Uchiha Madara, your punches weren't fast enough back then, nor were they fierce enough!

The Hyuga Clan...

Kaminazuki understood the structure of the Hyuga Clan, so his offhand remark to Mikoto was no joke.

According to his knowledge, during the Third Shinobi World War, a "Byakugan Killer" named Ao would appear in Kirigakure, having obtained a Byakugan on the battlefield.

Because of the Caged Bird Seal, the Byakugan of the Hyuga branch family cannot be extracted; based on the timeline, the one who died was likely that brat from just a moment ago.

This isn't the late-stage era of monster brawls where eyes are plug-and-play.

To have one's most vital organ seized on the battlefield—it would be a miracle if he survived.

If that is the case, it explains why Hiashi could avoid placing the Caged Bird Seal on Hanabi.

He was lucky enough to catch the moment the elder line died out, and if all else failed, he could always adopt Hinata into another branch...

Enough thinking. He couldn't even manage his own affairs, let alone the messy business of the Hyuga Clan.

Standing on the school playground, Kaminazuki watched the Third Hokage on the podium.

The thirty-something Sarutobi Hiruzen was currently in his prime as a ninja, with no shortcomings in ninjutsu, taijutsu, or genjutsu. As he consolidated power in Konoha, he displayed sufficient boldness and strategy, and the title of "Professor" had already begun to circulate.

After winning the Second Shinobi World War, Konoha would enter its golden age under this man's leadership.

The White Fang of Konoha was renowned throughout the shinobi world, the "Darkness of the Shinobi" Shimura Danzō was a figure of dread, and the Sannin were rising to fame...

Coupled with the fact that Konoha possessed the two strongest dōjutsu clans in the world and numerous secret-jutsu families, it was the undisputed strongest among the Five Great Shinobi Villages!

Prosperity leads to decline.

Konoha's decline began with the death of the Fourth and the departure of the Sannin, reaching its nadir with the Uchiha Clan Massacre.

From Kaminazuki's perspective, Sarutobi Hiruzen seemed to be the greatest enemy he would have to face.

But looking at Sarutobi Hiruzen on the podium, speaking eloquently about the Will of Fire, there was not a trace of malice in Kaminazuki's eyes.

He knew very well that while the Uchiha Massacre had many contributing factors, it was a hidden danger buried since the founding of the village; the outcome was inevitable.

It was a simple truth: a difference in perception.

In the eyes of other clans, the Uchiha were just a group that had been defeated by the Senju and joined Konoha; they were no different from anyone else, so why should they have special privileges?

But in the eyes of the Uchiha, they were partners with the Senju in founding Konoha, yet they couldn't even get a Hokage—it was bullying!

Therefore, after Hashirama Senju died, some of the Uchiha hawks were very dissatisfied with Tobirama Senju's policies and wanted to seize sovereignty from the Senju clan.

The details were unclear, but in short, the hawks were dealt with by Tobirama Senju, who also took Kagami Uchiha into his personal guard, using both the carrot and the stick to keep them in line.

But this was only temporary; the core conflict remained unresolved.

The Uchiha wanted power, but the village could not grant them too much of it.

No one wanted to entrust their life and livelihood to a group that might go insane at any moment.

Madara Uchiha saw this future, which is why he wanted to lead the Uchiha away from Konoha...

Unfortunately, no one followed him that day.

It was only natural that no one did!

You were the one who said to let go of hatred and live in peace with the Senju, and you had already beaten the heads of the dissenting radicals into a pulp.

We listened to you, settled down, and our children weren't even a month old before you said it was time to start a war again?

That's not how you play the game, Boss!

Kaminazuki was nine years old this year, much taller than his peers. His gaze swept over those youthful, vibrant faces, and he spotted a certain little blond boy.

The shinobi village system was correct; the academy model had a much higher probability of discovering geniuses than the clan model.

If he wanted to change the future of the Uchiha Massacre, leading the clan away from Konoha was not a viable path.

