Return of the Uchiha Prodigy

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"It's Shisui," the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato, looked up from the documents in his hand, meeting Shisui's gaze.

Minato's signature blonde hair and kind, approachable demeanor were unmistakable. His blue eyes, gentle and clear, exuded a calm strength that put others at ease.

"Lord Hokage," Shisui greeted, walking towards the desk. Minato stood up from his seat, a habit he had maintained since childhood, even after becoming Hokage. It was part of his humble nature.

"I've compiled the full details of the mission," Shisui said, handing over a scroll.

Minato accepted the scroll with a nod. "You handled this mission well."

As part of protocol, every mission completed by the ANBU had to be meticulously reported to the Hokage—not just the results, but also the entire operation's process.

"Is there something else on your mind?" Minato asked, noticing the subtle hesitation in Shisui's posture.

"Yes, Lord Hokage," Shisui responded, his expression serious. "There's one more matter I need to report."

"Go ahead."

"You're familiar with Uchiha Itachi, the eldest son of Clan Leader Fugaku?"

Minato smiled. "Yes, Fugaku came to see me yesterday about Itachi. It seems the boy doesn't want to enroll in the Ninja Academy."

Shisui's eyes widened slightly in surprise.

Minato continued, "Fugaku mentioned that Itachi had expressed his desire to forego Academy training. It's not unprecedented—many clans still train their members internally."

Minato was well aware of the Uchiha Clan's prowess, especially with individuals like Shisui, who was already part of the ANBU at a young age. He understood Fugaku's reasoning for allowing Itachi to make such a decision.

"Itachi has shown exceptional talent, even beyond his years," Minato added. "But why did you bring this up, Shisui? Is there something I should know?"

Shisui nodded. "I met with Itachi the night before last. He said he needs to see you, but he insisted on avoiding both the village elders and his father."

Minato's smile faded, replaced by a look of concern. "Why would he want to meet me in secret?"

Shisui took a breath, lowering his voice. "Itachi told me this matter affects the safety of the village... and your life."

Minato's eyes narrowed, his calm demeanor breaking as a sense of urgency washed over him. "What?" he whispered, unable to mask his shock.

Shisui continued, "Itachi didn't give me the full details. He said he could only explain everything directly to you."

Minato's mind raced. Itachi, only five years old, was already showing such complex reasoning, going so far as to avoid not just his father but the higher-ups in the village. This wasn't normal for a child—especially one so young.

"What could possibly be so urgent?" Minato asked, more to himself than to Shisui.

Shisui remained silent, knowing that Minato had already grasped the gravity of the situation.

Minato composed himself, his voice calm but firm. "Itachi likely gave you something else to deliver to me."

Shisui nodded and produced a folded letter from his pouch. "This is from Itachi."

Minato took the letter, his hands steady despite the unease bubbling inside him. He unfolded it, his eyes scanning the short message written within.

The few lines were enough to make Minato's face pale, a wave of disbelief crossing his features as he read the words.

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"How can this be...?"

Minato's eyes widened in shock as he read the contents of the letter. His calm demeanor shattered instantly.

Shisui, who had not read the letter, watched Minato closely. Seeing the Fourth Hokage's usually composed expression now filled with fear, Shisui's own heart skipped a beat. What could possibly make the calm and collected Minato react like this?

"Lord Hokage... what did Itachi write?" Shisui asked cautiously, unable to contain his curiosity.

Minato's blue eyes, usually soft and warm, were now clouded with concern. He glanced up at Shisui, his voice lower than before. "Shisui, have you read this letter?"

Shisui quickly shook his head. "No, Lord Hokage. Itachi specifically instructed me not to read it. He said it was for your eyes only."

Minato's gaze softened momentarily. "I see... forgive me for losing my composure."

The gravity of the letter's content weighed heavily on Minato. He looked at the parchment in his hand, re-reading the lines that disturbed him so deeply. "Even Fugaku doesn't know about this... How could Itachi obtain such information?"

Shisui remained silent, respecting the Hokage's thoughts while noticing how Minato's hand clenched around the letter until it crumbled into pieces. Minato took a deep breath, refocusing himself. "I need to meet Itachi as soon as possible."

Shisui nodded. "Itachi is supposed to meet me tonight, Lord Hokage. I can take you to him."

"Good," Minato replied, opening a drawer and pulling out a special kunai, its trident shape unmistakable. "Take this." He handed the Flying Thunder God Kunai to Shisui.

Shisui accepted the kunai, feeling its unusual weight. He could sense the powerful seals etched into its handle.

"When you see Itachi, channel your chakra into the kunai. I'll teleport to your location immediately," Minato explained, his voice steady but firm. "Ensure the area is secure before you do."

"Understood, Lord Hokage." Shisui bowed.

Minato gave a brief smile. "Thank you, Shisui."

With that, Shisui turned and left, heading back to the Uchiha district.

Once alone, Minato's gaze drifted outside the window, staring at the village he had sworn to protect. "If the information in that letter is true... what could it mean for Konoha?"

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Later that evening...

After helping his mother with the dishes, Itachi grabbed his cloak. "I'm going out for a bit," he said calmly to his family.

