Ninja

Leaves swirled through the courtyard as two figures moved at lightning speed, trading blows. They had been at it for quite a while.

"Smack!"

Mingye caught Kaede's incoming hand. His right hand was poised to strike, but when it neared Kaede's head, he turned it into a knife-hand and brought it down with a sharp whistle.

"Thud!"

The blow landed on Kaede's head, but the real Kaede had already used the Substitution Technique to evade Mingye's attack. In his place was half a wooden post.

Mingye smiled, flipped into the air, and quickly left the ground.

"Lightning Release: Ground Run!"

Kaede unleashed Lightning Release, but Mingye had already dodged.

It looked as if Kaede had deliberately missed Mingye, but in truth, Mingye had already seen through his son's plan and moved outside the attack's range.

Kaede was certainly gifted, but even a genius needed time to grow.

"Father, stop dodging and let me hit you once!"

He stopped attacking. His speed couldn't keep up with his father, Mingye. Even with all that chakra, it was useless if he couldn't land a hit.

"What makes you think I'd stand still and let you hit me with your Ninjutsu?"

A dark figure appeared behind Kaede in an instant. Smiling, Mingye curled a finger and flicked his son on the forehead.

"I'm done. Fighting a Jonin like you is no fun."

"Lightning Release: Ground Run!"

Lightning shot up from the ground. Kaede had used the moment his father turned his back to quickly form Hand Seals and unleash Lightning Release.

"Thud!"

The Mingye behind him dissolved into white smoke. It had been a Shadow Clone. The real Mingye leaped down from a tree in the courtyard, and the two stood facing each other and formed the Seal of Reconciliation. Only then was their spar officially over.

"Kaede, your growth surprises me and makes me proud. I look forward to seeing you grow, but I'm also worried about your future."

Could Konoha really accept such an extraordinary Uchiha as his son?

Whenever Mingye saw Kaede display his talent as a ninja, the question rose in his heart.

"Father, you should trust me to handle everything."

Though he was only six, Kaede showed the maturity of an adult when facing his father. Such precociousness was commonplace in the Shinobi World and wouldn't arouse suspicion.

And Uchiha Kaede wasn't an ordinary child.

Over the past year, Kaede had learned the Three Basic Techniques. Under his father Mingye's guidance, he had also studied basic Taijutsu, throwing ninja tools, and chakra control.

He showed tremendous interest in Ninjutsu and chakra control, studying so intently that he forgot to eat and sleep. On top of that, his unusual constitution meant staying up late barely affected him.

So Mingye often had to interrupt his son's training and force him to rest.

But Kaede was only so-so at Taijutsu and throwing ninja tools. He still approached Taijutsu seriously, but he had no interest at all in the Uchiha Clan's signature skill: precise ninja-tool throwing.

At this point, he was still a beginner. He could accurately hit a stationary target from within thirty meters.

As the great Shinobi World scientist Orochimaru had said, a ninja's time was limited. Kaede couldn't master everything. Since he had unparalleled talent for Lightning Release, he would charge down the path of the Thunder Emperor.

At most, he'd learn some Taijutsu for self-defense.

"Kaede, you're a child with a mind of your own. You already meet the requirements to graduate from the Ninja Academy, but I still hope you'll attend.

"Outside of being a ninja, you're still a child. You should go there, make some friends, and choose your own bonds. Even a lonely ninja needs the warmth of companions."

Kaede knew his father had already enrolled him in the Ninja Academy. The school year would begin in September, and that was when he would become a student there.

He hadn't refused his father's arrangement. In fact, as a member of Konoha's powerful Uchiha Clan, he had the right to skip the Ninja Academy and still become a ninja.

"Will I finally get to see those familiar faces?"

That was why he hadn't refused, even though he was already stronger than them.

"Father, I'll be there for the opening ceremony."

"Don't worry. I'll come get you when the time comes."

Mingye clicked his tongue, unimpressed by his son's promise. Once Kaede got absorbed in studying Ninjutsu, he completely lost track of time.

If Kaede didn't have such a special constitution, Mingye would worry that one day his son might starve to death in the basement.

"Tap... tap..."

"Thump!"

A spark lit up the dim basement. Kaede walked down the steps and stopped before a door covered in Sealing Jutsu formulas. They blocked all chakra-sensing techniques from prying inside.

His father Mingye had protected him with a deep, abiding love, shutting out all outside scrutiny.

He formed the Hand Seals: Snake, Snake, Rooster, then channeled chakra into the door.

The Sealing Jutsu formulas on the door faded, and it swung open. Kaede stepped inside. This was where he could let his dreams soar, where he could study himself and Ninjutsu.

Over the past year, aside from following his father's training plan and learning the Three Basic Techniques and Taijutsu, he hadn't studied any other Ninjutsu. Instead, he had focused his efforts on chakra control and researching the runes inside his body.

The three runes inside him that had already lit up were constantly at work, but their powers seemed restricted, or perhaps they were still in their early stages.

The Divine Body Rune and Divine Soul Rune, for example, affected his body and soul. They gave him the potential for a vast amount of chakra while also granting his body the ability to regenerate.

Minor wounds healed in an instant. Small scrapes took only a few dozen minutes to recover from, while deeper piercing wounds healed within a few days.

Injuries to his organs were more troublesome and took months to heal.

He had secretly tested all of this after discovering something was unusual about his body.

The only thing he hadn't tried yet was a fatal injury. Honestly, he was too scared.

Who would stab themself in the heart for no reason?

And all that was just what the initial power of the runes had given him.

He had two other subjects to investigate. First, the hidden secrets of the Sharingan Bloodline within his body. Second, the essential link between Hand Seals and Ninjutsu.

He wanted to uncover the secrets of his Sharingan and find a path to evolve that differed from the Uchiha Clan's. He couldn't, and wouldn't, take the eyes of his blood relatives to awaken the Eternal Mangekyo.

His love for his parents ran deep. If he had to sacrifice them to benefit himself, he... couldn't do it.

Thinking of his beloved parents and the conditions for awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan stirred his emotions. A crimson Tomoe appeared in each eye, slowly spinning.

After stabbing a few holes in his own body, he knew he wouldn't die, but the immense pain and his fear of death still awakened his One-Tomoe Sharingan.

"I'll find another way. And if I can't, I'll give up on my dream of piloting a giant robot. Even without the Sharingan, the power of these runes will make me the strongest ninja."

He calmed his turbulent thoughts and deactivated his Sharingan.

Kaede silently sent his consciousness into his Inner World, gazing at the runes in his mind and sensing their power and allure. His intuition told him that he would find the answers there.