In the blink of an eye, several days passed. Uchiha Kirin, only three years old, had already defeated every opponent in his grade with sheer strength, earning a resounding reputation.
Although Sasuke was initially irritated by Kirin's arrogant and dismissive behavior, his subsequent feats greatly boosted the prestige of the Uchiha clan. That earlier dissatisfaction gradually transformed into a strange sense of admiration.
At times, Sasuke even followed Kirin around like a little sidekick, to the point where he forgot to visit Uchiha Itachi for days...
Admiring strength—this was the typical Uchiha trait.
By contrast, someone like Uchiha Itachi—who distrusted his own fists, eyes, and blade, and instead placed his faith in twisted ideologies—was the true outlier.
The core issue with the current Uchiha clan was their blind belief in the power of their eyes.
That obsession led to increasingly erratic personalities, disproportionate strength, and ultimately, a path so skewed it dragged the whole clan toward destruction...
...
After a physical training class, Sasuke suddenly approached Kirin, bringing Hinata along with Neji and Lee.
Kirin raised an eyebrow, confused as to why this unusual group had gathered together.
Neji was the one to step forward and explain the situation.
It turned out that during a recent sparring match, Kirin had used Gentle Fist techniques to strike a pressure point on Sasuke, leaving him in excruciating pain. Iruka had taken Sasuke to the infirmary, but the treatment failed. Just as they were about to transfer him to the Konoha Hospital, they happened to run into Neji, who was there helping Lee apply some ointment.
Activating his Byakugan, Neji immediately identified the cause—Sasuke had been hit with a Gentle Fist-style pressure point strike.
Neji then helped undo the damage and release the sealed point.
At first, he thought it was Hinata, the shy heiress, who had finally mustered the courage to challenge the strongest student in their class.
But when he asked around, he found out the one who had done it was actually a newly transferred Uchiha.
And disturbingly young at that.
Intrigued by the idea of such a prodigy, Neji decided to challenge Uchiha Kirin—not only as the heir to the Hyūga clan's Gentle Fist, but also because geniuses like this stirred the hunter's excitement in him.
Unfortunately, Uchiha Kirin was no ordinary genius.
In fact, most so-called geniuses didn't even qualify to exchange a single proper blow with him.
Holding back a great deal, Kirin exchanged a few light moves with Neji. He was pleased. While the Gentle Fist techniques were incomplete due to Neji being from the branch family, he had managed to link and adapt the movements creatively, even compensating for some of the missing portions.
Combined with his excellent usage of an undying variation of the style, Neji could truly be called a taijutsu prodigy.
If not for the cursed seal... if he had the chance to explore more than just taijutsu and live long enough... Neji might've reached the Super-Kage level one day.
"Activate your Byakugan and follow my breathing closely."
Uchiha Kirin deliberately exaggerated his breathing rhythm, guiding Neji step by step.
While the Byakugan lacked the Sharingan's mimicry capabilities, it was still far superior to ordinary dōjutsu.
More importantly, its X-ray-like vision made it extremely helpful for understanding the inner workings of breathing techniques.
After a few exchanges, Hyūga Neji felt his whole body grow warm. His body seemed more obedient to his will than ever before—as if all the past training had ripened into a harvest, a sweet nectar sliding down his throat.
But with that came total exhaustion.
Kirin watched Neji leave.
The Caged Bird Seal was imprinted on both body and soul. Even in death, it could not be truly removed. Even Edo Tensei was merely a loophole, not a solution.
Kirin wasn't kind-hearted enough to remove the seal for someone he'd only met less than a month ago.
But he had offered Neji a direction—one filled with hope. If he could use the breathing techniques to fully master both body and soul, perhaps he could escape the cage on his own.
That would be true liberation.
...
Next, Sasuke dragged Kirin to visit Uchiha Itachi.
