Going to School

After sensing the change in his eyes, Katsuo went to the riverbank. Using the moonlight reflected off the water, he saw his own eyes clearly—they were Two-Tomoe Sharingan!

While Katsuo was delighted, he also felt it was only natural. In the end, the Sharingan was merely an embodiment of Yin Release, and Yin Release was an embodiment of spiritual energy.

When he activated the Sharingan, his spiritual energy could surge by thirty percent. Even without activating it, his spiritual energy had increased by ten percent.

The darkness of night could no longer obscure his vision!

Even the slightest movement in the grass hundreds of meters away appeared exceptionally clear to him!

Less than two minutes later, his Sharingan shut off automatically because his Chakra had been exhausted. Katsuo calmed himself and headed straight back to camp to rest.

A Double Tomoe wielder at only five years old!

If the Uchiha Clan learned of this, it would undoubtedly cause a shocking upheaval!

No, not just the Uchiha Clan. The entire Konoha, perhaps even the entire ninja world, would be shaken!

At the age of five, he had already surpassed Uchiha Madara. He had even awakened his eyes as an astonishing Double Tomoe Sharingan. With such a Prodigy, who would dare say he could not surpass Uchiha Madara in the future? Who would dare underestimate him?

Just one Uchiha Madara had once left the vast ninja world struggling to breathe. If another child with the potential to surpass Uchiha Madara appeared, who could afford not to care? Who would dare let down their guard?

Even if Katsuo returned to the Uchiha Compound now and revealed his eyes to the Uchiha higher-ups, he estimated that ten percent would want him dead, seventy percent would want to turn him into a sharp blade in their hands, and fewer than twenty percent might see him as hope—the hope of restoring the Uchiha Clan!

Perhaps Katsuo's Sharingan could influence many people now, but it could not influence him. He knew full well that awakening early did not mean having great potential, nor did it mean being a genius.

Lord Madara was incredible, wasn't he? He did not awaken his eyes until he was fifteen! Uchiha Madara had shaken the ninja world—who would dare say he was not a genius? Yet he had awakened with only a single tomoe!

So there was nothing for Katsuo to be proud of right now. If there was anything, perhaps it was only that vast, surging spiritual energy!

However, without a strong physique to match it, even powerful spiritual strength would not be able to accomplish much.

Most importantly, he did not have a biological brother of the same bloodline. Without a brother, there could be no Eternal Mangekyo, and his eyes would eventually go blind!

Katsuo's daily life was terribly monotonous. Every day, he did nothing but train and eat, then train again after eating.

Moreover, he discovered that more than ninety percent of the prey he had caught recently had been snakes. The place where he had set his traps truly had so many snakes that it was frightening!

He had made so much dried snake meat that he could barely finish it all. Though it was incredibly tough and dense, making it hard to chew, it was high in energy and very filling!

Early one morning, Katsuo busied himself beside the camp for half the day. He had caught a wild bird the previous night and planned to stew a pot of Dragon Phoenix Stew to try, even at the cost of some precious time...

"Uh, I really don't have any talent for cooking!"

After taking a sip of the soup, Katsuo muttered awkwardly. The taste was truly awful...

After pinching his nose and forcing down enough to fill his stomach, Katsuo headed to the Ninja Academy. A week had passed. He had come to register yesterday, and today was the official first day of class.

But the moment he stepped into the classroom, a figure blocked his path!

"You! Where have you been lately? I couldn't find you when I went looking for you yesterday morning. When I came to the academy and asked around, I found out you had already registered and left. And today too—was that remote little courtyard even your home...?"

A fair-skinned girl with black hair and black eyes pouted in dissatisfaction. Her angry little pout looked exceedingly cute!

"Uchiha... Mikoto?" Katsuo asked after a brief pause, not entirely sure.

"Hmph!" Uchiha Mikoto turned her face away and snorted softly, her fair cheeks slightly flushed.

"You came to find me? Why did you come looking for me...?"

Katsuo asked in confusion. His home was so far away, and they were not even close. Why had she come all the way to his door...?