"Again, Itachi?" Mikoto frowned, noticing her son's frequent late-night absences. "You've been practicing a lot recently."

Itachi nodded softly. "I won't be long."

Sasuke waved at his older brother, used to his routine by now. Itachi smiled at him before disappearing into the night. His movements were swift and silent, as he jumped from rooftop to rooftop, heading toward the forested area where Shisui lived.

Within minutes, he arrived outside Shisui's house, where his elder friend was waiting, leaning against a tree.

"Itachi," Shisui greeted, pushing himself off the tree. "Everything's been arranged. Hokage-sama agreed to meet you."

Itachi nodded, unsurprised by the outcome. His gaze then fell upon the kunai in Shisui's hand. "That's the Flying Thunder God Kunai, isn't it?"

Shisui grinned. "Sharp as ever."

Focusing his chakra into the kunai, Shisui let out a deep breath as blue energy encased the weapon. In mere moments, the air around them shifted.

*Swish!*

In a flash, Minato appeared, standing beside Shisui. His white Hokage cloak fluttered gently in the breeze, and the fire and cloud patterns on it gleamed under the moonlight.

"Lord Hokage," Shisui bowed respectfully.

Minato nodded and turned to face Itachi, his blue eyes meeting Itachi's with a serious expression. "You've grown, Itachi," Minato said, his voice no longer gentle but weighted with the importance of their meeting.

"Lord Hokage, thank you for coming," Itachi said, his tone equally solemn. "I apologize for the secrecy, but it was necessary."

Minato's expression hardened. "I understand. The contents of your letter were... alarming. I need to hear everything from you directly."

The tension in the air was palpable as Minato's blue eyes focused on the young Uchiha, now treating him not as a five-year-old, but as a ninja with information that could change the course of Konoha's future.

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"Let's discuss this somewhere safer." Minato said, his expression tense. He turned to Shisui, his blue eyes serious. "I will leave a Flying Thunder God mark here. After our conversation, I'll send Itachi back."

"Understood!" Shisui responded promptly.

Minato then crouched down to Itachi's level, placing his hands on the boy's shoulders.

*Swish!*

Itachi blinked, and the familiar surroundings vanished. He now stood in a different place—a small, seemingly abandoned wooden house. The only furnishings were a table, some basic training tools, and a thick layer of dust covering everything, indicating that no one had been here for a long time.

Moonlight filtered through high windows, casting long shadows across the floor. In the dim light, Minato's silhouette seemed larger than life, but his expression remained grave as he turned to face Itachi.

"Where did you get the information Shisui delivered to me?" Minato asked, his tone sharper than usual, almost accusatory.

Itachi met the Hokage's gaze, his expression unnervingly calm for a five-year-old. "I'll explain everything in due time, but first, let me ask you something."

Minato's eyebrows rose in surprise, but he nodded, intrigued. "Go ahead."

Itachi's gaze remained steady. "You didn't come here just to find out the source of the information, did you? You already have a suspicion about what I'm going to tell you, don't you?"

Minato's sharp mind processed the situation quickly. It was clear that he wasn't speaking to an ordinary child. "So, you believe someone will take advantage of Kushina's childbirth, exploit the weakening of the Nine-Tails' seal, and seize the Kyuubi to attack Konoha?"

Itachi nodded slightly. Minato sighed inwardly. The boy's assumption was frighteningly accurate. It was the same conclusion he had reached after reading the letter—a realization so disturbing that it had shaken even him.

The Hokage continued, "This information is highly classified. How did you come to know about it? The fact that Kushina is the Kyuubi's jinchūriki, the weakening of the seal during childbirth, and the exact date of our child's birth... Only a handful of people in Konoha know these details."

Itachi remained silent, his expression unreadable, but Minato's mind raced. How had a boy, barely more than a child, obtained information that not even senior officials in the village were privy to?

Itachi finally spoke, his tone serious. "I knew you'd take this seriously, Lord Hokage. That's why I had Shisui deliver the letter. You've already pieced most of it together."

Minato's frown deepened as the gravity of the situation set in. His hands clenched at his sides, thoughts of Kushina and their unborn child weighing heavily on his mind. He asked again, his voice low, "So, someone truly intends to attack the village?"

Itachi studied Minato's reaction carefully. "Yes, and you've already deduced who that someone might be."

Minato's eyes widened as a name flashed in his mind, a name that shouldn't have been possible. "Uchiha Madara…?"

Itachi nodded solemnly. "The man who once fought Hashirama Senju at the Valley of the End…"

"Impossible," Minato muttered, shaking his head in disbelief. "Madara died long ago. Everyone knows the story. The First Hokage defeated him, and Madara's reign of terror ended."

"It's what people believe to be true," Itachi said quietly. "But the reality is different."

Minato's eyes narrowed as he processed Itachi's words. "You're saying the story we've been told… is a lie?"

Itachi's black eyes shifted, turning blood-red as the Sharingan activated. His voice was steady and cold as he revealed the truth. "Madara Uchiha is alive. I've seen him with my own eyes."

