The fact that Uchiha Itachi became a ninja caused an uproar at the academy, but it wasn't considered that unusual across the entire Hidden Leaf Village… After all, many had graduated at this age in Konoha's history.
Everyone knew that this strange little boy wouldn't graduate by normal means. Graduating on the first day of school was a bit surprising—but still within acceptable expectations.
--At the gates of Konoha--
Jiraiya was serious—he planned to leave the village the very next day. He decided to take Uchiha Itachi on his first ninja mission: to hunt down the S-rank rogue ninja, Orochimaru.
In Jiraiya's judgment, Uchiha Itachi's chakra reserves and physical abilities were already qualified, and his illusion skills were even more advanced. At the very least, he'd be capable enough to help gather intel.
Taking a newly graduated genin out of the village for an S-rank mission… Is that really something a responsible teacher should do? But then again—strong people are willful...
Well, part of the reason was the Third Hokage's request. The other part was the intelligence report on Orochimaru. It definitely wasn't just because Tsunade happened to be leaving the village today, and he wanted to tag along...
The two gatekeepers watched the send-off group in silence... Uchiha Mikoto held her youngest son, while Uchiha Fugaku looked at Jiraiya—who was chatting awkwardly with Tsunade—with visible concern.
"Senior Jiraiya, the Uchiha clan has always had strict discipline… Please be cautious!"
"Hahaha… Fugaku, don't worry about how I teach my students. Just look at Minato!" Jiraiya laughed loudly as he ruffled Itachi's hair.
…Soft hair… The texture's surprisingly good?
As chaotic as he was, his ability to raise a student was beyond question. After all, Jiraiya's only known disciple—Minato Namikaze—was the Fourth Hokage. Itachi would become the second student Jiraiya had officially taken.
"You talk too much!"
Tsunade slapped Jiraiya in the back of the head, then pushed Uchiha Itachi out of the way... Shizune could only apologize awkwardly to the Fugaku couple.
"Sorry, Tsunade-sama is…"
"Her temper hasn't changed at all," Mikoto covered her mouth and laughed gently, then bowed slightly to Shizune. "Please take care of him on the road…"
Somehow, this odd little team felt strangely harmonious.
Tsunade and Jiraiya walked ahead chatting noisily, while Shizune took care of little Uchiha Itachi at the rear. Each person had their own pet in tow—warm and lively—except for the crow, who kept glancing at the pig and occasionally drooling…
The pig was clearly well-fed… Roasted suckling pig or grilled pork chops—both sounded delicious.
Too bad Jiraiya didn't plan to continue traveling with the two women.
That man really had a problem in the head. He was the one who wanted to tag along with Tsunade, yet he separated from them halfway… If he could catch up with Tsunade, he'd already be damned!
Tsunade didn't care, either. She glanced at Jiraiya's serious face and snorted, "Tch, don't go dying out there. I won't save you..."
"Hahahaha..." Jiraiya could only scratch the back of his head with a sheepish laugh.
--Riverside camp--
Jiraiya enjoyed the perks of having a disciple—firewood, fruit, grilled fish—he didn't need to lift a finger.
"Well done! Itachi, here—this arcane scroll…"
"Yes, Jiraiya-sensei." Uchiha Itachi nodded and took the scroll, frowning slightly. "Is this… the limb re-seal?"
"Exactly. It binds the opponent's limbs and restricts their chakra flow… It's not only an effective technique in battle, but also excellent training for ninja."
"I'm going to seal your limbs temporarily to improve your physical endurance and chakra control..." Jiraiya eyed the boy's thin arms and legs and continued:
"Also, this sealing technique complements taijutsu. Blocking enemy ninjutsu with a limb re-seal is a very effective self-defense technique."
Uchiha Itachi's fighting style leaned toward using ninjutsu at every opportunity... Everyone else was throwing punches and kicks, and he was suddenly throwing fireballs—who could deal with that?
The crow observing from nearby was thrilled… This kind of technique made things way easier. Enemy ninja techniques were annoying, but with a high-speed approach to seal their limbs, followed by Flying Thunder God to widen the distance, then a tailed beast bomb to finish the job—easy win.
--After lunch--
Once Jiraiya activated the limb seal, he saw the boy's face twist in discomfort—then grinned mischievously.
The old man grabbed Uchiha Itachi by the collar and tossed him into the river: "Step one, train your chakra control!"
Even with his chakra flow restricted, Itachi activated chakra at his feet and landed steadily on the water's surface. He glanced back in confusion: "Sensei?"
"You already trained chakra control?" Jiraiya scratched his chin. "What the heck does the old man even want me to teach you... I don't even have shackles!"
"Shisui and I often sparred on the Naka River," Itachi explained.
If you can do real combat on the water, what's the point of this kiddie exercise?
Jiraiya: "…"
"Sensei, I want to learn more about ninjutsu!" Itachi said seriously. What he needed now was foundational knowledge—how to counter various techniques.
Jiraiya, proud of his vast knowledge, was stunned for a moment. "…Alright, alright. I get it."
"Sure, water can suppress fire, but in the ninja world, nothing is absolute. Some fire jutsu can't be extinguished by water—in fact, they get stronger."
Jiraiya grinned, bragging about his own technique: "Using chakra to create oil… Like this—"
"Fire Style: Great Flame Bullet!"
Oil ignited instantly on the river. Uchiha Itachi was stunned—then began forming hand signs: "Water Style: Bubble Wave!"
Countless snowy-white bubbles floated out, gently landing on the surface and snuffing out the flames. Itachi explained, "It's a water jutsu with limited combat value, but…"
He didn't finish the sentence—Jiraiya's dumbfounded expression stopped him. The Uchiha clan had recovered this jutsu from Kirigakure during the war. It wasn't practical, but they kept it anyway.
Before attending school, Itachi had studied nonstop, cramming in as many techniques as possible. Beyond his clan's fire and illusion arts, everything else had been pieced together from battlefield scrolls.
His natural affinities were fire, wind, and water. And since the Uchiha clan had been sent to die on the coastline battlefront, they'd picked up a lot of water techniques.
"…Kid, be real with me—what did that old man send you to me for? There's no way this is normal," Jiraiya growled, grabbing him by the collar.
"…Sensei, I don't understand what you're talking about…"
Day one of teaching, and Jiraiya already felt like this was going to be the toughest disciple of his life.
Combat training? No problem. But all the camping tips, field operations knowledge, and situational awareness—that was where Uchiha Itachi really shined.
"I didn't expect you to care about this kind of thing…" Jiraiya muttered. These days, not many ninja paid attention to the details. This kid had a determination and perseverance most lacked.
Uchiha Itachi nodded earnestly. "Very useful knowledge."
"Have your crow take first watch tonight."
"I'll do it myself."