The Uchiha Clan's "Genius"

Ten years ago, at a training ground in Konoha.

Afternoon sunlight filtered through the old trees beside the training ground, casting dappled shadows across the earth.

Kakashi fixed his deadpan gaze on the embarrassed Obito before him, his silver-white hair glinting faintly in the sun.

Beneath his mask, the corners of his mouth turned down. Impatience was written all over his young face, and his tone was blunt:

"Why can't you understand something so simple?

Obito, you really are a hopeless dead last."

Obito glanced instinctively at Rin, who stood beside him smiling in encouragement. His cheeks reddened, and frustration filled his dark eyes.

He clenched his fists and raised his voice:

"Uh... It's because you make it sound so complicated, Kakashi!

You jump from one part to another. I can't keep up at all!"

Kakashi replied lazily, making no effort to hide his disdain:

"Huh? Something this simple doesn't need that much explanation. Idiot."

"You!"

Obito's face grew redder. He took a deep breath, then shot back with a mocking look:

"Hmph! Kou would explain every part properly! And he's way easier to understand than you!"

"...Is that how you treat someone generous enough to teach a dead last like you?"

Kakashi looked back at Obito. At last, something stirred in his deadpan eyes.

"If it weren't for Rin, I wouldn't waste my time on you."

"Uh..."

Obito seemed to realize he had gone too far. His lips moved as he tried to apologize.

But before he could speak, Kakashi continued.

"Well, I'm not suited to teaching an idiot like you anyway.

When it comes to teaching idiots like you, Kou may not have much talent, but he works hard. He's definitely better suited to it than I am."

Kakashi's tone was flat, as though he were stating a fact.

"Kakashi, you bastard! Don't talk about Kou like that!"

Obito's voice shot up. Anger flared in his eyes.

"What do you mean, 'Kou doesn't have much talent'? Take that back! Kou's a genius of the Uchiha Clan!

He's a hundred times—ten thousand times—more of a genius than an annoying jerk like you!"

"...I was just telling the truth. Why are you getting so worked up?"

Kakashi answered evenly, his deadpan eyes untroubled.

"You!"

"Enough, you two. Why are you fighting again?"

Rin stepped between them, her gentle eyes moving from one to the other.

Her voice was soft, like a breeze trying to clear the tension between them.

She spread her arms, forming a barrier between the two boys, who looked ready to come to blows.

"Let me be clear. Obito's the one being unreasonable. I have no intention of arguing with him."

Kakashi looked away from Obito and calmly explained himself to Rin.

"Rin! You heard what he said, right? That idiot Kakashi looks down on Kou!"

Obito's voice rang with indignation.

"Hey, when did I say I looked down on him? Don't twist my words, Obito!"

Kakashi finally frowned, irritation flashing through his eyes.

"I said he 'doesn't have much talent,' not that he's 'worthless.' There's a fundamental difference. Can't you understand that?"

"That's exactly what you meant!"

Rin sighed helplessly as the two started arguing again.

In the distance, Minato stood in the shade at the edge of the training ground, a bag on his back.

He watched the three youngsters making a commotion, a trace of helplessness on his gentle face.

"Heh. You've just gotten back from a mission, and this is what you find. Must be rough, Minato."

A hearty voice sounded behind him.

Jiraiya poked his youthful, rugged face over Minato's shoulder and wrapped a broad arm around him from behind.

He grinned and teased him:

"What did I tell you? Being a supervising jonin is hard work, isn't it?"

Minato smiled and shook his head, warmth filling his blue eyes.

He spoke softly, with genuine ease:

"I'm happy to see them so full of energy after finishing a mission."

He paused and looked toward the three youngsters on the training ground, affection in his gaze.

Jiraiya looked at Minato and shook his head helplessly.

"Only you would see it that way. Back when the Old Man was training us, it was really..."

Memories of those days made Jiraiya shudder.

"Uh, hahaha..."

Minato laughed awkwardly as Jiraiya started criticizing his own teacher, the Third Hokage.

Seeing his expression, Jiraiya wisely fell silent.

He took his arm off Minato's shoulders, puzzlement appearing on his rugged face.

"Come to think of it, where's that kid Kou? Doesn't he usually train here with those three?

Why isn't he here today? It's not often I get to come back."

At the mention of Kou, Minato's smile faded slightly.

His gaze left the training ground and settled in the direction of the Uchiha Clan Compound.

Pain and worry flickered through his blue eyes.

"Kou... is probably still training in the Uchiha Clan's library."

"I see... That kid's working as hard as ever."

Jiraiya nodded and murmured with a hint of admiration.

Minato looked at Jiraiya, his lips parting.

In the end, he said nothing about how every member of Kou's team had died on their last mission.

Jiraiya seemed to sense Minato's mood, understanding flickering in his eyes.

He didn't press him. Instead, he changed the subject, his expression growing more serious.

"But still, that kid settled on his path at such a young age. That's remarkable.

Even Orochimaru and you couldn't have done that at his age."

Minato murmured softly, thoughtfulness passing through his blue eyes.

