One year later — Konoha's Ninja Academy.
"Wherever leaves dance, the fire burns. The shadow of the fire illuminates the village, and in turn, new leaves sprout and grow…"
Standing on stage, Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage, had clearly found his rhythm. His speech was laced with the same rhetorical style once used by the Third Hokage.
In the crowd below, Uchiha Shion rubbed his eyes. The night before, Izumi had been so excited for the first day of school that she wouldn't stop chattering, and he had gone to sleep later than usual.
Still, speaking of which… Shion glanced back at the crowd behind him.
There she was — Kushina Uzumaki, with her fiery red hair, holding a nearly one-year-old Naruto. Both mother and son had their eyes fixed on Minato, their gaze filled with light.
Not far away, the widow of the late Uchiha clan head, Mikoto Uchiha, was holding her one-year-old Sasuke. But her attention wasn't on the stage. Instead, her expression was tinged with worry as she looked at a distant child standing aloof — Itachi Uchiha.
"…Hah."
Shion let out a quiet sigh. In the original timeline, Itachi should have awakened his double-tomoe Sharingan at eight years old, after witnessing Obito kill his teammate. Now, however, at just over five years old, Itachi had already awakened it.
This past year, despite everything, the boy seemed unable to escape the whirlpool of life and death. He often muttered to himself about philosophical questions, sounding more like a troubled sage than a child.
What a mess…
Just one butterfly effect from Obito had already twisted everything this much. Who knew what Naruto and Sasuke would grow up to be like in this version of events?
On the other side, Shion's clone — operating under the codename "Sora" — still hadn't been able to secure a medium for tracking Obito. Without Kakashi's Kamui to counter, and with Obito far more cautious now, he wasn't someone who could be dealt with easily.
And with Shion's current six-year-old body, his chakra reserves remained a serious shortcoming. The Flying Thunder God Technique could only be used a limited number of times. Clearly, not every red-haired person was necessarily from the Uzumaki clan.
And what about that cave where Uchiha Madara had supposedly died? Within a few years, Shion would have to get some information from Kakashi. That cave couldn't be far from where Rin had died. He'd need to find an opportunity.
The entrance ceremony finally concluded amidst the drowsiness of all the new students. Shion, holding Izumi's hand, left the field. Classes would formally begin tomorrow — though he still hadn't figured out how to teach Izumi Shadow Clone Jutsu without breaking her brain.
Headache.
He remembered that Itachi had already used Shadow Clone in his first year. Who had taught him — Shisui, or their late father Fugaku?
Maybe he should ask Shisui for help.
…
"Big brother, Mother said we should bring back some dango for lunch."
"I remember. We'll stop by the dango shop first, then head home."
Shion nodded and gently squeezed Izumi's small hand as they walked toward the shop.
He wasn't particularly fond of sweets, but Izumi loved them. That was why their mother often asked her to go buy some.
Over the past year, the family's financial situation had improved significantly. After all, Shion's clone Sora had "died" three times on the outside already. Between black-market payoffs and redistributing wealth from the rich to himself, he had earned enough to ease their burdens.
"Damn it! The pork cutlets today are smaller than usual!"
"And this sake is watered down — no taste at all! Tell me I'm wrong!"
Smack!
The loud drunkard was suddenly slammed face-first into the ground. Three men bound his arms behind his back and dragged him upright.
"You just call us bastards?"
"You think the Uchiha can be insulted by some nobody civilian? Day-drinking drunkard!"
"Once you're in the Police Force headquarters, you'll learn some respect!"
…
The commotion drew Shion's eyes. He saw three men wearing the Uchiha fan crest on their backs, restraining the staggering drunk. It was obvious he had overindulged, his face flushed and his words slurred. Claiming the alcohol had no flavor was clearly nonsense.
As the Uchiha Police Force dragged him away, nearby shopkeepers and townsfolk began murmuring among themselves.
"It's just a drunk. Isn't locking him up a bit much?"
"Everyone knows the Police Force. Once you're taken in, you don't get out without paying."
"That man's pitiful though. His son had just become a shinobi, and a little while ago he died outside the village on a mission. Even the jōnin leader didn't make it back. They said it was some kind of accident…"
"Shhh! Enough! There are still Uchiha around here. Do you want to be dragged off too?"
…
"Hah…"
A sigh sounded right beside him. Shion turned his head. "Back from a mission, Shisui-senpai?"
Shisui nodded lightly. "The tension just keeps building."
Then he smiled at Shion and Izumi. "If you're free this afternoon, meet me at Training Ground Four. Itachi will be there too. Since you're starting school tomorrow, I've prepared some gifts."
Izumi's eyes lit up at the mention of Itachi. "I want to go! Do you have a gift for me too, Shisui-nii?"
Shisui chuckled. "For you, Izumi, I'll let Shion bring it back. You're still a bit too young."
Izumi immediately puffed her cheeks. "Big brother's only a little older than me! Why am I the one who's 'too young'? And besides—"
Smack.
Before she could finish, Shion lightly tapped her head and tied her long hair into a ponytail. "Enough. Be good. Tomorrow's your first day of school — you'll need to wake up early."
With that, Izumi went quiet, obediently holding her brother's hand.
After saying goodbye to Shisui, Shion took her home.
Since Fugaku's death, the Uchiha had gone nearly a year without electing a new clan head. Every clan meeting turned into a shouting match between hawks and doves, nearly devolving into bloodshed each time.
As the Uchiha's brightest young genius, Shisui naturally held more and more influence at these meetings. But compared to the two stubborn elders, his age was still a handicap.
Fugaku's death had already caused changes to the "future" Shion once glimpsed through Infinite Tsukuyomi. But if Shisui could eventually rise to leadership…
And then there was Danzō, that sly old fox. With both the Third and Fourth Hokage alive, he had been forced into hiding, unable to act openly. Killing him had become trickier.
Time was running quickly. If things unfolded smoothly, then soon Shion would have both speed and strength at his disposal.
"Big brother, why don't you like Itachi?"
Izumi's innocent question snapped him from his thoughts.
Shion looked at her and replied calmly, "Humble, kind, gentle, a genius of the Uchiha — someone like that will have plenty of admirers. But for the same reasons, in Itachi's mind certain things become trivial. He thinks he's pondering lofty truths every day — life and death, the meaning of being a shinobi, the meaning of the village."
"His thoughts are up on a pedestal, too far removed to see the real essence of things. That's the flaw of many shinobi in this world."
"Izumi, someone who seems humble on the outside but holds his ideals so high above himself — that kind of person isn't right for you. Following the crowd because of a childish crush is nothing more than adolescence. And in this world, adolescence comes far too early."
Izumi tilted her head, confused but awestruck. She didn't understand half of what he said, but it all sounded very impressive.
Just nod. That's good enough.
Tomorrow, the academy would begin. She would be entering alongside Itachi. She was so excited.
Shion glanced at her and sighed, saying nothing more.
If that lunatic could restrain himself, things might be tolerable. Otherwise, maybe he should strike before Itachi awakened the Mangekyō…
But then, wouldn't that make him a sis-con in this timeline?
Shion shook the wild thoughts from his head and looked toward the horizon. Only one month remained until the Information Exchange re-opened for the second time.
…