Itachi's Sharingan glowed vividly, the three tomoe spinning with his heightened emotions. His usually calm demeanor was replaced with one of deadly seriousness.

Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage, narrowed his eyes at the young Uchiha. It was rare for someone as composed as Minato to feel unsettled, but Itachi's words carried a weight he couldn't easily dismiss.

"You've activated the Sharingan already?" Minato asked, surprise breaking through his usual calm. He had already been impressed by Itachi's sharp intellect and maturity, but a fully awakened Sharingan at just five years old was unheard of.

Shisui Uchiha, who had joined the ANBU at eight, had been hailed as a prodigy, and even that had astonished the village. Yet here was Itachi, even younger, wielding the legendary power of the Uchiha with frightening ease.

Itachi, sensing Minato's disbelief, nodded. "Yes, Hokage-sama. I've seen Madara… with my own eyes."

Minato's brows furrowed. The idea that Madara had appeared before Itachi in Konoha without anyone knowing was absurd. If Madara was truly alive, why would he reveal himself to a child like Itachi? And if Itachi had never left the village, how could he have encountered such a figure?

The Fourth Hokage was a genius in his own right, capable of deducing complex situations with limited information. But even he was left grasping for answers. His mind raced through the possibilities.

**"Is the information Itachi knows somehow connected to Madara?"** Minato pondered internally. **"And if Madara truly seeks to attack during Kushina's childbirth… how could this have been leaked?"**

Itachi, sensing Minato's doubts, took a deep breath, preparing himself to reveal the truth—a truth he knew would be difficult for anyone to believe.

"Hokage-sama, I will now explain how I know about Madara's plans. However, you may find my answer… hard to accept."

Minato, having already heard so much shocking information from the young Uchiha tonight, smiled faintly. "Given everything you've told me so far, I'm prepared to hear just about anything, Itachi."

The boy nodded, looking straight into Minato's eyes. "The reason I know about Madara and the attack on Konoha is because… I come from the future."

Minato blinked, stunned. For all his brilliance, even he couldn't have expected this answer. His initial instinct was disbelief, but there was something in Itachi's unwavering gaze that forced him to listen.

"I lived through the night when the Nine-Tails attacked Konoha," Itachi continued, his voice steady. "I was there when you… and Kushina-sama sacrificed yourselves to protect the village and your newborn son."

The mention of Kushina and their unborn child, Naruto, made Minato's heart jolt. He had told almost no one about their child's name, save for Kushina, Jiraiya-sensei, and a select few.

"How could a five-year-old child know about this?" Minato thought, his shock deepening.

"From the future…?" Minato echoed, his voice laced with disbelief. The concept of time travel, even in a world full of mystical abilities and jutsu, was nearly impossible to grasp.

"I know it sounds far-fetched," Itachi continued, his tone calm and firm. "But it's the truth. I've seen the devastation firsthand. I know what will happen if we don't take action now."

Minato's mind reeled. He wanted to ask how such a thing was even possible, how time travel could occur. But before he could voice his question, Itachi offered a hint.

"It has to do with my Sharingan," Itachi explained, his hand instinctively brushing near his eyes. "Or rather, a more advanced form of it—the Mangekyō Sharingan."

Minato had heard legends of the Mangekyō Sharingan, a mythical, evolved state of the Uchiha's dōjutsu that granted users unimaginable power. If what Itachi was saying was true, it made sense that such a rare and mysterious power could unlock abilities beyond comprehension, including time travel.

"You've awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan?" Minato asked, his voice low, as if the very words were too dangerous to be spoken aloud.

Itachi nodded. "Yes. It happened… before I came back to this time."

Minato's thoughts spun as he processed this new information. Time travel through a dōjutsu was unprecedented, but the world of ninja was filled with mysterious and unknown powers. He couldn't entirely dismiss the possibility.

"And yet," Minato began after a long pause, "you haven't told your parents about any of this. Why?"

Itachi hesitated, a flicker of sadness crossing his usually composed face. "I… didn't want to burden them. I didn't want them to worry or be dragged into something this dangerous."

Minato studied the boy before him. For all his brilliance and power, Itachi was still just a child. A child carrying the weight of an entire village's future on his small shoulders. It was a burden far too heavy for anyone his age to bear alone.

"You made the right choice, coming to me," Minato said, his voice softening. "The information you've shared… it's invaluable. It not only has the potential to save the village, but it could also save Kushina, Naruto, and me."

Minato then did something Itachi didn't expect. The Fourth Hokage bowed his head slightly. "Thank you, Itachi. Not just for telling me, but for trusting me."

Itachi's eyes widened in surprise. "H-Hokage-sama, you don't need to—"

"Do not," Minato cut in gently. "You've taken a great risk in telling me this. Whether as Hokage, a husband, or a father, I owe you a great debt."

Minato's gratitude left Itachi momentarily speechless. The Fourth Hokage's humility and trust were unexpected, especially given the extraordinary claims Itachi had made.

"Aren't you going to ask me more about the future?" Itachi finally managed to ask, regaining his composure.

Minato smiled softly. "For now, there's no need. You've already told me enough to prepare for what's coming."

And with that, the weight on Itachi's heart lightened, if only just a little.

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