This was no longer the Warring States period; the power of a single clan could not possibly stand against a shinobi village. Even if they joined another village, the result would be no better than it was in Konoha.

The Land of Water had the most Kekkei Genkai clans, but how many were left after the purges?

Kumogakure was a group of barbarians who seized whatever they wanted; did they capture Kushina and Hinata because they intended to give them a wonderful life?

Speaking of Kushina, the Uzumaki Clan was the perfect example of the fate of a powerful clan that refused to join a shinobi village.

Picking the best among the worst, Konoha really was the most harmonious of them all.

That was why so many ninjas, having witnessed the cruelty of the shinobi world, were willing to pay any price to protect this utopia in their hearts.

Hashirama Senju was like this, and so was Itachi Uchiha.

When it all comes down to it...

It's just because you weren't strong enough, Madara Uchiha!

If you had been the one who won back then, then it wouldn't be the Uchiha who had to worry!

What you call truth is nothing more than the self-pity of a loser!!

Because this year's incoming class included many students from ninja clans, Sarutobi Hiruzen arranged for his three disciples to oversee the class assignments.

They were the recently renowned trio of jonin: Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru.

"Lady Tsunade! That's the youngest female jonin in Konoha! She's so beautiful!!"

"And that's Lord Orochimaru next to her! So cool! So handsome!!"

"I heard Lord Orochimaru is a genius the likes of which we haven't seen in decades!"

"Wow!! Could they be our teachers? I really hope I get assigned to Lord Orochimaru's class!"

"I want Lady Tsunade!!"

The daily routine of the Ninja Academy: the clamor of precocious Konoha children.

However, they tacitly ignored a certain white-haired man.

"Hey! What about Lord Jiraiya here! Can't you see me? I'm a jonin too!!"

"My nickname is..."

"Brother, which teacher do you want?"

Mikoto leaned in close, her large eyes blinking: "I like Lady Tsunade the best. I want to become a powerful and gentle kunoichi just like her!"

Powerful, sure, but gentle?

Kaminazuki reached out and pushed her forehead away: "Forget it. You're an Uchiha; you won't pass the background check."

"Brother, you're saying things I don't understand again. And you can't describe a person as 'a'!"

The gentle and reserved Mikoto had turned into a bit of a snarky commentator over the years because of Kaminazuki.

"You still haven't answered me!"

Kaminazuki thought for a moment, a strange smile tugging at the corner of his mouth: "If I had to say... Lord Orochimaru would be a very good choice."

As everyone knew, two of the Sannin took on disciples, while the other one just collected "dads."

"You think so too, classmate!"

A very noisy voice rang out from the side.

It was a guy who looked incredibly sunny, grinning to reveal two rows of white teeth, his cheeks flushed.

"Senior Orochimaru is the coolest! I want to be his student too!"

He approached with practiced familiarity and reached out a hand: "My name is Nawaki. I just arrived at the academy today. What's your name?"

Nawaki...

This one was a real dead man walking.

Kaminazuki wasn't used to dealing with such overly enthusiastic people and didn't reach out: "Did no one tell you what the mark on our clothes represents?"

Nawaki glanced at the clan crest on Kaminazuki's shoulder and laughed, completely unbothered: "We're all comrades in the village; our surnames don't matter."

"Let's get to know each other! Uchiha classmate!!"

Kaminazuki remained unmoved: "Then I'll be blunt. I dislike people who are overly enthusiastic like you."

"Eh?"

Nawaki looked like a wilted eggplant, his hand still extended in a helpless gesture.

Mikoto couldn't bear to watch, so she pushed Kaminazuki aside, stepped forward to shake his hand, and offered an apologetic smile: "I'm Uchiha Mikoto, and this is my brother, Kaminazuki."

"I'm so sorry, he's being very rude!"

"No... it's fine, really..."

Tsunade and the others were walking over, and upon seeing the commotion, they quickened their pace.

That Uchiha brat—he wouldn't be bullying Nawaki, would he!