Konoha Needs a New Kagami Uchiha

Before even graduating from the Ninja Academy, he had learned a C-rank Ninjutsu, and his proficiency seemed far from beginner level. He had already reached the point where he could use it in actual combat.

Two blazing fireballs crashed together in the center of the field.

The Chunin examiner overseeing the test immediately panicked and rose to stop them, only for a powerful hand to press her back down.

"It's fine, Chunin Muna. I'm here. Nothing will happen."

A big-nosed Jonin had appeared beside the examiner, Muna, at some point and looked down at the battlefield.

Only then did she let out a sigh of relief.

Right, the Hokage's son was here. Someone was bound to be watching over him. How could anything happen?

"Jonin Kōtō, so you were here too. Thank goodness."

Chunin Muna sat back down.

"As expected of the Hokage's son and a genius of the Uchiha Clan. They actually learned such powerful Ninjutsu before graduating. If you weren't here, I wouldn't even know how to stop them."

Looking at the two youths still locked in a stalemate, Chunin Muna spoke to Mokume Koto with a face full of admiration.

"A genius of the Uchiha Clan... Didn't they say there were two Uchiha geniuses in this class? Where's the other one?"

"There, that's Uchiha Gen. He comes close to full marks and takes first place in every written exam, and he's no worse than Enju and the others in combat drills. Though judging by this, he might still be a little inferior. After all, they can both use such formidable Ninjutsu."

Muna pointed at Uchiha Gen, who was sitting beneath a tree.

Mokume Koto followed her gesture and saw that Uchiha Gen was talking with a classmate beside him. The people around him did not seem hostile toward this Uchiha either.

"Just as the Third Hokage's intelligence said, this Uchiha has a relatively mild temperament. Unlike other gifted ninja born into the Uchiha Clan, he isn't arrogant. He doesn't seem hard to get along with."

Mokume Koto looked at Uchiha Gen, then at Sarutobi Enju. As he pondered, he nodded almost imperceptibly.

In one more day, those two would become his subordinates.

Mokume Koto was both satisfied and troubled by the two Genin the Third Hokage had assigned him.

As the Third Hokage's confidant, Mokume Koto knew very well that the composition of this soon-to-graduate Genin team carried a certain political significance.

Sarutobi Enju was the Third Hokage's son, unquestionably a direct descendant of the Hokage Lineage. Combined with his decent talent, there was a strong chance he would become one of the core figures of the Hokage Lineage in the future.

The Uchiha Clan stood apart from Konoha's upper ranks. Although they possessed considerable prestige and strength, after the deaths of the Second Hokage and Kagami Uchiha, their conflict with the village had only deepened.

It was only a faint sign for now, but if it were allowed to develop, disaster might arise within a few years.

Therefore, before that happened, the Third Hokage needed to cultivate a new Kagami Uchiha to serve as a bridge between Konoha's upper ranks and the Uchiha Clan.

That Uchiha first needed a certain amount of talent. At the very least, he could not be too mediocre. Once he grew stronger, he would need enough power to gain sufficient influence within the Uchiha Clan. His personality also needed to meet certain requirements.

At the very least, he needed the potential to be moved by the Will of Fire. Only then could he become one of the Hokage's people.

Because of the education he had received and the personality he had developed in his previous life, Uchiha Gen had been selected despite merely displaying the social habits of an ordinary person.

Uchiha Obito, the hot-blooded youth from the original timeline, might have entered Minato Squad for the same reason—

Obito had graduated at nine, become a Chunin at eleven, and learned the Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu. That was enough to prove that his talent was not poor. At the very least, he counted as a minor genius. Even if he had been a dead last, he had been the dead last of an elite class. He only seemed weak because he was not very bright.

"And there's also Utsuki Ruri. Is that her?"

Mokume Koto pointed at a pretty girl among the crowd with smooth purple hair.

She was the final member of his team.

Muna explained, "Yes, that's Utsuki Ruri. She ranked fifth in the written exams and fourth in the combat assessment. Her future looks promising."

This class had special political significance. Just as Ino-Shika-Cho would certainly be assigned to the same team, they would not balance things out by average grades. As for the remaining member, she could not be too weak either. Ideally, she would also have the ability to harmonize the team.

As they spoke, the battle between Sarutobi Enju and Uchiha Inabi had already ended.

The final victor was Sarutobi Enju.

His Flame Bullet successfully overwhelmed Uchiha Inabi's Great Fireball. He pursued Inabi while he dodged, ultimately defeating him.

"Dammit!"

Uchiha Inabi slammed his fist heavily against the ground, shot Sarutobi Enju a vicious glare, then turned to Uchiha Gen.

He had originally planned to win this match, then defeat Uchiha Gen fair and square to claim first place among this year's graduates. He wanted to tell everyone that he was the stronger genius among this generation of Uchiha. He had trained hard for that purpose, yet he had still lost.

"Whew, that wasn't easy, Gen. Now it's your turn to face me."

Having defeated Uchiha Inabi, Sarutobi Enju looked at Uchiha Gen with an excited expression.

"You should rest first. Besides, Inabi already forced out all the Ninjutsu you know. With your information exposed, are you sure you can still beat me?"

Uchiha Gen swallowed the last raisin and spoke to Sarutobi Enju.

Although Uchiha Inabi had lost to Sarutobi Enju, he was not actually weak. Enju's consumption had definitely been substantial.

"It's fine. Didn't you just fight Ruri too? I only need ten... uh, five minutes to rest."

As Sarutobi Enju spoke, he could not help glancing toward the purple-haired girl.

Hehe, Ruri really is beautiful.

Seeing Sarutobi Enju's lovestruck expression, Uchiha Gen immediately understood. This guy wanted to show off in front of the girl he liked. He might even want to beat Gen up.

After all, Uchiha Gen had been the one to defeat Utsuki Ruri in the earlier combat drill.

"It's fine. Wait until you feel you've recovered enough. I'll wait."

Uchiha Gen spoke.

Sorry, Enju. For my Experience Points, I'll have to make you lose face in front of your goddess.

Sarutobi Enju took a sip of the orange-yellow drink in his cup to quench his thirst, then swallowed a refined Ration Pill sold by the Nara Clan to restore his chakra. Like a monkey, he eagerly ran back to the center of the field and formed the Seal of Confrontation with Uchiha Gen.

Chunin Muna, who had somehow returned to the field, swung down her raised arm.

"Begin!"

Clang!

In an instant, the sound of kunai and shuriken colliding rang out. On the distant viewing platform, Mokume Koto stood with one hand behind his back, watching the match.

At the same time, inside the Hokage's Office, the Third Hokage raised his pipe and watched the scene through the Crystal Ball.