Naruto: Born Gifted in Konoha

Creak!

The door pushed open and Saitama walked in, tall and upright.

"Yo, Saitama!"

Fugaku Uchiha was slightly surprised by Saitama's visit. Although he had already heard the news that Saitama was returning to the village, he hadn't expected him to come find him so soon after arriving.

"Captain!"

Saitama smiled as he walked over and sat on the sofa in front of the desk.

Smiling, Fugaku stood up and joined Saitama on the couch, settling down across from him.

Saitama's current status was no longer that of a mere academy graduate. His strength and reputation had earned him a high standing among the Uchiha. Many young Uchiha saw Saitama as the very model of what they should strive to become.

And Fugaku held him in high regard, believing that Saitama could carry the future of the clan.

"Just got back today?"

Fugaku slid the teapot closer to Saitama and asked casually.

"Arrived this morning. Had lunch and came straight here to see you."

Saitama picked up the cup and took a gentle sip.

"This transfer to the northwest front came from the Hokage and Elder Council. I opposed it, but it didn't matter much," Fugaku explained, watching Saitama closely.

"Yeah, I get it."

Saitama nodded. He knew perfectly well that Fugaku didn't really have much say in the matter, even though Saitama himself was an Uchiha ninja.

"Well, I'll be heading to the battlefield myself this time too!"

Fugaku's eyes darkened slightly as he glanced at the tea on the table.

"Against Mist?" Saitama already had some intel.

"Yes. The Hokage has withdrawn the Ino–Shika–Cho unit, so our major clans need to step up and fill the gap. The Hyuga clan faces a similar situation—they've reportedly even deployed an entire squad from the Branch House this time."

Fugaku lifted a teacup with one hand, brought it to his lips, and gently blew away the floating tea leaves.

"What about the village? Who will take your place while you're gone?"

With Fugaku on the frontline, all responsibilities within the village would fall onto other ninjas' shoulders—no ordinary ninja could handle such a burden.

And Mori Uchiha and Hayashi, Fugaku's right-hand men, were already stationed at the frontline and couldn't return to help with these complex duties.

"I've already thought it through. Internal clan matters will be overseen by the elders, while I'll assign lower-ranked shinobi to assist the Clan Guards for now."

Fugaku took a sip of tea and continued.

"Aren't times like this exactly when they should be tested? Besides, I'll issue commands through pigeons for important decisions. Nothing needs to be worried about for now."

"Yeah, good to hear that."

Saitama sat upright, eyes lowered as if still pondering something.

"This time, I'm taking all the Clan Guards with me to the battlefield. No one can become a true pillar of the clan like you by staying safely cocooned in the village!"

At this point, Fugaku's eyes brimmed with smiles, filled with admiration for Saitama.

Both held their teacups silently.

"Saitama!"

After a long silence between the two, Fugaku suddenly called out.

Saitama raised his head, looking at Fugaku with confused eyes.

"Beware of the Elder Council!"

"Especially Danzo!"

Fugaku gritted his teeth and finished what he wanted to say.

"Huh?"

Saitama kept staring at Fugaku. He didn't believe Fugaku would make such a claim without reason.

"A few days ago, when I went to see the Hokage about the transfer order issue, I ran into Danzo."

Fugaku seemed lost in memory, his eyes going distant.

"There was definitely something off with him!"

At this point, Saitama perked up with interest.

"I've met Danzo before, but each time my sensor ability picked up an eerie vibe—like the stench of someone half-dead, already buried underground. No matter how hard he tried to hide it, that smell wouldn't go away."

Fugaku straightened his expression and fixed a serious look on Saitama.

"But during that encounter, I noticed his entire body radiated vibrant energy. Although he'd clearly done something physical to conceal certain things, I absolutely did not misinterpret my perception!"

"And then?"

Saitama wasn't surprised. Around this time, Danzo should've already begun transplanting those arms, so such changes weren't unusual.

"Also, there was the aura of a Sharingan on him—an aura from the same bloodline we Uchiha possess!"

Fugaku wasn't weak; he wouldn't mistake anything related to the Sharingan.

Saitama's gaze turned solemn as he looked at Fugaku, whose face had gone grim.

"So keep your guard up around him!"

Fugaku's expression returned to normal as he locked eyes with Saitama. Though he had no solid evidence, he always felt Danzo might target this rising star of the Uchiha clan.

"Yeah, I get it."

Saitama nodded. Ever since Danzo had sent Root agents to tail him and look for opportunities, he knew he'd already fallen into the old bastard's sights.

"This transfer to the Northwest Front—you can bet Danzo had something to do with it."

Fugaku looked directly at Saitama.

"Learn how to protect yourself! Saitama!"

He repeated firmly at the end.

Saitama smiled, his eyes turning serious as he watched the deeply concerned Fugaku Uchiha give a solemn nod.

"This time, Itachi will join me on the frontline. I'll let him witness another side of the ninja world—one different from the peaceful image shown within Konoha Village."

Mentioning his son, Fugaku smiled and relaxed into a friendly conversation with Saitama.

"Itachi hasn't even turned four yet—isn't that too young?"

Saitama gently reminded Fugaku.

Fugaku shrugged nonchalantly.

"As my child, seeing these things earlier will only benefit him. Although Mikoto disagrees, the world is harsh. Seeing it early and accepting it means greater advantages in the future."

Saitama looked at him quietly, then said nothing. Indeed, the logic made sense.

"Well then, Captain, I'll head over first. I still need to check out the training grounds."

"Yeah, go ahead. Itachi should be there too. Lately, he's been training with the kids and actually looks quite impressive."

Pride lit up Fugaku's face—he looked so happy with his son's progress that all thoughts of Danzo vanished.

