Uchiha Yusuke

In a small grove near Konoha, two boys were engaged in an intense hand-to-hand fight. The sounds of their blows rang out without pause.

Though they were both young, it was clear that they were skilled in Taijutsu. Every move was incredibly fast and powerful, kicking up gusts of wind through the grove.

One of the boys wore a tight green outfit and sported a ridiculous mushroom-shaped haircut. His thick eyebrows were startlingly bushy, and his nose was much larger than average. He was none other than Might Guy in his youth.

"Yusuke, fighting you is so much fun. But be careful—this is my final move." Guy was drenched in sweat, his face beaming with delight as he spoke to the other boy.

The boy fighting Guy had black hair and handsome features. His narrow eyes were as calm as still water.

He wore the standard vest of a Konoha Ninja, with his Konoha Forehead Protector tied around his left arm. The red-and-white Gunbai emblem on the center of his vest identified his family: the Uchiha Clan.

"Konoha Gouriki!" Guy shouted, preparing to strike, but the boy known as Yusuke suddenly interrupted him.

"Wait!" Yusuke made a gesture signaling him to stop.

"Are you scared, Yusuke? Does this mean I, Guy, have finally beaten you at Taijutsu for once?" Seeing Yusuke call for a halt, Guy burst into tears of joy.

Yusuke calmly explained, "You're too focused on your opponent, and you've lost the vigilance you should have toward your surroundings. Izumi's here, and I need to go home for dinner. Let's call it a day."

"Big brother, Mom says to come home for dinner!" Just as Yusuke finished speaking, a little girl called out from nearby.

A little girl in purple then emerged from the grove. Her name was Uchiha Izumi, Yusuke's younger sister. She had long, jet-black hair and bright, lively eyes that sparkled as she blinked. She was adorable, with a beauty mark beneath her right eye.

Might Guy nodded in disappointment. He and Yusuke had made an agreement: whenever Izumi came to call him, their sparring session was officially over.

Yusuke had set this rule because Guy was simply too persistent. Once he got caught up in a fight, he couldn't control himself and would insist on pestering Yusuke to keep going. That was why Yusuke had laid down this rule with him.

"All right, then I'll spar with you again next time, Yusuke!" Guy's beaming smile returned. He waved goodbye to Yusuke, shouted "Youth!" and ran out of the grove.

As he passed Izumi, Guy grinned, flashing a brilliant row of white teeth, and gave her a thumbs-up.

Izumi smiled sweetly and returned the thumbs-up. "Keep it up!"

Watching Guy's retreating figure kick up clouds of dust, Yusuke shook his head with a smile. He stepped forward and picked Izumi up. "Izumi, let's go home for dinner."

Uchiha Yusuke had been in the world of Naruto for fourteen years. He was a transmigrator from Earth.

Back on Earth, he had watched Naruto and knew the general outline of the story, but only in broad strokes; he had long since forgotten many of the details. Besides, he hadn't been very interested in the godlike battles in the later part of Naruto, so he had only skimmed through them and knew little about a lot of what happened.

But Yusuke knew the fate of the Uchiha Clan all too well. In a few years, the clan's prodigy, Uchiha Itachi, would slaughter his entire family for the sake of the village's stability, sparing no one except his younger brother, Sasuke.

Yusuke certainly couldn't tolerate Itachi's actions. He was an Uchiha himself, for one thing, and his parents and younger sister Izumi in this life were his most precious people. He would never allow anyone to harm them.

So, determined to take control of his and his family's fate, Yusuke worked even harder to improve his strength.

Before transmigrating, Uchiha Yusuke had been a scientist in several fields, with an extraordinarily broad store of knowledge and highly effective learning methods.

Thanks to his far greater understanding than other children his age, Yusuke had consciously trained his various abilities from a young age. Compared with most people, he had already started far ahead of the pack; coupled with his tireless efforts, his strength grew at an astonishing pace.

In the eyes of others, Uchiha Yusuke was a rare genius, as renowned as Kakashi, the prodigy of his generation.

Yusuke and Kakashi had both been promoted to jonin recently, at the same time, but they hadn't interacted much.

Especially after Obito and Rin had both died in battle some time ago, Kakashi, who had already been aloof and solitary, had stopped interacting with anyone outside his missions.

Of course, Yusuke and Kakashi did have a connection: they shared a friend, Might Guy. Perhaps it was a common trait among proud people. They might have few friends, but they were glad to have someone as straightforward and trustworthy as Guy.

Yusuke felt a deep sense of regret for Kakashi. Without the series of blows he had suffered in recent years, the young genius might have achieved far more than he had in the original Naruto story.

Kakashi was barely making any further progress in his training now. Instead, he numbed his wounded heart by taking on mission after mission. In Yusuke's eyes, Kakashi was simply squandering his talent!

Still, regret was all Yusuke could offer; he had no time to worry about Kakashi. He was now completely immersed in the world of shinobi, and a scientist's thirst for knowledge drove him to keep studying all kinds of ninja-related subjects.

