Chapter 335: The "Transnational Guardian" Konan; Uchiha Itachi Awakens His Sharingan! [HN]

At dusk, a delicate paper crane passed through the gradually darkening evening sky, flew precisely into the Hokage’s office, and landed on the documents spread across Chiya’s desk.

The paper crane’s wings fluttered slightly before unfolding on their own, revealing Konan’s neat handwriting.

“Having heard that Mirai has begun babbling and that Chimi makes flowers bloom at her fingertips. My heart is filled with joy, so I have prepared a small gift and hope you will accept it. By the Naka River, the old place. I look forward to seeing you. —Konan”

Looking at the note, Chiya’s lips curved upward unconsciously.

Konan was always like this, her delicate thoughtfulness hidden beneath her cool exterior.

He carefully put the note away, and with a flash of his figure, he disappeared from the office.

By the Naka River, the setting sun dyed the flowing water a warm orange-red.

Konan was still dressed in a simple, elegant robe, her blue-violet hair fluttering gently in the evening breeze.

She held two small gift boxes in her hands, and when she saw Chiya appear, a faint smile spread across her ice-blue eyes.

“You came.”

“Mm. Thank you for the gifts, and thank you for putting so much thought into them.”

Chiya walked over to her and naturally took her slightly cool hand.

“They’re both doing very well.”

Konan handed him the gift boxes.

“They aren’t anything particularly valuable. The gift for Mirai is a pair of little bells carved from ‘Tranquil Wood,’ a specialty of the Land of Rain. They’re said to have a calming effect and help soothe frightened children. As for Chimi… it’s a set of the finest chakra-conductive colored paper made by artisans from Amegakure. Perhaps… she’ll like it.”

The gifts were clearly prepared with great care, and Chiya accepted them.

“They’ll like them. I’ll thank you on their behalf.”

The two stood side by side, watching the river flow in silence for a while, the atmosphere between them peaceful and harmonious.

After a while, Konan spoke softly.

Her tone had returned to the calmness she usually displayed when handling official matters, but there was a faint trace of anticipation hidden within it.

“Chiya, I’ve come up with a new idea regarding cooperation between the Land of Rain and Konoha.”

“Oh? Tell me about it.”

Chiya looked interested.

“I want to promote the establishment of a ‘Transnational Young Ninja Exchange Program.'”

Konan gazed into the distance, as if she could already see the future taking shape.

“For the first group, we can select promising children from Amegakure and have them participate in short-term exchange studies. Konoha’s children can go to the Land of Rain to learn survival skills in harsh environments, reconnaissance, and the forging of a resilient will. Meanwhile, the children from the Land of Rain can come to Konoha to systematically study more comprehensive ninja fundamentals, medical knowledge, and technological applications.”

She paused before continuing.

“The ice of hatred requires a generation to melt, while the seeds of understanding and friendship should ideally be planted when people are still young. Our generation may not be able to completely eliminate the divisions between us, but we can create a more inclusive starting point for the next generation, one where they can understand one another better. This, perhaps, is also a form of… protection.”

Chiya gazed at Konan’s profile, seeing the heart beneath her cool appearance that was devoted to mending old divisions and protecting the peaceful future.

He squeezed her hand firmly, his eyes filled with admiration and support.

“It’s an excellent idea, Konan. You’re not merely protecting the Land of Rain anymore. You’re trying to protect the future peace of the entire shinobi world. I fully support this plan, and Konoha’s resources will be directed toward it. The title of ‘Transnational Guardian’ suits you perfectly.”

Hearing the words “Transnational Guardian” come from him, Konan’s cheeks flushed slightly, and a warm feeling of being truly understood welled up inside her.

She lowered her head and spoke in a voice barely louder than a whisper.

“I… I’m only doing what I believe is right.”

Chiya chuckled and put an arm around her shoulders, letting her lean against him.

The two embraced beneath the gradually emerging starlight, while the flowing waters of the Naka River served as their accompaniment, quietly telling the story of their shared feelings and convictions about protecting a future that transcended the boundaries between villages.

…

At the same time that Chiya and Konan were discussing their ideals beside the Naka River, Uchiha Itachi’s career in the Anbu officially began.

After passing the Anbu examination and completing a three-month observation period, Itachi officially became a member of the Anbu.

Today, he wore a slightly oversized Anbu uniform and a white animal-patterned mask, standing before the captain of the Anbu unit directly under the Hokage.

His first mission was not a bloody battle, but something that appeared ordinary while being extremely important.

A counterintelligence investigation.

There had been numerous minor clashes along the borders recently, and intelligence indicated that Cloud shinobi spies had infiltrated Konoha in an attempt to steal non-core but strategically important materials research from the Science Academy.

Itachi’s mission was to cooperate with the Intelligence Division and monitor and investigate several suspicious supply transfer stations and peripheral research facilities.

Under the cover of night, Itachi lurked silently in the shadows like a crow.

Although he had never activated his Sharingan before, his extraordinary powers of observation and complete concentration were already beyond those of ordinary people.

He observed the footsteps and expressions of everyone entering and leaving, as well as even the faintest traces on their clothing.

He had already prepared before arriving, filtering through an enormous amount of mundane information to identify that single discordant note.

Itachi locked onto a worker responsible for collecting garbage around the research facility.

The man happened to be approaching from a distance.

His movements appeared no different from those of the other workers.

However, whenever he passed through certain areas, his footsteps would pause almost imperceptibly.

His eyes would also quickly sweep over an inconspicuous ventilation opening.

“The target is exhibiting suspicious behavior. Requesting permission for close-range verification.”

Itachi reported in a low voice through the Anbu communication channel.

“Approved. ‘Crow,’ proceed with caution. The target may possess a certain level of combat capability.”

