Return of the Uchiha Prodigy

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"Who's talking?"

The sudden voice startled both Sasuke and Naruto.

They were still young when Itachi fell unconscious, so it was impossible for them to remember his voice.

As Izumi reached the door of the ward with a helpless smile, she too was stunned by the sound. Her body froze, almost as if she'd been shocked by electricity.

Her wide, beautiful eyes instantly filled with disbelief and joy.

Swish!

While Naruto and Sasuke were looking around in confusion, Izumi appeared in front of the hospital bed in a flash.

She stared at the boy lying there, her voice trembling with excitement as she whispered, "You... finally woke up!?"

Under her gaze, Itachi slowly opened his eyes.

Without moving his mouth, he answered, "Yes."

Itachi's facial muscles were stiff as he spoke.

It wasn't that he didn't want to talk—it was that after being in a coma for two years, his muscles had become rigid. Just now, in his rush to stop Naruto and Sasuke, he had pushed his body too hard, and the muscles around his mouth refused to cooperate.

At that moment, Sasuke and Naruto turned to look at him.

Both boys were briefly stunned.

"Brother's awake!"

Sasuke cheered, throwing himself onto Itachi's chest without hesitation.

"Cough..."

Even though Sasuke wasn't very strong, the impact was still too much for Itachi's weakened body.

Itachi groaned in pain, looking at Sasuke with affectionate eyes.

"Sasuke, you're hurting your brother," Izumi gently reminded, managing to control her excitement. She quickly pulled Sasuke off of Itachi.

"I'm sorry, brother! I didn't mean to!" Sasuke apologized, remembering what his mother had told him about not jumping on Itachi after he woke up.

Itachi, of course, didn't mind. He was about to respond, but Izumi stopped him, her eyes meeting his. "Don't try to speak yet. Tsunade-sama said that your body is stiff after sleeping for so long."

She then lowered her eyes, placing her hand on Sasuke's head, smiling warmly. "Don't worry, Sasuke. Your brother doesn't blame you."

Itachi looked into Izumi's eyes and responded quietly, "Ah."

"I'm going to find Tsunade-sama," Izumi said, wiping away her tears with her sleeve. She glanced at Naruto and Sasuke. "And you two, no fighting, okay?"

"Okay!" Sasuke and Naruto nodded eagerly, their faces bright with joy.

"I'll be right back," Izumi added softly, casting one more tender glance at Itachi before rushing out of the room.

Once she was gone, Sasuke carefully moved closer to Itachi, looking very endearing.

Naruto, standing on his tiptoes behind Sasuke, gazed at Itachi with wide eyes, a hint of awe in his expression.

Ever since Naruto could remember, his father, Minato, had told him a little secret only the two of them knew—Sasuke's older brother, Itachi, was a true hero.

Naruto's bright blue eyes, so similar to the Fourth Hokage's, met Itachi's gaze. Itachi felt a wave of warmth and gentleness as he looked at the boy.

...

Soon after, Izumi returned, accompanied by Tsunade and Shizune.

"Well, well, looks like you finally woke up," Tsunade said, a smile appearing on her face. Itachi had been one of her longest and most challenging patients.

"Thank you, Tsunade-sama, for taking care of me for so long," Itachi said, his voice now steady, though his movements were still sluggish.

"No need for that," Tsunade replied, dismissing his thanks with a wave of her hand. She placed her glowing green palm on his forehead, checking his condition.

Itachi turned his eyes toward Shizune. "Shizune-san, thank you for looking after me these past two years."

"There's no need to thank me," Shizune replied kindly. "Just focus on getting better."

Itachi then looked at Izumi, his heart tightening as he saw how much more beautiful she had become over the last two years. He didn't know what to say.

In those two years, while he was unconscious, his will had often remained aware. He knew that Izumi had rarely left his side, watching over him.

Itachi's lips parted as if to say something, but Izumi quickly shook her head. "You don't have to thank me. If anything, I should be the one thanking you."

Although others didn't know, Izumi understood—Itachi had ended up like this because he had been protecting the village. And he had saved her life that day.

Swish!

At that moment, a special kunai placed in the corner of the room began to glow faintly. In the next instant, four figures appeared: Minato, Kushina, Mikoto, and Fugaku.

They all looked at Itachi, lying awake in the hospital bed, and their faces filled with different emotions.

Mikoto, the most emotional, trembled as if shocked. She quickly walked over to Itachi.

"Itachi..."

Her voice was soft, but filled with an indescribable mix of emotions.

Tsunade stepped back, smiling as she said, "His body's fine now, and his mental energy has fully recovered."

"Thank you," Mikoto replied, nodding at Tsunade.

Fugaku also approached, bowing slightly in gratitude.

"Mom, Dad..."

Itachi looked at his parents, and for a moment, his emotions became overwhelming.

In the past, he could remain indifferent to almost anything, but in front of his family—the people he loved most—it was impossible to keep the walls around his heart intact.

This time, Itachi had come too close to never seeing them again.

He took a deep breath and slowly sat up, though his body was still stiff.

Seeing this, Mikoto immediately moved forward to support him.

"Don't push yourself too hard," she said softly, placing her hand on his back and helping him sit up more comfortably.

"I'm sorry," Itachi said, his voice trembling slightly. "I've made you all worry again."

In that moment, Itachi saw something in his father's eyes that he had rarely seen before. Fugaku, usually so stern and composed, now looked at his son with an expression of warmth and relief.

