The world begins with refining skills

Chapter 412 Requesting to Fight! (Please Subscribe)
Konoha Village, Nanhe Market.

Early in the morning, just as the sun was rising, the market was already crowded with villagers who came to buy fresh vegetables, fish and meat.

Mikoto Uchiha wandered among the crowd, selecting ingredients that her two sons liked from stalls and shops.

"Come and take a look! Look at this! The latest shark meat cultivated in the Land of Water!"

"High-tech cultivation techniques, shark meat containing chakra energy, enhance physical fitness and supplement brain nutrition, giving your child a head start on the path to becoming a ninja!"

"Limited quantities available, come and take a look!"

A burst of enthusiastic hawking instantly caught Uchiha Mikoto's attention.

Fish meat containing chakra energy?

Is it a newly developed technology in the village that can also improve physical fitness?

Thinking of Sasuke, who was still in school, Mikoto Uchiha walked over without much hesitation.

"Boss, how much is this shark meat? Does it really improve physical fitness?"

Mikoto Uchiha looked curiously at the shark meat in front of her. The slightly crystalline pieces of meat did look quite different.

Upon seeing someone come to inquire, the fish shop owner immediately smiled and warmly welcomed them.

"Oh dear, madam, would we dare sell you counterfeit goods right under the Hokage's feet?"

"Don't worry! Once your child eats our shark meat, I guarantee they'll be at the top of the ninja academy!"

Upon hearing this, Mikoto Uchiha no longer doubted it. Just like the fish shop owner said, if he dared to sell counterfeit goods on Konoha Village's land...

Moreover, since he sold it to the Uchiha clan, who control the Konoha Police Department, his fish shop probably won't be open for more than a few days.

"Then give me ten pounds!"

All three members of the family are ninjas, especially the two sons who are still growing up, and the whole family has a big appetite.

Ten catties of shark meat is enough for one day.

"Okay! I'll pack it up for you right away!"

Upon hearing that Uchiha Mikoto wanted ten pounds, the fish shop owner's face immediately lit up with joy.

The effects of shark meat are touted as being so good, so naturally the price isn't cheap.

Having sold so much at once, the fish shop owner immediately and efficiently packed 10 catties of shark meat and handed it to Uchiha Mikoto.

"Your shark meat! A sincere offer of 50,000 taels."

Fifty thousand taels?
Mikoto Uchiha had expected it to be expensive, but she hadn't expected it to be this expensive.

This is equivalent to the reward for a C-level mission; it's enough for their family to eat barbecue two or three times.

However, considering the effects of the shark meat and the fact that her family wasn't short of money, Mikoto Uchiha paid the money without hesitation.

After Fugaku Uchiha died in the clan coup, as the widow of the overthrown clan leader, most of her family's money and resources were taken away.

The remaining amount was enough for the daily expenses of a family of three, and could even be considered a well-off family, but it was definitely not enough to casually spend 50,000 taels of silver.

But who could blame her when Uchiha Mikoto had such a good lover, Maki, who was the Kage of a village and controlled the entire Land of Fire?

Even a small glimpse of her skin would not only feed Mikoto Uchiha, but also allow her two sons to live a life no worse than before.

Thank you for your patronage. Welcome to visit us again!

With a bow from the fishmonger, Uchiha Mikoto carried ten pounds of shark meat and the ingredients she had bought earlier, leaving the Nanhe Market and heading home.

Upon returning home, Uchiha Mikoto first lit three incense sticks at the memorial tablet for her deceased husband in the living room, and then began to prepare the ingredients for lunch.

Even though it's still early, once Uchiha Mikoto finishes all the preparations, there will only be a little over an hour left before the Ninja Academy lets out.

"Wow~ This shark meat is really good for your health, it makes me feel all warm and cozy!"

After tasting a piece of shark meat that had already been processed, Mikoto Uchiha let out a satisfied exclamation.

"Sasuke and Itachi will definitely love it."

With a cheerful mood, Uchiha Mikoto hummed a song as she slowly and methodically began to cook.

When Sasuke and Itachi Uchiha, who worked at the police department, returned home after school, lunch was ready.

At the dinner table, listening to her youngest son Sasuke constantly praising how delicious the food was, Uchiha Mikoto felt completely satisfied with her life.