Despite the fact that Itachi had killed him multiple times in simulations and that Kirin had nothing but disgust for him, he still agreed—for Sasuke's sake, and because of his promise to the Sage of Six Paths.
Kirin released a beam of divine light onto the unconscious Itachi.
In half a month, Itachi would recover.
And then, he would reunite with Obito and continue planning the Uchiha clan massacre.
As for that twisted freak Danzo, who knew how he'd fit into their plot this time?
Kirin had already prepared rolls of film, ready to capture the entire event, make thousands of copies, and screen it across Konoha for public entertainment...
...
On the way home, Kirin was once again provoked by Naruto.
Because he'd defeated every student in school, Kirin had already surpassed Sasuke and become the academy's new star.
This made Naruto even more resentful. He constantly challenged Kirin, day after day.
His durability had also grown at a ridiculous rate.
Now, even when Kirin struck his tenketsu with Gentle Fist, Naruto's chakra flow was sealed, but he didn't feel pain.
A monster without pain... truly absurd.
Kirin smacked him straight into the river and walked away without a second glance.
All in all—
Even if he didn't quite click with these little brats, Uchiha Kirin still enjoyed this unconventional school life.
Because moments like these let him feel a trace of childhood innocence and youthful vigor—a refreshing contrast to the worn-down feeling left by countless simulations.
Maybe... maybe he was making up for something he lacked in his past life.
He had to admit, being that kid everyone envies was pretty satisfying.
Bullying weaker kids in moderation had its own kind of joy!
...
However, after trouncing everyone in school, Kirin quickly lost interest in such low-level play.
Instead, he turned his attention back to researching Kekkei Genkai and various sealing techniques.
And he didn't hide it.
He openly conducted experiments at his desk in front of the entire school.
In his opinion, ninjutsu should be shared, not hoarded. Hoarding only hindered progress.
Why waste time copying down an entire lecture on the definition, categories, and meaning of ninjutsu…
Or mindlessly reciting the flawed ideology of the Will of Fire, or endlessly shouting about how grateful they were to the Hokage...
When you could just practice it yourself?
Feel the wonder of chakra directly—even if you were young and your reserves were small, even practicing kunai throws and taijutsu was far more effective than rote memorization.
Electricity clashed against water as Kirin adjusted the ratios and shapes of the elements.
Eventually, due to the loud noise, Kirin was sent outside.
Soon, half the class followed him out to the flowerbed near the training grounds, curious about the writhing electric serpents in his hands.
Some quick-witted students even started asking questions and taking notes.
One day, as Kirin once again attempted to fuse Water Release and Lightning Release, the two suddenly merged completely. The chaotic energy in his palm condensed into a stream of flowing purple light.
It sliced through a massive boulder like butter.
Storm Release—fusion complete!
Though he'd already synthesized nearly ten different Kekkei Genkai, some even bordering on Kekkei Tōta, this was the first time he'd successfully fused one in the real world.
Even with his immense talent, this was no small feat. And he felt a bit of excitement.
But this wasn't the time to celebrate just yet.
The fusion had strengthened both his body and spirit, but it had also drained his internal reserves. He felt utterly empty inside.
So, he took a leave of absence, returned to Mount Huaguo's Water Curtain Cave, and had the Shark Sage prepare a huge meal. After stuffing himself, he came back refreshed.
...
Late at night, Uchiha Kirin was sound asleep.
Suddenly, a whispering voice crept into his ears—someone was speaking ill of him.
Focusing, he locked onto the source.
Inside Konoha, in the Hokage Office, Danzo—cheeks flushed, wearing heels and sloppily applying perfume—was draping a Hokage robe over Hiruzen Sarutobi.
At the desk, Sarutobi stared intently at a report from the academy.
The headline read:
"Uchiha Kirin has created the Storm Release Kekkei Genkai. His talent is extraordinary. Awaiting further instructions."
"This kind of genius," Hiruzen muttered, "must be thoroughly infused with the Will of Fire!"
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