The middle-aged man gathered at the agreed location stood calmly in the center of the clearing.

Beside him, there was not a single subordinate Genin.

In fact, the only person who came here to meet with the middle-aged man was Itachi.

This middle-aged man was Itachi's team leader, Jonin Minazuki Yuzuki.

A Jonin who had a slight reputation in Konoha, but was not a Jonin with real power, appearing quite ordinary, not a person of significance.

About three days had passed since the end of the Joint Chunin Exam.

The directives from the Hokage's side had already come down; Itachi would, from now on, serve as a member of the Anbu, directly under the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, acting as a bridge between the Uchiha and the village's higher-ups.

Therefore, he could no longer remain in his regular team, meaning he had come to say goodbye to Jonin Minazuki Yuzuki.

Moreover, there was a lingering doubt in his heart that he could not unravel.

This was also the main reason that prompted Itachi to come here.

"Congratulations, Itachi."

As Itachi's team leader, Minazuki Yuzuki wore a faint smile, offering his congratulations to Itachi.

Yet there was neither pride nor joy in his eyes, only an inexplicable sense of fatigue.

"Thank you. By the way, where are the others?"

Itachi looked at the clearing where only Minazuki Yuzuki stood; the other two Genin from the team were nowhere in sight.

"Their abilities were inadequate, so I instructed them to return to the Ninja School and repeat their studies."

Minazuki Yuzuki continued to speak with a mild smile.

Itachi couldn't help but clench his fist.

Although due to events two years ago, the original teammate Izumo Tsutama was killed, and Inari Makoto withdrew from the ninja profession after realizing the harshness of the Ninja Realm, returning to inherit the family business and running a successful tea shop in Konoha.

Later, two new teammates were added. Though the relationship wasn't amiable, sending them both back to Ninja School to repeat their studies... Itachi couldn't help but reassess his team leader, Jonin Minazuki Yuzuki. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

This man could be extremely despicable.

"Is there nothing you need to explain?"

Itachi asked this question.

Seeing the calmness returning to Itachi's face, Minazuki Yuzuki couldn't help but praise him, "As expected of a genius from the Uchiha Clan. It's because of your status that you could stand out from my team."

"What?"

Itachi furrowed his brows.

"You're right. Sending them back to the Ninja School was intentional on my part."

"Why would you do that?"

"This has nothing to do with you, the young master of the Uchiha Clan. Or do you intend to take action against me?"

Minazuki Yuzuki chuckled.

Itachi tensed up involuntarily.

Although he passed the Chunin Exam, with his current strength, dealing with a Jonin would be extremely difficult.

The battle where he defeated his opponent using the Illusion Technique, Minazuki Yuzuki had surely watched and wouldn't easily fall for his illusions.

In such circumstances, fighting a Jonin would be unwise.

However, he hadn't come here this year to fight Minazuki Yuzuki.

After all, this was still Konoha Village, and despite feeling contempt for Minazuki Yuzuki's actions, he was, after all, a member of Konoha.

"Tsutama said something to me before he died, which I didn't understand at the time, but now I do."

Itachi suddenly mentioned Izumo Tsutama, who had died two years ago.

His death led to the awakening of Itachi's Sharingan.

Minazuki Yuzuki continued to smile, "Is that so? Although Tsutama seemed carefree, he was extremely sensitive in some aspects and probably saw that I intended to hold you back. But for the word 'friend' to appear in your eyes, it's truly not easy."

"What do you mean?"

"You're too aloof, Itachi. The reason you can't forget Tsutama is that his death became the nourishment for your Sharingan, right?"

Minazuki Yuzuki seemed to see through something.

"So what? Bearing the will of my deceased companions and protecting the village is what I have to do."

"That's truly noble. Well, I'm in no position to scold you. Now you're a Chunin, so indeed, you don't need to watch my expressions when speaking... You've graduated from the fledgling stage, Itachi."

Minazuki Yuzuki's tone was complex, but this time the congratulations were sincere.

"Then why did you do what you did? For years, you've avoided letting me participate in the Chunin Exam. If the village hierarchy hadn't allowed me to take part in the exam alone, I might never have had a chance."

Itachi said.

He wanted to know the reason behind Minazuki Yuzuki's actions.

Was it merely petty jealousy?

Even if it was jealousy, going this far was simply too much.

"Haha," Minazuki Yuzuki suddenly laughed out loud and said to the puzzled Itachi, "You overthink. Even I don't have the power to hold you back continuously. It's just that your father thought it wasn't the right time to make a move."

"Father?"

"Yes, matters of politics are always obscure. Adults are far more terrifying than you can imagine. But as someone from the Uchiha Clan, you probably can't avoid it. As your teacher, although I wronged you in the past, I must still advise you not to place too much trust in the village's higher-ups."

Seeing the dissatisfaction on Itachi's face, Minazuki Yuzuki only smiled wryly, shook his head, and turned to leave.

"After all, you're just a child. The answer to the puzzling question you had is—I once followed Namikaze Minato."