After finishing dinner at Kakashi's house, Shisui returned to the Uchiha Compound as usual. The clan members along the way all smiled at him. As a genius of the Uchiha Clan who had awakened the Sharingan at just five years old, he was very popular within the clan.
"Oh, Shisui's back! Come over to big sis's house and chat."
"Shisui! I've got freshly made dango here. Come have some."
"Shisui, come sit at my place for a while..."
"Sorry, everyone, I've got something to do! Next time, for sure." Shisui hurriedly fled the street in the compound and returned to his little house.
"He's a genius and so polite, too. What a good boy." A middle-aged man smiled as he watched Shisui's retreating figure and murmured to himself.
"I'm home!" Shisui stepped into the entryway, took off his shoes, and spoke to the empty house.
He walked into the living room, opened the refrigerator, took out the milk, and gulped it all down.
"Ah, that hit the spot!" Shisui set down the milk carton, went into his bedroom, then lay on the bed and opened the template he'd had ever since coming to this world.
The template gave off a faint glow, and many of its dimmed sections were locked.
"How do I unlock them?" Just as Shisui was puzzling over it, a dim skill slot suddenly flickered, then unlocked.
The [Six Paths Madara] template had now unlocked five things over the past five years, including the one he'd just unlocked:
"One-Tomoe Sharingan"
"Three Basic Jutsu"
"Body Flicker Technique"
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu"
"Nature Transformation and Shape Transformation of Chakra" (Unlocked)
"I didn't do much today. I only had a spar with Kakashi, I guess. We'd practiced together before, but never for real. Could these skills unlock through fighting?" Shisui could only speculate. He'd need to test it to find out.
Shisui continued scrolling down. Nearly everything listed there was something Uchiha Madara could do.
"Looks like the Six Paths Madara Template includes all of Lord Madara's skills. But there are so many. How long will it take to unlock them all?" Shisui drooped his head, looking utterly hopeless.
"I'll have to find Kakashi tomorrow and check whether the skills in this template are unlocked through fighting. If they are, it'll be easy. He remembered that the Third Shinobi World War would start in a few years. He could unlock the template faster by fighting for real on the battlefield." As Shisui thought, he drifted off to sleep.
Sunlight drove away the darkness, and Shisui got up early. The Ninja Academy was opening today, so of course he had to go.
After washing up, he put on the Uchiha Clan's high-collared shirt, grabbed some milk and bread, and headed for the Ninja Academy.
"Good morning, little Shisui! Make sure you work hard at the Ninja Academy today," Uchiha Tsubaki said with a smile.
"Good morning, Uncle Tsubaki!" Shisui replied with a smile.
The clan members greeted him warmly all along the way. Shisui suddenly felt exhausted by the same routine every day.
After Shisui left the compound, some of the clan members immediately gathered together.
"The clan leader, honestly! A genius like him should be trained by the clan."
"The clan leader may be doing it for the sake of the future clan leader. After all, the clan leader's health is getting worse and worse. If a genius like Shisui stays in the clan, others might take advantage of him. Then the future clan leader could lose a valuable genius to support him."
"Come on, you should all disperse. It's really impolite to gossip about people here!"
Just as everyone was chatting animatedly, Uchiha Tsubaki walked over with a spoon in hand.
"Break it up, break it up!" The crowd scattered in a rush and went about their own business.
"Kakashi! Time to go to school!" Shisui shouted at the house in front of him.
"Coming, Shisui!" Kakashi came out of the house with a piece of bread in his mouth.
Hatake Sakumo's voice came from inside, too: "Be careful on the way!"
"I know, Father." Kakashi called back over his shoulder, then walked over to Shisui.
They passed through a cherry grove where green buds were sprouting, and the gates of the Ninja Academy came into view.
The two entered the school grounds, then found their classroom amid the crowd of children around their age.
Inside the classroom, the teacher's podium stood at the front. The desks behind it were arranged in tiers, with the seats growing higher farther back. Each desk could seat three students.
There weren't many people in the classroom yet. A somewhat roguish-looking boy sat near the back, beside a girl in a white dress whose eyes were as red as rubies.
In the row ahead sat a skinny boy wearing a black headband. The child next to him had a wooden senbon in his mouth. In the middle row, a boy in sunglasses sat beside a boy with a white bandage wrapped around his nose.
Kakashi and Shisui entered the classroom, immediately drawing everyone's attention. Their looks put everyone else in the room to shame.
"Wow! He's the Uchiha Clan's genius! I'm so lucky to be in his class. I have to sit next to him!"
"And Prince Kakashi, too! He's just like the prince charming of my dreams!"
A few girls in ordinary clothes were overcome with excitement, all eagerly eyeing the two boys standing at the front of the classroom.
Shisui rubbed his chin and spotted an empty seat by the window in the corner. He got there before Kakashi and claimed it.
Kakashi rolled his eyes. He'd liked that seat, but Shisui had beaten him to it.
Kakashi had no choice but to go to the desk in front and claim the window seat there.
"Kakashi, don't leave after school!" Shisui needed to tell him in advance. Otherwise, how could he test the method for unlocking the template?
"Got it." Kakashi propped his head on one hand and looked out the window, replying to the voice behind him.
Shisui turned to look at the person sitting beside him. A girl in a black, short-sleeved kimono had her head lowered, and he couldn't tell what she was doing.
"Um, hello. I'm Uchiha Shisui. I hope we'll get along."
Shisui greeted her, but she didn't respond. Instead, steam began to rise from her head.
"Um, are you all right?"
Shisui patted her on the shoulder. She let out a scream, then toppled over and fell asleep. Her face was red, her eyes were spinning, and she wore a silly smile.
"Uchiha Shisui, her name is Kato Shizune."
At that moment, the white-eyed girl with long hair beside him spoke gently.
"I haven't introduced myself yet. My name is Hyuga Chizu. I belong to the Hyuga Branch Family."
"Thank you. I look forward to getting along with you," Shisui replied with a smile.
The girl with the Byakugan shook her head to show that it was nothing.
Just then, a Chunin appeared at the classroom entrance, holding a clipboard.
"My name is Murato Onizuka. I'll be your homeroom teacher and instructor from now on. I'm going to take attendance." Murato Onizuka's voice rang out as he started calling the names one by one.
"Obito Uchiha!"
"Obito Uchiha?"
"Here!" At the classroom entrance, Obito Uchiha adjusted his goggles. He looked a little disheveled.
"Obito Uchiha, late on the very first day?"
"Um, Teacher, I was late because I helped an old lady cross the street. I'm very sorry!"
"All right, I'll accept that excuse this time. Go find a seat." Murato Onizuka checked the box beside "Obito Uchiha" on the clipboard.
"Yes, Teacher." Obito spotted Rin Nohara beside Kakashi at once. His face reddened, and he walked over.