The Storm Approaches

Hidden Leaf Village.

Ninja Academy.

A large crowd of students gathered in the practice field, awaiting instructions from their chunin instructor.

"Next, Kakashi Hatake."

A boy with short white hair and a mask walked up to the instructor and performed a set of hand seals.

Poof.

As a cloud of white smoke cleared, two clones identical to him appeared by his side.

Kakashi Hatake had produced two flawless clones.

"Very good, full marks."

The chunin instructor nodded in satisfaction.

As he recorded the score, he thought, As expected of the son of the White Fang of the Leaf.

"Wow, it's Kakashi! I heard he's planning to apply for early graduation from the academy."

"Kakashi is so cool!"

Many precocious girls shrieked as they watched Kakashi's perfect ninjutsu.

Among them was Nohara Rin.

She wore a black top with a light pink skirt tied at her waist, and tight-fitting shorts underneath that accentuated her graceful figure.

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

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

Uchiha Obito, standing nearby, saw Nohara Rin cheering for Kakashi and immediately insisted that he was just as capable.

Kakashi, returning to the line, cast a faint glance at Uchiha Obito.

"Idol."

"What did you say?!"

Obito, unable to contain his anger, wanted to confront Kakashi but was held back by Nohara Rin.

While everyone else was noisy and rowdy, one person stood somewhat apart from the crowd.

Uchiha Shimizu watched the students playing and bickering, his gaze calmly sweeping over the clones Kakashi was beginning to dispel.

By the standards of the Ninja Academy, they were indeed perfect, but in actual combat, they had slight flaws.

Kakashi's clones have reached the standard for full marks; his early graduation this year is inevitable, Uchiha Shimizu thought to himself.

He was a transmigrator who had been an Uchiha for six years now.

From the moment he was born, he had broken through the veil of reincarnation, awakened his past-life memories, and retained his wisdom.

Although his parents had both passed away, they had both been ninjas.

Not only had the Hidden Leaf Village provided a pension, but the Uchiha clan had also granted a substantial additional sum.

This meant Uchiha Shimizu had never gone hungry or cold since birth.

It was now October of the 43rd year of the Konoha Calendar. According to the original plot, Kakashi would graduate this year.

Obito, Rin, Guy, and the others would follow in the coming years.

This signaled that the Third Shinobi World War was drawing near.

Uchiha Shimizu sighed and withdrew his gaze from Kakashi Hatake.

With his adult learning capacity, he had long since mastered the Three Body Techniques taught at the Ninja Academy.

His own Three Body Techniques were even stronger than those of the current Kakashi Hatake.

After all, no matter how much of a genius Kakashi Hatake was, he was essentially just a six-year-old child whose brain had not yet reached its peak development.

Furthermore, Qingshui possessed strict self-discipline.

He practiced diligently every day, performing exercises like water walking and tree climbing.

His strength was definitely enough to trade blows with those who had just graduated as genin.

It was worth noting that he hadn't even awakened his Sharingan yet; all he could use were some of the Uchiha clan's ancestral ninjutsu.

In this world, only strength could weigh everything.

For instance, regarding the upcoming Third Shinobi World War, if Senju Hashirama, known as the God of Shinobi, were still alive, it would be impossible for such a war to break out!

Aside from Uchiha Madara, who would be so thick-headed as to dare fight Senju Hashirama?

However, Qingshui had not applied for early graduation like Kakashi; he wanted to linger in the Ninja Academy for a while longer.

If he performed too brilliantly, he would catch the eye of Danzo, and being targeted by a man like that was not a pleasant feeling.

"Next, Uchiha Shimizu."

The chunin instructor marked grades for one student after another on his clipboard until it was finally Uchiha Shimizu's turn to step up.

As the name was called, Uchiha Shimizu walked forward.

His hands moved in a blur to weave hand signs, refining his chakra before guiding it to manifest according to the seals he had formed.

Poof! Poof!

Uchiha Shimizu produced two clones, which stood one to his left and one to his right.

"Not bad, 90 points."

The chunin instructor wrote down a 90 on his sheet, showing no surprise at Uchiha Shimizu's performance.

After all, he was born into the Uchiha clan; perhaps with the exception of Uchiha Obito, the Uchiha generally performed quite well.

"Qingshui, let's spar when we get back later!"

Uchiha Obito waved at Qingshui, hoping he could help him out.

His own grade had only just barely passed.

He wanted to impress Nohara Rin, yet he didn't want to lower his head to Kakashi Hatake.

The best candidate for help was clearly Qingshui, a fellow member of the Uchiha clan.

"No need."

Uchiha Shimizu had no interest in socializing with these children; he dispelled his clones and returned to the crowd.

Regardless of what he did, he would never compare to the status Nohara Rin and Kakashi Hatake held in Obito's heart.

That guy wouldn't even blink at killing his own master and mistress, and he was even thoughtful enough to gift the newborn Naruto Uzumaki explosive tags as a welcoming present.

Did he really think he would be spared during the Uchiha Clan Downfall?

Obito was the man Uchiha Madara had set his sights on; his corruption was inevitable.

Qingshui had no desire to wade into these muddy waters; self-preservation was the best policy.

"This guy..."

Uchiha Obito watched Qingshui, a fellow Uchiha, with a look of annoyance.

What he hated most was someone who acted as aloof as Kakashi.

"Alright, everyone has been recorded. Dismissed."

Since Qingshui was the last to be registered, the chunin instructor folded up his clipboard and hurried away after telling the students to head home.

Walking home alone, Qingshui bought several military rations as he usually did.

The rations were delicious and nutritionally balanced.

They were simple to eat, easy to carry, and required no cooking or dishwashing.

Military rations were documented in the official guidebook, The Book of Soldiers, which even detailed how to make them and how to modify the flavors to personal preference—a very convenient item.

Sigh, if I want powerful strength, I need to awaken the Sharingan, and awakening the Sharingan requires intense emotional stimulation.

The shortcut for the Uchiha clan to become stronger was through emotional stimulation, and the most common method was pain.

Thinking of the brutal conditions of the Third Shinobi World War, Qingshui felt uneasy.

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

Once Kakashi became obsessed, his strength would skyrocket, growing stronger by the day until he far surpassed him.

Yet, he himself had already reached his limit; it was impossible to see any significant improvement in the short term.

"It seems I have to rely on this."

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.

[Perfect Life Simulator activation countdown: 10 minutes 57 seconds]

With every passing second, the numbers on the display ticked down.

Uchiha Shimizu quickened his pace toward home.

He didn't know what this so-called simulator was capable of, but it was the only thing he could rely on right now.

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

Running off to the Hidden Cloud Village wouldn't be bad; he could start a new life there.

Because even if he were lucky enough to survive the war, Qingshui still had to face the massive crisis of the Uchiha Clan Downfall.

It could be said that the life of an Uchiha was filled with nothing but hardships.

[Ding, energy collection complete. Activating Perfect Life Simulator.]

[Current attempts: 1. Would you like to begin the Perfect Life Simulation?]