"He's still got a long way to go."
"Koharu… I can feel my body starting to give out. I'm not fit to lead the village much longer. Age is catching up with us, and our strength fades with each passing day."
"That's why we need to nurture Shinnosuke quickly..."
"When he and his brother were younger, I put everything into leading Konoha. I never had the time to truly raise them. That guilt still lingers… which is why I've pushed them so hard."
"He's nowhere near the level Jiraiya and the others were at."
Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled bitterly.
He knew Koharu's words were just pleasantries. Compared to his three disciples—legends in their own right—his two sons fell short in every measure.
In truth, Hiruzen longed to see his son become the next Hokage. If Shinnosuke inherited the title, the Sarutobi Clan would ascend to Konoha's most elite bloodline.
"He's your eldest. He'll inherit the title in time. You don't need to worry so much."
"When the war nears its end, send him to the front lines. Let him gain some battlefield experience—it'll build the credibility he needs to compete for the Fourth Hokage position."
Koharu reassured him.
To her, Shinnosuke just needed a few more years of cultivation before he'd be ready to take the reins. All that was left was for the war to drag out a little longer—that would benefit their faction most.
"How are things on the Uchiha front?" Hiruzen asked.
Among all the clan leaders, the biggest threat to Shinnosuke's succession was none other than Uchiha Fugaku.
If Fugaku gained too much momentum, he could tip the balance.
At this point, Hiruzen hadn't even considered Minato Namikaze—a mere civilian-born shinobi with no clan backing—as a contender.
"Fugaku's taken the front lines. Not only have they stabilized, he's even starting to outshine the others."
Koharu's tone shifted when she saw Hiruzen frown.
"Don't worry. Danzo's been dispatched to the front. He knows how to handle the Uchiha. For now, the clan won't be able to turn the tide."
"We'll make sure they don't rack up too many achievements and upset Shinnosuke's chances."
"He is the most suitable successor for the village."
In truth, Konoha had the perfect opportunity to end the war with Iwagakure when Orochimaru led the front.
They could've simply routed the Stone forces, offered some reparations, and negotiated peace.
But for the sake of continuing Tobirama's anti-clan strategy—and Hiruzen's personal ambitions—Konoha's leadership had no intention of ending things so quickly.
So they framed Orochimaru, pulled him from the battlefield, and sent the younger generation of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio in his place.
Yet those heirs were now being completely overshadowed by Fugaku.
His brilliance on the front had silenced their presence completely.
To prevent Fugaku from gathering too much glory and becoming a legitimate contender for Hokage, Hiruzen deployed Danzo—his most trusted blade—to contain the Uchiha.
Konoha Village.
Uchiha District.
At the steps of the clan shrine, the red torii gate cast a long shadow over a boy hunched on the ground.
Thunk.
Obito's orange goggles smacked against the stone slab carved with the Uchiha fan crest.
He winced, rubbing his reddened forehead, crouching in shame.
His fingers brushed the symbol, only to be greeted by a cruel chorus of mockery.
"Still the same pathetic loser."
"Even if you made it to chūnin, you'll always be the dead last from the Academy."
"A chūnin who doesn't even know the Body Flicker Technique? Embarrassing."
"Letting you into the clan shrine would defile the Naka River. You'd pollute the entire lake."
"Next time I see you here—I won't be so polite."
"Get lost."
"The Hokage assigned you to Kakashi's team? Guess he wants that freak to protect the garbage. What a perfect match."
"A freak and a failure. Brilliant move by the Hokage."
"If I were you, I'd off myself before stepping onto the battlefield—at least that way, you wouldn't bring shame to our clan."
Leaning against the blood-red torii, Uchiha Takano crossed his arms, two-tomoe Sharingan gleaming with contempt.
Obito gritted his teeth and pushed his goggles back up, the orange tint hiding his swollen, bloodshot eyes.
In this clan—where scarlet eyes were the mark of honor—he was still nothing.
Even after making chūnin, he remained an outcast.
No matter how hard he tried, no one in the Uchiha recognized him.
He was nearly thirteen—and his Sharingan hadn't awakened.
While his peers had already become rising stars within the clan, he was stuck in the shadows.
Only those who awakened the Sharingan earned the clan's respect.
"Takano! Stop wasting time."
"We're on patrol."
A senior officer from the Uchiha Police Force called out, but made no move to stop the bullying.
To him, Obito wasn't a real clansman.
A thirteen-year-old with no Sharingan had no worth.
Why risk offending someone like Takano—a prodigy who awakened his Sharingan at twelve and now had two tomoe at thirteen?
"Coming, Captain."
Takano turned, but not before stomping Obito into the ground.
He ground his heel into the boy's face, making sure to smear it in dirt. When he stepped back, Obito's cheek bore the imprint of his boot.
"Crying again, huh? Even as a chūnin, you're still a sniveling mess. Disgraceful."
"As long as I'm on the force, you'll never set foot in the shrine. Trash like you doesn't deserve to honor our ancestors."
Takano scoffed and adjusted his green flak jacket, the Uchiha Police insignia proudly displayed.
Then he walked off with his squad.
Obito lay on the ground, staring up at the vermillion torii gate—the threshold of the clan shrine he was never allowed to cross.
Tears slid silently down his cheeks.
He didn't wipe them away.
Instead, he clawed at the dirt, letting the mud cake his fingernails. Blood welled up where his skin broke against the stones.
I'll become Hokage.
He clenched his fists, heart burning.
I'll do what none of you ever could.
One day, you'll all beg me to enter the shrine.
Obito vowed it in silence.
He would change everything. Become something greater.
Only the title of Hokage would make them see.
That was the only way he could lift the weight of disgrace from his name—and elevate the honor of the Uchiha.
"It hurts, doesn't it? Being humiliated."
A calm, emotionless voice drifted to his ears.
Obito flinched, quickly swiping dust into the air to hide his tear-streaked face.
"Who's there?"
When the smoke cleared, a boy stood before him.
Slim. Sharp-eyed. Quiet.
Despite being three years younger, he looked nearly the same size as Obito—a sign of stunted growth, the result of malnourishment.
The boy's name was Shisui.
And judging by the gaunt frame, the thin limbs—he could tell. This wasn't someone nurtured by the clan.
This was someone neglected.
Just like him.