Echoes of the Sharingan in Soul Land (Itachi in Douluo Dalu Fic)

Chapter 6:

…..

The ropes fell away silently as Itachi untied them, his movements calm and deliberate. He stepped back, giving the girl space to stand. Her wide eyes darted toward him, wary but curious.

Her first instinct, he noticed, was to run. Her posture tensed as though she were ready to bolt, yet something kept her rooted.

'Interesting,' he thought. 'She's cautious, but not reckless. There's something holding her back—instinct, perhaps?'

As she rubbed her wrists, her gaze remained locked on him.

….

To Xiao Wu's surprise, the boy standing before her untied her.

The ropes were gone.

The cold touch of the ropes disappeared, and for the first time since she'd woken up, she could move again. Her first instinct was to run—to sprint back to Da Ming and Er Ming, her friends who could protect her. But something held her back.

Yup, instead of running, Xiao Wu hesitated, her hands subconsciously rubbing the sore spots on her wrists.

Her eyes studied the boy who had freed her. His calm was unsettling, his dark eyes sharp and penetrating.

Something primal inside her, a deeply ingrained instinct, warned her that trying to escape would only anger him. She had no way of knowing how strong he was and decided it wasn't worth the risk.

'And… he's being sincere... right? But then… What does he want?' she thought, uneasy. Something in his tone and eyes told her he wasn't lying, but he wasn't an ordinary human either. His appearance wasn't exactly intimidating—except for the intensity of his eyes.

There was something about him—a quiet intensity that made her feel as though he could see through her, strip away her defenses without saying a word. It sent a shiver down her spine.

He had black eyes with long, pronounced tear troughs beneath them, giving his face a distinctive, almost haunting look. His jet-black hair was tied back in a low ponytail, with center-parted bangs framing his face and falling to his chin. He was strikingly handsome. His clothing was simple: a black shirt, tan pants, bandages wrapped around his arms, and black sandals.

…..

"So," Itachi's deep voice broke the silence. "What's your name?"

Xiao Wu blinked. His tone wasn't hostile, but it wasn't warm either. She decided it was better to answer honestly.

"Xiao Wu," she said quickly. Then, with a touch of her natural energy, she added, "Wu as in dancing!" She flashed him a nervous but playful smile, trying to gauge his reaction.

Now that she was free and sensing no hostility from him, she relaxed noticeably.

Itachi tilted his head slightly. "Hn. Xiao Wu… I see."

His voice was neutral, but Xiao Wu felt as though he were committing her name to memory. His sharp eyes studied her carefully, though not with malice.

'He's hard to read…' she thought, shifting uncomfortably under his gaze.

…..

Meanwhile, Itachi continued to watch Xiao Wu with a quiet, analyzing gaze.

While he understood the language of this world thanks to Uchi Ha's memories, he still struggled with certain nuances—names and words that didn't quite align with what he was used to.

'And she is…'

'Too confident… or too careless?' Itachi mused. 'She doesn't seem to fully grasp the gravity of her situation. Interesting.'

His expression didn't change, but his mind continued to analyze. He noticed the subtle shifts in her demeanor—the way she tried to mask her fear with bravado

Itachi shook his head slightly but said nothing.

For her part, Xiao Wu was also observing him closely. It was rare to meet a human who, after discovering her true identity, didn't immediately try to kill her for her Spirit Bone. That fact alone made him unique in her eyes.

'If only he knew how unusual it is for a human not to want to kill me for my Spirit Bone…' she thought, still intrigued.

Finally, her own curiosity got the better of her. She tilted her head, her large eyes sparkling. "W-what about you? What's your name?"

Even though she was still a little apprehensive, something about him told her he wasn't a bad person. Without that intimidating look, he seemed quite approachable.

"I am…" he began, his voice measured. He thought of the identity he had inherited in this world. 'Uchi Ha'

Itachi paused. For a moment, he considered how to respond.

'Uchi Ha?' he thought. That was the name of this body in this world, and it fit the typical naming conventions here. But Itachi didn't feel entirely comfortable with it. He no longer felt any attachment to the identity of Uchi Ha in this life.

Besides, he had no intention of revealing his Sharingan to anyone, which left him with just his Ice Silk Worm Martial Soul. Since Uchi Ha was likely already registered in the Spirit Hall with the Spirit Eye Martial Soul, using that identity with a different Martial Soul would only create complications.

But if he used a new identity, one unregistered with the Spirit Hall, he wouldn't have to worry.

Finally, with a calm voice, he answered, "Itachi"

"Uchiha Itachi"

Xiao Wu's face lit up.

"Brother Itachi!" she exclaimed with a bright smile, as though it was the most fascinating name she'd ever heard. She placed her hands on her hips, grinning confidently. "In the future, I want a rematch!"

Her attitude had completely shifted, as though she'd already forgotten how scared she had been just moments ago.

"..."

Itachi raised an eyebrow, surprised by how quickly her demeanor had changed, and the faintest hint of amusement flickering in his expression. 'Brother Itachi? A rematch? This girl is… unusual.'

Xiao Wu's abrupt shift from fear to confidence was almost disorienting.

He replied simply, "We'll see."

"And I don't know if we'll meet again after today," he added.

Xiao Wu pouted adorably but then nodded, seemingly satisfied with his answer.

Her confidence grew. Her fear seemed to have completely evaporated, replaced by an almost childlike energy.

"So, Brother Itachi, what do you want to know?" Xiao Wu asked, leaning forward slightly, clearly excited.

Itachi blinked, genuinely confused.

