Since that day, I've felt a presence tailing me almost every day.
It doesn't bother me much—I believe everyone has the right to spend their time as they wish—but being followed still makes me a bit uneasy. In the end, I ignore it and continue my training, sending a shadow clone to keep studying the Uchiha Fire Release scrolls.
The wooden sword in my hands is beginning to feel natural and the numbness in my arms has faded after months of training. Occasionally, I lapse into a state where my mind goes blank and my body moves on its own—even managing to decapitate the training dummy with just the wooden sword.
Another milestone: I finally summoned the Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!" I inject chakra and call forth a fireball the size of an adult fist. It's not huge, but it's progress. The more I refine chakra and train, the stronger it'll become.
I also learned two more basic Uchiha fire jutsus—Fire Release: Fireball (Endan) and Fire Release: Phoenix Flower Fire Technique (Hōsenka no Jutsu). They were easy to learn, but to boost their power, I need better chakra control and larger chakra reserves. I'm still a child, so my chakra pool isn't developed yet.
One day, I might spew fire like a dragon or cover a wide area, but that's years away. Better stop daydreaming and keep training.
Funny thing—I realized what I did unintentionally when channeling chakra through my body to accelerate movement: it was Body Flicker. I did it unconsciously, without hand seals. It felt like I could manipulate chakra in my body and inject it into my legs and brain to speed my reactions.
While I trained, I sensed some kids approaching. I ignored them and kept at it, and before they entered my line of sight, I dispersed the shadow clone. The boys surrounded me, their expressions weren't friendly.
"I heard you're the weird kid at the academy. Do you think we're not worth your time, so you ignore us?" snarled the tallest, pudgy kid. Seeing his jiggling face made me want to laugh—but better not.
"Oi, we're talking to you," growled another boy next to the pudgy one, wearing a red scarf.No point in getting annoyed with these idiots, so I stayed focused on my training—but apparently, that didn't sit well.
One boy lunged at me, shouting, "We're talking to you, damn it!"
Before he could touch me, I extended my leg and tripped him with his own momentum. I don't like them, but I wanted to be courteous and patient—until, predictably, they turned savage.
"He hit him!" yelled the pudgy scarf kid, and more of them charged at me.
I held my wooden sword and used a bit of lightning chakra acceleration to enhance my reaction speed. I swung the sword at one boy's legs—he fell, clutching his calf.
Then I struck another boy's shin. I know the painful spots well, and if I'm gentle, they'll just come back for revenge. Better to scare them away with enough pain and fear to think twice.
I struck their shins, then kicked each one in the diaphragm to stagger them, followed by punches to the chin to knock them unconscious.
Only the biggest, toughest one remained.
"Scarf-face, surrender or regret it," I said solemnly (though I really wanted to taunt him).
The greasy pudgy kid rushed at me. I already knew his fat would act like armor, so I aimed at his joints, causing him to fall forward and hit his face on the ground—then I flowed into a combo just like that red-haired girl did. One punch... two... three... I threw so many until he passed out, bleeding from nose and mouth.
With all of them unconscious, I dragged them by their feet into a corner so they wouldn't bother me as I resumed training.
POV: Kushina"That kid is not normal."
That thought hit me like a poorly thrown kunai. I'd just seen a five-year-old beat up several sixth-graders—and not just that, but how he did it. With a stick. Calmly. And finishing them with his fists as if nothing mattered.
It reminded me a bit of how I used to react when they mocked my tomato-red hair—but I did it out of anger. This boy did it with a cold expression, like it meant nothing.
I followed him—his classmates told me his name is Kenji—and asked teachers about him. They said he's a war orphan adopted by a widowed Uchiha woman. When I asked about his family environment, they said it's neither good nor bad; his mother is also solitary with a cold expression and speaks only to her cousin who went to war.
"That explains some things—he must be unconsciously imitating her," I told myself. Then I saw some mean kids closing in on him, crowding around. I considered intervening. But then...
SMACK.
One fell of his own clumsiness. The others weren't so lucky. Kenji used his wooden sword like a real weapon: knees, ribs, shins... precise strikes. Until only the leader remained, who fell hard after Kenji kicked his knees and then pummeled him into unconsciousness.
After the fight, he dragged them away by their feet like potato sacks and returned to training.I need to talk to Minato about this—maybe there's a way to guide this boy so he doesn't stray down a dark path. He still can be saved... but Konoha might unknowingly shape him into a weapon—or worse, someone else might use him as a weapon.
POV: Obito
SMACK.
I heard something fall hard, so I went over and saw something that left me unsure if witnessing it was a good idea. That quiet weird kid—Kenji—taking out five kids bigger than him. After the first fell, the others rushed him, but they got knocked down by his wooden sword, groaning in pain before passing out. The biggest one? Kenji pinned him, dropped his sword, and pummeled him with just his fists.
I don't get it. I tried hitting him once, but he simply restrained me. Why the brutality against those kids, but mercy toward me? Am I not "worth his time," or is it something else?I couldn't stay with that question. I'm Uchiha—I had to ask.
Once he finished dragging his attackers away, I gathered the courage to approach.
POV: Kenji
I knew they were watching, but I didn't care—I was just defending myself. So I hadn't done anything wrong.
But then that kid... who was he?
I saw the distinctive glasses and the Uchiha crest on his uniform. It was Obito, right?
He approached me with a conflicted expression. I paused training and planted my wooden sword into the ground.
"What do you need?" I asked.
Obito seemed to hesitate, but after a moment he mustered courage and spoke:"I want to know why you beat them so brutally but just restrained me. Don't you think I'm worth that to you?"
... Wow, that's quite a misunderstanding.
I looked up to the sky as if searching for an answer, then gave the answer he needed."I sensed malice from them from the start. They didn't attack me to defend someone—they attacked me out of pure malice." I paused, then looked back at Obito.
"With you, I sense sincerity and a sense of justice. I know this is just a misunderstanding or something minor, so I had no intention to harm you."
I faced him directly—not into his eyes (too awkward), but reading his expression and body language. For some reason, he started sobbing, which threw me off.
"You're admirable... I misunderstood," he said through tears, wiping them away.
... This is awkward. Please don't cry. I just want to run away, fuck.
"From now on, I'll consider you my friend," he said loudly, wiping his nose with his sleeve... gross, but understandable.
Hmm. On one hand, I'm not sure if having him as a friend is good—he's super simp, and that's the kind of ninja drama no one needs. But maybe a bit of noise in my life isn't bad. Plus, if I can keep him from falling into trouble, I'll save myself future headaches.
"Fine," I said, offering my hand to seal the deal.
He shook it—with his snotty hand... ew.
Meanwhile, hidden in the shadows, Kushina watched the whole scene. Seeing Kenji shake that trembling hand brought a gentle smile to her face.
A friend… at last.
She said nothing. She just turned and left, a new determination burning in her chest.