A Storm Was Brewing

Hidden Leaf Village.

Ninja Academy.

A crowd of students gathered in the vast training ground, waiting for the Chunin teacher's instructions.

"Next, Kakashi Hatake."

A white-haired boy wearing a mask stepped before the teacher and formed Hand Seals.

Poof.

As the white smoke cleared, two clones identical to him appeared at his sides.

Kakashi Hatake had created two flawless clones.

"Excellent. Full marks."

The Chunin teacher nodded in satisfaction.

He recorded the score. Just as expected of the White Fang of the Leaf's son.

"Wow, it's Kakashi. I heard he's going to ask the school for early graduation."

"Kakashi's so cool!"

Many precocious girls let out excited squeals at Kakashi's perfect ninjutsu.

Nohara Rin was among them.

She wore a black top, a pale pink skirt tied around her waist, and tight shorts underneath that showed off her lovely figure.

Most eye-catching were her soft, short hair and the purple markings on her face.

"Hmph, Rin, I can do that too."

Uchiha Obito saw that Nohara Rin was cheering for Kakashi and immediately declared that he could do it too.

Back with the others, Kakashi cast a fleeting glance at Uchiha Obito.

"Idiot."

"What did you say?!"

Obito was so annoyed that he wanted to confront Kakashi, but Nohara Rin stopped him.

While everyone else chattered and jostled around, one person stood apart from the crowd.

Uchiha Shimizu watched the students playfully roughhousing and quietly studied Kakashi's clones as they faded away.

By the standards of the Ninja Academy, they were indeed perfect. But in a real fight, they had a few minor flaws.

Kakashi's clone technique has already met the full-marks standard. There's no avoiding early graduation this year.

Shimizu was a transmigrator. He had been reborn into the Uchiha Clan six years ago.

He had awakened his past-life memories shortly after birth, breaking through the mystery of the womb and gaining the wisdom of his previous life.

Though both his parents had died, they had been shinobi.

Not only had Konoha paid him compensation, but the Uchiha Clan had also given him a considerable sum.

Thanks to that, Shimizu had never gone hungry or cold.

It was October of Year 43 of the Konoha Calendar. According to the original story, Kakashi would graduate that year.

Obito, Rin, Guy, and the others would graduate over the next few years.

That meant the Third Shinobi World War was drawing near.

Shimizu sighed and looked away from Kakashi Hatake.

With an adult's ability to learn, he had long since mastered the Three Basic Techniques taught at the Ninja Academy.

His Three Basic Techniques were even better than Kakashi Hatake's at this point.

After all, no matter how much of a genius Kakashi was, he was still only a six-year-old child. His brain hadn't even fully developed yet.

On top of that, Shimizu was disciplined to a fault.

He trained hard every day, practicing Water Walking, tree climbing, and more.

He was definitely strong enough to spar with freshly graduated Genin.

And he hadn't even awakened his Sharingan yet. The only techniques he could use were some ninjutsu passed down through the Uchiha Clan.

In this world, only strength could determine everything.

Take the impending Third Shinobi World War. If Senju Hashirama, the God of Shinobi, were still alive, it would never have broken out!

Other than Uchiha Madara, who would be reckless enough to fight Senju Hashirama?

Still, Shimizu hadn't applied for early graduation like Kakashi. He wanted to coast at the Ninja Academy a little longer.

If he performed too well, Danzo might take an interest in him. Being on that man's radar was not a pleasant prospect.

"Next, Uchiha Shimizu."

The Chunin teacher marked the students' scores on a sheet one by one. Now it was Uchiha Shimizu's turn.

At the sound of his name, Shimizu stepped forward.

He formed Hand Seals rapidly, molded chakra, then guided it through the seals and released it.

Poof! Poof!

Uchiha Shimizu created two clones, one standing on either side of him.

"Not bad. Ninety points."

The Chunin teacher wrote down 90 without the slightest surprise at Uchiha Shimizu's score.

After all, he was an Uchiha. Apart from Uchiha Obito, the Uchiha students generally did well.

"Shimizu, spar with me when we get back!"

Uchiha Obito waved to Shimizu, hoping he could help him improve.

His own score had only just scraped a pass.

He wanted to impress Nohara Rin, but he didn't want to swallow his pride and ask Kakashi for help.

His best option was Shimizu, a fellow member of the Uchiha Clan.

"No thanks."

Uchiha Shimizu had no interest in hanging out with kids like them. He dispelled his clones and returned to the crowd.

Whatever he did, he would never matter as much to Obito as Nohara Rin and Kakashi Hatake did.

Obito had killed his teacher and the teacher's wife without batting an eye, then thoughtfully sent the newborn Naruto an Explosive Tag as a welcome gift.

Did he really think Obito would spare him on the night of the Uchiha Clan Downfall?

Uchiha Madara had chosen Obito. His fall to darkness was inevitable.

Shimizu didn't want to get dragged into that mess. Keeping himself out of trouble was the best course of action.

"That guy..."

Uchiha Obito glared at Shimizu, his fellow Uchiha, with an irritated look.

He couldn't stand people who acted all aloof, just like Kakashi.

"All right, I've recorded everyone's scores. You're dismissed."

Shimizu was the last one to be marked down. The Chunin teacher folded the score sheet, dismissed the students, and hurried away.

On his way home alone, Shimizu stopped to buy several Military Ration Pills, as he usually did.

Military Ration Pills tasted delicious and were nutritionally balanced.

They were easy to eat and carry. There was no need to light a fire to cook or wash dishes afterward.

The Military Ration Pill was documented in the official guidebook, the Book of Soldiers, which even explained how to make it and adjust the flavor to suit personal preference. It was an extremely convenient food.

Sigh. To grow stronger, I need to awaken the Sharingan, and to awaken the Sharingan, I need intense emotional trauma.

The shortcut to power for the Uchiha Clan was emotional trauma, and pain was the most common way to achieve it.

Thinking about the devastation of the Third Shinobi World War, Shimizu felt uneasy.

He was a little stronger than Kakashi now, but that was only because the White Fang of the Leaf was still alive.

Once Kakashi fell into despair, his strength would rise dramatically. He would grow stronger day by day until he far surpassed Shimizu.

But Shimizu had already reached his limit. He couldn't make any major improvements in such a short time.

Looks like I'll have to rely on this after all.

Uchiha Shimizu looked at the translucent panel before him, something no one else could see.

It had been in his mind ever since he transmigrated.

[Simulator activation countdown: 10 minutes 57 seconds]

[The number on the panel decreased with every passing second.]

Uchiha Shimizu quickened his pace home.

He had no idea what this so-called Simulator could do, but it was the only thing he could rely on right now.

If even this couldn't make him stronger quickly, Uchiha Shimizu would have to consider defecting.

Kumogakure seemed like a good choice. He could settle down there and raise a family.

Because even if he somehow survived the war, Shimizu would still have to face the looming crisis of the Uchiha Clan Downfall.

It was fair to say that an Uchiha's life was full of hardship.

[Ding! Energy collection complete. Activating Perfect Life Simulator.]

[Current number of attempts: 1. Begin Perfect Life Simulation?]