It's just a weasel.
Mikoto Uchiha glanced at Itachi Uchiha, whose face remained largely expressionless, and couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

Ever since she went to the Hokage Building and begged Maki to remove Itachi Uchiha's bloodline disease, the latter has felt like he has a stone weighing on his heart.

Aside from when she was with Sasuke, Mikoto Uchiha rarely saw Itachi Uchiha smile.

'It's all my fault'

'If it weren't for that accident, when Itachi saw me and the Hokage, Itachi wouldn't have ended up like this!'

Mikoto Uchiha knew that Itachi Uchiha wasn't blaming her, but rather blaming her mother for giving herself to someone else because of her bloodline disease.

How should I put it? At first, Mikoto Uchiha might have been trying to cure Itachi Uchiha's bloodline disease, but later she seemed to enjoy it more.

Mikoto Uchiha wanted to say something, but ultimately gave up.

After all, his eldest son had not yet received the baptism of the sacred fruit because of this matter, and had not even obtained the qualification to log in to the 'Ninja City'.

'We should find some time to ask the Hokage for help. Itachi's constant detachment from the masses isn't a sustainable solution.'

A Konoha ninja who can't log into the 'Ninja City' is a bit too out of place.

Just as Uchiha Mikoto was pondering whether she should bring mourning clothes, a school uniform, or some other kind of clothing to beg Maki Katsu.

Sasuke, his belly bulging from eating, suddenly had a bright idea. He grinned and ran to Mikoto Uchiha's side, grabbing her arm and pleading:
"Mom, could you go and talk to Uncle Kanbara and ask him to let me join the Sprout Team too?"

"The Sprout Team?" Mikoto Uchiha looked at Sasuke with some confusion. "What is that? Is it some kind of club that your school established?"

Seeing that Mikoto Uchiha didn't understand, Sasuke immediately began to explain excitedly.

"The Sprout Team is no ordinary club; it's a special forces team composed of the most talented and strongest students in the Ninja Academy!"

"A team of geniuses who will fight hand-to-hand against enemies much larger than themselves in the upcoming war!"

"Zhen Hong said that in the future, all members of this team will become big shots in the village!"

"Mom, could you please talk to Uncle Kanbara for me and ask him to let me join the Sprout Team too?"

Sasuke clung to Mikoto Uchiha's arm and shook it incessantly: "Uncle Kanbara listens to you the most, Mom. As long as you say it, Mom, it will definitely be possible!"

Uchiha Mikoto froze upon hearing this.

What does it mean to be the most obedient to her?
She is the widow of the former Uchiha clan leader. Why would the Hokage listen to her?

If outsiders heard this, they would definitely gossip!
However, Mikoto Uchiha didn't have much confidence to refute this, since she did indeed have an ambiguous relationship with the Hokage.

Mikoto Uchiha didn't want to get involved in this matter any further, especially when she saw Itachi Uchiha's even more expressionless face.

"War? What war? Is there going to be another war? Where did you hear that?" Uchiha Mikoto successfully changed the subject with a series of questions.

"It was Shinku who said that. He said we're about to fight Kumogakure, Iwagakure, and Sunagakure!"

"This war will determine the fate of the entire ninja world. If we miss this war, we will never have such an easy opportunity to gain merit in the future."

"Mom, please say yes!"

"Are we going to fight the other three ninja villages?" Uchiha Mikoto asked in astonishment.

She really didn't know about this, even though she had just paid respects to her deceased husband, Fugaku, with Maki just a few days ago.

Mikoto Uchiha blushed slightly, then straightened her face and said, "No way! How old are you? War is too dangerous. What Sprout Team? You're not allowed to participate!"

"Ah! I'm already ten years old, and Uncle Kanbara is almost Hokage at that age!" Uchiha Sasuke pouted, looking a little unhappy.

"How can that be the same?" Mikoto Uchiha glared at Sasuke. "Anyway, when I say no, that's final!"

"Hmph, fine, if you're not going to help, you can join the Sprout Team on your own merits!"

Sasuke said defiantly, though his words carried a lot of weight.

He hasn't yet developed his eyesight and can only be considered an excellent student at school. He's still a long way from being one of the top students at the very top of the pyramid!
If he were truly so confident, he wouldn't have begged his mother to pull strings.

Mikoto Uchiha glanced at Sasuke and said calmly, "I'll talk to your Uncle Kanbara and make sure you don't get selected, even if you are chosen!"

"what!?"

Sasuke was completely dumbfounded.

