If the Fifth Hokage Were an Uchiha

Uchiha Kei swaggered over to Sasuke, strutting like he didn't care who he offended.

"Little brother, let's hear you call me big brother."

Sasuke stared at him, dumbfounded, his face growing redder and redder.

"Oh, and who was it just now who said he'd eat a pile of shit on the spot if he lost?"

Down below, a boy wearing a headband abruptly lowered his head, his face turning bright red too.

"If you're bold enough to say it, you should be bold enough to own it. We're all going to become jade someday, so we should keep our word."

"Come out, come out! Don't think I don't know you're at home just because you're not saying anything..."

The kids around them stared at him, utterly baffled. They had no idea what he was talking about.

Nobody was at home. Weren't they all in the square?

"Kei, what are you talking about?"

Naruto looked up at him, just as confused.

"Ahem, got a little sidetracked." Uchiha Kei scratched his head. "So, you're not coming out? Fine, forget it."

He could forgive someone for running their mouth, but Sasuke...

"Little brother, why haven't you called me big brother yet?"

Sasuke's face was red with frustration, completely unlike his usual arrogant self.

"B-big... big... big..."

After stammering for a long while, Sasuke still couldn't bring himself to say it.

"All right, all right. I hereby announce that everyone has passed the entrance exam!"

The exam instructor stepped in to smooth things over, then led all the kids into the classroom.

Sitting in the classroom, Uchiha Kei thoroughly enjoyed the way everyone was looking at him.

Surprise, confusion, and disbelief.

"Kei, how did you do that just now?"

Naruto leaned over and whispered to him.

"That's just what I can do. I was pretending before. So, did I fool you?" Uchiha Kei said smugly.

"Yeah, right."

Naruto didn't believe him, but the facts were right in front of him. He could still picture those three Shuriken hitting the target dead center.

Just as the classroom was growing noisy, a ninja with a bandage across his nose walked in.

"Welcome, everyone, to the Ninja Academy. From now on, I'll be your teacher. You can call me Iruka-sensei."

"Hello, Iruka-sensei!"

A chorus of cheers rang out.

To them, everything about the Ninja Academy was new—including Iruka.

"Now I'm going to take attendance. Please stand when you hear your name."

"Nakaya Tanaka."

"Here!"

"Tanaka Koya."

"Here!"

"Sasuke Uchiha."

"Here!"

The arrogant Sasuke stood up, but when he saw Uchiha Kei's amused expression, his smugness crumbled in an instant.

"Uchiha Kei."

"Here."

Uchiha Kei rose lazily to his feet.

Iruka regarded him with interest. "The exam instructor said you're good with Shuriken?"

"Not bad, not bad. I was just lucky the others made me look good. It's nothing worth mentioning."

Uchiha Kei waved it off, earning glares from the entire class.

Attendance was soon over, and Iruka began his lesson.

After listening for only a little while, Uchiha Kei was already nodding off.

To keep from spending his first class asleep, he decided to investigate how to use his Shock Value.

"Ding! 1,000 Shock Value can be exchanged for one random basic ninjutsu. Exchange?"

The moment the thought crossed his mind, a prompt sounded.

Uchiha Kei considered it, then chose to exchange.

"Ding! Ninjutsu exchange successful. 1,000 Shock Value deducted."

"Obtained Genin-level chakra."

Tsk, what a fantastic ninjutsu reward!

At that moment, Uchiha Kei wanted to burst out laughing.

Even after half a year of refining chakra day and night, he'd only managed to build up a tiny amount—not enough to perform even one complete ninjutsu.

Now that he had Genin-level chakra, he could use a low-level ninjutsu seven or eight times.

The first day of school soon ended. The kids were picked up by their families, leaving only Uchiha Kei and Naruto behind.

"Kei, let's go get ramen?"

Naruto concealed the sadness in his eyes and tried to sound cheerful.

"Hmm, ramen..."

Uchiha Kei patted his empty pockets and clicked his tongue.

"Yeah! Let's celebrate getting into the Academy with ramen!"

Since it was the start of the month, Naruto still had plenty of the money Sarutobi Hiruzen had given him, so he could afford ramen.

But only today. After eating ramen, he'd have to live on instant noodles for the rest of the month.

"All right."

The two chatted and laughed as they headed to Ichiraku Ramen.

At a time when every family was gathered together, they were all each other had for company.

When they arrived at Ichiraku Ramen, Uchiha Kei was surprised to find two customers already inside.

And they were familiar faces.

"Hmph!"

Seeing Uchiha Kei and Naruto, Sasuke snorted and turned his head away arrogantly.

"Huh, Sasuke, you like ramen too?"

Naruto leaned right up to Sasuke's face, looking curious.

"What's it to you?"

Sasuke pursed his lips, as arrogant as ever.

"Come on, Uncle Teuchi's ramen is so good. It's only natural to like it."

"Hmph!"

The two were fated to bicker.

Naruto bickered; Sasuke fumed.

Meanwhile, Uchiha Kei looked with great interest at the other person.

This man was famous throughout the Naruto World!

His mastery of genjutsu was extraordinary, and his resolve was even greater than Naruto's.

He loved sweets, yet spent his whole life suffering.

The ultimate little brother fanatic—Uchiha Itachi!

"Kei, why are you staring at me?"

As a fellow member of the Uchiha Clan, Uchiha Itachi naturally knew Uchiha Kei.

After all, Uchiha Kei was fairly well-known in the Uchiha Clan.

Aside from his background, it was because he had one of the rarest talents the clan had seen since its founding.

"Ah, Itachi, what a coincidence."

Uchiha Kei scratched his head awkwardly.

"Yeah, what a coincidence." Itachi smiled. "I heard Sasuke say you stole the show at the Ninja Academy today."

"It was luck. Just luck."

"It wasn't just luck."

Itachi gave him a long look. "I understand what you mean. After all, we're Uchiha. There are too many geniuses..."

Uchiha Kei froze for a moment, then understood what Itachi meant.

Why would Itachi wipe out the Uchiha Clan a year from now?

Because of Danzo's schemes?

Because the Third Hokage was wary of them?

Neither.

It was because of the Uchiha Clan's inborn talent!

Their extraordinary aptitude for training, combined with the dōjutsu that made the Shinobi World fear them.

The Uchiha Clan was arrogant? The Uchiha were synonymous with Destruction?

It was all nonsense!

The real reason was the Uchiha Clan's strength!

Danzo feared the Uchiha Clan, and so did the Third Hokage.

If these people hadn't kept pressuring them, would the Uchiha Clan really have rebelled against the village?

Probably not.

"It's best to keep a low profile. After all..."

A trace of sadness flickered in Itachi's eyes. "The tallest tree catches the most wind..."

"Itachi, what do you think the future holds for the Uchiha Clan?"

Uchiha Kei fell silent for a moment. He ran through the original story in his mind, and suddenly a bold idea occurred to him.

"The future?"

Confusion appeared in Itachi's eyes. "I can't answer that. I don't know what the future holds for the Uchiha Clan."

"If... I mean, if..."

Uchiha Kei gathered his thoughts. "What if the Fifth Hokage came from the Uchiha Clan..."

"What did you say?!" Itachi stared at Uchiha Kei, dumbfounded.

"Ding! Received shock from Uchiha Itachi. Shock Value +99."