"You're Sora Uchiha?"
A fat boy stood opposite Sora Uchiha, squinting as he looked him up and down before speaking with disdain.
Sora glanced at him and thought that the Akimichi Clan really was full of fat people. The kid in front of him couldn't have been more than eleven or twelve, yet he weighed over two hundred pounds.
Phew—good thing I wasn't reincarnated into the Akimichi Clan, he thought.
"Yeah. If there isn't anyone else in the Uchiha Clan named Sora, then I'm Sora Uchiha." He smiled faintly and answered unhurriedly. "Do you have a problem with me?"
He could have taken the chubby kid out in an instant, but the boy seemed to have it in for him, and Sora was curious, so he was willing to chat a little longer.
"Hmph!" Choji Akimichi snorted loudly. His face was full of indignation and anger. "It's all your fault! If it weren't for you, my mom wouldn't be so strict with me!"
?
Sora was taken aback. Wait, he didn't quite understand. What did he have to do with Choji Akimichi's mom?
"You're too good! My mom compares me to you every day, going on and on about how other people's kids are so much better!" Choji Akimichi said angrily. "I'll prove myself! I'm no worse than you!"
With that, he formed hand seals and shouted, "Ninjutsu: Expansion Jutsu!"
The next moment, his palm grew larger than a person and came crashing down toward Sora!
Sora was speechless. He hadn't expected the chubby kid to be angry just because Sora was the other people's kid his mom kept talking about.
Now that he understood the reason, he didn't bother wasting any more time. This was the perfect chance to try out the Lightning Strike he had just acquired.
He brought his hands together.
Secret Scroll: Lightning Strike!
A rumble of thunder!
A bolt of lightning struck Choji Akimichi precisely, and he let out a scream before collapsing with smoke rising from his head.
Instant defeat.
Skills really were no match for secret scrolls, huh? That made sense.
Yumeno Chunin was stunned for a moment, then quickly came to her senses. "Sora Uchiha wins!"
Shio Nara watched Sora Uchiha with a thoughtful gaze, thinking that he really was just as the Third Hokage had said: a genius among geniuses.
He hadn't used ordinary hand seals just now. He had simply clapped his hands together. It seemed that only the First had once been able to use that kind of hand seal...
The more exceptional Sora Uchiha was, the more of a headache he became.
Ever since the Second Hokage's death, tensions between the Uchiha and Konoha had grown worse. The Uchiha Clan had now even been pushed away from the center of Konoha.
And at this critical moment, the Uchiha had produced a genius like him.
Geniuses like that were too difficult to control.
The Third Hokage had sent Shio to choose a member of the Uchiha Clan and train him to become the next Kagami Uchiha, a bridge between Konoha and the Uchiha.
The Uchiha chosen couldn't have too little talent; once he came of age, he needed to have a say within the clan.
But Sora Uchiha's talent was too great. At this age, he had already surpassed even Fugaku Uchiha's performance!
Shio wasn't confident he could control him.
He sighed softly. "Forget it. I'll observe him for a while first. If he has a strong Will of Fire, I'll talk to him..."
Sora Uchiha had no idea that, despite his young age, that old Third Hokage had already set his sights on him.
At that moment, he happily returned to the rest area. He was very pleased with the power of the Secret Scroll: Lightning Strike.
It was fast and powerful. If he wasn't mistaken, he could even use it while restrained.
"Ah, life... so lonely, like snow..."
"Sora, what are you mumbling about? You're acting so weird." Just as Sora Uchiha's chuunibyou was flaring up, Kurenai Yuhi came over and gave him a curious look.
"What would you know? This is a genius's heartfelt reflection," Sora Uchiha said calmly.
"Sure, sure. Then could this genius please eat fewer snacks?"
"No way. A gentleman keeps his word." Sora Uchiha smiled faintly. This little girl had lost their bet and still didn't want to accept it. Now she was trying to weasel out of paying up.
"Tsk."
"Did you just click your tongue?"
"No, you heard wrong."
After a while,
Sora Uchiha silently watched Kurenai Yuhi battle someone below, lost in thought.
Come to think of it, if not for the system, he should have taken the Chunin Ninja Exams a long time ago. He wouldn't have spent so much time around kids of Kurenai Yuhi's generation.
Maybe... his father would have placed great hopes in him, entrusting him with the future of the Uchiha Clan?
He knew. Ever since the day he had revealed his talent, he had known that Fugaku Uchiha, the Uchiha Clan Head, had placed great hopes in him.
In other words... he was expected to lead the Uchiha back to their former glory.
In recent years, ever since Kagami Uchiha's death, the Uchiha Clan had been ostracized by Konoha's other clans and gradually pushed away from the center of Konoha's politics.
The clan members were furious about it. The Uchiha were one of Konoha's two oldest clans, so why should they be driven out of the village's center?
It was an answer everyone knew.
Because they were afraid—afraid of the Uchiha's power.
Whether in the First Shinobi World War or the Second Shinobi World War, the Shinobi World had witnessed the Uchiha's fangs and their terrifying strength.
This clan, born for battle, was the stuff of nightmares for countless people on the battlefield.
All it took was one Mangekyo to turn the tide of an entire battle!
That kind of power, where one person could stand as an army, frightened not only the other ninja villages, but Konoha as well.
Tobirama Senju's words—"Those evil Uchiha brats"—rang in the ears of every Konoha shinobi.
"Ah, I just want to enjoy myself in this world. Why is there so much trouble?" Sora Uchiha shook his head, pushing those thoughts aside.
While he was thinking, Kurenai Yuhi won her battle, too.
"Heh heh, Sora, how was that? I was great, right?" Kurenai Yuhi proudly wrinkled her nose.
"Mm-hmm, amazing." Sora Uchiha answered perfunctorily. He hadn't even been watching, but the little girl might as well have had "praise me" written all over her face. If he told her the truth, he'd only make her angry.
Besides, compliments were free. He could hand them out whenever he wanted.
"Heh heh, I might not be as good as you, but I'll definitely become a Jonin someday," Kurenai Yuhi said proudly.
"A Jonin? Tch, your goal is way too small. I'm going to become Hokage!" Obito came over and scoffed. "Then you can address me as Fifth Hokage, Sixth Hokage."
"Tch, you can't even beat me," Kurenai Yuhi said, curling her lip.
Obito panicked. "That's because I haven't awakened the power of my Sharingan yet. Once I do, I'll surpass you in no time!"
"Sora hasn't awakened his Sharingan either, so why is he so strong?"
"Uh... he's not human."
Sora Uchiha: Seriously, where are your manners?
Come to think of it, although he had Uchiha blood, his childhood had been pretty good. He hadn't experienced anything that left a profound mark on him.
So he really hadn't awakened his Sharingan. The clan members were anxious about it, too. Some had even wanted to throw him onto the battlefield to give him a little push.
But to Sora Uchiha, the Sharingan didn't seem all that important.
After all, he was the Summoning Dog. He was the Scroll Dog. Once he grew up, nobody could beat him.
What? You have Sage Mode?
Take it up with my Scatter—it clears both your buffs and mine.
What? You have Six Paths Power?
Take it up with my Panda.
Before you continue