[46] Arrangements, A Chance Encounter with Itachi

It didn't take long for Sora to return safely to Konoha.

On the way home, he happened to run into Kushina's best friend, Uchiha Mikoto. The moment she saw the baby in his arms, she instantly knew Kushina was due soon.

The child Mikoto held was Uchiha Sasuke, born just under a month before Uzumaki Naruto.

Seeing that Sasuke was already born, Naruto's birth couldn't be far off.

And as a side note, when Sora met Mikoto, he also caught sight of Uchiha Itachi.

Although only two years younger than Sora, Itachi's eyes lit up the moment he saw him, full of admiration and awe.

Sora just smiled warmly. He didn't take it to heart.

After all, he was nearly eight years old now, and within Konoha, there wasn't a single child under ten who didn't idolize him. One more Uchiha Itachi was hardly surprising.

Most of Konoha's Kage-level powerhouses were close to him, and the Hokage was his brother. Every one of his accomplishments had been widely spread throughout the village.

That was why he now enjoyed greater fame than even the Hokage himself.

After a brief chat with Mikoto, Sora eagerly returned home.

The household celebrated his return, and then began to discuss the matter of Kushina's delivery.

"Kushina will give birth on the outskirts of the village. We've already prepared a powerful sealing formation there. Lady Biwako, the Third's wife, will personally handle the delivery, and I'll be on standby nearby."

Minato held nothing back when speaking to Sora, laying out his entire plan.

When a Jinchūriki gives birth, the seal weakens—making it a critical moment where the Tailed Beast may attempt to break free.

It was already a dangerous situation. If anyone tried to sabotage things, the consequences would be...

"In that case, I'll bring Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade. The four of us will guard the perimeter. If anything happens, with you there too, the five of us—five Kage-level shinobi—can suppress the Nine-Tails."

Although Sora had already prevented Obito from descending into darkness, the things he'd seen recently still left him uneasy.

He'd caused plenty of butterfly effects, but certain events were still unfolding just as before. That included Obito—his future remained uncertain.

"But…" Sora glanced at Hiruzen Sarutobi, who sat nearby, then hesitated.

Minato, Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade instantly understood his concern.

Sarutobi Hiruzen's ambitions for power had been crushed by them. Now there was uncertainty about whether Lady Biwako might take advantage of this opportunity.

In the original timeline, this had never happened—but in that world, Sora hadn't existed to pressure Sarutobi into stepping down.

Now, with Sarutobi stripped of real authority, who knew if he might do something desperate?

Just as Sora was thinking about this, he noticed the others were smiling, which confused him.

It was Minato who explained: "The Third is now serving as my advisor, and we govern the village together. He's been very dependable."

Hearing this, Sora's eyes widened. He had gone out of his way to help Minato deal with Sarutobi's power grab—only for the old man to be given a major role again?

But the smiles on everyone else's faces suggested there was more to the story.

Sarutobi seemed to notice Sora's doubt and spoke up himself: "I'll admit, I once tried to limit Minato's authority. But time has proven he's the better Hokage. I've accepted that."

"Watching Konoha grow stronger each day has slowly dissolved my own attachments. As long as the village thrives, I have no regrets. Besides, the power I have now is even greater than when I was Hokage."

Looking into Sarutobi's sincere eyes, Sora hesitated.

Then he remembered that, in the original story, Sarutobi died protecting Konoha. He suddenly understood.

Sarutobi had made many mistakes in his pursuit of power, but his contributions to the village were undeniable.

One could say his entire life had been devoted to Konoha's prosperity—he had just chosen the wrong methods at times.

Now, seeing the village flourish and realizing he was no longer the right person to lead it, he had chosen to support Minato instead.

Sora even suspected that, if anyone tried to remove Minato now, Sarutobi would be the first to fight them.

With that realization, Sora's expression softened noticeably when looking at the old man.

Because Sarutobi had died for Konoha, Sora believed in the sincerity of his current intentions.

"In that case…" Sora glanced at everyone's faces, then continued, "let's have the Third oversee the village. Big Brother, you stay with Kushina. The rest of us will guard the four directions—how's that?"

Though he didn't say anything more, the respectful "Third Lord" in Sora's address put everyone at ease.

After all, Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru were all Sarutobi's disciples. Their bond with him was still strong.

Minato was technically Sarutobi's grand-disciple, so they were all like one big family. Sarutobi had always treated Minato well—aside from the matter of power control.

They had been worried Sora would keep clashing with Sarutobi. That wouldn't end well for anyone.

But there were more urgent matters to address—like Kushina's condition.

Tsunade, the most skilled medical ninja in the world, had already examined her and confirmed that she would give birth within the next two days. Preparations had to be finalized immediately.

Everyone pondered Sora's suggestion, then turned to Minato.

After all, this was his wife and child. It was ultimately his decision.

"Alright, let's do it."

Minato had originally planned to accompany Kushina alone. He didn't want to make a big deal of it.

But since Sora was so insistent, he wasn't going to oppose him.

His younger brother had always been decisive and full of secrets. If he felt this much caution was necessary, there had to be a good reason.

Everyone in the room knew Sora had secrets. But no one pressed him about them.

After all, he had done nothing but help Konoha and support them all along. So what if he had a few secrets? Who cared?

With the plans finalized, everyone returned to their homes.

Sora took some time to catch up with Kakashi and Might Guy before strolling slowly back to his own place.

But unexpectedly, on the way home, he ran into five-year-old Uchiha Itachi—and the boy was following him.

Noticing this, Sora changed course and headed toward the river where Naruto used to catch fish as a child.

"Come on out. You've been following me this whole way. What do you want?"

Once they were far from any onlookers, Sora turned with a half-smile and looked at a nearby tree.

"Lord Sora, I... I just…"

Itachi's face turned red, and he couldn't finish his sentence. His voice stammered, making him look utterly adorable.

This little brat made Sora chuckle inwardly. "Itachi was really such a cute kid…"

He gently reassured the boy, "No need to be nervous. Take your time—I'm not mad."

Hearing that, Itachi finally relaxed a little.

Even future "Itachi of the Sharingan" had gotten flustered when meeting his idol at four years old.

"Lord Sora, thank you. If it weren't for you, the Uchiha…"

Though Itachi didn't finish the sentence, Sora understood.

Because of his presence, Konoha's rapid development had eased tensions with the Uchiha—delaying what would have been a likely massacre.

But Sora knew that this was only a temporary peace.

It wouldn't be long before the conflict erupted again.

There was too much complexity behind it to explain in a few words. Glancing up at the sky, Sora shook his head and said, "This isn't something that can be resolved so easily. I have some important things to do right now. How about we talk again in a few days?"

Itachi looked a bit confused, but obediently nodded. "Alright. I won't bother you anymore, Lord Sora."

Watching the little boy walk away, Sora couldn't help being impressed. He hadn't expected Itachi to be aware of such things at just five years old.

No wonder the Third said Itachi could think like a Kage even as a child.

Then again, he was the Uchiha clan's golden child—Sora supposed it made sense.