Yes, We Uchiha Are Just That Cocky

Kagami Uchiha still couldn't draw on too much of Sukuna's power. The principle was similar to Naruto and the Nine-Tails.

He was too young; his body had yet to fully develop.

If the thing inside him had been the Nine-Tails, Kagami Uchiha might have tried to reconcile with it. But Sukuna...

He was an utterly self-centered being, evil by nature, who took pleasure in killing women and children.

Kagami Uchiha had a clear understanding of Sukuna: he was merely food to nourish his growth.

Compared to Sukuna, the Uchiha bloodline within him was clearly more worthy of development.

The Sharingan.

It was the ultimate manifestation of Yin Release, spiritual energy that governed imagination and created form from nothingness.

Once the Mangekyo awakened, it could even wield the mighty power to distort space and time!

The Cursed Energy of the King of Curses was, in truth, also a manifestation of Yin Release.

To put it plainly, Yin Release and Yang Release were spiritual energy and physical energy.

Kagami Uchiha already possessed an adult soul. Combined with Sukuna, that Yin Release power bank, his spiritual energy was practically off the charts.

If he hadn't consciously trained his body since the age of two and controlled the growth of his spiritual energy, he might have awakened the Mangekyo at eight.

In Kagami Uchiha's view, awakening the Mangekyo too early was no good thing unless absolutely necessary. It put far too much strain on the body.

Uchiha Itachi's illness in his youth was probably related to awakening the Mangekyo before his body had fully developed.

Unfortunately, little bro Shisui was taken out before the side effects could hit him. Otherwise, another case would have made things easier for Kagami Uchiha to judge.

What about Obito?

Was half a White Zetsu body really that easy to get?

No, wait... maybe it wasn't that hard to get after all...

Just as Kagami Uchiha was considering how to get in touch with shit-loving Tobi, the teacher's voice rang out from the podium.

"This afternoon is practical class. For the new students, we'll be testing Shuriken throwing."

The Second Hokage had pioneered the Ninja Academy system, but in his era, it had only been in its infancy. In form, it was more like one jonin teaching several disciples.

The educational system was truly established and the various Ninja Clans brought into it during the Third Hokage's tenure.

It had even cultivated elite ninja like the "Three Legendary Sannin."

More importantly... Orochimaru and Jiraiya had both been commoners. The implications spoke for themselves.

No matter how many mistakes Hiruzen Sarutobi would later make due to the weakness he called "tolerance," the Hero of the Shinobi was not yet completely old.

Hashirama Senju had been invincible across the world and won the finest lands, but after his death came two successive Shinobi World Wars.

One had to remember... Konoha had been the victor in both Shinobi World Wars!

You could say the Third Hokage was bad, but you couldn't say he was weak.

As an Uchiha, Kagami Uchiha did indeed regard the Third Hokage's faction as hypothetical enemies, but he would not underestimate them.

Having neither father nor mother, he had experienced the warmth of something called "clan" for the first time. He could not allow the future destruction of his clan to happen.

Nor would he blindly believe in how the story unfolded in the original timeline. Both he and Sukuna were variables. Continuing to plan according to the original timeline would be truly foolish.

Other than major events with fixed dates that he could not influence, he needed to selectively forget everything else so it would not affect his judgment.

"Kagami Uchiha, what are you thinking about?"

Yuhi Kurenai, seated beside Kagami Uchiha, lightly tapped his shoulder.

I'm thinking about how to wipe out the criminal forces led by the Third Hokage, with your father's bunch as their lackeys.

Kagami Uchiha turned his head and ignored her. Compared to someone like Uchiha Sasuke, one of the rare normal people in the Uchiha Clan, his personality was actually more similar to Itachi's.

Conceited, arrogant, believing he alone could shoulder all Karma.

Itachi would destroy his clan for the village. Kagami Uchiha thought that, for his clansmen, he would not hesitate to destroy the village.

Without the Uchiha, was Konoha even worth existing?

That was why Kagami Uchiha did not want to form any bonds with these people. That stuff was practically poisonous.

Obito had been ruthless enough to wipe out the clan, yet he hadn't taken back Kakashi's eye, giving up an invincible stance.

Sasuke had gotten himself stuck with Naruto, that clingy pest, and said he wouldn't accept an arm in atonement for his sins.

What a joke. What sins had he committed?

Girls were like that. The more you ignored them, the more interested they became in you.

Of course, the prerequisite was being good-looking.

Little Yuhi Kurenai edged closer. "Your hair is a little curly too. Were you born with it?"

Kagami Uchiha rose with open disdain and headed outside to find somewhere to eat his bento.

Kagami Uchiha could more or less ignore everyone else, but who was Yuhi Kurenai?

She was a "talent" capable of using ordinary genjutsu to contend with a Mangekyo wielder!

Kagami Uchiha was afraid that talking to her would lower his IQ.

Only the slightly aggrieved little girl remained behind, secretly puzzled. She could sense Kagami Uchiha's obvious disdain.

Had she done something to upset him?

Curly hair was pretty, wasn't it...

When Kagami Uchiha opened the bento his grandmother had prepared beneath a tree, several little boys surrounded him.

"Uchiha brat, you're pretty cocky!"

A young Asuma approached with a toothpick in his mouth.

"Don't you know Kurenai is my good friend? Who do you think you are, acting like that?"

Kagami Uchiha shoveled food into his mouth and said blandly, "Not just that. You two will get married and have children in the future."

"Uh..."

Asuma, who had been ready to spring into action, was completely thrown off. His little face turned bright red.

"W-What are you saying?! Marriage... that's way too far off!"

"But you Uchiha, the way you talk is..."

"Oh, right. The child won't look like you. They'll look like an Uchiha." Kagami Uchiha cut him off.

"Ahhh!! Get him! Beat him up! I'll take responsibility!"

The furious Asuma charged first.

One minute later.

Sitting on Asuma's back, Kagami Uchiha continued eating.

"Now I'll answer your first question."

With his foot planted on Asuma's palm, Kagami Uchiha said blandly, "We Uchiha are just that cocky."

"Don't think I'm some goggles-wearing loser."

"Ahh!! If you've got the guts, let me go! I wasn't ready just now!!"

The commotion drew quite a crowd. Seeing more and more people gathering, Asuma's face turned even redder.

"What do you think this is, a children's squabble? You think you get another round?"

After finishing his bento, Kagami Uchiha stood and drove Asuma's hand into the ground with one stomp.

Crack—

There seemed to be a faint sound of bone breaking.

Kagami Uchiha turned his head, his icy gaze pressing Asuma so hard that he did not dare move.

"If this were a battlefield, then the moment you attacked me, I would have been allowed to kill you."

That genuine killing intent stabbed at Asuma's nerves.

Glancing at the growing crowd of children, Kagami Uchiha swiftly reined in his killing intent and silently walked through the crowd that instinctively parted to make way for him.

He did not pretend to be friendly or try to build good relationships with his classmates.

He was not yet confident that his acting could fool those old foxes led by the Third Hokage and make him seem harmless.

In any case, in their eyes, a normal Uchiha was exactly like this—ready to explode at the slightest provocation.

Pretend to be a coward?

That was something only Fugaku would do.

An Uchiha genius had to show his edge and hold his head high in pride!

The relationship between the village and the Uchiha had not yet deteriorated to the point where they would assassinate each other's young geniuses. Otherwise, Kakashi and Shisui would never have lived past ten.

If it truly came to that point...

Kagami Uchiha buried the madness in his eyes, a madness that surpassed even Sukuna's.

Only a monster could control a monster.