Return of the Uchiha Prodigy

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"Tsunade-sama truly is the strongest medical ninja in the world."

After waking up, Itachi could feel his body, despite not having trained for two years, did not feel sluggish at all.

On the contrary, through his Sharingan, he could sense that his physique was even stronger than it had been two years ago.

Typically, the human body doesn't change easily, but Itachi was still in his growth phase. For two years, Shizune had delivered the medicine specially prepared by Tsunade to him every day.

Over time, Itachi's body gradually improved.

"But after not training for so long, my reaction speed must have dulled."

Though Itachi hadn't fully recovered, he was already eager to test the limits of his seven-year-old body, which had clearly become stronger.

At this age, he had already graduated from the Academy.

But Itachi wasn't in a rush now. Two years ago, the masked man's plan had failed, and it had drawn the attention of the five great ninja nations.

For a while, it would be difficult for the masked man to stir up any more trouble.

However, Itachi was still determined to meet the Fourth Hokage. There was something urgent he had to tell him.

Orochimaru, one of Konoha's legendary Sannin, had defected.

Since his rebirth, Itachi hadn't encountered Orochimaru. Back then, he had been completely focused on dealing with the masked man's attack on the village, so he hadn't revealed much about the future to Minato.

He never expected to fall into a coma for two years.

During this time, Orochimaru should have already started his human experiments.

Orochimaru was dangerous. He would eventually kill the Fourth Kazekage, launch the Konoha Crush, attempt to destroy the village, and kill the Third Hokage.

In his recent conversation with his parents, Itachi had inquired briefly about what had transpired in the village during his absence. Based on their responses, Orochimaru had not yet defected.

"Mom and Dad are here. I can't just leave..."

Itachi glanced at Mikoto, who was resting on the hospital bed, holding Sasuke in her arms. Fugaku leaned against the wall, his eyes closed. Though they appeared to be sleeping, Itachi knew that any sudden movement would wake them.

As thoughts of Orochimaru ran through his mind, a sudden commotion erupted in the corridor outside the ward.

At first, Itachi paid no attention, thinking someone was being rushed to the emergency room. But then he heard a hoarse female voice: "Sensei... Orochimaru-sensei, why!?"

"Mitarashi Anko?"

Itachi's eyes narrowed. As far as he knew, she was Orochimaru's only disciple.

Hearing her pained voice, Itachi immediately got out of bed and opened the door.

He looked toward the emergency room and saw the purple-haired girl on a stretcher, surrounded by medical-nin and Konoha shinobi.

Anko was unconscious, her face contorted in pain. As her head shifted, a black mark on her neck became visible.

"A curse mark!?"

Itachi instantly recognized it—the curse mark developed by Orochimaru.

He had studied it extensively after Sasuke had been afflicted with the same mark.

The essence of the curse mark was similar to the Sage Mode chakra wielded by Jiraiya, another of the Sannin.

"Could it be that…?"

Itachi's heart raced as the realization struck him.

"What's going on?"

Fugaku had woken up due to the noise. He stood behind Itachi, looking in the direction of the emergency room.

"It looks like someone's been seriously injured," Itachi responded, his brows furrowing.

"Isn't that Orochimaru's student?"

Fugaku, observing closely, recognized Anko and looked surprised.

Soon after, medical staff rushed out of the emergency room.

Moments later, Tsunade arrived, striding through the corridor with a grim expression. She entered the emergency room without greeting Fugaku or Itachi.

Swish!

An ANBU operative appeared at the window of Itachi's hospital room, their mask obscuring their face.

The sudden presence woke Mikoto, though Sasuke continued to sleep.

"Uchiha Fugaku, Hokage-sama requests your presence at the Hokage Tower immediately," the ANBU said.

"I understand."

Fugaku, sensing the urgency, gave instructions to Mikoto and Itachi, then followed the ANBU to the Hokage Tower.

"What could be happening for Minato to call him so urgently?" Mikoto asked, frowning.

"Could it be too late?" Itachi muttered to himself. He had planned to sneak out of the hospital tomorrow to inform the Fourth Hokage about Orochimaru.

But given the current situation, it seemed Orochimaru might have already defected.

Ten minutes later, Minato and Fugaku reappeared in Itachi's ward.

"Sorry to disturb you," Minato said quickly to Itachi and Mikoto before rushing toward the emergency room.

Fugaku followed closely behind him.

"Honey, what's going on?" Mikoto asked as Fugaku left.

He paused briefly, looking over his shoulder. "Orochimaru… has defected."

"I knew it..."

Though Itachi had anticipated this, the confirmation made his expression harden.

"What!?" Mikoto exclaimed in shock.

Fugaku left, and Itachi followed him to the emergency room, though he stayed outside the door.

Inside, Anko lay on a treatment table, her injuries not appearing life-threatening.

Minato placed a hand on her forehead, concentrating.

After a few moments, he withdrew his hand and formed seals with both hands.

He pressed his palm against the curse mark on Anko's neck, intricate patterns glowing faintly.

Minato frowned.

Beside him, Tsunade spoke, her voice heavy. "Even you can't undo Orochimaru's seal?"

"It's not a simple seal," Minato responded, eyes narrowing. "If I attempt to release it, the power sealed within the curse mark will activate."

"I've never seen a technique like this before. There's a trace of senjutsu chakra within the mark…"

"If the power of the curse is triggered, it could cost her life."

Tsunade's face darkened in anger. "A double-layered seal… Orochimaru's been planning this for a long time!"

---

"It's so pitiful... to treat one's own disciple like this," Shizune muttered softly, her brows furrowing with sympathy as she looked at the unconscious, purple-haired girl—Anko Mitarashi—lying on the treatment table.

