Itachi Shinden: Book of Bright Light

is an original story written by Takashi Yano and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto. It is the first instalment of the Naruto Shinden series.

Summary
The first instalment of the Naruto Shinden series that is released in three successive months!

Itachi Uchiha, 4 years old. After he saw the battlefields from up close, he made a certain decision: I will change this world.

The dream Itachi aimed at was to become the Uchiha Clan's first Hokage. Also, a future where his loved ones could live in peace.

His Ninja Academy era, meeting Shisui, from Genin to Chūnin and finally, Anbu....

Itachi ran on the road of glory, not knowing about the cruel despair that awaits ahead....

This is a story about the glory and failures as well as the determination of the shinobi hailed as a genius.

Prologue
Wanting his son to mature quickly, Fugaku Uchiha takes his four-year-old son, Itachi Uchiha to see the aftermath of war-zone battlefield of the Third Shinobi World War. Seeing the mountains of corpses from numerous villages including Konoha, Itachi becomes traumatised by the sight and vows to become strong enough to change the world and end the senseless fighting forever. A few weeks later, the war comes to an end and Hiruzen Sarutobi steps down as Hokage and appoints Konoha war hero Minato Namikaze as the Fourth Hokage.

Later, as Itachi returns home from his rigorous training, as he is too young to enroll in the academy, Itachi asks his visibly pregnant mother, Mikoto Uchiha, the whereabouts of his father for help in his shurikenjutsu. Approaching his father's study, he overhears Yashiro Uchiha, Inabi Uchiha, and Tekka Uchiha complaining to Fugaku about the status of the Fourth Hokage. They raise their anger that only Minato and Orochimaru were nominated for said position while they and the rest of the Uchiha Clan feel their leader "Fugaku of the Terrible Eyes" was deserving to at least contend for the position, but was never even nominated. However, Fugaku is not angered by this. With this, the trio reason that the Konoha Council is making moves against the clan as they point out Fugaku's amazing accomplishments during the war were overshadowed by Minato's abilities. They then remind Fugaku about Kakashi Hatake's recent rise in fame during the war from his Sharingan when he isn't from the clan, infuriating them to no end.

As Itachi trembles in fear at the heavy anti-establishment rants from his father's colleagues, he is discovered by his father and asked to wait for him elsewhere. As Itachi leaves, he ponders at what his father and fellow clansmen are secretly planning.