Time flew, and the years slipped by (mostly eating, sleeping, playing, training, then eating again). In the blink of an eye, Shinji was six.
Over those three years, Shinji had firmly established his formidable reputation as both the "king of the kids" and the "little tyrant" of the Uchiha Clan Compound. With his freakish physique, secretly enhanced by his dual bloodlines and the system, plus his budding wooden-stick skills (pseudo-swordsmanship) bolstered by [Clear Sword Heart], he had beaten every kid his age in the clan black and blue. Even the "big brothers" a few years older, who had already enrolled in the Ninja Academy but had yet to learn anything useful, ended up covered in lumps and crying for their parents.
The best part was that he had done it all with nothing but Taijutsu and a wooden stick! Chakra and ninjutsu? That would have been bullying. Young Master Shinji considered such things beneath him!
After getting away with it for more than three years, Shinji was once again "summoned" by his father, Yamakaze, to that familiar training room.
"Who snitched this time?" Shinji plopped casually onto a cushion and crossed his legs, innocence written all over his little face. "I've been behaving lately, haven't I? I didn't steal Chubby's three-color dango or put caterpillars in a clan elder's grandson's bed. At most, I 'accidentally' smashed the seventh elder's window with a rock during training yesterday... You can't blame me for that, can you? His windows were too flimsy!"
Looking at his little rascal, Yamakaze didn't know whether to laugh or get angry, though the pride and affection deep in his eyes were impossible to hide. He cleared his throat and tried to look stern. "Enough wisecracks! I've discussed this thoroughly with Lord Kagami, the clan head, and we both agree that you still need to attend the Ninja Academy for a proper, structured education."
The subject had actually come up before, but Shinji had brushed it aside with excuses like "It's boring," "It's a waste of time," and "I'd be better off training at home." As far as he was concerned, the Uchiha Clan had already taught him everything the Ninja Academy could offer, often better and in greater depth. The secret arts the clan hadn't taught him, such as those involving the Sharingan, certainly wouldn't be taught at school. For an Uchiha with enough talent, the Ninja Academy was more of a formality. Or... a different place to bully people?
The key to improving the Uchiha Clan's core strength still lay in those eyes-the Sharingan.
Everyone in the clan agreed on this: awakening a one-tomoe Sharingan guaranteed at least elite Genin strength, and with a little time to consolidate it, reaching Chunin was easy. Two tomoe guaranteed elite Chunin strength, with Jonin within reach once everything else caught up. Three tomoe guaranteed Jonin strength, and nearly half could push for elite Jonin. As for awakening the Mangekyo... that put one foot straight through the door to Kage Level!
Awakening the Sharingan didn't just bring a huge boost to motion tracking and perception. More importantly, it brought an explosive increase in chakra reserves, a leap in precision of control, and an all-around improvement in physical ability! That was the Uchiha's real cheat!
Shinji had certainly daydreamed about "awakening the Sharingan at three, the Mangekyo at seven, and the Rinnegan at ten, then punching Kaguya and kicking the Six Paths around at fifteen before unifying the Shinobi World." But the brutal reality was that he was already over six, damn it, and there wasn't even a hint of a Sharingan! Trash! (Himself, that is.)
Of course, complaints aside, Shinji knew there was no record of anyone in the Uchiha Clan's history awakening it so early. In the original story, Itachi awakening his eyes at eight had already been astonishing, while Uchiha Sasuke had lowered the age record even further by awakening his at seven. Even someone like Madara hadn't awakened his until fifteen. Not having his Sharingan at six was perfectly normal.
So Shinji wasn't particularly opposed to going to school anymore. Staying cooped up in the compound every day was boring anyway. A change of scenery, a chance to bully... no, make some new friends, didn't sound bad. His greatest enemy right now was his age! His six-year-old body severely limited the immense power within him. His attributes were firmly capped by his physical limits, leaving plenty of ideas he couldn't put into practice. He could have some fun at school, experience life, and wait for his body to grow.
Besides, in the six years since his rebirth, his movements had largely been restricted to the Uchiha Clan Compound. Most of what he knew about Konoha came from hearsay and books. Of the "famous people" from the original story, he had only met Uchiha Fugaku a few times. Already fifteen and acting like a little adult, Fugaku was another renowned young genius and already a Chunin, with no interest in playing with little kids. Shinji hadn't met a single one of the others.
"Fine, let's see if the school's got any 'fresh tea' on offer." Shinji stroked his chin and flashed a meaningful-and highly punchable-smile.
On the first day of school, Shinji got up early for once, changed into a brand-new Uchiha outfit with a small fan crest printed on the back, and swaggered into the Konoha Ninja Academy.
Konoha might have had a Ninja Academy, but that didn't mean every child could attend. Only civilian children who excelled in aptitude tests, promising youngsters from small and medium-sized ninja clans, and children from prestigious clans like the Uchiha qualified for the hundred or so precious places available each year. This was genuine elite education, right from the start.
As a "special genius" who had even caught Clan Head Kagami's attention, Shinji was assigned to the elite-packed Class A without any suspense.
He entered the classroom, swept his gaze around, and naturally headed for the "protagonist's reserved seat" by the window in the back row. Settling into it, he began studying his future classmates with interest.
