Going Home!

Today was another routine ninjutsu training session.

The training ground was vast and empty. I stood at the very front of the line, silently watching the instructor demonstrate a technique.

"Snake—Ram—Monkey—Boar—Horse—Tiger!" His movements were fast, his hand seals flawless, and his chakra plentiful.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

After completing the final hand seal, he drew a breath and exhaled, unleashing a burst of fire! In an instant, a massive fireball filled the sky above the training ground. As far as the eye could see, waves of heat rolled and smoke billowed! I was standing too close. The residual heat from the fireball singed my black hair, and the scorching air forced me to take a step back. I could barely keep my eyes open. I drew in a breath, and my throat immediately felt dry and itchy. I couldn't help wanting to cough.

How terrifying! Even if you weren't the fireball's target, you could still feel its power.

This wasn't the first time I'd witnessed the might of ninjutsu, but every time I saw it, I couldn't help being astonished.

It was utterly destructive power!

You could imagine that in the world of ninjas, even a mere Genin was beyond the reach of any ordinary person!

"Number One, come up here." Once the fireball finally dissipated, the instructor beckoned to me.

I obediently stepped forward.

"Today is only a training session. You're going to try to draw out your chakra." His face was expressionless, but a trace of amusement flashed in his eyes. "I know that it's easy to fail the first time you perform a technique. Don't be too nervous. I believe that as long as you keep practicing diligently, one day you'll reach my level too."

With that, he looked me in the eye. "Number One, your chakra natures are Lightning, Fire, and Wind. You have an innate advantage with Fire Release, so you can try first."

"Yes."

I moved forward and stood on the platform, holding my hands out in front of me. This immediately drew a chorus of laughter.

The fingers of a three-year-old were like five little white beans, translucent, short, and tiny. Anyone would find it ridiculous that I thought I could perform a C-rank offensive ninjutsu.

During my earlier hand-seal practice, I'd also struggled to reach with my fingers and form the seals properly. Those were the drawbacks of being so small.

However, hand seals had never been the key factor in determining a ninjutsu's strength. Chakra was.

The key to successfully completing a ninjutsu was how precisely you could control your chakra, how steadily you could supply it, and how quickly you could unleash it. I was confident in my ability to control chakra.

"Go ahead." The instructor sat calmly, unruffled. Below the platform, all the children watched me, some coldly, some hopefully, some anxiously.

"Yes." I nodded, set my feet slightly apart, and began forming hand seals.

"Snake—" I moved at an unhurried pace, my fingertips lightly touching, my posture correct and my movements steady. Some of the people watching from the shadows wore approving expressions.

"Ram—" The chakra throughout my body began to flow, slowly gathering in my chest. I could feel that wondrous energy coursing through me. For a moment, it was as if I were nestled in my mother's embrace, warm and safe. An indescribable surge of excitement slowly welled up inside me.

Power. This was the power of a ninja!

"Monkey—" My eyes grew hot. Something flashed through my mind, then vanished in an instant. The sensation was wondrous beyond words.

"Boar—Horse—Tiger—" My mind began to empty, and my body started performing the calculations on its own. An immense amount of chakra surged into my chest. My hair fluttered, and my clothes billowed.

"Very good!" The instructor stood up and called out, "Now, try to draw out your chakra—"

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

Before he could give the order, a clear, resolute voice rang out from my childish lips, and a column of flame shot into the sky!

As the technique began, an uncontrollable force of fire surged from my mouth! Following the ancient laws of ninjutsu, the massive fireball spread across the entire hall in an instant!

Gasps of astonishment rose all around. Even the instructor stood up in shock, while the people watching from the shadows stared wide-eyed.

A three-year-old had performed a complete C-rank Fire Release technique... How many years had it been since a child with such extraordinary talent had appeared?

I looked at the fireball before me, my heart pounding with excitement.

Originally, this was supposed to be a flawless demonstration of ninjutsu.

I'd calculated that the chakra I'd gathered would be just enough to spit out one fireball and end things with a flourish.

But as I kept exhaling, I realized I couldn't stop...

Oh, crap!

In the instant I panicked, the chakra slipped out of my control. It surged wildly, desperately searching for an outlet, and the Great Fireball Technique became the perfect vessel. That immense force carried the fireball upward! The flames suddenly grew several times larger. With a roar, they spread like a prairie fire and swept toward the crowd!

I wanted to stop, but my body seemed to have a mind of its own, continuing to perform the technique.

Screams, shouts, and the figures of the instructor and a group of guards rushing over all blended together into a chaotic din.

The next moment, a heavy chop struck the back of my neck. The world spun, and I passed out.

When I woke up again, I was lying on a bed. A window stood beside me, and a gentle breeze blew in from outside, carrying damp air.

"You're awake?"

