The warm sunlight shone on the courtyard of a prominent family in Konoha, where two people stood in the center.

It was a father and son. The older was dressed in the combat attire of a Konoha jonin, with an armband displaying the insignia of the Konoha Police Force—a shuriken with the Uchiha Clan crest in the center.

The son's clothing was simpler, consisting of the Uchiha family's blue short-sleeved shirt and shorts, without a ninja forehead protector yet.

"Give it a try, show me your Shadow Clone Technique," the man said, his voice firm but encouraging.

The boy nodded, his face a mask of concentration. Focus... visualize the chakra flow...

"Shadow Clone Technique!"

He quickly formed hand seals, and with a puff of smoke, a perfect clone appeared.

Although it looked like a regular clone, it wasn't the basic Clone Technique taught at the ninja academy. Instead, it was the advanced B-rank jutsu developed by the Second Hokage.

This type of clone possessed independent consciousness, capable of performing different actions and having its own thoughts. It was a true replication of the user. The boy and his clone exchanged smiles and performed different actions, then the clone disappeared.

"As expected of my son!" The man excitedly patted his son's shoulder and smiled. "You've mastered jutsu in just a month."

The man's name was Fugaku, and the boy's name was Itachi.

Itachi smiled and rubbed his nose. Though he was used to receiving praise, he still felt genuine happiness hearing it from his father. Fugaku, who maintained a strict demeanor, didn't shower Itachi with endless compliments. After a brief moment of praise, he continued teaching.

"You should have noticed by now, right? The clones created by the Shadow Clone Technique have independent memories."

"When the clone disperses, its memories return to your body."

"If your clone learns something during its existence, that knowledge and experience will also return to you."

"This technique can be used to learn or train more efficiently since your experience and knowledge would be multiplied."

Itachi listened attentively, nodding occasionally to show his understanding. His mind raced with the possibilities this technique offered.

"The Second Hokage developed a more advanced version which allows the user to create thousands of clones."

"However, this technique was quickly classified as forbidden. It requires a great amount of chakra and using it once could be life-threatening."

"If you want to improve this jutsu, focus on extending how long your clones last, not making more of them. Understand?"

Fugaku was pleased with his son's rapid growth but also concerned. Overuse of ninjutsu could inevitably harm the body, especially for a child whose body was still developing.

"Yes, I understand," Itachi nodded.

"Still, I'm very pleased of your achievement. Tell me, what kind of reward would you like? I'll buy it for you."

Itachi tilted his head in thought, then replied, "I'd like a new set of ninja tools."

"What's wrong with the tools from the academy?"

Itachi shook his head. "The ones from the academy are too dull and a bit too heavy. They feel awkward when practicing throwing techniques."

Fugaku stroked his chin in thought. The tools provided by the academy were indeed different from those used by real ninjas.

The academy tools were intentionally dulled and heavier to prevent students from injuring others due to poor control. Only someone with extensive training in throwing techniques would notice this difference, and Itachi had already reached that level.

After a moment of consideration, Fugaku responded, "Alright, I'll take you to buy real ninja tools."

"But you must promise me, never aim them at your comrades in the village."

"Got it," Itachi nodded.

"Good. Come with me; I'll take you to a place."

As Fugaku began to leave, Itachi recalled a past experience.

In fact, he hadn't realized the difference in the academy's tools by himself. A fellow clan member, a boy named Shisui, had told him.

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When Itachi had reached a bottleneck in his throwing technique training, he advised him that switching tools would help him break through. So, he decided to test his father's response, and it turned out Shisui was right.

At that moment, a baby crawled out from the floor of the house facing the courtyard.

This baby was only a year old, unable to walk or talk, but he was happy when he saw him. Itachi quickly ran over and gently picked him up.

"Sorry, Sasuke, I have to go out with Father. I can't play with you right now."

I wish I could stay and play with you, little brother...

Fugaku and Itachi walked across barren, sandy ground, surrounded by a desolate landscape. In the distance, the ruins of a city with towering buildings stood in the wasteland.

"Itachi, do you see those ruins?" Fugaku pointed toward them. "No one remembers what that city was once called, but now it's known as the Empty Zone."

"It's... enormous," Itachi said. "What happened here, Father?"

Fugaku's expression turned solemn. "History. The kind we must never forget, yet rarely speak of."

"That's where we're headed. There's a weapon shop there that every mature member of the Uchiha Clan visits to purchase ninja tools."

This place... it feels both ancient and somehow alive.

The two of them entered the city, and Itachi curiously observed everything around him.

It was a barren, dilapidated city, with crooked arches between the buildings and dust covering the windows and walls. No one knew how long the city had been abandoned.

"Father, how long has this place been abandoned?" he asked, his eyes darting from one crumbling structure to another.

"Longer than anyone remembers. But its secrets remain," Fugaku replied cryptically.

