Chapter 2: Mediocrity
"Lord Danzo, here is the target's complete activity report for this week." The low voice echoed in the sealed chamber.
An elderly man with gray-white hair and bandages covering his right eye stood motionless in the shadows. His cold gaze swept over his subordinate kneeling on one knee as he slowly accepted the offered scroll.
Snap
The scroll unfurled between his withered fingers.
[Monday - Uchiha Sasuko, Uchiha Yu: Visited training ground for shuriken practice]
[Tuesday - Uchiha Sasuko, Uchiha Yu: Fishing at the eastern creek]
[Wednesday - ...]
Slap!
The scroll was violently thrown into the ninja's face with a sharp sound.
"Worthless!" Danzo's single eye flashed with cold light. "I want suspicious intelligence, not a daily diary!"
"M-my apologies, sir!" Cold sweat beaded on the ninja's forehead as he bowed even lower. "We haven't detected any abnormal activity so far..."
Danzo's brow furrowed deeply, the dark cloud in his mind refusing to dissipate.
His instincts told him there was something he was missing.
"Bring me Uchiha Yu's file," Danzo commanded the attendant beside him.
Under ROOT's strict management, efficiency was always guaranteed.
Within the time it took to brew tea, Danzo had the dossier he wanted.
[Uchiha Yu]
[Age: 12]
[Status: Adopted son of the Uchiha Clan Head]
[History: Year 45 of Konoha - Adopted by the Uchiha Clan Head and his wife. Year 50 of Konoha - Enrolled in Konoha Ninja Academy. Year 55 of Konoha - Graduated from Ninja Academy with a D-grade evaluation, currently remains a Genin]
"Mediocre." Danzo sneered, casually tossing the dossier to his attendant. "Withdraw the surveillance. Reassign the personnel to watch Itachi and Shisui instead."
This waste doesn't even qualify as experimental material. That old fox Fugaku actually adopted such a useless boy... I wasted so much attention on this brat for nothing.
Well, not everyone can be a genius like Itachi and Shisui. Perhaps I was overthinking it.
---
Uchiha Compound, Fugaku's House
A young man in black and white robes, his dark hair bound high with a snow-white ribbon fluttering in the breeze, wielded a wooden sword that danced through the air, each strike cutting through the silence with crisp sounds.
"Hey! Yu!" Sasuko sprawled lazily on the tatami mat, her small hand propping up her chin as she tilted her head toward the sweating youth in the courtyard.
"Why didn't you practice like this when we were outside earlier?"
The sound of the wooden sword cutting through air suddenly stopped.
Yu raised his hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead, breathing slightly heavily as he turned back with a helpless smile. "Too noisy out there."
Sasuko pouted, muttering under her breath, "Hmph, I think you just didn't want to practice with me."
Yu smiled without answering, resuming his stance to continue slashing, thrusting, and parrying...
"Your swordsmanship is impressive, Yu." A cool voice suddenly spoke up.
A figure had somehow appeared leaning against the decorative rocks.
Beneath his Konoha forehead protector were a pair of deep black eyes, his lean form outlined by ANBU attire.
Yu abruptly stopped his practice, using the wooden sword to support himself as he caught his breath, sweat dripping from his chin. "No choice... I really have no talent for learning ninjutsu, so I have to compensate elsewhere."
Itachi spent most of his time on ANBU missions, rarely returning home.
"Big brother! When did you get back?" Sasuko's delighted voice came from inside the house.
Not even bothering to put on her wooden sandals, the girl rushed out barefoot and threw herself toward Itachi.
"Just now." Itachi gently tapped his sister's forehead, but his gaze turned to Yu with a hint of apology. "I hope my sister hasn't been causing you trouble while I was away?"
Sasuko immediately tensed up, frantically making eye signals at Yu.
Yu chuckled softly. "Sasuko has been very well-behaved."
"Itachi, come here." Fugaku's deep voice came from inside the house.
"I'll continue to entrust Sasuko to your care." Itachi's expression changed as he bowed slightly to Yu before turning to enter the house.
Sasuko tugged at Yu's sleeve, blinking curiously. "Yu, what do you think Father and big brother are discussing? Being so secretive..."
Yu's eyes flickered. Having lived two lives, how could he not see through the twisted politics between the Uchiha and Konoha?
"Probably discussing..." he deliberately drew out the words, "how to deal with a certain little troublemaker who keeps sneaking sweets instead of eating proper meals."
"Hmph!" Sasuko huffily released his sleeve. "Stop treating me like a child!" With that, she stomped back to the tatami mat and sat with her arms crossed, sulking.
Mikoto, who happened to be passing through the corridor, couldn't help but cover her mouth and laugh softly at this exchange.
This young man, usually so polite and composed and mature beyond his years only showed this playful side around Sasuko.
At other times, he was like that bamboo plant in the courtyard, standing quietly, watching the ripples on the pond's surface while maintaining just the right distance.
"Sasuko, Yu, come have some sweets," Mikoto called gently, carrying a tea tray.
"Stop practicing! Yu, come on!" Sasuko jumped up, her earlier tantrum forgotten as quickly as it had come.
But Yu shook his head. "You two go ahead. I'll practice a bit longer." He gripped the wooden sword again.
He knew all too well that Itachi's sudden return boded ill, the relationship between the village and the Uchiha had probably deteriorated further. He had to become stronger.
Over these years, no matter how hard he trained, his Magnetic Field power progressed frustratingly slowly. Conversely, this world's ninjutsu and taijutsu had advanced rapidly.
But Yu knew in his heart this still wasn't enough.
Even now, he couldn't read the intentions of the two Uchiha prodigies: Itachi and Shisui. Which side would they ultimately choose?
Their family? Or the village?
If they truly betrayed the clan, how could Fugaku alone resist the combined forces of Konoha and these two geniuses?
Even with his own help...
Could he protect Sasuko? Protect his adoptive parents? Protect the Uchiha clansmen? Or would he fail again, just like in his previous life, unable to save anyone?
As these thoughts churned through his mind, his wooden sword work became increasingly erratic.
Scrape—
A wooden splinter pierced his palm, blood slowly seeping along the lines of his hand, but he didn't even notice.
"Yu! Your hand is bleeding!" Sasuko, usually so careless about everything else, was the first to spot something wrong. She rushed over in panic, her small hands gripping his wrist tightly.
"Stop practicing!" Sasuko's eyes reddened with urgency, staring at Yu's bleeding palm. "How could you be so careless!"
Mikoto immediately turned upon seeing this. "I'll get the medical kit. Wait here, both of you."
CRASH!
The sound of shattering porcelain came from inside the house, followed immediately by Fugaku's suppressed roar of anger.