In the Shinobi World, only strength would always come first.
If Seisui wanted attention, he had to display his strength at the right moment, and the Will of Fire was the fastest way for him to reach Konoha's upper ranks.
If Seisui had to write some lofty policy essay about the people's livelihood, he might have needed to think seriously for a while.
But if he only needed to seize upon the two key points of the Will of Fire and the Uchiha Clan to write an article that would catch Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shimura Danzō's attention, that would be very easy.
After all, he only had to put himself in Itachi and Shisui's mindset from the original timeline. It was not as if Seisui had never watched Naruto...
"Compared to being a genius waving the flag for the Uchiha Clan, infiltrating Konoha's upper ranks will benefit me more."
Seisui narrowed his eyes and slowly calculated.
"If I do that, I can not only dispel the Uchiha Clan's internal doubts about me, but also naturally come into contact with Minato Namikaze and his wife, the Sannin, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and Shimura Danzō..."
"It's too dangerous to make these Kage Level shinobi of the Hokage lineage confront me out of resentment or wariness. And once they develop resentment, like Tobirama Senju now, they'll become guarded against me."
"It would be safer to start with other emotions. It'll also be easier for me to find moments when they're emotionally vulnerable."
"Then the key point will be tomorrow's final examination."
"An exam that includes both actual combat and the Will of Fire will be enough to draw everyone's attention..."
Seisui poured himself a cup of hot milk. After slowly finishing it, he began doing his bedtime stretches, just as he had introduced himself to Tobirama Senju.
Tobirama Senju silently watched this scene.
By borrowing Yoshikage Kira's self-introduction as a hand fetishist and serial killer, Seisui had previously made Tobirama Senju believe that his personality was twisted—that he was one of the most deranged kinds of Uchiha.
But afterward, in order to criticize Tobirama Senju from the moral high ground, Seisui had fabricated a reason: he had developed the Secret Technique and summoned him only to solve the Uchiha's problems.
Now, what Seisui needed to do was make his actions return to how they had looked at the beginning, pulling back and forth repeatedly to blur Tobirama Senju's view.
This wise Senju had already developed thresholds and expectations for the emotional fluctuations Seisui brought him.
That was no good.
The next day.
Wearing black cosmetic contacts, Seisui headed toward the Ninja Academy shoulder to shoulder with Shisui.
The two brothers ate steaming buns as they quietly reviewed yesterday's battle.
"You did very well, Shisui. At six years old, you couldn't have done any better. Someday, you'll definitely become stronger than your brother."
"Remember, don't reveal your Sharingan too easily. People will see you as a monstrous genius and exclude you..."
Shisui rolled his eyes, nodded, and muttered, "Brother, compared to my Sharingan, isn't your fighting style far more shocking and intimidating...?"
"Well, a young Uchiha genius might make some people nervous. But what if someone with Tobirama Senju's talent is an Uchiha who hasn't awakened his eyes? Konoha's upper ranks probably never imagined that, right?"
Seisui vigorously ruffled Shisui's hair and said with a smile, "Anyway, remember what you just promised me. Just be an ordinary genius."
"Leave the village and clan matters to your big brother, the adult."
Shisui snorted softly. He seemed to enjoy this moment, though no one knew what he was thinking.
"Qingshui-kun!"
A vigorous greeting intruded upon the harmonious scene between the Uchiha brothers.
Might Guy wore his signature green jumpsuit. Sweat covered his bowl-cut head, and he flashed gleaming White Fang as he gave Seisui a thumbs-up.
"Youth begins burning from the moment you get out of bed! Qingshui-kun, have a passionate handstand race with me! Let's use it as a magnificent warm-up for the exam ahead!"
Seeing Might Guy's bizarre posture with his head toward the ground and his rear in the air, Shisui showed a hint of embarrassment.
As an Uchiha genius, although he was highly adaptable, he was still reserved at heart.
Shisui truly could not accept such a socially humiliating training method...
Yet Seisui smiled gently and slowly gave Might Guy a thumbs-up. "Guy, you're always so hardworking."
"I believe you'll definitely become an outstanding taijutsu shinobi."
"Thank you for supporting me as always, Qingshui-kun!" Tears spilled from Might Guy's eyes as he rushed to Seisui's side and shouted.
"Qingshui-kun, do your best on today's graduation exam! Let's become outstanding shinobi together!"
"Yosh! With Qingshui-kun's encouragement, I'll add another fifty laps to tonight's training! If I can't finish them, I'll challenge Kakashi!"
With a loud roar, Might Guy instantly accelerated and ran off on his hands as though no one else existed.
"That guy..."
Shisui watched Might Guy's departing figure, narrowing his eyes in displeasure. "What did he mean by that? Work hard together and become outstanding shinobi? Was he mocking you for not graduating yet, Brother?"
Seisui smiled slightly, flicked Shisui's forehead, then leisurely said to his pained younger brother, "Don't be so sensitive. Might Guy is only worried about me."
"After all, I really am an eleven-year-old Uchiha who still can't graduate. I'm not a genius like you, Shisui."
In this era, when the clouds of war had yet to disperse, the Ninja Academy's graduation system was exceptionally flexible.
As long as one was confident their abilities met the standard, anyone could apply to graduate early. It was not the system from Naruto's era, where everyone graduated together at twelve.
So far, the youngest graduation record was held by Kakashi. He entered the academy at five, graduated at six, and became a Chunin at seven. He was known as Konoha's strongest genius of this generation.
That was why six-year-old Shisui wanted to graduate in one go and then become a Chunin, drawing the village and clan's attention by surpassing Kakashi.
Kakashi Hatake, Hatake Sakumo's son, was Konoha's undisputed rising star and a celebrity within the village.
"Don't joke around, Brother..."
Shisui shook his head awkwardly. "How could I count as a genius compared to you?"
"If you stopped hiding your strength, it wouldn't even be impossible for you to be promoted straight to Jonin..."
Seisui chuckled but did not respond.
Although he planned to display his strength, he had no intention of becoming a Jonin. In fact, he did not even want to graduate...
Today, Seisui intended to use the exam as an opportunity to bind Obito Uchiha and Might Guy to himself.
As long as those two precious crops had not graduated, Seisui would remain at the Ninja Academy with them and squeeze value from them again and again...
As they spoke, Seisui and Shisui arrived at the Ninja Academy and entered the spacious training field.
Seisui swept his gaze over the area and curled his lips slightly. "My luck's pretty good..."
For some reason.
Kakashi Hatake, already a Chunin, stood among the teachers in examiner's attire, casually reading the book in his hands.
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