The captain’s command came through.

Itachi approached like a phantom.

Just as he was about to subdue the man, the “worker” suddenly turned around as though he had eyes on the back of his head, already holding a poisoned kunai in his hand.

His expression was vicious, nothing like the appearance of an ordinary laborer.

“Konoha’s Anbu? Damn it!”

He growled and thrust the kunai directly toward Itachi’s face.

Itachi remained calm under pressure, twisting aside to evade the attack while drawing his ninja blade halfway and precisely deflecting the follow-up strike.

He had received physical training from Chiya since childhood and had also sparred with Shisui countless times.

After only a few exchanges, he caught an opening, used his opponent’s momentum against him, knocked the kunai away, and twisted the man’s arm behind his back, subduing him.

The entire process happened in the blink of an eye without disturbing anyone nearby.

Itachi calmly searched the man’s body and discovered a miniature film hidden inside a compartment beneath his shoe.

It contained compositional data on some of the research facility’s materials.

Mission complete, clean and decisive.

However, this was only the beginning.

Not long afterward, Itachi received his second mission.

Protect an important individual.

The person under protection was a master weaponsmith from the Land of Iron.

He had been invited by Konoha’s Science Academy to participate in a technical exchange.

Other major nations might very well oppose the success of this cooperation.

Itachi needed to infiltrate the reception team as an inconspicuous escort and ensure the master’s safety at close range.

He concealed all of his sharpness, behaving like a genuinely taciturn logistics worker as he quietly followed at the rear of the group, while his eyes scanned every stranger who approached like a precision radar.

On the way to the research institute, a Cloud assault squad disguised as a merchant caravan suddenly launched an attack.

Smoke bombs exploded, and the scene instantly descended into chaos.

“Protect the master!”

The escort captain roared.

Itachi did not rush to show off.

Instead, he moved like a shadow and protected the master’s flank, using simple and efficient shuriken and taijutsu to precisely intercept several poisoned senbon aimed at the master, while silently taking down an enemy attempting to approach from a blind spot.

His movements were efficient and concealed.

He attracted little attention, yet he was like an unbreakable shield, keeping danger firmly away from the master.

By the time the battle ended, the weaponsmith had not even fully realized that he had just narrowly escaped death.

…

The continuous missions allowed Itachi to grow rapidly.

They also drew him deeper into the “shadow” of the Anbu.

He saw the undercurrents hidden beneath the peaceful surface, the ruthless measures that sometimes had to be carried out for the sake of the village, and his fellow Anbu who silently sacrificed themselves in the darkness and even carried blood on their hands.

All of this seemed connected to the “Will of Fire” he had been taught since childhood and the concept of “protection” taught by his teacher, Chiya, yet there was also an indescribable divide between them.

Late one night, after completing a mission, Itachi did not immediately return home.

Instead, he once again came to the top of the Hokage Rock.

He looked down at the sleeping Konoha, where the lights of countless homes shone like stars, peaceful and serene.

The experiences of the past few months replayed in his mind.

The spy he had subdued had not shown fear before being taken away, but rather an almost fanatical obsession with his own village.

The master from the Land of Iron had praised Konoha’s technology without realizing how close he had come to death and had looked forward to peaceful cooperation.

The senior Anbu members had displayed complicated emotions that flashed briefly beneath their masks while carrying out certain “cleanup” missions.

Individuals, clans, villages, other nations…

Light, darkness, protection, sacrifice…

These concepts collided violently within his young mind.

To protect Konoha’s light, someone had to step into the shadows and do things that could never be seen in the light.

To protect the village’s overall interests, did that sometimes mean sacrificing the interests or even the lives of a few?

Where exactly was the boundary of protection?

An enormous sense of confusion and heaviness swept over him.

He longed to protect others.

He longed to possess the strength of his teacher, Chiya, and Shisui so that he could preserve everything he cherished.

But he discovered that true protection was far more complicated and cruel than he had imagined.

He was afraid that he would lose his way within the endless darkness.

He was afraid that reality would gradually dull the conviction he wished to protect.

At the height of this emotional turmoil and profound contemplation, a burning sensation originating deep within his bloodline suddenly surged from his brain toward his eyes.

Itachi could not help but grunt in pain and cover his eyes.

After a moment, he slowly lowered his hand and blinked.

The world seemed to have become clearer, the colors more vivid, and even the flow of chakra in the air seemed to leave traces he could perceive.

Almost instinctively, he looked down at the calm waters of the Naka River.

In his reflection, his originally black eyes now clearly displayed two tomoe slowly rotating.

“The Sharingan?”

Itachi stared blankly at his reflection, his heart filled with complicated emotions.

He remembered what he knew about the Sharingan.

He had not awakened it through the extreme grief of losing someone precious to him.

Instead, his Eye of the Heart’s Reflection had responded to his obsession during his profound contemplation of the true meaning of “protection,” as well as his fear and determination to bear the responsibility of protecting others.

He understood.

These eyes had not awakened because of hatred.

They had awakened so that he could see the road ahead more clearly, see everything that needed to be protected, and see the darkness he would inevitably have to face.

Power itself had no good or evil.

What mattered was the heart of the person who wielded it.

He would step into the shadows so that more people could live beneath the light.

He would bear the cruelty so that more gentleness and hope could be protected.

This was his path.

To protect the light within the darkness.

Itachi slowly clenched his fist.

The tomoe in his eyes gradually stopped spinning before disappearing, returning his eyes to their original black color.

He turned around and walked down from the Hokage Rock, his figure blending into Konoha’s night.

His footsteps were steady and resolute.

The Anbu’s “Crow” would continue his flight.

For the sake of the path of protection that had finally become clear within his heart.