Locked Up in the Detention Center

Uchiha Yang saw that although he had the upper hand in Taijutsu, he still couldn't win. He stopped and said, "Uchiha Tianqi, I'm a shinobi. Ninjutsu is my specialty. Let's stop here."

Then he immediately began forming Hand Seals.

Watching Uchiha Yang form Hand Seals, Tianqi didn't hesitate. He quickly began forming his own and said, "You're right. Shinobi should use ninjutsu."

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

They launched their attacks almost simultaneously. The two fireballs collided, sending out a wave of scorching heat.

Heh. My ninjutsu came straight from the system, with its skill and proficiency maxed out. You're just a Genin. Trying to compete with me is asking to get beaten. Tianqi chuckled to himself.

Uchiha Yang gradually began to lose the ninjutsu contest. His Great Fireball Technique grew smaller, and when Tianqi saw that he was losing, he poured on more power. In an instant, his fireball overwhelmed Yang's and shot straight toward him.

"How is this possible?!"

Uchiha Yang stared at the fireball rushing toward him, frozen in place.

The Anbu Ninja keeping watch saw that someone was about to die and stopped just watching. He used the Body Flicker Technique to rush out and save Uchiha Yang.

The fireball struck the trees behind him, blasting several of them apart.

"I-I-I actually lost... I lost to a good-for-nothing." Even after being rescued, Uchiha Yang still couldn't believe he'd lost to Tianqi, who had never received proper training.

"You two brats! The Uchiha are responsible for keeping order in the village, and now you've broken the law yourselves. I won't let you off this time," the Anbu Captain said.

"He started it..." Tianqi began to explain, but the Anbu Captain immediately tied them both up and locked them in separate cells at the Temporary Detention Center.

In the Hokage's Office, the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, was working through the mountain of documents before him.

"Ever since my older brother died, the First Hokage of each village has passed away one after another. The Second Hokage of the Three Great Shinobi Villages have begun testing Konoha with localized wars. The Shinobi World is about to become unsettled, though fortunately the Sand Village hasn't joined in."

As Tobirama sat in his office, lost in thought, an Anbu Ninja suddenly appeared before him. Seeing the Anbu kneeling there—the one assigned to watch Tianqi—he asked, "What happened? Did something happen to that kid?"

"Yes, Lord Hokage. That kid got into a fight with a member of the Uchiha clan in the village. They even used ninjutsu," the Anbu Captain answered truthfully.

Tobirama rubbed his forehead and sighed. "What a troublesome brat. The other villages are already causing trouble, and now he's joining in. I wonder where he learned ninjutsu."

"Ah, forget it. This time, I'll prove to my older brother that Madara wasn't a good person, and neither is his son. Since I can't stop him from getting stronger, I might as well let him loose. Let's see how much trouble he can cause."

"Starting today, the Anbu don't need to watch that kid anymore. Go gather intelligence at the border," Senju Tobirama ordered the Anbu Ninja.

"What about the two brats in custody...?"

"Keep them locked up for two days. It'll teach them a lesson."

"Yes." With a swish, the Anbu disappeared from the office.

Watching the Anbu leave, Tobirama felt a headache coming on again. "I can't just let that brat grow up unchecked. I need to find someone who's utterly loyal to Konoha to train him. Who should I choose?"

Before long, Tobirama thought of his student, Sarutobi Hiruzen. "This student is utterly loyal to Konoha, and he's strong enough. He's young and has never led anyone before, but everyone has to start somewhere. He's the best person to guide the kid."

"Then it's settled." Tobirama immediately sent for Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Meanwhile, Tianqi, who was locked up, summoned the system and opened the Shop. He exchanged points for a Single-Tomoe Sharingan.

[ Ding! Exchange successful. ]

Tianqi suddenly felt his mind go blank, as if he were dead and his brain had almost stopped working. Then two streams of special energy flowed from around his brain toward his eyes.

"Ah!" Tianqi's head throbbed with pain, and his eyes stung. He shut his eyes and clutched his head tightly, waiting for the pain to pass.

A minute later, the pain faded. Tianqi knew his Sharingan had awakened. He slowly opened his eyes. His black pupils had been replaced by a field of crimson, with a single black tomoe resting in each one.

There was no mirror, but he could imagine what they looked like.

Tianqi looked at the flies buzzing around his cell. He could clearly see the path of their beating wings. A slight smile touched his lips.

"Sharingan, oh, Sharingan. Now that I have you, I can pursue the path to becoming strong."

At that moment, in the Hokage's Office, Tobirama was looking at his student. Sarutobi Hiruzen was still a young man of twenty, and had yet to reach his peak.

"Monkey, guess why I called you here."

Hiruzen thought for a moment. "Is it about the probing by the major shinobi villages along the border?"

Senju Tobirama shook his head. "You don't need to worry about the border. Even if war breaks out, we older shinobi will hold the line. I called you here because I want to entrust you with a mission."

"A mission? What kind of mission?"

"You know Uchiha Tianqi, right?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded. He was Uchiha Madara's son, famous throughout the village. It was hard not to know who he was.

"Monkey, you haven't led any newcomers yet, have you? I want you to take that kid under your wing."

"Do you want me to take him as my student?" Sarutobi Hiruzen asked, astonished.

"That's not necessary. Just treat him as a member of your team. I want you to train him and gradually guide him. I want to see whether, after gaining power, he'll turn out like Madara or like Kagami."

"What if he turns out like Madara?" Sarutobi Hiruzen asked cautiously.

"If he turns out like Madara, hmph! Don't blame me for sending him to join Madara."

"Monkey, that kid is locked up in the Detention Center. Go get him in two days. From then on, he'll be your responsibility. Don't disappoint me."

"Yes, teacher."

Two days later, only Tianqi remained in the prison. Uchiha Yang had been bailed out by the Moderate Faction the day before. Tianqi was the only one being targeted; the Militant Faction hadn't sent anyone to bail him out either.

"Damn it! If I'm still not out, it's definitely that old schemer Tobirama's doing. You old schemer, you win this round. Just you wait. Let's see how long you can keep strutting around. Don't let me get stronger. Once I do, I'll hang around in front of you every day, so you'll know what it's like to hate someone but be unable to do anything about him."

Just as he finished complaining, a figure appeared outside the cell, looking at him. Tianqi glanced at the young man and said, "If you're looking for someone, try somewhere else. I'm the only one here." He casually pointed elsewhere. After all, who'd go looking for him, the son of Madara?

Even after Tianqi finished speaking, the young man kept staring at him without moving. "Why hasn't he left?" Tianqi went up to him and tilted his head, studying him. The guy looked familiar, and his voice did too, but Tianqi couldn't remember where he'd seen him.

Then he waved a hand in front of the young man's eyes. "Huh, no reaction. Is he blind? Or both deaf and blind? Poor guy."

Sarutobi Hiruzen was left speechless by Tianqi's words. He said, "I'm neither deaf nor blind. I'm here to get you out. Come with me." Then he opened the cell door and walked out first.

"Here to get me? What's that supposed to mean? Did he mistake me for someone else? Whatever. I'll get out first."

And so, Tianqi followed the young man out of the Detention Center. As they walked, Tianqi kept staring at him, wondering who he was. The man looked familiar, sounded familiar, and had just gotten him out.