'Excited?' he thought, staring at her. 'How strange. Moments ago, she was afraid…'

The contrast between her initial fear and her current behavior was baffling. Xiao Wu seemed more eager to answer his questions than he was to ask.

'Maybe this is just how she copes with the situation' he quickly shifted focus.

The girl was simply too strange. He could only assume it had something to do with her past as a Spirit Beast. Surely, not everyone in this world would act like this in a similar situation.

Deciding not to waste more time, he shook his head and focused on what he was truly interested in.

…

Over the next several minutes, Itachi asked her a series of questions—some direct, others more subtle. Xiao Wu answered each one with surprising enthusiasm, speaking quickly and with a bright smile, her voice animated and her explanations detailed.

Itachi listened intently, processing every word and linking it to what he already knew about this world. It was fascinating but also perplexing.

Then she began by explaining the concept of "Spirit Beast Evolution," a term entirely new to him.

"Spirit Beasts that reach 100,000 years have two choices," she said, puffing out her chest.

"We can stay as Spirit Beasts" she explained seriously, though her tone still carried an animated edge. "And can temporarily change form to look human, but we retain our beastly essence"

"But then we have to face a tribulation every 100,000 years. Fail it, and… well…" Her expression darkened briefly. "We're forced into slumber…"

"And the other option?" Itachi prompted, tilting his head slightly. He already had a guess but changed the subject deliberately, noticing how the first option seemed to unsettle her.

Xiao Wu's face brightened.

"We can become human!" she said cheerfully. Then she looked directly into Itachi's eyes, her expression turning more serious. "We lose our Spirit Beast powers, but we can cultivate as humans and aim for rank 100. That means eternal life!"

"Hn." Itachi nodded slightly.

'A high-risk, high-reward path,' he thought, digesting the information. 'Transformation, loss, and evolution. A concept both foreign and familiar'

He then asked specifically about the changes Spirit Beasts undergo when choosing to become human. Xiao Wu explained that the process was irreversible—they couldn't return to their original form. This confirmed what Itachi had deduced while studying her unconscious body.

She also revealed that Spirit Beasts turned human have an innate spirit power of 10, giving them a significant advantage over ordinary humans. However, their cultivation could only progress by surrounding themselves with humans, forcing them to abandon their past lives among other Spirit Beasts completely.

…..

Xiao Wu continued detailing the phases Spirit Beasts turned human go through.

First, the Immature Phase:

"That's where I am now," Xiao Wu said with a sweet smile. "Spirit Douluo can recognize us if they pay close attention, and Titled Douluo can detect us more easily."

Then comes the mature phase, reached at Spirit Emperor rank 60 or higher.

"Once we reach that, even a Titled Douluo would struggle to tell we were ever Spirit Beasts," she explained, puffing out her chest with pride.

In this phase, spirit beasts turned human are almost entirely human but not quite.

She also mentioned that she could materialize Spirit Rings up to her sixth Spirit Ring at each bottleneck.

Finally, she spoke of the Divinization Phase, achieved at rank 90.

"By that point, we're practically fully human. From there, we can aim for rank 100… immortality."

…..

As Xiao Wu spoke, Itachi remained silent, processing every detail. He listened to everything she said with keen attention, marveling at each new piece of information. His father in this world had never mentioned such things, and Itachi suspected much of this knowledge was only known by a select few on the continent. It was something to investigate further in the future.

He was deeply intrigued by everything about this new world.

Yes, this world was vastly different from his own in many ways, but what intrigued him most were the similarities.

'These concepts… tribulation, evolution, the phases… are all new to me, but there are others parallels to what I've seen and read in the Elemental Nations.'

When she finished explaining, Xiao Wu tilted her head with a proud smile.

"Thank you for sharing all this with me' Itachi said, his voice low but sincere. "I've learned more than I expected."

Xiao Wu blinked, surprised by the warmth in his tone and in his eyes. For a moment, she saw not the cold, calculating figure from earlier, but someone… approachable.

'So different from the intimidating glare he'd given me earlier as a warning…'

"It's no problem, Brother Itachi. I'm happy to help!" she chirped, her energy infectious.

The sincerity in her voice caught him off guard. Despite everything, this girl—this Spirit Beast that must have once been immensely powerful—was now… so innocent.

Itachi's eyes narrowed slightly as he studied her.

'Too innocent for this world,' he thought. 'She'll need that spirit to survive… but will be lucky to survive'

Itachi didn't say that out loud. Instead, he simply added, "Well, that's all for now. Maybe someday, I'll have more questions for you."

"Take care, Xiao Wu" he added calmly.

Xiao Wu nodded quickly, smiling brightly.

"You too!" her confidence once again fully restored. For some reason, she already seemed to feel completely safe around him.

…..

…..

Once Itachi got to know everything he wanted to know he kept his part of the bargain and proceeded to let Xiao Wu know that now they could both go their separate ways and that she should not worry because he promised not to tell others about her condition as a spirit beast in human form.

Now that he had already stabilized part of his spirit power he planned to pass through the nearby village and then go to the city.

But to Itachi's unexpected surprise the girl seemed to have grown attached to him and she urged to join him.

.....

...

Hello my dear readers, the author here

Well, I just wondered what do you think about the story so far, what do you find boring and what do you feel can be improved.

I also wanted to know if you find that I'm writing Itachi at least half right or if there are some things to do in the future to make him resemble more his 13 years old self.

That's all, anything you can tell me is greatly appreciated, greetings and I hope you enjoy reading it.