed his eyes and slowly pushed the air out of his lungs from the bottom of his stomach. As he crouched down, he kicked at the ground as hard as he could. His body danced into the air and flipped upside down. He held his arms to his chest, and then shot them out to both sides, and eight flashes of light scattered in eight directions.

Thk! Thk! Thk! The sound echoed all around Itachi as he landed. The sharp blades had pierced the centers of the targets on the cedar trees.

"Nice work." A voice came suddenly from behind him.

Itachi swallowed his breath and looked back to see a boy with black hair standing there. He was clearly older than Itachi. As proof of that, the silver of a Konoha forehead protector shone on the boy's forehead.

Itachi didn't know his name, but he had seen this boy before. Another ninja of his Uchiha clan.

"That kind of mastery of kunai at your age. You're really something, huh?" The boy stretched out a hand. "Uchiha Shisui."

"I know. Itachi. Military Police Chief Fugaku's kid."

Itachi was confused by how friendly Shisui sounded. It probably showed on his face, since Shisui shrugged and opened his eyes wide.

"I heard you were a strange kid and you don't really talk to anyone. You really are stubborn, huh?"

"Well, I wouldn't say that." The smiling Shisui disappeared.

Itachi's eyes chased after his aura.

As he danced up into the air like Itachi had moments earlier, both of Shisui's arms flew out, and eight flashes of light shot through the air.

"Whoa!" Itachi opened his eyes wide in amazement.

"How was that?" Shisui grinned as he landed. "I'm not too shabby with the kunai either, right?"

New kunai stabbed into the surface of the targets on the cedar trees, immediately to one side of the kunai Itachi had plunged into them earlier. Naturally, these were the ones Shisui had thrown.

"I've been watching you training here every day for a while now." He slowly approached Itachi, holding out his hand once more. "Let's be friends."

Shisui's voice was warm; his demeanor naturally pulled Itachi in. Accepting the invitation, Itachi extended his right hand. Warmth wrapped itself around his palm.

As he stared at the beaming older boy, Itachi was perplexed by his own behavior as he welcomed this strangely overfamiliar ninja.

Chapter 4: The Path of a Ninja