Shisui Uchiha

"Itachi, this may seem sudden, but if war really breaks out, I'm afraid you'll have to fight too."

Uchiha Fugaku looked apologetically at his son, who was only four years old. The Land of Lightning's offensive against the Land of Wind had been so swift that by the time Konoha received word, the fighting had already reached a fever pitch. One thing was certain: the Land of Fire would not be able to stay out of it.

"How can that be? Itachi is only four! Is the situation really that serious?"

Still new to motherhood, Uchiha Mikoto could not help worrying as she looked at Madara Uchiha's young face. Unlike his mother, however, Madara Uchiha remained perfectly calm.

"I'm fine either way, Father. I'm going to train. Mother, you don't need to worry either. I'm very strong."

Watching Madara Uchiha leave, Uchiha Fugaku smiled proudly. Young as his son was, he could already remain composed no matter what happened.

"Mikoto, trust me, and trust Itachi. Even if it really comes to sending him onto the battlefield, I'll stay by his side and protect him. Besides, he's our son. Surely you know how exceptional he is?"

Although his body was only four years old, Madara Uchiha had inherited all the combat experience and talent of his previous life. To regain his strength as quickly as possible, he had shown an interest in ninjutsu early on, and Uchiha Fugaku had naturally taught his son everything he knew.

In Fugaku's eyes, the four-year-old Uchiha Itachi was already qualified to become a genin. That was why he had begun preparing his wife for the possibility of sending Itachi to war.

"Oh, Itachi. Good afternoon. Off to train again?"

"Yes."

As the son of the Uchiha Clan's current leader, Madara Uchiha naturally received plenty of attention as he walked through the streets of the clan's district. He responded to each of his clansmen's warm greetings.

Though times had changed, Madara Uchiha often felt as though he had truly returned to the Uchiha Clan of his youth. Compared with those days, however, this peaceful era offered a little more leisure and comfort. That was why he enjoyed walking through the clan's streets.

"He's from the Uchiha Clan. That guy's called Itachi, right?"

"Whoa, he's looking at us! Run! Watch out, or he'll drag you off to the police!"

After leaving the Uchiha Clan's district, Madara Uchiha entered Konoha proper. He had barely taken a few steps through the village when several children around his age spotted him. The moment they saw him, they instinctively ran away.

Watching the children flee, Madara Uchiha gave a disdainful smile, then raised his head and looked into the distance. The familiar faces of the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, and the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, were carved into Konoha's Hokage Rock. Beside them was the face of the current Third Hokage.

Putting the Uchiha Clan in charge of policing Konoha certainly made use of the Sharingan's perceptive abilities and the clan's combat prowess. On the other hand, it also made the other major clans wary of them.

Under those circumstances, the Uchiha Clan naturally found it difficult to gain access to the village's core power. Their placement on the outskirts of the village only deepened the divide between them and everyone else.

As those two effects compounded over the decades, even a century, most members of the Uchiha Clan had come to identify more strongly with their clan than with the village, despite still being nominally part of Konoha. Meanwhile, Konoha had grown increasingly guarded against them.

With relations so tense, a single spark could trigger a disaster of unpredictable proportions.

Only that fool Tobirama Senju could have come up with such a stupid way to control the Uchiha Clan.

Ignoring the children's whispers behind his back, Madara Uchiha walked straight through Konoha to train by the woods he often visited.

Madara Uchiha was curious whether Konoha would strike first against the Uchiha Clan, or whether the clan would finally lash out at the village after years of exclusion. Either way, he needed to build up enough strength before the turmoil began. There was far too little a four-year-old child could influence.

"Stop hiding in the shadows. Come out."

As he entered the woods, a light breeze blew past, and Madara Uchiha brushed aside the stray hair over his forehead. Remote as this spot was, it was still within Konoha. He had no need to worry about someone attacking the four-year-old Uchiha Itachi inside the village.

"Hey, are you training here alone? You're pretty impressive, noticing me like that! What do you say? Want to train together?"

After Madara Uchiha spoke, a cheerful voice came from the woods. A moment later, a short-haired ninja wearing a Konoha forehead protector appeared before him, a short sword strapped to his back.

"My name is Shisui Uchiha. I'm a member of the Uchiha Clan, just like you. Training alone can get a little dull. What do you say, Itachi? Want to spar with me?"

Madara Uchiha gave Shisui no answer. Instead, he flung a shuriken with a backhanded flick. Shisui easily tilted his head to dodge it, but in the next instant, Madara Uchiha's hands moved several times faster. Four or five shuriken flew from his hands, cutting off Shisui Uchiha's escape routes. At the same time, Madara Uchiha twisted at the waist, throwing a small Fūma Shuriken at Shisui Uchiha with the full force of his body. As it flew, the shuriken began to split apart.

Anyone who wanted to spar with Madara Uchiha first had to prove they were worth his time.

Faced with the ferocious assault Madara Uchiha had unleashed in an instant, Shisui immediately drew the short sword from his back. At the same time, blood-red color spread through his eyes. The moment Madara Uchiha attacked, Shisui realized he had underestimated his four-year-old clansman.

Perhaps because of his young body, the speed and power of Madara Uchiha's shuriken were not exceptional. But the angles of his attacks were so tricky that Shisui had no confidence he could dodge them without activating his Sharingan.

Once Shisui activated his Sharingan, Madara Uchiha's shuriken immediately seemed several times slower. Only through the Sharingan's perception and his own swift movements did Shisui, who had initially let his guard down, escape Madara Uchiha's relentless barrage.

"Shisui Uchiha. I'll remember your name. You are indeed qualified to be my follower."