"The Uchiha Clan's... 'genius'?"

Jiraiya turned slightly toward Minato, who had clearly fallen deep into thought, and asked:

"Hmm? What is it, Minato?"

Minato was silent for a moment.

His gaze fell on Obito's face, flushed with anger on Kou's behalf, and he said quietly:

"Jiraiya, I've... always had one concern.

Isn't the title of 'genius' a little too cruel for Kou to bear?"

Jiraiya's brows shifted slightly.

"Both we and the Uchiha know full well that Kou's talent can't actually live up to so many expectations."

Minato continued in a low voice:

"It may not show yet, but in a few years, that child will hit the limits of his talent.

When that happens, Kou..."

"Minato."

Jiraiya cut him off.

"Kou isn't as fragile as you think."

Minato went still.

"I suspect that child understood everything you just said a long time ago."

Jiraiya's voice was calm and steady, as if he were stating something he had observed for years and finally confirmed.

Minato nodded silently. The troubled look in his blue eyes remained.

Jiraiya looked at Minato, a smile tugging at his lips.

"Minato, do you know why Kou is called the Uchiha Clan's 'genius'?"

"Huh...?"

Minato's eyes widened slightly in confusion.

"The Uchiha Clan did promote Kou partly because they didn't want Kakashi stealing all the attention in the village. But they aren't fools."

Jiraiya looked at Minato and explained earnestly:

"They value Kou enough to break precedent and let him train in a library containing thousands of years of the Uchiha Clan's accumulated knowledge because they acknowledge him."

Jiraiya's voice deepened with conviction.

"They acknowledge Kou. They believe that, despite his ordinary talent, he can carry the title of the Uchiha Clan's 'genius.'"

Understanding dawned in Minato's eyes as he listened.

He was a genius—a true, exceptionally gifted genius, recognized by everyone.

And because of that, he sometimes struggled to see things from the perspective of an "ordinary person" like Kou.

Jiraiya, unlike him, had known what it was like to be "ordinary." At times, he understood Kou better than Minato could.

Jiraiya nodded, his voice tinged with feeling.

"That child knows himself well.

He knows he isn't a naturally gifted genius. He knows his only advantages over others are the Sharingan Kekkei Genkai and his place in the Uchiha Clan.

So he decided to make the most of that legacy."

Jiraiya paused, then continued:

"He's devoted nearly all his energy to studying the Uchiha Clan's knowledge.

With thousands of years behind it, the clan has more than enough knowledge and examples for him to find what suits him best—what will help him grow fastest."

He looked at Minato and smiled.

"And you've seen the result. Kou, an 'ordinary' Uchiha,

used his own hard work to draw the nourishment best suited to him from the Uchiha Clan's thousand-year legacy. He became one of the most outstanding talents of his generation."

Jiraiya praised him sincerely:

"To the Uchiha, who have always taken pride in their name and history, Kou is more impressive than a genius in the conventional sense."

His gaze passed through the trees and across the training ground, as though it could cross time itself and reach the boy in the Uchiha Clan Compound.

"Without a doubt, Kou is the Uchiha Clan's 'genius.'

A 'genius' who grew from the Uchiha Clan's own legacy!"

On the mountain, Kou and Jiraiya's battle continued.

Wind swept between the peaks, stirring their clothes.

On the open ground at the summit, grass lay flattened and dust swirled. Scorched patches marked the earth everywhere.

"Uchiha Style—Flame-Leaping Sword!"

Lightning flashed, and Kou appeared at Jiraiya's side.

He moved so fast it seemed he had crossed space itself. Only the lightning-scorched mark on the ground showed where he had stood.

The Three Tomoe Sharingan spun rapidly in his eyes, tracking and catching every tiny change in Jiraiya's body.

Jiraiya's center of gravity, the tension in his muscles, the rhythm of his breathing—those eyes took in everything in an instant.

Kou raised his flame-wreathed sword and struck at Jiraiya's right side!

Fire-release chakra trailing from the blade left a crimson streak in the air. The heat was so intense that the air itself began to warp.

Jiraiya's gaze sharpened, a gleam flashing in his eyes.

He knew he couldn't dodge at this distance. Kou was too fast—too fast for him to form Hand Seals in time.

Even so, his fingers flew through the signs.

"Ninja Art—Wild Lion's Mane Technique!"

His deep voice echoed across the summit.

His long white hair grew wildly, surging from his shoulders and back in every direction.

Reinforced with chakra, it became impossibly tough. It blocked the flaming sword's path and met the crimson edge head-on.

The blade stopped.

But the hair did not. It kept spreading, trying to coil around Kou's sword, his wrist, his body.

Watching the white hair come at him through the flames, unfazed by the heat, Kou couldn't help thinking:

Damn, chakra makes no sense. Now there's hair that won't burn? That's just cheating.

But there was no fear in his eyes.

Under the Three Tomoe Sharingan's keen perception, the hair's path of attack took shape in his mind.

He saw the path of every strand, every angle of entanglement, every possible trap.

Not a single opening escaped him.