Seeing that Mikoto Uchiha didn't seem to be trying to scare him, she quickly began to plead in a low voice.

"Onii-chan! Please say something for me!"

Sasuke, having pleaded in vain, turned his gaze to Itachi Uchiha, who was sitting upright to the side.

"War! War! War!"

"Sasuke, do you know what war means?"

Itachi Uchiha was very dissatisfied with Sasuke's attitude of treating war as a game.

Do you know how many innocent people lose their lives in a war?

"Corpses scattered all over the mountains, those hateful eyes, the agonizing cries of the wounded waiting to die—do you know how terrifying that scene is?"

"Are you prepared to take the life of a complete stranger, Sasuke?"

Itachi Uchiha stared intently at Sasuke, wanting to make him understand the cruelty and injustice of war.

Sasuke was stunned for a moment when he saw his brother, who usually doted on him, acting somewhat hysterically.

She didn't quite understand what was wrong with her brother.

The room fell silent instantly.

Seeing Sasuke's stunned and silent expression, Itachi Uchiha assumed that his lecture had worked.

However, Sasuke's answer soon told him that he had been overthinking things!
"I've seen it before!"

"what?"

"I said I've seen those scenes you described, Onii-chan!" Sasuke said earnestly.

"Onii-chan, you may not know this since you've never been to 'Ninja City,' but third-year students can participate in related simulation training."

"Teacher Jiang Ren led us through many simulated training exercises, including a naval battle with Kirigakure, a desert raid with Sunagakure, and a frontal offensive with Kumogakure."

"What you're talking about, Onii-chan, we've experienced in our simulation training, and the school has also taught us how to handle various emergency situations."

"War isn't as terrible as you think, Onii-chan!"

Sasuke stated confidently that this was also his true thought.

His thoughts were not born of youthful ignorance or a lack of understanding of what death meant.

It is precisely because we know and have seen so much that we are not afraid of death.

After all, many souls of those who died in battle lived on Soul Island, not far from their Sprout Academy.

Even his arch-nemesis Naruto Uzumaki's father was the head of teaching at their Sprout Academy.

It's unrealistic to expect him to be terrified of death under these circumstances.

"What!?"

Itachi Uchiha was completely dumbfounded, never expecting to hear such an answer from Sasuke.

"Simulation? Can simulation be the same as reality? Sasuke, don't think that way."

Although Itachi Uchiha had never entered the 'Ninja City', he naturally assumed that the simulation training was some kind of genjutsu.

Seeing that Sasuke did not realize the seriousness of the problem, he continued to lecture him.

“Same!” Sasuke interrupted Itachi.

"Onii-chan, you've never been inside the 'Ninja City,' so you don't know, it's exactly the same as the real world!"

Seeing Sasuke's clueless expression, Itachi Uchiha finally lost his temper.

Although he has refused to accept the baptism of the sacred fruit over the years, his strength is greater than that of the Jonin who have obtained the Tailed Beast Fruits, thanks to his own talent and hard work.

Therefore, he harbored a kind of arrogance, thinking that the 'City of Ninjas' was nothing special.

Despite his boastful claims, those people are still no match for him.

However, these principles were challenged when he realized that a huge chasm had unknowingly formed between him and Sasuke because of the 'Ninja City'.

Uchiha Itachi, a seasoned brother-complex character, immediately turned red.

Overwhelmed by emotion, Itachi Uchiha's Sharingan automatically activated, and the three jet-black tomoe began to spin rapidly, almost merging together.

His mother had slept with that man for his sake, and the image still occasionally flashes through his mind.

Sasuke also regarded that person as a father, and even developed a rift with him because of the bullshit 'Ninja City'.

The negative emotions that had been suppressed for years erupted at this moment, transforming into a pair of cursed Mangekyou Sharingan!
"kaleidoscope!!!"

Upon seeing the kaleidoscope pattern in Itachi's eyes, Sasuke immediately shouted excitedly.

"Onii-chan, you've awakened your kaleidoscope!"

These are eyes that only the most talented and elite Uchiha can awaken!
Isn't awakening the Kaleidoscope just a matter of needing a particularly strong stimulus?
What triggered you just now, Onii-chan?
Sasuke blinked blankly for a moment, then put it out of his mind and pulled his mother to celebrate with his brother.

"Weasel"

Mikoto Uchiha knew all too well what had triggered Itachi Uchiha's trauma, so she was very worried that he might do something bad.

(End of this chapter)