The late afternoon sun bathed the Uchiha training ground in amber light. Dust clung to their clothes. The dull thunk of wooden shuriken had faded, replaced by slow, steady breathing.
Hirito exhaled, wiping sweat from his brow as he glanced over at his brothers. Sasuke was sprawled out, arms wide, completely spent. Itachi, as always, remained composed—but his breath came slightly heavier than usual.
"Brother," Hirito said, brushing grass off his knees, "can you teach me ninjutsu?"
Itachi chuckled, lifting a hand and flicking Hirito's forehead with two fingers. "Not for now."
"Ouch!" Hirito winced, rubbing his head with a dramatic pout. "You always do that!"
"You'll get used to it," Itachi said with a small smile. "You both need a break. Let's get a snack."
"Dango!" Hirito replied instantly, his mood shifting.
Sasuke sat up with a blink. "I heard people talk about a ramen place in the village. Ichiraku something?"
Itachi thought for a moment. "We'll go to both."
Cheers erupted from the twins as the three of them walked together down the gravel path, toward the village center.
But Konoha was not as welcoming as it once was.
As soon as they stepped beyond the edge of the Uchiha compound, the whispers began.
"Are those… those nasty Uchiha brats?"
"I heard the older one's already a chuunin."
"Shh, not so loud. They're shinobi, they might hear us."
Itachi's footsteps didn't slow, but Hirito noticed the tension in his shoulders.
The village's suspicion was thick in the air. The emblem on their backs marked them—Uchiha. Symbols of fear. Reminders of a tragedy too fresh in the villagers' minds.
Itachi, once kept within the compound during the Nine-Tails attack, had made sure to count every member afterward. Every record, every report—none of the Uchiha had left the compound that night. Still, whispers had become chains.
No matter what the truth was, the village didn't want to hear it.
"They don't know anything," Hirito said softly, not looking up.
Itachi glanced sideways at him.
Hirito was three. He wasn't supposed to understand. But somehow… he always did.
The ramen stand came into view, its red banner fluttering in the breeze. Sasuke's eyes lit up. "Is that it?"
"It is," Hirito said, recognizing the bold イチラクローメン letters: Ichiraku Ramen.
They slid into their seats. Teuchi, the shop owner, greeted them with a small, polite nod—guarded, but not unkind.
Two bowls of tonkotsu ramen were placed before the twins. Itachi declined. "I'm not in the mood."
As the boys slurped noodles eagerly, Itachi leaned on the counter, watching them.
Then, quietly, he asked, "Hirito… what do you want to be in the future?"
He didn't ask Sasuke. Not because he didn't care—but because Sasuke was still emotionally young. Hirito, though, had eyes that looked past people. He carried something inside him that even adults couldn't define.
Hirito paused mid-bite. He swallowed and wiped his mouth, looking up with surprising seriousness.
"I want to become strong," he said, "and protect everyone. Like the Third Hokage."
Itachi froze.
Even Teuchi glanced over in surprise.
"You… want to be Hokage?" Itachi asked slowly.
Hirito nodded. "The Hokage protects the whole village. Even the ones who don't like you. If I'm strong enough, I can protect our clan and everyone else too."
Itachi was stunned. The maturity in those words wasn't childish dreaming—it was clarity. Conviction.
He reached out and placed a hand on Hirito's shoulder.
"Then work hard," he said quietly. "If anyone can become Hokage, it's you."
Hirito smiled, cheeks puffed from his next bite.
Across the rooftops, an ANBU crouched in the shadows, still and silent.
But this time, it wasn't just the masked agents watching.
Inside the Hokage Tower, the crystal ball shimmered with chakra.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, the retired Third Hokage and acting leader once more after Minato's death, stared at the image of the three Uchiha brothers sitting at Ichiraku Ramen.
He had watched Hirito's answer.
The words echoed in his mind:
"Like the Third Hokage."
"Protect everyone."
Hiruzen slowly leaned back in his chair, a weight in his chest that wasn't quite sorrow… nor relief.
"This," he murmured, "is our Will of Fire…"
He turned, eyes suddenly sharper, clearer. He waved a hand, summoning an ANBU from the shadows.
"Withdraw the agents monitoring Hirito and Sasuke," Hiruzen ordered. "Let the children grow."
The ANBU nodded.
"And…" Hiruzen paused. "Approve Itachi Uchiha for ANBU induction."
The ANBU's eyes widened slightly behind the mask. "Understood."
As the shadows vanished, Hiruzen turned once more to the glowing orb.
A faint smile crept onto his lips.
"Even our most hated Uchiha children… have such lofty dreams."
He exhaled.
"So long as that flame still burns… this village still has hope."
End of Chapter 4