Uchiha Xun was sitting beside the bed. She pushed a tray of food toward me and gestured for me to eat.

Remembering the sea of fire before I passed out, I shot upright. The movement made the back of my neck hurt terribly, and my ears rang.

"Where is this? Are they—are they all right?" My throat was sore and itchy, dry and hoarse. It was hard even to speak.

"You really are something, kid..." She furrowed her brow, exasperated. "Every time I run into you, something goes wrong. You never make things easy for anyone!"

Only when she saw how worried I really was did she sigh and say, "Don't worry. The fire's under control. The Special Training Department is fine, and your companions are all right... Oh, and there's a little girl who seemed pretty worried about you..."

Only then did I wearily sink back onto the bed.

Uchiha Xun smiled slightly and leaned in to whisper, "Your Fire Release was truly something else. Even those old men in the upper ranks were startled."

"Hm...?" I looked at her in confusion. "What do you mean? Am I going to be expelled?"

"Pfft." She couldn't help laughing. She touched my forehead and said, "You won't be expelled. In fact, you're in for some good luck."

"Your companions will continue their half-year of training underground, but you..." She wagged a finger at me. "You have a different assignment now."

I looked up at her in confusion, then noticed the door slowly opening in front of me.

"You did very well."

Uchiha Fugaku appeared before me for the second time. As before, he looked down at me from on high, an oppressive and uncomfortable presence.

I glanced around and saw that there really wasn't anyone else here. Pointing at myself, I wore a thoroughly bewildered expression—

"You? You're going to teach me personally?"

He didn't answer. He simply walked over and sat down beside the bed.

"Don't move." He took my hand and began using chakra to examine my meridians. Wherever his chakra flowed, it left a faint burning warmth, tangling with mine. The two streams sometimes merged and sometimes canceled each other out. The pain made me want to pull my hand away, but he held my arm in place and wouldn't let me move. He only released me when Uchiha Xun put a hand on his shoulder.

By then, I was drenched in sweat from the pain.

Picking on someone smaller than you! What a bully!!!

Uchiha Fugaku didn't look entirely comfortable either. He narrowed his eyes and asked me, "When you used Fire Release last time, did you feel anything unusual in your body?"

Remembering that strange chakra, I closed my eyes and nodded, feeling aggrieved.

"Good," Fugaku said with satisfaction. "The Uchiha leadership has decided that I'll teach you personally."

"Huh?" Before I could react, he had already stood up and was asking Uchiha Xun about my condition.

"C-Clan Head! I—" I propped up my upper body, still trying to argue.

However, he only glanced at me, and the look in his eyes silenced me.

It was clear he hadn't come to give me a chance to accept or refuse. He was only here to tell me the decision.

Then he and Uchiha Xun left together, leaving me alone on the bed, stunned.

Outside the hospital room, the Uchiha Clan Head and the head of the medical department spoke in hushed tones.

"Has the clan already decided?" Uchiha Xun asked, startled. "Does it have to be him? There are clearly other children his age..."

"I know what you're going to say," Fugaku interrupted. "Uchiha Shisui is very talented too, but he..." He furrowed his brow and shook his head.

"Too hard to control."

Before my training began, Lord Fugaku granted me a leave of absence, allowing me to go home and visit my mother.

Half a year was neither long nor short.

In my previous life, I hadn't been very attached to home. I'd always felt a faint distance between myself and my family.

But this world was different.

Here, the distance between life and death was so small that love and hatred were laid bare in all their intensity.

When I got home, I clung to my mother and told her everything that had happened over the past half year. Excitedly, I described the magnificent and wondrous ninja world as I saw it, talking and gesturing wildly. I showed her the ninjutsu I'd learned, then proudly pulled weapons from my pockets and hurled them all at the folding screen, leaving several huge holes in it.

She didn't say anything. She just smiled at me, occasionally nodding to encourage me to keep talking.

At last, I reluctantly told her the news that Lord Fugaku would be teaching me personally. She was surprised, but not too surprised. She only told me that Lord Fugaku and the clan must think highly of me, and that I should study hard under him so I wouldn't disappoint them after all they'd done for me.

"But I don't want to go!" I nestled against her and whined, "Mom... I want rice balls... sweet rice dumplings... um... tempura... and a big cup of plum juice!"

"All right, all right—"

That evening, my mother gave me a scarf she'd knitted. She told me to listen to Lord Fugaku, not to worry about her, to take care of myself, and to be loyal to the clan. Her words came in scattered little fragments, each brimming with affection.

In front of my mother, my smile was never forced.

In this world, she was the only one who mattered to me, and the person who cared about me most.

She would always accept me. She would never abandon me, and I would never abandon her.

That gave me strength deep in my heart.

In this cold hell, I had family. I had a home.

So I would go.

As long as it was for my mother, I was willing to do anything.