The black contact lenses Seiji wore weren't the kind you'd find in some random market stall. No, they were a little invention of his own.
By molding Water Release chakra into a fine hydrogel, he layered it directly over his pupils to mask the Sharingan's physical traits. Then, with a thin veil of genjutsu, he blurred the faint chakra leaks that might give him away.
The process was so meticulous that even a sharp-eyed jōnin would struggle to spot anything—unless they were practically breathing down his neck.
It was the kind of neat little trick Seiji could cook up thanks to the "Ninjutsu Master" talent he inherited from Tobirama Senju. If he could imagine it, he could tinker it into existence.
But, of course, someone always had to ruin the fun.
Inside Seiji's mind, Tobirama narrowed his eyes and muttered, "At least double tomoe-level Sharingan power, a cunning genjutsu technique, and the ability to restructure jutsu on the fly…"
"Annoying little brat."
Meanwhile, Umino Ikkaku stood at the center of the buzzing training field, grinning like a ringmaster. "Alright, it's time for the thrilling, nerve-wracking lottery draw!"
Rubbing his hands together, he let the tension build as all the academy students leaned in. Finally, he pulled out a slip of paper and read aloud:
"Uchiha Seiji will be the first to fight today."
The crowd immediately perked up at the word Uchiha—only for the excitement to collapse the moment Seiji followed. Groans rippled through the students.
The meaning was obvious: they had been hoping for a genius clash, maybe even Shisui stepping onto the stage. Instead, they got Seiji, whose reputation everyone knew all too well.
As an Uchiha who was nearly twelve and still hadn't graduated, Seiji's name carried weight—but not the good kind. In some ways, his infamy rivaled Konoha's golden boy, Hatake Kakashi.
Especially since Seiji happened to be a descendant of Uchiha Kagami.
Seiji smiled faintly, exchanged a cheeky wink with the smirking Shisui, and strolled calmly to the center of the arena.
Umino Ikkaku frowned, a touch of sympathy flickering in his gaze. He liked Seiji—polite, well-mannered. A shame about the terrible talent, though. Not every clan member could be a prodigy, no matter how prestigious their bloodline.
But rules were rules. Even if he didn't want the boy humiliated, the exam had to proceed fairly.
He pulled the second slip. The name practically glowed on the page.
"Nohara Rin, step forward!"
Relief softened Ikkaku's face. Rin was talented, yes, but she was also gentle. Maybe Seiji wouldn't crash and burn too badly against her.
"Nice! Rin, it's you!" Obito shouted, pumping his fists. "Don't worry, you'll crush that dead-last for sure!"
Then he got louder—of course he did. "Actually, forget just Seiji! You'll wipe the floor with everyone else, beat the crap out of Kakashi, and earn the Hokage's attention!"
Everyone turned to look at him. Some frowned. No one contradicted him. Blunt as it was, Obito had only said what many were already thinking.
Rin sighed, shot Obito a warning glare to shut him up, then walked lightly to the arena.
Kakashi, for his part, finally lowered his book when Rin stepped forward—only to groan and scratch his head once he realized her opponent was Seiji.
Seiji silently watched them all, drinking in their reactions. Obito's performance in particular pleased him.
"Seiji, what childish game are you playing…? You've got a double tomoe Sharingan, you can bend ninjutsu and genjutsu to your will, and you're pretending to be dead-last in the academy?" Tobirama's jaw twitched.
The patience it took for an Uchiha to play "weakling" for this long was absurd.
"Relax, Tobirama," Seiji sighed inwardly. "Power isn't everything. The true prize here is the daily indoctrination class on the Will of Fire. That's worth more than any jutsu."
"…You're telling me, the first headmaster of this academy, that you're here to leech off Fire Will lectures? Disgraceful." Tobirama's face darkened. Every time Seiji mentioned the Will of Fire, Tobirama got the strange sense it wasn't quite the noble ideal he remembered.
Umino Ikkaku gave the pair a final nod. Then he turned to the watching students.
"For this exam, you may use lethal jutsu. All ninja tools are allowed—except explosive tags. Don't worry. The instructors and Chūnin Hatake are here to keep things safe. If it gets dangerous, we'll step in immediately."
He stepped back and barked, "Uchiha Seiji versus Nohara Rin! Begin!"
"Careful, Seiji-kun!" Rin called, her tone earnest as her hands flashed through seals. "Clone Jutsu!"
Three illusions appeared around her, weaving and darting as she charged forward.
This was a classic academy opener. Lacking serious chakra reserves, most students relied on taijutsu and shuriken tactics.
As Rin sprinted, she whipped out a handful of shuriken, hurling them in a tight spread at Seiji.
"Nice—good accuracy," Ikkaku commented. Kakashi gave a small nod.
Seiji? He simply smiled and stepped back a few paces, planting his feet.
Rin bit her lip, kunai flashing in her grip as she surged faster, closing the gap. The shuriken had pinned Seiji's escape routes—she was certain she had him cornered.
And then, just as she lunged into striking distance—
Seiji's hands flicked through a seal. He opened his arms.
The crowd gasped.
"Has he given up?" Kakashi muttered, lifting his short blade, ready to intervene.
But Rin's world abruptly went dark. Her grip faltered, kunai clattered from her hand, her body lost balance—
—and she crashed straight into Seiji's chest, caught neatly in his waiting embrace.
The arena froze.
Dead silence. Not a soul could comprehend what had just happened.