Life During the Holidays

The morning mist had just cleared when the air at Training Ground 3 erupted with the muffled boom of colliding chakra.

Namikaze Minato's figure streaked like a blue flash of lightning. The path of his Body Flicker Technique blurred into afterimages as he lunged straight for Uchiha Ling's back.

But before his fist could reach its target, Uchiha Ling had already slid half a meter to the left. His Sharingan glinted faintly red in the sunlight, its Tomoe clearly tracking the flow of chakra beneath Minato's feet.

"You saw that coming?" A flicker of surprise crossed Minato's eyes. He swiftly twisted his wrist, sending three Kunai flying from his sleeve in a triangular formation toward Ling's evasive path.

But Uchiha Ling merely raised a hand and flicked two Kunai from between his fingers, knocking Minato's weapons aside with pinpoint accuracy. Meanwhile, his left hand had already formed the Hand Seals behind his back. "Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

The enormous fireball surged forward on a wave of scorching heat—not toward Minato, but toward the ground three paces behind him. That was where Minato would land after his next Body Flicker.

Minato's pupils contracted. Forced to abort his teleport, he tapped the ground with his toes and shot backward two meters. The scorching heat curled the loose hair above his forehead.

"Your Body Flicker path is too predictable."

Uchiha Ling finished his Hand Seals and steadied himself, his tone calm as his Sharingan remained fixed on Minato.

"Before each time you use it, chakra gathers in your right toe for 0.5 seconds. The Sharingan can clearly detect that opening."

Minato took a deep breath. The smile faded from his face, replaced by utter seriousness.

He rapidly formed Hand Seals as chakra gathered before him. "Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"

A winding water dragon surged from his mouth, rushing toward Ling with tremendous force.

It was a B-rank ninjutsu that he rarely used in combat training. Clearly, he was now giving it everything he had.

But Uchiha Ling didn't try to meet it head-on. His figure vanished—not with the familiar rhythm of Minato's Body Flicker Technique, but by pushing the Body Flicker: Chain Seals technique to its limit.

He teleported to Minato's left, forming Hand Seals with a speed nearly twice as fast as before. "Fire Style: Fire Dragon Technique!" A straight stream of flame, like a crimson serpent, struck the water dragon squarely in the side of its neck. The intense heat instantly vaporized most of the water, and the rest splashed onto the ground, soaking both of their training uniforms.

Minato tried to use the Body Flicker again, only to find Ling already in front of him. Ling's chakra-cloaked left fist grazed his shoulder, its force making Minato's chest tighten.

The punch seemed to miss, but it cut off every route of retreat. Uchiha Ling's right foot had already come down, just at the edge of Minato's shadow.

Three Kunai wrapped with Explosive Tags were embedded in the wooden post behind him, their fuses already lit by flames at some point.

"Boom!" The smoke from the exploding tags engulfed half the training ground.

Minato emerged from the smoke with the Body Flicker, cold sweat already beading across his back as he landed.

He looked at Ling standing in the smoke. Ling was slowly deactivating his Sharingan. His breathing was a little unsteady, but he had remained firmly in control throughout the fight.

"I lost." Minato shook his head with a wry smile, his voice full of amazement. "After just two weeks of training, you can not only predict my Body Flicker, but your ninjutsu transitions and tactical planning are far beyond mine, too. If that had been a real fight, your Fire Style and Explosive Tags would have driven me into a corner."

Uchiha Ling walked over and picked up the Kunai from the ground. "The Sharingan gives me too big an advantage, and I've gotten used to your Body Flicker patterns."

Uchiha Ling spoke modestly, but he knew it wasn't just the Sharingan's doing. The system's enhancements to the Body Flicker Technique and Fire Style, combined with the experience he had gained from fighting Minato every day, had let him make the leap from "evenly matched" to "having the upper hand."

Konoha's midsummer quietly came to an end with the season's last torrential downpour. When the rain stopped, the scorch marks and Kunai dents at Training Ground 3 had been washed away, leaving only a faint trace of chakra in the soil—the remnants of Uchiha Ling, Minato, and the others' final summer training session.

Before long, the first day of the new school year arrived.

The Ninja Academy's playground was packed with students in dark blue uniforms, and excited chatter rose from every direction.

"I heard the Lord Third is coming to give a speech today!" "Really? I've never seen the Lord Third before!"

"Ling! Over here!" Minato called enthusiastically, having claimed a spot near the front of the crowd. Hyuga Hiashi and Nara Shikaku sat beside him.

After a whole summer of training, Minato and Uchiha Ling had grown familiar with each other, and they had started calling each other by name.

Uchiha Ling smiled as he squeezed through the crowd and sat down beside Minato.

