Ninja Academy.
"Chiya, have you heard? It seems Itachi is going to graduate early. He's only been here for a year, and he's already graduating. He's amazing!" Uchiha Izumi gazed out the window at Uchiha Itachi, the center of everyone's attention, and spoke to Fujiwara Chiya.
"He really is impressive." Chiya praised him without hesitation.
Before they knew it, the two of them had spent a year together.
Although Chiya rarely came to school, the memories of his Shadow Clones had shown him what a gentle, kind, and understanding girl she was.
There were still six years until the Uchiha Clan Massacre.
Chiya wasn't so saintly that he'd try to save the entire Uchiha Clan. Even if he did, they might not believe him.
But if he let Uchiha Izumi die at the hands of those two nutcases, Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Obito, that would be unforgivable.
Perhaps, when the time came, he'd have to leave the village.
After all, his original plan had been to join the Akatsuki.
That Konan—ah, no, that Red Cloud Black Robe. Chiya had been coveting it for a long time.
Just then, Uchiha Izumi's voice interrupted his thoughts. "And you're amazing too, Chiya. If you took the graduation exam now, you could graduate early as well."
"You flatter me." Chiya put on his modest act once again.
In terms of talent alone, Uchiha Itachi was a true genius.
His battle sense was exceptionally sharp, too. Without the boost from his techniques, Chiya admitted he was nowhere near Itachi's level.
His one shortcoming was his emotional intelligence, which was practically nonexistent.
No wonder he'd been manipulated by the Konoha F4 in the original story, even while Obito kept him in check.
"That's not true. You really are amazing, Chiya." Uchiha Izumi leaned close to his ear and whispered. Her warm breath accompanied her crystalline voice. "You've been using Shadow Clones to attend school all along, just like Itachi, haven't you?"
"How did you figure that out?" Chiya looked at Uchiha Izumi in surprise.
He knew that she'd awakened her Sharingan after losing her parents on the Night of the Nine-Tails, but the Sharingan couldn't identify Shadow Clones. She could only have figured it out by comparing him to his original. Yet he'd hardly ever let anyone see both himself and a Shadow Clone at the same time.
"Chiya, a girl's heart is always more perceptive than you think." Uchiha Izumi stepped back, closing her left eye into a delicate crescent as she spoke with parted lips.
"Then tell me: am I the real me right now, or a clone?" Chiya was clearly intrigued, a faint smile appearing on his face.
"Hmm..." Uchiha Izumi lightly covered her lips with her hand and looked him up and down again. After a moment's thought, she answered with certainty, "You're the real one. No matter how much a clone looks like you, it's still only a clone. Your eyes are the one thing you can't fake. Your eyes have been different lately, Chiya. You must have started coming to school in person because you saw Itachi get caught using a Shadow Clone and worried you'd be found out."
"You really are clever. But maybe you're the only one who could notice. Who else would pay attention to me every day like you do?" Chiya smiled gently and, almost without thinking, patted Uchiha Izumi's head with his right hand.
Uchiha Izumi turned bright red. Chiya gave an awkward laugh and quickly withdrew his hand. "Sorry, sorry. You're just so cute, Izumi. I couldn't help myself, I couldn't help myself."
Uchiha Izumi nodded with a soft whimper, then turned her back to him. The corners of her mouth lifted into a faint smile as she murmured so quietly that only she could hear, "Chiya is so sly."
Several girls in the corner of the classroom had seen the whole thing, and gossip fever instantly took hold of them.
"Wow! Chiya and Izumi are so sweet together. How did I never notice what a handsome guy Chiya is before? So cute!"
"That's because you only have eyes for Itachi. I've been shipping Chiya and Izumi for ages."
"Really? You have to tell me everything!"
"I want to hear too! Me too!"
The Hokage's private office.
"Lord Third, here are the records you requested on Fujiwara Chiya and his parents." An Anbu Ninja respectfully handed the documents to the Third Hokage.
[Name: Fujiwara Chiya Gender: Male Birthday: November 10 Parents: Fujiwara Ichiro (deceased), Fujiwara Rika (deceased) Blood type: O Ninja way: Protect Konoha; he doesn't want to see any more bloodshed Hobbies: Helping old ladies cross the street Person he admires most: The Third Hokage Dream: To become a great ninja like the Third Hokage Instructor's evaluation: An outstanding civilian-born genius. With proper training, he could achieve as much as a child from a renowned clan. ]
The Third Hokage took the records and skimmed them. Overall, he was quite satisfied. Chiya was excellent at Shuriken and Kunai Throwing, as well as in every other area, with practically no weak points.
Although he was nowhere near as dazzling as Uchiha Itachi, people shouldn't forget that Fujiwara Chiya was just a civilian.
He had neither Itachi's exceptional bloodline nor the training of a great clan. The fact that he'd come this far was already impressive.
That wasn't even the most important part. The most important thing was that he saw the Will of Fire in this boy. Anyone who admired him, Sarutobi Hiruzen, and dreamed of becoming a great ninja like him had to have the right convictions.
And that was exactly the kind of civilian-born genius he needed.
"The Fujiwara Clan raised a fine son." The Third Hokage lit his pipe and puffed out a cloud of smoke, thinking to himself. A moment later, he asked, "How are the boy's relationships with others?"
"He gets along well with most of his classmates, but..." The Anbu Ninja's voice trailed off.
"Go on." The Third Hokage tapped his pipe and raised an eyebrow, his expression unreadable.
"Fujiwara Chiya seems to be close to a young girl from the Uchiha Clan. Apparently, he saved her on the night of the Nine-Tails' attack, and that's how they became friends." These days, relations between the Uchiha Clan and Konoha were growing increasingly strained. The Uchiha were a sensitive topic.
"I see..." The Third Hokage's brow relaxed, and an idea immediately came to him. Perhaps he could use the boy's admiration for him to brainwash him—no, guide him—and have him gather intelligence on the Uchiha Clan for Konoha. He could observe whether they showed any signs of rebellion.
But before that, the boy needed to become a real ninja.
With that in mind, the Third Hokage said to the Anbu Ninja, "Have the school pay a little more attention to the boy. Help him grow as quickly as possible. The village needs talent like him."
"Yes, sir." The Anbu Ninja answered respectfully, used the Body Flicker Technique, and vanished from the room.
Watching the spot where the Anbu Ninja had disappeared, the Third Hokage lit his pipe again, exhaled a cloud of smoke, and sighed, "Peace..."
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