Yes, We Uchiha Are This Awesome

Kagami Uchiha couldn't yet absorb too much of Sukuna's power, the principle similar to Naruto and the Nine-Tails.

He was too young, his body not fully developed.

If what resided inside him was the Nine-Tails, Kagami Uchiha would try to reach an understanding with it, but Sukuna...

This was a thoroughgoing egoist, evil by nature, taking pleasure in killing women and children.

Toward Sukuna, Kagami Uchiha had a clear understanding—he was merely nourishment for his own growth.

Compared to Sukuna, the Uchiha bloodline within him was clearly more worth developing.

The Sharingan.

The ultimate manifestation of Yin Release, governing the spiritual energy of imagination, creating form from nothing.

Once the Mangekyo awakened, it could even possess the power to distort space-time!

The King of Curses' Cursed Energy was, in fact, also a manifestation of Yin Release.

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

Kagami Uchiha was originally an adult soul, and with Sukuna as a Yin Release Power Bank, his spiritual energy was off the charts.

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

In Kagami Uchiha's view, unless absolutely necessary, awakening the Mangekyo too early wasn't a good thing—the strain on the body was too great.

Sasuke Uchiha's childhood illness was likely related to him awakening the Mangekyo before his body was fully developed.

Too bad little brother Shisui kicked it before any aftereffects could show up; otherwise, with another case, Kagami Uchiha could have judged better.

Obito, you say?

That half-White Zetsu body of his was no easy thing to get!

No, wait... it didn't seem... that hard to get...

Just as Kagami Uchiha was pondering how to get in touch with Tobi, that kid who liked playing with shit, the teacher's voice rang out from the podium.

"This afternoon is Combat Training. For the new students, we'll test Shuriken Throwing."

The Second Hokage pioneered the Ninja Academy model, but in his era, it was only a rough draft, more like a Jonin leading multiple disciples.

It was during the Third Hokage's term that the education system was truly established, bringing in the various ninja clans.

They even cultivated elite ninja like the Sannin.

More importantly... Orochimaru and Jiraiya were civilians by birth—the implications of that went without saying.

No matter how many mistakes Sarutobi Hiruzen would later make due to the weakness called "tolerance," the Shinobi Hero of now hadn't fully aged yet.

Hashirama Senju was unmatched under heaven, seizing the best land, but after his death came two successive Great Ninja Wars.

And mind you... in both Great Ninja Wars, Konoha was the victor!

You could call the Third Hokage bad, but you couldn't call him weak.

Among the Kage of the Five Great Nations of his era, he was genuinely the strongest!

As an Uchiha, Kagami Uchiha indeed regarded the Third Hokage's faction as a hypothetical enemy, but he wouldn't underestimate them.

Having no parents, he experienced the warmth called "clan members" for the first time, and he couldn't allow the future of clan annihilation to happen.

Nor would he blindly believe in the progression of the original timeline's story. He and Sukuna were both variables; following the original timeline's layout would be foolish.

Aside from major events fixed in time that he couldn't influence, other matters needed selective forgetting to avoid clouding his judgment.

"Kagami Uchiha, what are you thinking about?"

Kurenai Yuhi, sitting next to Kagami Uchiha, gently tapped his shoulder.

I'm thinking about how to take down the black-hearted forces led by the Third Hokage, with your dad and his cronies as the claws.

Kagami Uchiha turned his head and ignored her. Compared to someone like Sasuke Uchiha, one of the few normal Uchiha, his personality was actually closer to Itachi's.

Arrogant, proud, believing he alone could bear all the karma.

Itachi would destroy his clan for the village; Kagami Uchiha thought that for his clan, destroying the village was worth it.

Was there any need for Konoha to exist without the Uchiha?

So Kagami Uchiha didn't want to build any bonds with these people—they were like poison.

Obito had the heart to annihilate the clan but couldn't take back Kakashi's eyes, giving up an invincible stance.

Sasuke got tangled up with Naruto, that sticky plaster, saying he wouldn't take back his arm to atone.

Ridiculous, what crime did he have?

Little girls—the more you ignore them, the more interested they get in you.

Of course, the prerequisite was being good-looking.

Little Kurenai Yuhi leaned in a bit closer. "Your hair's a little curly too—were you born with it?"

Kagami Uchiha got up in open disgust and walked off to find a spot to eat his lunchbox.

He could ignore the others, but Kurenai Yuhi? Of all people?

She was the kind of talent who could pit ordinary Genjutsu against Mangekyo dojutsu!

Talking to her, Kagami feared for his own intelligence.

All that was left was a slightly aggrieved little girl, quietly puzzled. She could feel Kagami's obvious disdain.

Had she done something to upset him?

Curly hair looked nice, didn't it...

--

When Kagami Uchiha opened his grandmother's lunchbox under a tree, a few little boys gathered around.

"Uchiha brat, you're pretty cocky!"

Young Asuma walked up, a toothpick dangling from his mouth.

"You know Red's my good friend—what's with the attitude?"

Kagami shoveled rice into his mouth and said flatly, "More than that. You'll marry her and have kids later."

"Uh..."

Asuma, all wound up, was thrown completely off. His little face flushed bright red.

"Wh... what are you talking about! What... what marriage... that's way too far off!"

"But you, an Uchiha, saying stuff like—"

"By the way, the kid won't look like you. It'll look like an Uchiha." Kagami cut him off.

"Aaaah!! Get him! Beat him up! I'll take the blame!"

Furious, Asuma charged in first.

One minute later.

Sitting on Asuma's back, Kagami continued eating his lunch.

"Now I'll answer your first question."

Stepping on Asuma's hand, Kagami said coolly, "We Uchiha are exactly this cocky."

"Don't lump me in with trash like Goggles."

"Ah!! Let me go if you've got the guts! I wasn't ready just now!"

The commotion drew a crowd. As the onlookers grew, Asuma's face turned even redder.

"You think this is a kid's brawl? No do-overs."

Kagami finished his lunchbox, and as he stood up, he stomped Asuma's hand into the dirt.

Crack—

A faint sound of bone breaking.

Kagami turned his head, his icy glare pinning Asuma in place.

"If this were a battlefield, the moment you attacked me, I'd be allowed to kill you."

That instant of genuine killing intent stabbed into Asuma's nerves.

Glancing at the growing crowd of children, Kagami quickly reined in his killing intent and silently walked past the crowd, which parted on its own.

He didn't bother pretending to be friendly or building good relations with his classmates.

He wasn't confident enough in his acting skills to fool old foxes like the Third Hokage into thinking he was harmless.

Anyway, in their eyes, this was just how a normal Uchiha acted—quick to explode.

Playing the shrinking turtle?

That was something Fugaku would do.

An Uchiha genius had to be sharp-edged and arrogant!

The village's relationship with the Uchiha clan hadn't deteriorated to the point of assassinating child prodigies yet. Otherwise, kids like Kakashi and Shisui would never have lived past ten.

When it really came to that point...

The madness buried deep in Kagami Uchiha's eyes rivaled Sukuna's, and then some.

Only a monster could control a monster.