At nine o'clock, the playground fell silent. Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Lord Third, walked slowly onto the stage in his Hokage robes, leaning on his cane.

As he did every year, Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke about Konoha's Will of Fire.

"The Will of Fire burns on without end! The sacrifices of the older generation of shinobi become the soil, nourishing the next generation..."

After the speech, the students filed out in an orderly fashion. When they returned to their classroom, their teacher, Aoki Ken, came in carrying his lesson plans. His expression was serious. "You all understood the Lord Third's speech just now. Today's assignment is to write a short essay about your thoughts on the 'Will of Fire.' It doesn't need to be long, but it should express your own ideas. Hand it in tomorrow morning."

A quiet wave of complaints swept through the classroom. "How are we supposed to write about the Will of Fire?" "All I know how to write is ninjutsu notes!" Akimichi Choza slumped over his desk, frowning as he poked at his paper. "If only I'd paid attention earlier. Now all I can think about is barbecue..."

Night fell over a room in the Uchiha Compound, lamplight falling across Uchiha Ling's profile.

Ever since he had transmigrated into the Uchiha Clan, the name Shimura Danzō had hung over his head like the sword of Damocles.

Everyone who had watched Naruto knew of Danzō's hostility toward the Uchiha Clan and his coveting of the Sharingan.

That was why this essay about the Lord Third, Hiruzen Sarutobi's speech on the Will of Fire, presented an opportunity for him.

If his essay earned Hiruzen Sarutobi's approval, he would be recognized as a bridge between Konoha and the Uchiha Clan.

That would ensure his safety and allow him to boldly display his talent and reap emotional points from the others.

Uchiha Ling spread out a sheet of paper. His pen hovered for a moment before finally touching down. Instead of writing the usual answers like "protecting one's comrades" or "passing on one's mission," he titled his essay "What Is the Will of Fire?" and laid out a set of principles far beyond the understanding of his time:

"The Will of Fire is far more than a mere symbol of spirit. It is Konoha's core strategy for governing itself as a 'community of diverse groups.' Its fundamental aim is to deeply bind every group, including the Uchiha, to Konoha as a whole in matters of strategy, interests, and values, creating an environment of cooperation in which groups 'share risks, share benefits, and advance together.'

...(See the author's note for the full version.)

"As a member of the Uchiha Clan and a student of the Konoha Ninja Academy, I have always believed that the mission of the younger generation is to foster cooperation and integration between their groups and Konoha through their actions, transforming the 'Will of Fire' from a governing strategy into a conscious way of life for every member of the village, and ultimately ensuring the lasting peace and stability of the Konoha community."

The next morning, when the assignments had been collected, Aoki Ken had only meant to skim through them. But when he opened Ling's essay, his first glance was casual. The more he read, the more intently he focused. His brow gradually relaxed, and the look in his eyes shifted from surprise to gravity.

"This essay... can't be treated as just an assignment." Aoki Ken picked up the notebook and hurried toward the Hokage's office. "This is a completely new interpretation of the Will of Fire. The Lord Third needs to see it."

"Lord Hokage," Aoki Ken said, knocking on the door, excitement in his voice. "There's something I must report to you!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked up. Seeing how eager Aoki Ken seemed, he couldn't help feeling curious. "Aoki Ken, what's wrong? Has something happened at the Ninja Academy?"

"No, it's about the students' essays on the Will of Fire." Aoki Ken hurried over to the desk and handed him Uchiha Ling's essay. "Lord Hokage, please read this one. It was written by Uchiha Ling, and I think... it's quite extraordinary."

Hiruzen Sarutobi paused, then took the paper, puzzled. Uchiha Ling? Was he the Uchiha boy who had gone from dead last to first place? He wanted to see what a gifted child like him understood about the Will of Fire.

He began reading. At first, a warm smile rested on his face, but as he continued, it gradually faded. His gaze grew sharper and sharper, and his fingers unconsciously tightened around the paper.

Hiruzen Sarutobi picked up Uchiha Ling's essay and read it again, his voice full of approval. "He isn't limited to the 'clan'; he sees 'inheritance' and 'community.' That is the true core of the Will of Fire. And when he writes about 'letting the flame burn in every villager's heart,' it shows that he has a broader perspective. He isn't thinking only of his clan, but of the entire village."

Hiruzen Sarutobi stood and walked to the window, looking out at Kage Rock. "The Uchiha Clan has always been an important force in Konoha, but in recent years, some of its younger members have grown too restless. They think only of seizing power and have forgotten the Will of Fire. This Uchiha Ling might become a bridge between the village and the Uchiha Clan."