Well, well! What a gathering of heroes... no, a gathering of "distinctive features"!
Those kids with pure white eyes and expressions that said, "I see through everything," were definitely from the Hyuga Clan.
The little chubby kid in the corner, twice the size of anyone else and busily munching snacks, absolutely belonged to the Akimichi Clan.
Sitting with the chubby kid were a boy with a pineapple-shaped hairstyle (or should he call it an ananas?) and a lazy expression, and another with delicate features who was quietly reading a book. Nine times out of ten, that combination meant the other two clans of Ino-Shika-Cho-the Nara and Yamanaka.
There was also a gloomy boy in the classroom, completely covered up with goggles and a face mask. No guessing needed: definitely a bug-raising expert from the Aburame Clan.
The energetic, short-haired girl over there with red fang-shaped markings on her cheeks had to be from the Inuzuka Clan.
Those trademark clan features were easy to recognize, but Shinji couldn't yet tell which specific characters they were from the original story, or whether they were merely background characters with familiar names.
"Oh!" His gaze stopped near the middle of the front row.
A sunny, handsome little boy with spiky blond hair, and a pretty Little Chili Pepper with long, blood-red hair!
Now that combination was unmistakable!
Seemingly noticing Shinji's gaze, the red-haired little beauty immediately turned and glared at him indignantly. Her cheeks puffed up like little steamed buns, which was rather cute. The blond, spiky-haired boy, on the other hand, was bursting with energy. Not only did he take no offense at Shinji's scrutiny, but he gave him a bright smile and waved in greeting.
"Hello! I'm Minato Namikaze. Nice to meet you!" The future Fourth Hokage was already so polite and charming as a child.
How someone grew up certainly played a major role in their charm, but that sort of warm, sunny personality often showed itself from childhood.
"Shinji Uchiha." Shinji introduced himself too, finally feeling a little spark of excitement. Minato! This was the biggest name from the original story he'd seen in person since his rebirth! "I've finally met someone who can give me a run for my money in the looks department. Haha!"
Caught off guard by Shinji's sudden burst of narcissism, Minato couldn't help laughing too. This Uchiha boy looked handsome and composed, but apparently he was a bit of a... goofball? He was pretty funny.
"And what's your name, pretty lady?" Shinji turned toward the red-haired Little Chili Pepper who was still sulking, though he was already fairly certain of the answer. "With that distinctive hair color, you must be from the Uzumaki Clan, right?"
"Hmph! Kushina Uzumaki!" Kushina hated it when people looked at her red hair strangely, but the Uchiha boy opposite her had an odd look in his eyes... It wasn't curiosity or disgust. It was something... hard to describe, almost like, "I finally get to see you in the flesh!" She awkwardly gave her name, then turned away again, leaving Shinji facing the back of her head.
Seeing that the Little Chili Pepper didn't want to talk to him, Shinji didn't mind. He muttered, "Quite the temper," then went back to chatting with Minato.
Though they had only just met and were talking about nothing particularly meaningful, one was a pretend little boy with an adult soul, while the other was a naturally precocious ray of sunshine with excellent emotional intelligence. They hit it off surprisingly well and both came away with a good first impression.
Before long, their homeroom teacher entered. The Second Shinobi World War hadn't broken out yet, so their teacher naturally couldn't be Umino Iruka. Instead, she was a woman named Umino Kakumatsu, who looked gentle and capable. Shinji silently grumbled, Does the Umino family have a monopoly on teaching jobs at the Konoha Ninja Academy?
There wasn't much serious business on the first day. It was mostly introductions and getting familiar with the surroundings. Sure enough, more than half of Class A's thirty-odd students came from ninja clans of various sizes.
The pineapple head, delicate-looking boy, and chubby kid he'd seen earlier were indeed Shikaku Nara, Inoichi Yamanaka, and Choza Akimichi-the future iron triangle of Ino-Shika-Cho.
The gloomy boy in sunglasses was Shibi Aburame.
The little female commando was Tsume Inuzuka.
Aside from those familiar names, there were also names like Nara Suzaku and Akimichi Shito, which sounded like background characters from major clans who hadn't had much presence in the original story.
Oh, and there was someone who deserved particular attention: Yakushi Nonō. She hadn't played a large role herself, but she would one day have an extremely close connection to the important figure Kabuto Yakushi. She was worth keeping an eye on.
There was also another name that caught Shinji's attention-Masashige Sarutobi. He had no real recollection of this person, but his given name, "Masashige," reminded Shinji of Hattori Masanari, the famous ninja from Japan's Warring States period. He was also from the Sarutobi Clan, and the teacher seemed especially gentle with him during roll call... It was hard not to read into it a little.
"All of Konoha's young sprouts are here." Umino Kakumatsu stood at the front of the classroom with a gentle smile. "Over the next six years, I hope you'll study hard here, support one another, and become outstanding ninja who will uphold Konoha's future!"
Shinji leaned by the window, sunlight spilling over him. As he looked at the "young sprouts" in the classroom who would one day shake the Shinobi World, the corners of his mouth rose slightly.
"Ninja Academy life, huh? It seems... like it might be pretty interesting."
Before you continue