The Uchiha Three Prodigies

News of the attack on the Uchiha Clan Compound quickly spread far and wide.

Upon hearing the news, Tajima raced back as though his life depended on it, reaching the compound that very night.

After learning what had happened from his subordinates, he immediately headed to the Medical Clinic without another word.

Inside the room, Kyosuke lay unconscious while five highly skilled medical ninjas gathered to discuss a treatment plan.

After briefly asking about his condition, Tajima issued an absolute order. "Save him at any cost. Take whatever medicinal herbs you need from the Supply Storehouse's reserves."

"If you can't save him, or can't restore him to full health, find yourselves a rope and hang yourselves."

After taking a long look at the mummy-like Kyosuke, Tajima turned and left. There was still something else he needed to confirm.

Entering the ward next door, the clan leader found his two sons discussing something.

He did not ask about their health. His very first words were, "Have both of you awakened your Sharingan?"

The brothers exchanged a glance, then simultaneously gathered their chakra and activated the Sharingan they had only recently acquired.

The next second...

"Hahahaha!" Tajima Uchiha's laughter echoed throughout the Medical Clinic.

Madara Uchiha had awakened his eyes at ten, while Izuna was even more remarkable-he had only just turned seven.

What did that mean?

Izuna had matched the record held by Kyosuke.

He, Tajima Uchiha, had fathered two children with limitless potential.

He had heard that Butsuma Senju boasted about his two sons to everyone he met. When they next faced each other on the battlefield, he would make sure the man knew which of them was the better father.

"The Uchiha... no, my bloodline far surpasses anyone else's."

Watching his father laugh like a madman, Madara sighed helplessly and shot his younger brother a look.

Hurry up and stop him. Don't let him keep embarrassing himself... Izuna understood the message his brother was sending.

"Ahem, Father..." Izuna cautiously interrupted him, swallowed, and said softly, "Well, um, Kyosuke seems to have already awakened the two-tomoe Sharingan."

Inside the clinic, Tajima's wild laughter stopped abruptly.

"Mm, an unfamiliar ceiling~" Kyosuke finally awoke from his coma.

The strong scent of medicinal herbs in the ward made him sneeze lightly, triggering a wave of indescribable aching.

"Holy shit, does it have to be this ridiculous?" Little Kyosuke wanted to cry but had no tears. Even his breathing involuntarily grew much slower.

It felt like sitting on the toilet for two hours, then standing up without a care.

Only someone who had experienced it could understand that exquisite agony.

Perhaps having heard his cursing, a group of medical ninjas soon entered from outside.

"Don't worry. Your recovery is going very smoothly." A gray-haired old man smiled at him. "Just rest easy, our little hero."

Kyosuke unquestionably deserved the greatest credit for this battle. No one could erase his contribution.

After discussing a few precautions, they soon went their separate ways. With nothing else to do, he opened his system panel to check his earlier gains.

[System notification: Killed a Nara Clan jonin. Gained 3,600 points.]

Killing the enemy had earned him a considerable reward.

The points he had spent upgrading his ninjutsu had now climbed back to 4,000.

That meant he had gotten level 2 of the Shisui-style Body Flicker Technique for free.

Of course, speed alone would not have allowed him to evade a jonin's desperate killing move.

He had survived because, at the most critical moment, his Sharingan had finally evolved.

One year to advance from his initial awakening to two tomoe already made him a peerless, one-in-ten-thousand genius among the Uchiha of this era.

Compared with later generations, however, that achievement was merely average.

In the original story, Uchiha Sasuke had finally mastered the use of his Sharingan during the battle in the Land of Waves.

After completing the mission and returning to Konoha, Team 7 had entered the Chunin Ninja Exams. While facing Orochimaru in Konoha's forest, his eyes had evolved straight to the two-tomoe stage.

How many days had passed between those events?

Then came the Sound Ninja invasion, Sasuke's defection, and his furious awakening of three tomoe at the Valley of the End.

He had completed an unprecedented three-stage leap in less than half a year.

In this era, that would have been enough to scare a great many clansmen to death.

Kyosuke had taken an entire year to advance. By comparison, he was downright pathetic.

"Indra's Chakra really is useful stuff."

Thinking of Indra inevitably brought another being to mind: Black Zetsu.

Kyosuke was certain that he had come under the man's observation.

Awakening the Sharingan at seven looked every bit like a reincarnation of Indra's Chakra.

Had he not known the plot, he would probably have harbored the same suspicions.

Now, however, Madara's awakening meant that the Ōtsutsuki genes within him had begun to gradually awaken.

No matter how stupid Black Zetsu was, he had probably realized that he had been watching the wrong target.

Free from that old schemer's scrutiny, Kyosuke felt completely at ease. His next concern was heading to the front lines.

Whatever Tajima thought now, learning that Kyosuke had awakened two tomoe would inevitably put him on high alert.

Since he could not openly target Kyosuke, he would send him far away instead.

After a few years, Madara Uchiha would have built an unshakable reputation. By then, Tajima would no longer care whether Kyosuke returned.

Anyone else with ambitions would naturally have been unwilling to suffer this unconventional form of exile.

Kyosuke, however, wanted nothing more than to get as far from the main battlefield as possible.

The Southern Three Clans were certainly powerful, and the Ino-Shika-Cho combination had unrivaled combat prowess. Even combined, however, they could not measure up to half the strength of the Senju of the Forest.

Even if he had to go there, he would at least wait until he possessed the strength of a jonin.

As for the Southern Army, that was the training ground he had envisioned for himself.

As he thought it over, drowsiness crept over Kyosuke. Enduring the aching pain, he shifted his body slightly and soon fell into a deep sleep.

Elsewhere, more than half the Shinobi World was discussing the Uchiha.

As a prestigious clan of the Warring States Period, the Uchiha were always the focus of outside attention.

As the saying went, no one understood you better than your enemies.

Many people understood what awakening the Sharingan at seven meant. What was more, three such geniuses had appeared at once.

With an unknown force pushing things along, the name of the Uchiha Three Prodigies became widely known.

As their fame soared, bounties for the Three Prodigies also appeared on the Underground Exchange's listings.

Countless hunters eagerly prepared to hunt down those young brats.

Talent that could never be realized might well prove a terrible disaster.

The force behind it clearly intended to use outsiders to kill off the Uchiha's outstanding younger generation.

At the same time, this gave Tajima the perfect opportunity to make his move.

Half a month later, Kyosuke had just recovered from his serious injuries. Before he could enjoy even a few days of happiness, he received orders assigning him to the Southern Army.

Position: Unit commander.

He could command a ninja squad of no more than thirty members.

It was hardly a meteoric rise, but at least he now held genuine authority.

As long as he trained them well, he could gain a group of loyal subordinates.

Provided, of course, that anyone was willing to serve under an eight-year-old brat.