"Are all people from the Land of Lightning born this talented?"
Kurenai Yūhi politely refused Asuma Sarutobi's offer of candy. She was always careful—too much sugar, and she might gain weight.
Asuma had been her childhood friend; they'd known each other since before they even entered the Academy.
"My family has fought shinobi from Kumogakure before," Asuma explained. "From what I've heard… yeah, that's pretty much the case."
In his mind, Asuma pictured dark-skinned, hulking giants with muscles packed on muscles. No matter how he imagined them, none of those images matched the lean, almost delicate frame of Uchiha Seiji.
"But Seiji's skin isn't even dark, is it?" Asuma mused aloud.
His old man had once told him that while most shinobi from Kumogakure were dark-skinned, there were also those with very pale complexions. Still, no matter the tone, they were always built like oxen. How they trained to get that way was anyone's guess.
"Who knows," Kurenai said with a shake of her head.
Truthfully, she wasn't all that interested in Seiji's physical strength. What she really wanted to know was about his aptitude in genjutsu.
Her father had always told her: the Uchiha clan's illusions were unparalleled. Every shinobi who awakened the Sharingan inevitably became a master of genjutsu.
But Kurenai didn't quite agree.
In her heart, genjutsu reached its peak with her father. He had spent his entire life honing the art, suffering through endless trials to achieve his mastery. Was she really supposed to believe that anyone who simply awakened a pair of eyes could surpass that kind of dedication?
Among her peers, Seiji was the only one who had already awakened the Sharingan. Rumor had it his awakening had even caught the attention of Lady Tsunade herself.
Seiji felt eyes on him.
He looked up and saw Kurenai watching.
Why was she staring at him?
After a brief thought, he dismissed the matter, offering the occasional polite response to the classmates around him before returning his focus to the glowing panel only he could see.
[Entry: Long-Distance Runner (White).][Requirement: Run 5 kilometers.][Progress: (Completed).][Effect: Your lower-body strength has improved, better adapting you to long-distance travel. Leg power increased by 5%.][Note: This entry can be further upgraded.]
"One class, and I've already unlocked a new entry," Seiji murmured, closing the panel.
A wave of heat coursed down his legs, spreading into every cell. He could feel his muscles knitting tighter, more solid than before. Any taijutsu technique involving kicks would no doubt receive a boost from this.
"I wonder if climbing exercises or training with shuriken will trigger other specific entries…" Seiji thought to himself.
"Seiji, are you contemplating the meaning of youth?"
Might Guy's booming voice broke in, carrying that familiar tone of discovering a kindred spirit.
"…"
Seiji said nothing.
Ten minutes later, after the students had caught their breath, their instructor, Ebisu-sensei Umino Rō, began reading out the rankings.
"Might Guy, first place. Kakashi, second…"
He continued down the list until finally:
"Uchiha Seiji, sixth."
Seiji's expression didn't change.
He had only just begun training, and already he'd broken into the top six. That said plenty about his natural talent. The others had been doing physical conditioning every semester for years, yet he'd managed to overtake most of them.
No wonder Yakushi Nonō had once said he had the makings of a taijutsu shinobi.
"Alright, everyone," Umino Rō announced. "Remember to prepare for next week's sparring sessions. Here are the matchups."
Normally, with an even number of students, everyone had a partner. But with Seiji transferring in, the balance was broken. After scanning the room, the instructor's eyes fell on Obito, who was chatting animatedly with Rin.
"Obito, you'll be sparring with Seiji next week," Umino Rō declared. "Matchups rotate weekly, so don't worry about it being permanent."
Obito froze for a moment.
Wasn't this the perfect chance? If he could show off and decisively beat Seiji in front of Rin, she'd realize that last time was just a fluke!
"Yes, sensei!" Obito shouted, puffing out his chest.
Umino Rō gave a nod. Obito's grades weren't great, but his enthusiasm for training was genuine. Pairing him with the transfer student, who'd shown promise but still needed adjustment, made sense.
"Class dismissed."
With that, the day's lessons ended.
When school let out, Seiji once again sought out Rin to ask her for extra help with chakra control. This time, both Kakashi and Obito were there as well.
Just like yesterday, Seiji threw himself into the practice with full focus.
Today's task was still tree-walking, but this time the target was a much taller tree, forcing them to sustain precise chakra control for longer periods.
As the golden light of dusk streamed through the trees, Seiji was the first to step away.
"Leaving so soon, Seiji?" Rin asked.
"I've been in Konoha for a month now. Thought I'd finally go try some of the food around here."
"Oh, I see." Rin nodded.
Some of the small street vendors did have surprisingly good food. She knew a girl named Anko Mitarashi who was always going on about one place that served the best red bean soup—Anko especially loved having it with dumplings.
…
Seiji didn't head home immediately. Instead, he wandered the streets of Konoha, seemingly aimless, before casually slipping into a small, ordinary-looking sushi shop.
He had barely stepped inside when a waitress approached him.
"You're here to try our new specialty, the squid sushi, right?"
She had short blonde hair and wore the store's apron, which could barely conceal the generous curves beneath. A gray shirt peeked out from underneath.
Samui.
Seiji's eyes narrowed slightly.
He remembered her clearly. One of the few kunoichi in the original story who could rival Tsunade in one particular… department.
He tore his gaze away from her figure and studied her face instead, frowning.
She looked like she was already in her mid-teens. That didn't line up with the original timeline at all.
Could his arrival here have triggered some kind of butterfly effect?
"I'll have the squid sushi," Seiji said smoothly, playing along.
If Samui was here in Konoha, it could only mean she was acting under orders from Kumogakure's leadership. The fact that she'd approached him so directly suggested they already knew who he was.
"You'll be our first customer to try the dish. Please, come with me."
Samui guided him deeper into the shop. "This recipe requires the freshest squid, so the customer gets to make the selection personally."
Soon they arrived at a room lined with large glass tanks, each filled with fish. Water bubbled steadily from filtration pipes, breaking the surface with little pops.
But Samui didn't stop there. She pressed her palm against the wall.
Dark sealing runes flickered to life, and with a rumble, a hidden doorway slid open.
A deep passage stretched into the shadows. At the end of it, a man with dreadlocked hair turned to face them. His presence was hard to miss.
"Yotsuki Seiji. An honor to finally meet you. My name is Samoto."
"That name—Yotsuki—is in the past," Seiji said flatly. "I am Uchiha now."
Dreadlocks weren't unusual in Konoha—Iruka had once taken Konohamaru and the other children to an outdoor class where the Hokage himself came to teach them about the Will of Fire, and among the kids there had been one with the same hairstyle.
So in the end, it wasn't the hair that made this man stand out.
It was what he wanted from Seiji.