Outside the room, Itachi Uchiha listened intently. His thoughts raced as he considered the situation.

In the history he knew, Orochimaru had been discovered by the Third Hokage while conducting forbidden human experiments. Because of the Third Hokage's attachment to his former student, Orochimaru had been allowed to escape.

But in this timeline, with the Fourth Hokage still alive, the events surrounding Orochimaru's defection had played out differently.

At the treatment table, Minato Namikaze's hands moved swiftly through a series of seals, placing a barrier over the curse mark on Anko's neck.

"I will temporarily seal this jutsu that threatens her life. The restriction on her body will be layered over the seal," Minato said, his expression darkening. Even if they couldn't extract any information about Orochimaru from Anko, he was determined not to let her die from the curse.

"In three days, I'll remove the seal again and address the restriction directly."

For Minato, who had mastered the sealing techniques of the Uzumaki Clan, dealing with the layered restrictions wasn't particularly difficult. The real challenge was how to neutralize the cursed seal's unique chakra without triggering any harmful effects during the process.

"This is my failure," Minato said bitterly, a cold fury flashing in his eyes. He had known about Orochimaru's experiments for some time now, and it gnawed at him that he hadn't acted sooner.

"Other than the curse, her physical injuries are almost fully healed," Tsunade commented as she noticed Shizune's concerned expression towards Anko. The edges of her hardened expression softened slightly. "Take good care of her for the next few days."

"Understood," Shizune nodded.

"But with this situation, our leads on tracking down Orochimaru are slipping away," Fugaku Uchiha remarked grimly.

"We'll issue a wanted notice immediately. The trail may not be entirely cold," Minato responded, though his tone was sharp. It was clear he had no intention of letting Orochimaru escape so easily.

At that moment, an Anbu operative rushed into the room, bypassing Itachi. The masked ninja saluted and reported, "Hokage-sama, Aburame Shibi and his team have already set out."

"Shibi Aburame..." Itachi murmured to himself. The leader of the Aburame Clan was a master at gathering intelligence. During the Third Shinobi War, Shibi's information had given Konoha the upper hand in several key battles.

"Good. Issue an S-Rank wanted order for Orochimaru's capture. The entire ninja world must know that he's a traitor," Minato ordered firmly. His voice carried the weight of his resolve—Orochimaru would not be allowed to slip away unpunished, no matter how slim the odds of finding him.

"Yes, sir!" the Anbu operative responded before swiftly leaving.

As the room began to clear, Minato's eyes softened when he spotted Itachi standing in the corridor. "It looks like you're recovering well," he said with a faint smile.

"Thanks to Tsunade-sama," Itachi replied with a nod to the legendary medic-nin, who waved a hand nonchalantly before walking away.

At that moment, Fugaku Uchiha approached, placing a hand on Itachi's shoulder. "Get some rest. You'll need it."

"I understand," Itachi replied, though his mind was still on the events unfolding around Orochimaru's defection.

"Brother, Dad, what's going on?" A small voice called out. Sasuke, who had been awakened by the commotion, stood outside the ward, blinking sleepily.

Fugaku turned to his youngest son, his expression softening. As Fugaku addressed Sasuke, Itachi took the opportunity to approach Minato again.

"Hokage-sama, did Naruto and Kushina-san wake up from all of this?" Itachi asked cautiously.

"Hm?" Minato blinked in surprise at the question, but then his gaze sharpened as he realized Itachi's hidden intent. Still, he responded, "No, they're both still asleep."

Fugaku and Mikoto had rejoined them by this time, so Itachi gave a small nod. "I'll take my leave then."

Minato exchanged a few words with Fugaku and Mikoto before he, too, left.

---

The news of Orochimaru's defection spread like wildfire throughout the village. Fugaku, as the head of the Uchiha Clan, had to immediately attend to matters and left the hospital.

"Mom, it's too noisy here. You should take Sasuke home. I'll be fine," Itachi assured Mikoto.

Though initially reluctant, Mikoto saw that Itachi was indeed in good shape and finally agreed. She took Sasuke's hand, and the two headed back to the Uchiha compound.

Once they were gone, a shadow flickered outside the window.

In a swift motion, Minato appeared before Itachi. It was only his shadow clone, but the seriousness in his eyes made it clear that this was an important conversation.

The clone quickly formed seals, creating a soundproof barrier around them. "This barrier will prevent anyone from overhearing us. Speak freely."

Itachi's expression grew solemn. "About Orochimaru's defection... I knew about it from the beginning. I'm sorry I didn't report it sooner."

Minato shook his head. "It's not your fault. As Hokage, the failure to act in time is mine. Orochimaru's actions slipped through my notice—it's my responsibility."

"When did you realize Orochimaru was conducting human experiments?" Itachi asked, his voice low. He needed to understand how Orochimaru had managed to carry out such atrocities under the Fourth Hokage's watch.

Minato's expression darkened as he replied, "He conducted his experiments outside the village, under the guise of missions. Over the past year and a half, every time he went on a mission, he would carry out these inhuman experiments. And it seems he had external help providing him with subjects, which is why the village remained unaware for so long."

"I see," Itachi said quietly. This was a marked departure from the history he knew. Orochimaru had been much bolder under the Third Hokage's leadership, conducting his experiments within Konoha itself. But with Minato as Hokage, Orochimaru had been forced to hide his work far from the village.

After discussing Orochimaru's defection, Itachi shifted the conversation to a more pressing matter: the masked man who had attacked Konoha two years ago.

"You fought Madara, didn't you?" Itachi asked carefully.

Minato nodded, but what he said next sent a shock through Itachi's core.

"That masked man's abilities are certainly dangerous... but I'm certain of one thing—he's not Uchiha Madara."

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