Looking to the Future

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

"Great Elder."

"Mm." The Great Elder nodded. "You saw all that?"

"Yes." Fugaku straightened, hesitating for a moment. "Great Elder, there's something I don't understand."

"Speak."

"That child is an outsider." Confusion showed on Fugaku's face. "Why are you treating him so... favorably?"

The Great Elder looked at him but didn't answer right away.

"What do you think?"

Fugaku fell silent for two seconds.

"I'm too foolish to know."

The Great Elder turned and gazed at the sky as it slowly darkened.

"Fugaku, how many years have you served under me?"

"Five years."

"Five years." The Great Elder repeated it. "Then you should know what kind of position our Uchiha Clan is in now."

Fugaku's expression shifted slightly.

The Great Elder continued, "The Uchiha and Konoha have already begun to drift apart."

Fugaku lowered his head without a word.

"If things continue this way, the whole village will isolate us." The Great Elder's voice was calm, but every word weighed like a stone. "Do you know what happens when we're isolated?"

"It means our destruction." The Great Elder sighed.

Fugaku looked up, a complicated glint in his eyes. "But Great Elder, what can that child change?"

"That child is an opportunity." The Great Elder's words held a deeper meaning.

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

"Our Uchiha Clan, myself included, has been too proud." A hint of self-mockery crept into the Great Elder's voice. "Too proud to respect outsiders, too proud to shut ourselves away in the clan compound, too proud to believe our bloodline alone could keep us strong forever."

He looked at Fugaku, his expression serious.

"But what have we gained? Not only have we fallen behind in strength, we've also grown increasingly distant from the village."

Fugaku remained silent.

"That child." The Great Elder pointed outside. "He can be friends with Xiao Che, which means he isn't prejudiced against us. That's an opportunity."

"But..." Fugaku hesitated, then voiced his thoughts. "He's only five years old."

"A five-year-old will grow up." The Great Elder paused. "Besides, that child is no ordinary one."

Fugaku was taken aback.

The Great Elder drew a sheet of paper from his sleeve and handed it to him. "This is what I had someone look into when that child first entered the clan compound."

Fugaku took it and quickly skimmed through.

A few lines were written on the page.

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

Third place in the Ninja Academy entrance exam.

Hatake Sakumo had once taught him Blade Techniques, and Might Duy (Genin) had once taught him Taijutsu.

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

Fugaku's eyes widened slightly.

The Shouye Bell.

It was something the Third Hokage had used when he was young, and it had been with him for many years.

A five-year-old child?

"Do you understand now?" the Great Elder asked.

Fugaku looked up, his expression complicated.

"Great Elder, you mean..."

"You have to think long-term." The Great Elder clasped his hands behind his back. "Konoha has long had Fire Style techniques in its archives. What use is there in hoarding ours?"

He turned and looked at Fugaku.

"Better to use them to build goodwill with the future."

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

"Even if he only becomes a Chunin." The Great Elder nodded. "As long as he grows up remembering the Uchiha Clan's kindness, remembering that he has friends in the Uchiha Clan, he can become a bridge between us and the outside world."

He paused, his voice growing low.

"We need more bridges."

Fugaku lowered his head and bowed deeply. "I understand."

At that moment, the little Shin-chan they'd been talking about was happily heading home with a small box of Chocolate Sticks.

As he neared the edge of the Uchiha Clan Compound, he suddenly heard a dull thud nearby.

Pfft.

It sounded like someone blowing air.

Shin-chan blinked and looked toward the sound.

It was an old Training Ground. Several cracks ran through the stone slabs, and it looked like it hadn't been repaired in a long time.

Someone stood in the Training Ground, forming Hand Seals. The gestures and sequence looked familiar.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

Pfft.

Another puff of black smoke came out of his mouth, making him cough.

"Cough, cough, cough... I failed again..."

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

Obito crouched on the ground, looking dejected as he muttered to himself. "I got the Hand Seals right... I concentrated my Chakra too... Why does this keep happening..."

Shin-chan walked up behind him and tilted his head.

"What are you doing?"

Obito jumped in fright, nearly leaping into the air. When he turned and saw Shin-chan, his face went pale. "Y-you! What are you doing here?"

"I was 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 was taken aback. "Uchiha Toru?"

"Yeah." Shin-chan nodded.

Obito said, "Oh," and seemed lost in thought.

Shin-chan went over and looked around the Training Ground. "What are you doing here?"

"Practicing Ninjutsu." Obito turned away, not wanting Shin-chan to see how dejected he was.

"What are you practicing?"

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

Shin-chan's eyes lit up. "Is it the one with Snake, Ram, Monkey, Boar, Horse, and Tiger?"

Obito froze. "How do you know?"

"I just learned it." Shin-chan said it as if it were obvious.

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

"Yeah."

"Who taught you?"

"An old man at Xiao Che's house."

Obito was silent for two seconds, then suddenly laughed. "Who do you think you're fooling? How could the Uchiha teach their Fire Style to an outsider?"

Shin-chan tilted his head. "But that old man did teach me."

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

Shin-chan nodded, walked to the middle of the Training Ground, formed Hand Seals, and took a deep breath.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

A flame shot from Shin-chan's mouth, stretching more than a meter before bursting in midair. It scorched a few leaves on a nearby tree.

Obito's mouth hung open wide enough to fit an egg.

Shin-chan turned to look at him, his expression innocent. "Was that right?"

Obito stood frozen, unable to speak for a long time.

He'd practiced for ages, but all he could ever do was puff out black smoke. On a good day, he might manage a few sparks. But this guy...

"Did you really just learn it?"

"Yeah." Shin-chan nodded. "I practiced it for a while at Xiao Che's house just now."

Obito looked as though he'd eaten a bitter melon.

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

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