Uchiha Clan Academy

Seven days later, at the Uchiha Clan Training Grounds.

Rat—Tiger—Dog—Ox—Rabbit—Tiger.

After finishing the hand signs, a surge of heat mixed with flowing Chakra gathered in Kyosuke's throat.

A vast sheet of flames suddenly burst from his mouth, spreading in every direction toward the many targets nearby.

Under Kyosuke's control, the flames struggled to adjust their trajectory, attempting to strike the bullseyes.

But the results were far from ideal. Whether it was his current Chakra Amount or his control over Chakra, both were still rather poor. To accomplish something like this, he would need to level up a few more times at the very least.

Of course, Kyosuke had not expected himself to pull it off right away.

This was all for the Second Elder watching nearby.

That was simply how people in high positions were. It was not enough for their subordinates to have ability; they also needed the right attitude.

Now, Kyosuke was showing him that attitude.

"Clap, clap, clap." The Second Elder continued applauding with a smile, yet offered no words of praise.

After merely telling Kyosuke to keep working hard, he turned and left.

"Whew." Kyosuke let out a soft breath. This test could be considered passed.

Mastering a C-Ranked Ninjutsu in seven days at only five years old—even if it was not an astonishing achievement, it was at least not bad.

Over those seven days, he had worked tirelessly, neglecting food and sleep, before finally mastering this Ninjutsu.

The reason he had been in such a rush was because, when he woke up on the second day, he had suddenly understood the considerations behind this gifted Ninjutsu.

They wanted to see how well he understood and used techniques. If he did poorly in that regard, his evaluation would likely plummet.

That was why Kyosuke, having passed the test today, finally felt relieved.

After resting where he was and recovering some Chakra, he turned and headed for the Clan Academy.

Because starting today, he would be learning new things.

Normally, these subjects would only be taught after a child turned eight. Their elders would first provide some basic instruction before eventually sending them to the academy.

Was Kyosuke's situation another test?

It never ends. Kyosuke's eyes narrowed sharply before his sunny expression returned.

After all, following the previous duel, some clan members had already labeled him as "true, good, and beautiful."

After winning a duel, he had taken the initiative to help a clan member who had bullied him for years overcome his psychological barriers. Was that not sunny enough?

Who would suspect a five-year-old child of being so calculating?

Kyosuke gently pushed open the academy doors and walked inside.

Honestly, upon seeing the scene within, if not for the Uchiha Crests on the children's clothes, he would have thought for a moment that he had arrived at the Konoha Ninja Academy.

Only later did he learn that the clan had arranged the place entirely after the style of the Ninja Academy.

Not just its style, either. Its teaching methods and management practices had also drawn from it to a certain extent.

Because aside from a small number of Uchiha children who enrolled in the Ninja Academy merely to go through the motions, most children were still taught by their own clan.

This was common among many major clans. After all, no one could stand watching their descendants get brainwashed day after day with theories about the Will of Fire.

At least, that was the Uchiha Clan's situation for now, and it would probably continue for some time until Fugaku took power and things improved.

Because compared to clan-based education, the Ninja Academy was superior by far.

As Kyosuke thought about it, his mind began to wander again.

Suddenly, he felt someone lightly tap his shoulder.

In an instant, every muscle in Kyosuke's body tensed, and killing intent involuntarily leaked out before he forcefully suppressed it.

"Ugh." Kyosuke turned around helplessly, wanting to see who was trying to scare him.

What entered his vision was a cute little girl with long black hair tied in a ponytail, staring at him timidly.

Clearly, Kyosuke's killing intent had frightened her just now.

"Hmph, why are you being so fierce? It's not like I want to talk to you anyway." After a while, she finally recovered, glared at Kyosuke, and turned to leave.

"Is something wrong with her?"

Kyosuke shook his head. Rather than pay any more attention to that spoiled Uchiha girl, he headed to the teacher's office.

