Minato Namikaze

"This guy..."

Watching the back of Uchiha Gen as he walked away, the anger in Uchiha Haohuo's eyes burned even brighter.

That guy! Not only did he ignore him, but he even dared to ignore his Nii-san! Unforgivable!

"Now, Haohuo, remember him. Perhaps... he will be a very fine opponent. I have a feeling he will be a genius on par with our cousin Fugaku."

Uchiha Baiyu pressed a hand on his younger brother's shoulder, smiling as he watched Uchiha Gen's figure disappear from view.

The force behind the specialized training shuriken he had just blocked... that was not something a six-year-old child should possess.

"What is it, Nii-san? How could a guy like that compare to cousin Fugaku? Hmph, and if you wanted me to defeat him myself, why didn't you tell me sooner?! Now, that stuck-up Uchiha Gen must think I'm just someone who runs to his brother the moment he loses."

"Well, I was just bored and wanted to see who it was that managed to defeat our Haohuo. After all, our Haohuo was calling out someone's name even in his sleep; I figured you must care about him quite a bit. How about I treat you to some red bean skewers? Consider it a celebration for finally starting your chakra training. Of course, Zhiyue and the others will get some too."

"Yay! Long live Brother Baiyu!"

"Zhiyue, don't just shout! He's my brother! You should call him cousin! And Nii-san! Who was calling his name in their sleep?! There's no way I'd care about a stuck-up guy like that!!"

After leaving the woods, Uchiha Gen headed straight toward his home within the Uchiha clan compound.

He didn't give the minor incident much thought; such things happened frequently within the Uchiha clan. Once you had one fight, there were bound to be countless more to follow.

After all, given the personalities of these Uchihas, unless they were thoroughly beaten into submission, you would end up with an incredibly "clingy" pest on your hands.

Compared to the small skirmish, Uchiha Gen was far more excited about the upcoming entrance to the Ninja Academy.

The Ninja Academy, founded by the Second Hokage of Konoha, the naturally evil Tobirama Senju, had been gradually expanded by the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi through the integration of various ninja clans, eventually becoming a cradle for nurturing geniuses.

And among these major ninja clans, the Uchiha clan was naturally included.

The next morning, the hour was still early, and a faint crimson glow from the rising sun still lingered in the sky.

Uchiha Gen walked toward the Ninja Academy in a leisurely manner. Since it was the first day of school, the streets of Konoha were exceptionally lively.

Weaving slowly through the bustling crowd, it took only a moment for the silhouette of the Ninja Academy gates to appear in Uchiha Gen's field of vision.

Appearing alongside them were hundreds of parents gathered at the entrance to send their children off to school.

"No familiar faces here. The quality of this year's students... it's a bit of a pity. Still, at least there is one future Fourth Hokage. His strength should be enough to earn the recognition of the Mist Space."

Uchiha Gen looked at the crowd ahead, his gaze sweeping quickly over the faces of the children, feeling a sense of lament in his heart. Of course, it was only a silent lament; Uchiha Gen remained extremely vigilant, never uttering a word that might expose his origins outside the ninja world.

After all, this was a world themed around ninjas.

And ninjas were most adept at gathering information and lurking in the shadows. Plus, there was that "scapegoat master" in the depths of Konoha who was always looking for a chance to scheme against the Uchiha.

Although Uchiha Gen wasn't sure if that scapegoat master had already established the Root at this point in time.

Even so, Uchiha Gen remained very careful with his words and actions. Generally, once he left the Uchiha compound, he rarely spoke at all.

Words spoken are hard to take back. Ever since he had fully mastered all his memories, Uchiha Gen had held a profound sense of awe regarding the fact that he had transmigrated.

He understood deeply what kind of world lay beneath the surface of this shonen manga, Naruto. Life... was not particularly precious in this world.

"Where the leaves of Konoha dance, fire shall burn. The fire's shadow will illuminate the village and allow new leaves to sprout..."

Inside the Ninja Academy, the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi stood on the podium, delivering a passionate speech about the Will of Fire. Now in his prime, Hiruzen's voice was resonant and powerful.

In this timeline, the Third Hokage was at the absolute peak of his strength.

Amidst Hiruzen's stirring speech, the new students of the Ninja Academy were filled with fervor, their eyes brimming with infinite longing for the future.

Such a Will of Fire... it's truly boring. An idealism completely detached from reality. A will that consists only of ideals with no practical application is simply self-contradictory.

Among the students, Uchiha Gen found it rather dull and began to scan the surrounding crowd.

After only a moment, Uchiha Gen's gaze locked onto a small blond boy.

"The genius rated as having the most potential for being a ninja, the future Fourth Hokage, the Yellow Flash, Minato Namikaze. I wonder if you have been recognized by the Mist Space yet?"

Watching Minato Namikaze, who looked no different from the other hot-blooded idiots in the crowd as he stared excitedly at Hiruzen on the stage, Uchiha Gen's eyes held a flicker of anticipation.

If there was anyone in this Ninja Academy, aside from the teachers, most likely to provide him with new gacha draws, it would certainly be Minato Namikaze and the children of the various ninja clans.

However, compared to those clan heirs with their inherited secret techniques, Uchiha Gen held higher expectations for this blond boy who had yet to display his true talent.

After all, this was Minato Namikaze.

Many netizens had theorized that if it weren't for the plot-induced death, given the talent this Fourth Hokage displayed...

He probably wouldn't even dare to close his eyes while sleeping, lest he be surpassed by "Sage of the Six Paths" Naruto.

Minato Namikaze was standing not far from Uchiha Gen. Noticing someone watching him, Minato followed his intuition and looked over, immediately catching sight of Uchiha Gen, who was staring right at him.

Looking at Uchiha Gen, Minato gave a sunny smile before turning his attention back to Hiruzen on the stage.