But in the center of the city stood a towering building, several times taller than the Hokage Tower, indicating that this city had once been quite prosperous.

"It's taller than the Hokage Tower!" Itachi exclaimed, craning his neck to see the top.

Fugaku nodded. "Yes, a reminder of the city's former glory... and its fall."

Meow~

Suddenly, a cat's meow echoed from the shadows of a building. But when he turned to look, there was nothing there.

Strange... why did that sound affect me so much? His eyes scanned the area where he thought the sound had come from.

They then entered an unremarkable, signless shop and descended into an underground passage.

"Remember this place, Itachi," Fugaku said as they entered. "One day, you'll bring your own children here."

Although the city above had been abandoned for years, the ceiling lights in the underground passage were still bright, and complex networks of pipes ran along the walls, suggesting this part of the city wasn't completely deserted.

The underground passage was as complex as a maze, with frequent forks, but Itachi noticed that his father always headed toward the areas where the pipes were most concentrated.

Father seems to know this place well. How often has he been here? He observed his father's confident movements through the maze-like passages.

Still, the atmosphere in the underground weighed on Itachi, making it hard to breathe.

Why do I feel so... watched? He tried to control his breathing as the air seemed to grow thicker around him.

"Fugaku-sama, we've been expecting you! Meow~"

Suddenly, two shadows darted forward, bowing at Fugaku's feet like servants, speaking in human words with a strange tone.

Looking closely, Itachi realized they were two cats. His eyes widened in shock. What kind of place is this?

Fugaku, seemingly unfazed by the talking felines, addressed them calmly. "We're here for my son's first set of real ninja tools."

Two cats were dressed in kimonos, one in blue and the other in pink.

"A talking cat?" Itachi was surprised.

He looked curiously at the two cats. He had seen talking dogs a few times before, but he had never encountered a talking cat in Konoha. Interesting.

"They are ninja cats, Denka and Hina," Fugaku introduced as if talking cats were an everyday occurrence.

"Long time no see, and this one is..." the male ninja cat named Denka spoke, squinting at Itachi as he asked.

"This is my son, Itachi. I brought him here to buy some ninja tools," Fugaku explained.

"Did you bring a gift? Meow~" Hina asked.

Fugaku pulled out a bottle from his pocket. "This is catnip."

Hina leapt up, grabbed the bottle from his hand with her mouth, and darted away.

"Thank you for your kindness. Follow us; we'll take you to see Nekobaa."

"Meow~"

Fugaku and Itachi followed them and arrived in a bright room.

In the center of the room sat an old woman with white hair, dressed in loose orange clothing. Her hair was styled in a peculiar circular pattern, and she wore a headband with cat ears on it.

More than a dozen cats of various colors and breeds surrounded her. They all leaned obediently against her, eyeing the newcomers.

"It's been a while, Nekobaa," Fugaku greeted the strange old woman who was smoking a pipe. Even as head of the Uchiha Clan, he gave a slight bow. Itachi, noting his father's respectful demeanor, followed suit.

"Mm," Nekobaa nodded, then glanced at Itachi. "Is this your son?"

"Yes, my eldest son, Itachi."

"So, you have a younger son too?"

Fugaku nodded. "Sasuke is only one year old, but eventually, he'll need to come here for ninja tools as well."

"Mm."

Nekobaa nodded again and said, "Let Denka and Hina accompany you to the warehouse to pick out what you need. I can't move around much here."

As she spoke, Nekobaa shifted her wide sleeve, revealing a baby sleeping on her lap.

"This is my granddaughter, Tamaki. She must be around the same age as your younger son."

"I understand." Fugaku turned to Itachi and said, "You stay here for now. I'll go pick out the ninja tools for you."

Itachi nodded.

With Denka and Hina leading the way, his father disappeared into a deeper corridor, leaving him alone.

At that moment, a ginger cat curiously walked over to Itachi's feet. After circling around him twice, it rubbed its head affectionately against his calf.

"It seems to like you," Nekobaa said with a soft chuckle.

Soon, a few more cats gathered around Itachi's feet, rubbing against him affectionately.

"It seems they all like you."

"As long as you're kind to one of them, they'll all grow fond of you."

"That's how cats express their feelings."

"But all I did was stand here; I didn't do anything," Itachi said in confusion. Why are they acting this way? He watched the cats surrounding him.

Nekobaa smiled and explained, "Cats are creatures with heightened sensitivity. They can see through a person's true nature."

"If you're a good person, even if you do nothing, they'll still be drawn to you."

"But if you're a bad person, no matter how much food you offer them, they won't come close."

"However, never betray their emotions, or they'll bring the harshest punishment upon you."

"You don't believe me?" Nekobaa asked, noticing his slightly furrowed brows.

"Then let me tell you a story, an ancient one."

She shifted without disturbing her granddaughter and began telling the story.