"Knock, knock, knock." Three moderate knocks rang out through the corridor.

After receiving permission, Kyosuke entered.

With the clan's academic advisor, Kyosuke selected the courses he wanted to study first.

"Ninjutsu Theory." "Ninjutsu Development Basics."

There were two reasons Kyosuke had chosen those courses.

First, if he still could not find a way to gain experience, the title of genius probably would not last much longer.

To be safe, he needed another way to maintain that reputation. The title of Ninjutsu Development Prodigy sounded pretty good to Kyosuke.

Second, as he cleared more and more Instance Dungeons in the future, he would inevitably acquire abilities he should never have come into contact with. For that reason, he needed to prepare in advance.

That was also Kyosuke's ultimate reason for voluntarily coming here to attend classes.

Once the lessons began, Kyosuke unexpectedly discovered that this knowledge about Ninjutsu was even more interesting than he had imagined.

He became immersed in the sea of knowledge until someone tapped his shoulder again.

Kyosuke's mouth twitched as he turned around and found, just as expected, that it was the ponytailed little girl again.

"Hey, you're Kyosuke, right? Let's get acquainted. My name is Nagisa, Uchiha Nagisa." With that, she extended her fair little hand toward Kyosuke.

"Uchiha Pig? Hahaha, who gave you that name?" Upon hearing the little girl introduce herself, Kyosuke unexpectedly burst into laughter.

Part of him wanted revenge for this spoiled little girl scaring him, while another part found her name genuinely hilarious.

Honestly, since arriving in this world, he had never laughed so freely.

For a time, his laughter echoed throughout the entire classroom.

Although this greatly disrupted the other clan members' studies, no one, including the instructor, dared say anything.

After all, Kyosuke still carried the title of "strongest genius."

But that definitely did not include the Uchiha Pig standing before him.

"Not Pig! Nagisa, Nagisa!" the little girl shouted.

"Oh, Pig."

"It's Nagisa!!!"

Kyosuke's first class passed amid such bickering and horseplay.

That evening, shortly after returning to his room from school, he was summoned by the Second Elder once more.

As Kyosuke straightened his clothes, he frowned and pondered the meaning behind this summons.

Unable to reach any conclusion no matter how much he thought about it, he could only steel himself and follow the ninja who never showed his face toward the Second Elder's residence.

"Oh, little Kyosuke is here. Come, sit." The Second Elder, who was tending to his flowers and plants, knew they had arrived without even turning around.

He first instructed Kyosuke to sit in a chair, then continued focusing intently on his potted plants.

After quite some time, the Second Elder finally turned to face Kyosuke and asked with a smile, "How was your day at the academy?"

"It was very good. The teacher explained the questions extremely well," Kyosuke answered honestly.

"Haha, that's good, that's good." Hearing Kyosuke's response, the Second Elder smiled in satisfaction.

Just as the two began chatting casually, an unexpected figure walked in.

"Grandpa." After calling out sweetly to the Second Elder, the figure turned to look smugly at the stunned Kyosuke.

It was the little girl named Uchiha Nagisa, who had spent the entire afternoon bickering with him.

And she was the Second Elder's biological granddaughter.

"Haha, little Kyosuke, this is my granddaughter Nagisa. You're the same age, so you should spend more time together from now on." The Second Elder stroked the little girl's hair as he smiled at Kyosuke.

"Hello, I'm Uchiha Nagisa. Nice to meet you." A strange smile hung on the little girl's lips as she extended her fair little hand toward Kyosuke once again.

This time, Kyosuke grasped it without hesitation.

Seeing this, the Second Elder smiled in satisfaction before suddenly sighing. "Nagisa's parents passed away early, so she grew up by my side. Oh, right, I was even the one who gave her the name 'Nagisa.'"

Upon hearing that, Kyosuke's face flickered between red and white for a moment before he stiffly praised, "Oh, that truly is a fine name."

Across from him, the little girl was grinning smugly.