"As long as we can see you awake, that's all that matters," Fugaku said quietly, his voice filled with emotion.

---

"Um..."

At this moment, Itachi didn't want to push further into Fugaku and Mikoto's emotions, so he responded softly.

"Mom, Dad, please don't worry. This won't happen again."

At the same time, he silently swore to himself. The Nine-Tails incident—the most critical event in his memory—had safely passed.

The Fourth Hokage was still alive, and the Nine-Tails sealed inside Kushina remained intact. As a result, the village elders and villagers harbored far less prejudice against the Uchiha than they had in the past.

Itachi's gaze shifted from Fugaku to Minato and Kushina, who were now standing behind him.

Minato gave him a gentle nod and smiled.

"Even though your mental state has fully recovered, just to be safe, you should stay in the hospital for a few days for observation."

Tsunade, who wasn't one for sentimental moments, said this to Itachi before turning to leave. Shizune followed closely behind her, nodding to Itachi as well.

"Mom, you can just put me on the bed..."

Itachi began to feel slightly uncomfortable being held in Mikoto's arms. It was one thing to appear as a seven-year-old boy on the outside, but inside, he had the soul of a 20-year-old man. Being cradled by his mother in front of the Fourth Hokage and Izumi made him uneasy.

"Oh, I see."

Mikoto noticed the shy look in Itachi's eyes and smiled softly. She helped him settle on the bed, and Kushina brought over a pillow from the other side.

As Itachi leaned against the pillow, he looked up at the red-haired woman in front of him and said, "Aunt Kushina, thank you for taking care of me these past two years."

Kushina, a bit flustered, waved her hand dismissively, laughing heartily. "Your mother and I are best friends, and Naruto and Sasuke are also close. No need to thank me!"

As she spoke, she ruffled both Naruto's and Sasuke's hair. Sasuke looked slightly annoyed but didn't protest, while Naruto, ever the sunny boy, smiled brightly.

"Brother Itachi, hello!" Naruto greeted, his eyes flashing with a silent plea.

Itachi understood immediately. Naruto was begging him not to mention the near-fight he had with Sasuke earlier. This made Itachi feel that the boy in front of him was different from the Naruto he remembered. The Naruto he once knew wasn't as sharp as he appeared now.

It seemed that having both parents around had positively influenced Naruto's development.

Itachi smiled at him.

---

Everyone stayed with Itachi for a while longer. As night began to fall, Minato and his family left. Though Itachi had wanted to ask Minato some things, it was clearly not the right time.

Izumi, who had to attend the Ninja Academy early the next morning, also reluctantly headed home after some convincing from Itachi.

He had wanted his parents and Sasuke to go home and rest too—they hadn't had a proper night's sleep in two years. However, Mikoto and Sasuke's insistence left him no choice but to give in. Fugaku remained in the room as well.

Late that night, Sasuke, who had fallen asleep beside Itachi, had a peaceful, cheerful smile on his face.

Mikoto glanced at Itachi and softly asked, "Itachi, can you tell us what happened two years ago? Why was your mental energy so drained?"

Fugaku's gaze shifted toward Itachi as well.

Itachi pressed his lips together. He knew he couldn't make up an excuse this time.

Sensing his hesitation, Mikoto gently patted Itachi's hand. "You don't need to force yourself to explain if you're not ready."

For Fugaku and Mikoto, just having Itachi here was enough.

Hearing his mother's familiar gentle tone, Itachi raised his eyes and spoke quietly.

"There's something I want to tell you... but I don't know how."

Itachi had already taken the risk of telling the Fourth Hokage about his rebirth in order to prevent the Uchiha clan's future tragedy. But these were his parents, and while he trusted them completely, explaining the truth now seemed overwhelming—especially knowing he had once taken their lives with his own hands.

Fugaku folded his arms, watching Itachi thoughtfully. After a moment, he reached out and placed a hand on Itachi's shoulder.

"If you're not ready to talk, don't force yourself."

Fugaku had noticed Itachi's fists clenching tightly beneath the blanket.

"You risked your mental well-being to protect something important to you, didn't you?"

Itachi nodded firmly.

"That's my son," Fugaku said, a faint smile forming. "I'm proud of you."

"Me too," Mikoto added, smiling warmly.

Itachi didn't say anything more, but as parents, Fugaku and Mikoto trusted him unconditionally. Sometimes, words weren't needed to understand what was in each other's hearts.

"Thank you for understanding, Mom, Dad," Itachi said with determination. He would tell them the truth someday—just not yet. He needed to change everything first.

---

Late into the night, Konoha was silent, with only a few dim lights still illuminating parts of the village.

Itachi looked out the window, feeling wide awake after two years of slumber.

"Hmph."

His dark eyes slowly turned crimson, the Sharingan spinning to life. Even in the darkness, he could see the village's expanse.

Two years had passed, and no signs of the bloody night remained. But Itachi would never forget the tragedy that had unfolded—the deaths of countless civilians and Konoha ninjas.

He had risked everything more than once to protect the village he loved. That hadn't changed. But now, Itachi wasn't just protecting the village. He was determined to safeguard those he loved and those who loved him.

His Sharingan slowly rotated, the tomoe spinning before he exhaled.

Itachi deactivated the Sharingan. His body could handle the strain, but he hadn't fully recovered yet, and he didn't want to push himself too far too soon.

As he adjusted to his older body, Itachi started to notice some new changes within him...

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