Clang!
Sparks flew as kunai clashed. Using the rebound, Uchiha Shion flipped backward and lashed out with a kick toward Itachi's chin.
Smack!
The crisp sound echoed as Itachi blocked, retreating two steps. He shook out his arm lightly."Your reactions are sharp. Strength isn't bad either."
With a grin, Shion sheathed his kunai. "You're not even using your Sharingan yet. Otherwise, I'd never keep up."
Itachi shook his head slightly. "Shisui once told me I'm no match for you. I don't know why… but if Shisui said it, he must have his reasons."
The two clasped hands to form the Seal of Reconciliation, ending their spar. Off to the side, their chūnin instructor finally let out a breath of relief.
Two Uchiha prodigies—one said to have awakened his eyes at five and a half, the other holding his own in a dead-even fight. A match like that could turn dangerous at the slightest misstep. Teaching geniuses was no easy task.
"Big brother, here."
Shion accepted the cup of water from Izumi and drank a few gulps. Only then did he notice her clutching a bento, cheeks red as she kept sneaking glances at Itachi.
After sparring class came the lunch break. Time for bentos. Was she trying to ask him out on a date?
Ding ding ding…
The dismissal bell rang right on time. Without hesitation, Shion snatched the bento out of his sister's hands. "C'mon, let's eat together."
Izumi glanced at Itachi sipping water in the distance, then back at her brother who had stolen her lunch. Her face twisted in a mix of indignation and helplessness.
"Hey, Tokuma, Hana—let's eat together."
At Shion's invitation, the two children from Konoha's noble clans froze for a moment. But given the aura of genius surrounding Itachi—and, by extension, Shion—they quickly agreed.
It turned out not every child was like Itachi, always lost in lofty thoughts far beyond his age. After just a few words, Shion and Izumi found themselves making friends with kids from the Hyūga and Inuzuka clans.
An Uchiha without the arrogance wasn't so hard to get along with.
Shion smiled faintly. After today, the way these two treated him at school would reflect, at least in part, the Hyūga and Inuzuka stances toward the Uchiha's current situation.
Everyone could see how much the Fourth Hokage trusted Shisui. But the old guard left behind by the Second—including even the Third—still carried deep prejudice against the clan.
Whether the Hyūga branch family or the Inuzuka stood by the Uchiha would influence where the noble houses of Konoha aligned: the fading Third… or the bright, youthful Fourth?
"Shion, your taijutsu's incredible. To fight Itachi to a draw, even after he's awakened his eyes…" Tokuma's tone carried envy, but his hand drifted up to the cursed seal hidden beneath his headband, and his face darkened.
The Hyūga branch family's caged bird—Neji had been branded at four in the original timeline.
"Strength and reflexes, that's all it takes. But don't forget—Itachi didn't even use his Sharingan. With them, things could've gone differently."
Shion passed his bento over. "Here, tempura. Want to try it? It's my favorite."
Meeting someone for the first time, both Tokuma and Hana shook their heads politely.
Hana spoke instead. "My mother told me a little about the Sharingan. Even if you don't actively use it, once your eyes awaken, your dynamic vision improves. Shion, you're already really strong."
Shion answered with a modest smile. Izumi, however, tilted her head, staring curiously at Hana's face. "Your markings are so pretty… where did you buy that paint?"
Hana chuckled. "They're not ordinary paint. They're unique to the Inuzuka clan."
…
Laughter and chatter filled Shion's ears. He glanced over at Itachi not far away.
Five or six girls peeked at him shyly but didn't dare approach. A handful of boys gnashed their teeth in envy. The result: Itachi sat alone, an island, his aura icy and unwelcoming—a sign screaming keep away.
"Itachi!"
Called out, Itachi blinked, lifted his head from his untouched lunch. Shion caught the flicker of joy in his eyes at once.
"Come eat with us!"
Itachi looked around, then gave a small nod and walked over.
Shion sighed and glanced down at his sister. "Could you ease up? My arm's turning purple. No need to squeeze so hard just because you're excited."
Izumi's face went crimson the moment he exposed her.
Hana and Tokuma laughed along. Among all the girls in class, Hana was probably the only one not smitten with Itachi.
"Humans are social creatures," Shion said, patting the step beside him for Itachi to sit. "Spend too much time alone, you start overthinking. Overthink too long, and you'll go insane. Then you start killing people at random. And when that happens, they lock you up. So… would you rather kill at random, or be locked up?"
The bluntness startled Itachi. After a long pause, he asked seriously, "I understand 'killing,' but… what's 'at random'?"
…
School life was dull for both Shion and Itachi. So dull, in fact, that within a month, the two were sending shadow clones to class instead.
Truth was, Shion had underestimated his own talent all along. Remember—in the original history, Itachi wiped out the clan at thirteen, and Izumi was also thirteen then. For her to awaken the three-tomoe Sharingan at that age showed how gifted she was. Her notes said "specialized in taijutsu," but that was only because no one had taught her properly. Otherwise, what kind of Uchiha with three tomoe focused on taijutsu of all things?
Night fell. Past midnight. October tenth.
Shion rose from bed and opened a hidden compartment beneath the floorboards, pulling out a scroll thick with a year's dust.
Space–time scrolls weren't cheap. If he could learn the sealing techniques on this, he might even store things in his wrist like Sasuke would someday.
"Release."
A puff of smoke, and at the scroll's center appeared a pale arm.
The arm Obito had left behind a year ago—crafted from the First Hokage's cells. Compared to Danzō's unstable grafts, this one was far superior.
After all, Obito could spam Kamui endlessly, while Danzō's stolen arm sprouted trees and went berserk whenever his chakra spiked.
[Intelligence Exchange — successfully initiated][Rule Copy function — activated][Medium detected][Available targets: Senju Hashirama (Pure Land), Uchiha Obito]
The system's voice in his mind made Shion freeze. Two choices?
Locking onto Hashirama had been a gamble already—no rule said he could only trade with the living, after all. Both Hashirama and Madara resided in the Pure Land now. Six Paths Sage was out of reach, but with these mediums, the First and Obito weren't.
But Obito too?
Because this was Obito's arm?
After years of use, maybe it held so much of his essence it could serve as a link?
The thought sent a shiver down Shion's spine. He forced his mind back on track.
Still… this was good. Senju and Uchiha. Sage Body and Mangekyō. Which to choose?
Wait…
Hashirama's Sage Body was Hashirama's. Obito's eyes weren't Madara's Rinnegan.
With his scrawny frame, if not for the Hashirama cells keeping him alive, Obito would've been blind a hundred times over by now.
Shion's gaze fell once more on the pale arm at the scroll's center. He hesitated, then drew a kunai.
Shhk!
…