Although the rules of the Naruto world differed from many of those on Earth—for example, on Earth, running with your arms swinging made you faster, while in the Naruto world, running with your arms held still behind your back was faster—the same principles applied across many fields. The methods of research and problem-solving were universal. With Yusuke's knowledge as a former scientist, he naturally had a huge advantage when studying various ninjutsu or scientific training methods.

Carrying little Izumi, Yusuke strolled along the country road, enjoying the time with his adorable younger sister beneath the beautiful sunset.

"Big brother, a boy said today that you weren't a genius. Izumi argued with him for ages. You're the best!" Izumi said as Yusuke carried her.

"Oh? Next time, just pretend you didn't hear it. There's no point arguing over something like that." Yusuke smiled and affectionately flicked Izumi on the nose.

"How could I? He said you still haven't awakened your Sharingan, and that people outside the clan only call you a genius. It doesn't count among the Uchiha!" Izumi pouted, her face full of anger.

Yusuke laughed. "You're always so willing to let others have their way. Why are you so competitive about this?"

"I can let other things go, but I won't let anyone badmouth you, big brother. You became a jonin at twelve! Even without the Sharingan, you're the clan's greatest genius. No—the greatest genius in the village!" Izumi huffed.

Although Yusuke was far stronger than others his age and had already reached jonin rank, he still hadn't awakened his Sharingan. Some members of the clan often criticized him for that. Most of the Uchiha were very proud—put bluntly, arrogant—and they had an almost pathological pride in the Sharingan.

Many clan members believed the Uchiha were invincible because they had the Sharingan. In their eyes, Yusuke, who still hadn't awakened his Sharingan, was a mediocrity, no matter how strong he was personally. They believed that their Sharingan would let them defeat him with ease.

Yusuke himself was puzzled by his Sharingan's failure to awaken, so he had read through a good deal of historical material and conducted plenty of research.

Eventually, Yusuke discovered that the essential condition for awakening it was an intense emotional shock. The most common triggers were facing extreme danger oneself or seeing someone dear to you in grave danger. Only a stimulus of that kind could awaken the Sharingan.

Once he understood the conditions for awakening it, Yusuke could only shake his head helplessly.

He had few friends, and his family had all stayed in the village instead of going to the dangerous front lines. He was so strong that he rarely encountered danger, and when he did, he could always overcome it. As a result, he had become a jonin, yet still hadn't awakened his Sharingan.

But Yusuke wasn't particularly concerned about that, because his real trump card was a weapon that had accompanied him when he transmigrated to the Naruto world—a weapon that didn't belong in this world.

Deep within Yusuke's soul, a samurai sword surrounded by roaring flames floated in the air.

The sword was long and slender, its blade covered in flame-like patterns. Scarlet light shimmered across it amid the blazing fire. It was none other than Ryujin Jakka, the strongest and oldest flame-type Zanpakuto in Bleach!

Ryujin Jakka usually slept within Yusuke's soul, but he could summon it at any time when he fought.

For over a decade, Ryujin Jakka's fiery nature had subtly influenced Yusuke, making his Fire Release Chakra abundant and pure.

Yusuke was also good at making the most of his advantages. Over the years, he had focused on developing his Fire Release Chakra and related ninjutsu.

However, Yusuke still couldn't fully control Ryujin Jakka. The Zanpakuto's power was simply too violent, and he had only recently mastered its Shikai state.

Even with only Shikai, Yusuke's strength had increased greatly. He had distinguished himself in the Third Shinobi World War and earned the title "Flame Tachi."

By the time Yusuke brought Izumi home, a table of simple yet carefully prepared home-cooked dishes was ready.

"Yusuke, you're back. Hurry and eat. You work too hard at training, child. You're already a jonin, so you don't need to push yourself so much." Uchiha Hazuki smiled gently.

Uchiha Hazuki was Yusuke and Izumi's mother. She looked to be in her early thirties and resembled Izumi closely, though she looked much more mature.

Yusuke set Izumi down and sat cross-legged at the table. He smiled and said, "A shinobi can never let his guard down. A little extra effort in training might save your life when it matters."

At Yusuke's words, Uchiha Hazuki's face grew sorrowful. "So many people have died in this war. So many familiar faces in the clan are gone all at once. I just don't know how much longer the great ninja villages will keep fighting."

"You're a jonin, but the Ninja World is full of danger. You must be careful." Uchiha Hazuki continued to caution Yusuke.

"I understand. Don't worry." Yusuke replied seriously, then put his hands together and said, "I'm ready to eat."

Izumi sat down and prepared to eat as well, putting her hands together and saying, "I'm ready to eat!"

In traditional Japanese etiquette, everyone, young and old, put their hands together before a meal and said, "I'm ready to eat," as a way to show respect for the food and gratitude for having something to eat.

After watching the two of them finish dinner, Uchiha Hazuki retrieved a stack of black clothes from inside the house. "Tomorrow morning, they're holding a solemn memorial service for everyone from the village who died in the war. I've prepared your clothes. Remember to change before you go."

"Another memorial service?" Yusuke murmured.