Uchiha Yū of Konoha

Konoha, Year 34. Ninja Academy!

"Where the leaves of Konoha dance, the fire burns ever on. Its light will continue to illuminate this village and let new leaves sprout!"

Qianshu's firm, resonant voice echoed through the classroom. With reverence on his face, he looked at the group of little brats before him and pointed at the textbook in his hand.

"Today, I will teach you the Hokage's Will of Fire! You must all inherit the Third Hokage's will!"

"Especially you, Uchiha Yū!"

Compared to the children of other clans, the Uchiha Clan's children were much more troublesome. Under normal circumstances, the Uchiha Clan would not send their members to the Ninja Academy.

But Uchiha Yū's situation was terrible.

At birth, he had been declared stillborn. If he had not taken one final breath, he would have been ruthlessly discarded.

He also suffered from a severe skin disease. Countless bandages wrapped his entire body, and those who had once seen the skin beneath them said it was covered in rotting flesh.

In the village, Uchiha Yū had a nickname: the Living Monster!

Qianshu could not see even a trace of the Will of Fire in the child's eyes. There was only pain and numbness.

"You should be more cheerful. Be a boy who loves to smile, and let the Will of Fire support you through life."

Sitting in the front row, Uchiha Yū looked at Teacher Qianshu speechlessly. His teacher had come down from the battlefield and was therefore especially caring toward the new generation, but could he understand the pain of being burned alive?

A forced smile appeared at the corner of Uchiha Yū's mouth as he replied in an extremely perfunctory tone, "The Will of Fire is great, but it can't save me."

"Teacher, can you feel pain? I have embraced pain since I was little, and I understand it. To me, pain is the power that makes me stronger."

He was not a masochist. Rather, his body contained a terrifying radioactive substance.

Uranium!

Fortunately, he could suppress that power. Otherwise, who knew how many people in Konoha would have already mutated and died.

As he grew older, the uranium element fused more and more deeply with his body. Soon, he would be able to control this power.

And the suffering of all these years had not been without benefits. As his body fused with uranium, it had already transcended the limits of humanity.

Every shred of his flesh contained large amounts of radioactive material. Once separated from his body, it would release horrifying radiation.

Of course, ordinary attacks could not break through Uchiha Yū's defenses. In short, the advantages and disadvantages were equal.

"You..."

Qianshu wanted to say more, but when he saw those numb eyes, the words suddenly caught in his throat. He did not know what he could say to the child before him.

Abandoned by his clan, physically disabled, and constantly facing the threat of death.

Even a ninja—could they possess a will as strong as his?

"Uchiha Yū."

The one who broke the awkward silence was a blond-haired brat—the future renowned Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze!

However, Uchiha Yū only felt a headache when it came to the warm-hearted Minato Namikaze. Minato slung an arm over his shoulder and said matter-of-factly, "After class, I'll treat you to ramen. Don't keep making that miserable face all day. You still have friends!"

"Is that so?"

Uchiha Yū gave Minato Namikaze a deep look, then happened to glance up and see Kushina's complicated expression. Clearly, she did not want him joining their after-school date.

Yet out of sympathy, she did not know how to say it aloud.

"I don't want to be your third wheel. Did you forget? The last time we went out, you left me under a big tree and went to watch a movie with Kushina."

"When you came back, I was covered in spiderwebs."

"And another time! When Kushina got angry, you actually shoved me out to take the hit? You even said, 'Be careful not to touch him. If You gets hit by your punch, he might die.'"

He admitted that Minato Namikaze did not treat him like a disabled person, but the guy did not treat him like a person either!

Was that something a human being could do? What a bastard!

"Ahem, they were all accidents..."

Minato Namikaze's face reddened after being called out so directly. It was rare to see Minato Namikaze get shut down like this; this scene needed to be properly recorded.

There was another reason.

He did not particularly want to get close to Kushina. One must not forget her identity. After Mito died, she had inherited the power of the Nine-Tails.

This was not yet the era of the Fourth Hokage. Although the Third Hokage advocated balance, Danzō stood behind him!

Danzō had always wanted control over the Nine-Tails' power. Coupled with his Uchiha identity, even if others saw Uchiha Yū as useless, it would be easy for the higher-ups to misunderstand if he got involved with Kushina. If something happened then, he did not yet have the strength to handle it.

"So, go spend time with your little girlfriend."

Children in the world of the Hokage matured early, but hearing You say it outright made Kushina's face turn bright red. Combined with her fiery red hair, she truly looked like a little hot pepper.

"You bastard, You! I'm just Minato's good friend! Not his girlfriend!"

Bang!

With one slap, Uchiha Yū's desk was smashed in two. Such a huge commotion naturally drew everyone's attention. Seeing Minato Namikaze swallow nervously made Kushina want to die on the spot!

That slap could really kill someone!

No! Whenever they went out in the future, she absolutely had to bring You along. A good brother should take a knife to the ribs for his friend, right...?

With everyone staring at her, Kushina simply decided to go all out. She exploded on the spot, pointed at the people around her, and roared, "Turn your heads away, all of you! Whoever dares to keep looking, I'll beat him to death! So what if we are dating!"

She swept her gaze around. The pressure in her eyes kept everyone from meeting them, but when she looked at Teacher Qianshu, she found him glaring darkly at the three of them.

"This is a classroom, you damn brats!"

Teacher Qianshu stared fixedly at the three of them. Such lawless disruption was simply a challenge to his authority as a teacher.

He had clearly been too lenient with them usually, letting them act without restraint in class!

"Minato Namikaze! Kushina! You two, stand outside the door as punishment!"

"Everyone else, write a self-criticism! Turning your heads to watch others during class? Copy the Will of Fire one hundred times!"

When Qianshu saw the calm look in Uchiha Yū's eyes, the rage in his heart suddenly died away. He merely picked up the broken chunks of wood around him, pushed his wheelchair to the area by the window, and said, "Sit in the sunlight and get some sun. Consider that your punishment."

"Thank you, Teacher."

Wrapped in bandages beneath the sunlight, Uchiha Yū leaned back lazily. When Qianshu saw this, a strange thought could not help surfacing in his heart.

If he had not been ill, perhaps he would have become an outstanding Uchiha ninja—a bridge capable of easing the conflict between the village and the Uchiha Clan.