Looking to the Future

Uchiha Fugaku walked up to the Great Elder and bowed respectfully.

"Great Elder."

"Mm." The Great Elder nodded. "Did you see everything?"

"Yes." Fugaku straightened up and hesitated. "Great Elder, I have something I don't understand."

"Speak."

"That child is an outsider." Fugaku's face was filled with confusion. "Why are you treating him so... favorably?"

The Great Elder looked at him, not answering immediately.

"What do you think?"

Fugaku was silent for two seconds.

"This subordinate is dull-witted."

The Great Elder turned around and looked at the sky, which was gradually darkening.

"Fugaku, how many years have you been with me?"

"Five years."

"Five years." The Great Elder repeated. "Then you should know the current situation of our Uchiha clan."

Fugaku's expression changed slightly.

The Great Elder continued, "The Uchiha and Konoha are already going in opposite directions."

Fugaku lowered his head and said nothing.

"If this continues, we will be isolated by the entire Village." The Great Elder's voice was calm, but every word was as heavy as a stone. "Do you know what the consequence of being isolated is?"

"It is annihilation." The Great Elder sighed.

Fugaku looked up, a hint of complexity flashing in his eyes. "But Great Elder, what can that child change?"

"That child is an opportunity." The Great Elder said meaningfully.

"An opportunity?" Fugaku still didn't understand.

"Our Uchiha clan, including myself in the past, has been too proud." There was a hint of self-deprecation in the Great Elder's voice. "Too proud to look down on outsiders, too proud to shut ourselves in the clan compound, too proud to think that we could remain powerful forever just by relying on our bloodline."

He looked at Fugaku with a serious expression.

"But what have we gained? Not only has the gap in strength widened, but we've also grown further and further apart from the Village."

Fugaku remained silent.

"That child," the Great Elder pointed outside, "he can be friends with Xiao Che, which shows he doesn't reject us. This is an opportunity."

"But..." Fugaku hesitated, then voiced his thoughts, "He's just a five-year-old child."

"A five-year-old child will grow up," the Great Elder paused. "Moreover, that child is not ordinary."

Fugaku was taken aback.

The Great Elder pulled a piece of paper from his sleeve and handed it to him. "This is what I had investigated when that child first entered the clan grounds."

Fugaku took it and quickly scanned it.

The paper contained a few lines of text.

Shin Nohara, five years old. Father: Nohara Hiroshi (Chunin). Mother: Nohara Miya (Commoner).

Third place in the Ninja Academy entrance exam.

Hatake Sakumo had instructed him in Blade Techniques. Might Duy (Genin) had instructed him in Taijutsu.

The Third Hokage gifted him a Shouye Bell, calling him "a good child who can inherit the Will of Fire."

Fugaku's eyes widened slightly.

Shouye Bell.

That was something the Third Hokage had used in his youth and had kept for many years.

A five-year-old child?

"Do you understand?" the Great Elder said.

Fugaku looked up, his expression complex.

"The Great Elder means..."

"We must have foresight," the Great Elder said, hands behind his back. "Konoha has long since collected mere Fire Style jutsu. What use is it to hoard it?"

He then turned to look at Fugaku.

"It's better to befriend the future."

Fugaku was silent for a long time before speaking. "Even if he only becomes a Chunin in the future?"

"Even if he's only a Chunin," the Great Elder nodded. "As long as he grows up and remembers the kindness of the Uchiha Clan, remembers having friends in the Uchiha Clan, then he will be a bridge for us to communicate with the outside world."

He paused, his voice deepening.

"We need more bridges."

Fugaku lowered his head and bowed deeply. "Your subordinate understands."

Meanwhile, Shin-chan, whom they were just talking about, was happily walking home with a small box of Chocolate Sticks.

As he neared the edge of the Uchiha Clan Compound, he suddenly heard a muffled sound nearby.

Puff.

Like someone blowing air.

Shin-chan blinked and looked in the direction of the sound.

It was an old Training Ground. Several cracks ran across the stone slabs on the ground, clearly showing it hadn't been repaired in a long time.

A person stood in the Training Ground, performing hand seals. The posture and sequence of the seals were very familiar.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

Puff.

Another puff of black smoke emerged from his mouth, choking him until he coughed.

"Cough, cough, cough... Failed again..."

Shin-chan took a few more steps forward before realizing it was Obito.

Obito squatted on the ground, looking dejected, muttering something under his breath. "My hand seals were correct... My Chakra was concentrated... Why is it always like this..."

Shin-chan walked up behind him, tilting his head as he looked at him.

"What are you doing?"

Obito jumped, startled, almost leaping up. He turned around and saw Shin-chan, his face turning green. "You... What are you doing here?"

"Just passing by," Shin-chan pointed outside. "I'm going home."

Obito's mouth twitched. "This is the Uchiha Clan Compound. How did you get in?"

"Xiao Che brought me in."

Obito froze for a moment. "Uchiha Toru?"

"Mm," Shin-chan nodded.

Obito let out an "Oh," lost in thought.

Shin-chan leaned closer, looking at the training ground. "What are you doing here?"

"Practicing ninjutsu," Obito turned his face away, not wanting Shin-chan to see his dejected expression.

"Practicing what?"

"Fire Style," Obito paused, then said softly, "Great Fireball Technique."

Shin-chan's eyes lit up. "Is it that, Si, Wei, Shen, Hai, Wu, Yin?"

Obito froze. "How do you know?"

"I just learned it," Shin-chan said matter-of-factly.

Obito's mouth twitched. "You just learned it?"

"Mm."

"Who did you learn it from?"

"A Grandfather at Xiao Che's house."

Obito was silent for two seconds, then suddenly laughed. "Who are you kidding? How could the Uchiha's Fire Style be taught to outsiders?"

Shin-chan tilted his head. "But that Grandfather taught me."

Obito didn't believe him. "Then show me."

Shin-chan nodded, walked to the center of the training ground, formed hand seals, and took a deep breath.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

A ball of flame spewed from Shin-chan's mouth, over a meter long, exploding in the air and scorching a few leaves on a nearby tree.

Obito's mouth opened wide enough to fit an egg.

Shin-chan turned to look at him, his face innocent. "Is it like this?"

Obito stood there stunned, unable to speak for a long time.

He had practiced for so long, and each time he could only spit out a puff of black smoke, sometimes, if he was lucky, a few sparks would fly out, but this guy...

"Did you really just learn it?"

"Yeah," Shin-chan nodded. "I just practiced for a bit at Xiao Che's house a moment ago."

Obito's expression was like he had eaten a bitter gourd.

Seeing him like that, Shin-chan tilted his head and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Obito turned his face away, his voice muffled. "I just think you're pretty amazing."