"You! If Sister Kuiko hadn't asked me to find you because she was afraid you'd forget to register, do you think I would have wanted to? Where do you even live? It took me over an hour to make the round trip! I was exhausted, and I was still late for registration! Yet you're asking why I came looking for you!" Uchiha Mikoto gritted her teeth in anger.

"Uh, sorry to put you through that..."

"But you don't need to go there anymore. I don't live there now."

"You think I wanted to? I'll never come looking for you again, hmph!"

"Oh."

Katsuo answered indifferently, then found his seat and sat down, quietly waiting for the teacher to arrive.

Seeing how unconcerned he looked, Uchiha Mikoto was so angry her teeth itched. She felt rather wronged.

But once she sat beside Katsuo, she became even angrier.

I'm actually sitting next to this guy. Damn it!

But after not seeing him for a week, this guy has actually become... fleshier?

Thinking back to how Katsuo had looked when she first met him, he had been downright frightening—skin and bones, filthy, and pitiful. She still remembered it vividly. But how had he changed so much now? Uchiha Mikoto stared blankly at Katsuo's face!

"Hm? Why are you staring at me like that? Am I handsome?"

Waiting was always so boring. Katsuo turned his head and teased her directly. He was also curious about what Uchiha Mikoto wanted.

"Ah! Sorry, excuse me!"

Having received a good education, she knew that staring at someone like that was extremely rude. Even though she silently cursed him for being shameless, she still apologized sincerely.

On the first morning of class, Katsuo experienced what pressure truly was!

Everyone in his Class 1-1 was a Nominated Student. The students either came from major clans or had been nominated by Jonin. It could be said that this was the most important Elite Class among all the first-year classes.

"Yamanaka, Nara, Akimichi—the Ino-Shika-Cho clans. Hyuga Hiashi and Hizashi Hyuga of the Hyuga Clan. The Sarutobi Clan, the Aburame Clan, and even... Senju Nawaki?"

A single class of introductions allowed Katsuo to remember everyone in the room. After all, these were Konoha's future pillars!

He was shocked, but he also found it quite interesting.

"This year's Elite Class seems quite outstanding. But... these two children from the Uchiha Clan?"

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, looked doubtfully at the Crystal Ball before him.

Beside him were not only the future Sannin, but also two of Konoha's Advisors.

Every movement made by the students of Class 1-1 was displayed in the Crystal Ball. This was his Telescope Technique!

"These two children were recommended by the Uchiha Clan's Third Elder. One is his granddaughter. As for the other... I'm not too sure. Still, these two children look rather ordinary, especially that boy..."

Orochimaru the Cold, Hiruzen Sarutobi's prized disciple and one of the future Sannin, said in a hoarse voice.

"What's Nawaki looking around for? He can't stay still at all. Honestly..." Tsunade muttered as she watched Senju Nawaki in the Crystal Ball.

"Yeah, yeah, he really can't sit still!" Jiraiya replied with a lecherous look on his face, staring at Tsunade's bust. Tsunade was already quite well-endowed and very eye-catching. He did not even glance at the Crystal Ball.

Boom!!!

After a tremendous crash, Jiraiya smashed through a wall with his body and flew out, while Tsunade calmly lowered her fist.

Two Anbu flashed into view and began repairing the human-shaped hole. Everyone else ignored it as though it were perfectly normal; this sort of thing apparently happened often!

"Isn't the Uchiha Clan being far too reckless? They brought two little brats into the Elite Class? What does Uchiha Feng take Konoha's Jonin nominations for? Is he allowed to trample over them so casually?"

Utatane Koharu, one of Konoha's Advisors, said coldly as she stared at Katsuo in the Crystal Ball.

The atmosphere grew somewhat heavy.

Finally, Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke, breaking the strange silence.

"Forget it. There is no need to reject his nominations over two Elite Class slots. Besides, Uchiha Fugaku, whom the Uchiha Clan nominated in the previous year, was quite good. If I remember correctly, he was first in his year?"

Utatane Koharu did not argue after hearing that. She simply found it unpleasant to look at, so she had voiced a complaint and taken the opportunity to disgust the Uchiha Clan.

As most of their attention focused on Katsuo, he, who had been listening attentively in the classroom, suddenly turned his head and looked toward an empty corner of the wall!