Genya Uchiha returned home.
His father, Sosuke Uchiha, asked only a simple question.
"You're back? Nothing happened, did it?"
Genya answered obediently.
"I just walked around nearby. The snow got too heavy, so I came back."
Sosuke nodded without asking anything else.
Someone would naturally give him a detailed report.
His mother, Izumi, tenderly brushed the snow off him and handed him some hot soup.
The next day, the skies cleared after the snow.
At the training ground.
"Hah!"
Genya Uchiha's gaze was focused, his movements precise as he performed Uchiha-Style Taijutsu with fierce vigor.
Nothing about his skill suggested he was a child barely over five.
His coordination and muscle control far surpassed those of his peers, even rivaling some genin.
His hands flew through a rapid series of hand seals.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
"Fire Release: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"
"Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique!"
Limited by his age and chakra reserves, these Fire Release Ninjutsu were far smaller in scale than an adult ninja's.
But they were already enough to shock anyone.
For a five-year-old child in particular, this was an almost unbelievable achievement.
The clan's chunin instructor, who occasionally guided him, now looked at him with wonder and awe.
Genya Uchiha understood perfectly well that talent was only the foundation. If he wanted the strength to protect himself, or even change his fate, in the storm destined to come, there was more he had to do.
He had to work a hundred times harder.
The Night of the Massacre drove him onward, leaving him no room to slack off.
Training continued into the afternoon.
Genya Uchiha wiped away his sweat, rested briefly, and replenished his water and food.
His mind remained on edge.
The system was the key to rapidly improving his strength, and his "romance targets" were the keys to activating it.
Hinata was a start, but she wasn't enough.
He needed more...
"For Father, for Mother, for survival, for strength..."
Genya whispered inwardly, his gaze resolute.
He began strolling through the Uchiha Clan Compound.
The Nine-Tails' Attack and the Hyuga Incident had far-reaching consequences, and the rift between the clan and the village leadership seemed to be growing ever deeper.
Most of the Uchiha passing along the streets wore expressions of arrogance, resentment, or worry.
Genya turned his attention toward the girls his own age, or a little older.
As he walked, he arrived near a small training ground within the compound where the children played.
Some Uchiha children were playing there or practicing simple shuriken throws.
He scanned the area and quickly settled on a target.
She was a little girl who looked about six or seven, dressed in the dark, practical clothing common to the Uchiha Clan, with short black hair and big, doll-like eyes.
She sat alone on a swing off to the side, rocking back and forth as she watched the other children play. She seemed quiet, even a little out of place.
Her features were delicate. Although she was young, it was already clear she would grow into a beauty.
Genya remembered her. Her name seemed to be... Uchiha Nami?
From what he recalled, she was a gentle, introverted girl.
She was the one.
Genya adjusted his expression into a friendly smile with a hint of curiosity and walked toward the swings.
"Hi. Are you playing by yourself?"
Genya stopped in front of the girl and greeted her in a clear voice.
The girl, Uchiha Nami, startled at the sudden greeting. She looked up, saw Genya's delicate, adorable face, and froze for a moment.
She recognized him. After all, "Sosuke Uchiha's genius son" was fairly well known within the clan.
"Ah... yes."
Uchiha Nami nodded shyly, her voice soft.
"My name is Genya Uchiha."
Genya introduced himself, then pointed at the empty swing beside her.
"Can I sit here?"
"...Sure."
Uchiha Nami answered quietly and shifted a little to the side.
Genya sat down, his feet off the ground, and didn't speak right away.
He watched the children practicing shuriken throws in the distance before finally speaking.
"Their shuriken throws are pretty good, but something seems a little off with how they're using their wrists."
Uchiha Nami gave Genya a surprised look, then remembered the rumors about him and felt that it made sense.
"Do... do you know a lot about this?"
She gathered her courage and asked.
"My father taught me a little."
Genya smiled.
"Would you like to try, too? I can teach you a better way to put power into your throws."
Looking at his sincere smile, Uchiha Nami hesitated, then finally gave a small nod.
"O... okay."
[Ding! Eligible romance target detected: Uchiha Nami. Bind target?]
The system's voice rang out in his mind, just as expected.
Genya answered silently, "Yes!"
[Romance target: Uchiha Nami bound!] [Current affection: 10]
Success!
Genya began patiently explaining some basic shuriken-throwing techniques to Uchiha Nami.
At the edge of the training ground, two small figures sat on the swings, one explaining earnestly and the other listening quietly. It was a peaceful, lovely scene.
Yet Genya Uchiha was calmly considering his next step.
He had bound his first target within the clan. Next, he needed to gradually raise her affection and find another suitable "goddess."
He had to seize every possible opportunity, even if his methods carried ulterior motives.
But he really did want to give these Uchiha girls a safe, stable home...
Genya Uchiha jumped off the swing and walked to a relatively open space in the middle of the training ground.
He glanced around at the eyes gradually turning toward him, his gaze finally settling on Uchiha Nami's curious face.
"Shurikenjutsu isn't just about throwing. What matters more is control and variation."
Before he finished speaking, he moved! He was so fast that the watching children could barely follow him.
He pushed off the ground, leaped into the air, and flipped nimbly.
In that instant, several shuriken had somehow already appeared between the fingers of both his hands!
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
Streaks of cold light shot toward wooden targets positioned in different directions in the distance.
Then something strange happened!
The shuriken, which should have flown straight, collided in midair in an incredible display!
"Clink! Clink! Clang!"
Several sharp metallic clashes rang out.
One shuriken struck the trailing edge of another, changing its course.
Another was struck from the side, tracing a bizarre arc...
All the shuriken wove a fleeting, deadly web in midair, striking the bull's-eyes of every wooden target almost simultaneously from fiendishly tricky angles!
One even curved around behind a wooden target and embedded itself in the back of its bull's-eye!
"Thud, thud, thud..."
A series of dull impacts rang out.
The entire training ground fell deathly silent.
All the children, including Uchiha Nami, gaped with their eyes wide.
A few of the older children even rubbed their eyes, wondering whether they had seen it wrong.
"H... holy cow!"
"The sh-shuriken... they're flying by themselves?"
"He jumped so high! He moved so fast!"
"Is he even human?"
"Are we the fake Uchiha?"
Before you continue