"Yeah."

Saitama nodded, stood up, walked to the door, opened it, and stepped out of Fugaku's office in the Security Force.

...

"In situations like this, you need to do it this way... then like this..."

In the training ground, Shisui was giving one-on-one combat instruction to Itachi.

"Oh!"

Itachi gave a half-understanding nod while scratching the back of his head, watching Shisui's movements.

"Shisui… Shisui?"

Seeing Shisui suddenly stop mid-movement, Itachi called his name a few times without response. When there was no reply, he turned around to see what had happened.

"Ah, Saitama-san!"

Itachi addressed Saitama with respectful familiarity as "san," yet called Shisui, who was older than Saitama, by his first name directly. This wasn't due to any special favoritism or disrespect toward Shisui; some things just couldn't be explained with words.

At that moment, Itachi looked delighted as he stared at Saitama standing at the edge of the training ground.

"You're back!"

Shisui approached and stopped about two meters from Saitama, wearing a knowing smile.

He was now half a head shorter than Saitama, but his posture was just as upright—standing straight like a spear.

"Yeah, Shisui! Yeah, Itachi!"

Saitama nodded and smiled back.

Standing between them, Itachi glanced left and right. He felt the atmosphere between the two men was strangely harmonious.

Under the afternoon sunlight, the silhouettes of the three cast shadows across the training ground.

Each of them carried a blade—either drawn in hand or resting at their waist—and wore nearly identical uniforms.

"What are you two up to?"

Breaking the long-standing peaceful silence, Saitama asked, looking at the swords in their hands.

As soon as he entered the training ground, he saw the two sparring, but other members were nowhere to be seen.

"Shisui is teaching me swordsmanship!"

Itachi jumped in to answer. Even though he was barely over three and not quite four yet, he spoke clearly and calmly, nothing like the usual energetic chatter of kids his age.

"Oh, that's great!"

Saitama smiled and nudged Shisui playfully with his left arm.

"Why are you back this time?"

Shisui didn't care about anything else—he simply wondered why Saitama had returned.

He hadn't received word from Captain Fugaku that Saitama would be coming back. All he'd heard was that they'd be heading to the battlefield soon.

"It's on the Hokage's orders. I'll be deployed to the Northwest Front soon to support Konoha against Iwagakure."

"Oh!"

Shisui felt puzzled but didn't press further. The village elders surely had their reasons, and there was no need for him to dig deeper.

Beside them, Itachi stood listening intently, his clear black-and-white eyes shifting repeatedly between Saitama and Shisui.

"Anyway, where are the others?"

Saitama scanned the area, noticing only Shisui and Itachi in the training ground.

"They just got done with lunch. Probably still resting," Shisui replied, gesturing toward the cafeteria nearby, where vague movements suggested people inside.

"I see."

Saitama nodded once, glancing briefly before turning away. Of course they'd want to relax a bit after lunch.

They were all young recruits about to head into battle—there was no point in pushing them too hard now.

"Why don't you come sit with us and tell us what's been happening lately?"

"Always hearing about your feats in the mission reports really gets the adrenaline going!"

Shisui pointed toward a nearby rest pavilion and strode in that direction.

Itachi quickly trotted behind him, his eyes wide with curiosity. What you read in reports and what you heard directly from the person were entirely different things—he definitely didn't want to miss out.

Saitama shook his head with a smile and walked over as well.

...

Hokage Office.

The space was smoky, thick white vapor filling the large room. At a desk sat an elderly man dressed in a red-and-white ceremonial robe—a village elder—deeply focused on a file he held.

One hand flipped through the documents while the other periodically brought a pipe to his lips for a long draw. Finally, smoke billowed out from both mouth and nose, further thickening the haze already present in the office.

Plop!

Hiruzen Sarutobi set his pipe aside. His gaze, hidden in the swirling smoke, seemed both blurred and piercing at once—impossible to read.

He exhaled deeply.

As he scanned the document in front of him, the Third Hokage furrowed his brow.

This was a comprehensive report compiling all data collected on Saitama Uchiha.

It wasn't that the Third had targeted Saitama personally—this was simply standard procedure. The Anbu routinely compiled information on all ninja.

Such files acted as permanent records—like registering one's identity from another life. Every mission, every major event, and every notable experience were meticulously documented.

This allowed psychological analysts and intelligence operatives to properly assess each ninja, enabling the Hokage to determine who could be trusted with important tasks.

Ever since Saitama and Shisui had requested early graduation, the Third had kept a closer eye on these two young Uchiha boys.

Watching Saitama grow stronger and become something of a legend had been nothing short of astonishing.

Within a single year, Saitama had grown into an almost terrifying force.

The other boy hadn't shown anything as wild, but he still stood out—crushing mission after mission with an outstanding success rate.

In the old man's eyes, those two were reminiscent of Kakashi Hatake in his youth—extremely talented, and fearless in battle.

His gaze shifted slightly, landing on another file resting nearby. Its cover read: "Transfer Order for Northwest Front Command."

This was a proposal originally submitted by Danzo, seconded by the two other Hokage advisors, and officially approved and stamped by Hiruzen himself.

On paper, there was nothing wrong with the file—but still, the Third couldn't understand Danzo's true purpose in including Saitama.

No matter how much he pondered it, no answers surfaced. He reached again for his pipe, raising it to his lips.

Though Konoha had recently defeated Sunagakure in battle, negotiations surrounding the ceasefire were still ongoing.

Meanwhile, Iwagakure, Kumogakure, and Kirigakure had begun sharpening their claws against Konoha. Though Kumo had yet to stir up any real trouble, the others had already engaged in open conflict with the Leaf.

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