Trusting, so trusting. Ibiki knew how to use trust, how to twist it into a manacle and a whip. But Itachi, in some sense, was right: he did not use his weapons carelessly or only for pleasure.

Still, the boy's ferocious confidence in his good intentions was offputting, and needed to be chastened. Yes, he tried to prepare his students as best he could for their futures, but he was no saint.

"Maybe I'll use it against you because I think a child with a heart condition has no business being a ninja," he countered coolly. "How can any teammate depend on you in an emergency if you might not endure?"