Uchiha Shien walked slowly onto the training field.
"So handsome!"
"Pfft, he's just the bottom of the class. No way he passes."
"Really?"
"Of course! If the Uchiha hadn't forced him into the academy, he wouldn't even qualify as a ninja. Hmph!"
…
As the "famous" bottom student, Uchiha Shien was immediately recognized.
Ah, the final act!
Looked like the higher-ups were really intent on letting the Uchiha clan lose face today.
Uchiha Shien ignored all the whispers.
Hah! What do you fools know? The more useless I look, the easier it'll be to lie flat in peace!
If he showed too much skill, he'd have the Hokage personally showing up for "friendly talks" and the Root division knocking on his door for "evaluation."
Who could handle that kind of attention? Not him!
Honestly, the Naruto world was way too rude.
He hadn't even gotten a system!
No pay-to-win menu, no daily sign-in rewards — not even a lousy "Blue Attribute Points" interface.
What else could he do but lie flat?
He was, without question, the shame of all transmigrators.
Other transmigrators? Clan head in one year, village leader in two, ruler of the ninja world by three — all standard progression.
Meanwhile, over in some other webnovels, the protagonist sweeps through worlds in a few dozen chapters, conquers the stars in a hundred, and starts a counterattack against the Otsutsuki clan before you know it.
But him? Two and a half years of training later, and he still wasn't even a ninja trainee.
No wonder he wanted to bury himself.
Still, once today was over, he'd finally be free.
The moment the examiner charged in, he'd collapse dramatically on the spot.
Let them witness his Divine Art of Ultimate Uselessness!
Losing face now was far better than losing his life on a battlefield later.
…Hold on.
"What the hell?"
Uchiha Shien frowned as the chunin examiner suddenly stepped aside.
Shff!
In his place appeared a small figure wearing a mask, a short sword strapped to his back, and a shock of spiky white hair.
The boy's sharp eyes and cold aura made Uchiha Shien's stomach drop.
The new examiner was—
Hatake Kakashi.
And in that instant, Uchiha Shien's face turned pale.
My opponent is Kakashi. What do I do? Online, please help! Urgent!
He had not signed up for this.
"Why is it Kakashi!?"
"Can't you tell? He's applying for early graduation!"
"The White Fang's son is finally up! Time to witness the strongest genius of Konoha!"
"Graduating after only a year in the academy — of that man's son!"
…
Excited murmurs filled the air.
If it had been any other student, no one would've cared.
But Kakashi was different.
Not just because he was Konoha's prodigy — but because of who his father was:
The White Fang of Konoha.
A man whose short sword terrified every ninja village, who could even outshine the Legendary Sannin, and who had been the leading candidate to become the next Hokage.
Until, not long ago, he'd committed suicide after a failed mission.
Now, his only son — entering the academy just a year ago — had applied for early graduation. Of course the village big shots came to watch.
They didn't realize, but that today's "exam" had gone wildly off-script.
At least one man knew exactly what was happening.
"Danzo!"
Standing at the edge of the field, the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, turned and hissed, "What are you trying to pull?"
Only one person could alter the academy exam procedure without his knowledge — and that was Shimura Danzo.
"Danzo, this isn't the time for your games!"
A bespectacled middle-aged man with gray hair — Mitokado Homura — also spoke sharply.
The village was already unstable after the White Fang's death.
If anything happened to his only son today, the consequences would be catastrophic.
"I know."
"I know." Danzo's face remained expressionless.
"Kakashi applied for early graduation. I simply arranged a suitable opponent — an Uchiha dead last. Surely you don't doubt his chances, do you?"
Of course, the "exam" was only a pretext.
Using Uchiha Shien's death to stain the Uchiha clan's reputation — that was the real goal.
If an actual Uchiha elite died, there'd be backlash.
But this nobody, disdained even by his own clan? Minimal fallout.
Once Uchiha Shien died, Kakashi would be pushed further into darkness, and the Uchiha name would take another blow.
A perfect win-win for Danzo.
A flash of smug satisfaction crossed his mind. Sensei… rest assured. I'll rid the village of the evil Uchiha for you.
"You'd better,"
"You'd better," Hiruzen warned, then turned back to watch.
Had he known what order Danzo had given Kakashi, he wouldn't have looked so calm.
But since the Hokage hadn't stopped the exam, no one else dared to question the setup.
The test continued.
Suddenly, four Root operatives appeared around the field, forming hand seals in unison.
"Four-Corner Sealing Formation!"
With a low shout, countless seal marks spread outward, fusing into a transparent barrier that enclosed the entire training ground.
The crowd murmured in confusion.
That kind of barrier was normal for jonin-level duels — but for two academy students? Even with a genius like Kakashi, it was overkill.
"Danzo!"
Hiruzen's expression hardened.
"It's merely to prevent the Uchiha from interfering,"
"It's merely to prevent the Uchiha from interfering," Danzo replied smoothly.
"Besides, it's too late to stop now, isn't it?"
Inside, he was smug.
The barrier ensured that Uchiha Shien couldn't surrender or escape — and that no Uchiha clan members could interfere.
With such preparations, letting Kakashi take down a bottom-feeder was as simple as breathing.
Once the boy shed his innocence and stepped into darkness, he'd become Root's perfect weapon — a prodigy not inferior to his father.
Hiruzen said nothing more, though his frown deepened.
The Uchiha had been restless lately… maybe a little pressure wouldn't hurt.
So he kept watching.
On the field, Uchiha Shien was sweating.
Something was very wrong.
The barrier, the examiner switch — none of this was part of the usual procedure.
Normally, even a bottom-ranked student could last a few rounds against the examiner before failing.
But this examiner… was Kakashi.
The boy was grieving his father's death, cold and ruthless in his current state. One wrong move and Uchiha Shien could literally end up dead — and no one would even care.
Even with his Uchiha surname, Uchiha Shien knew his place.
He only bore the name because of "special circumstances." Otherwise, the clan would've kicked him out long ago.
If he died here today, they'd probably just sigh, collect some "compensation," and move on.
That was the reality of this world — stripped of all anime filters and hero worship.
The future Uchiha might be victims, sure, but they were no innocent angels either. Plenty of dirty laundry to go around.
But now, none of that mattered.
He had one urgent problem to solve: how to survive Hatake Kakashi.
"Uh… is it too late to surrender?"
He asked, glancing at the small figure before him — a head shorter, but radiating killing intent like a winter storm.
Shff!
Kakashi drew his short sword.
The gleam of the blade said everything.
Shit.
Uchiha Shien swore inwardly. He'd figured it out now — this whole mess was clearly Danzo's doing.
That old snake.
The Third Hokage's hypocrisy was usually more elegant — this was way too blatant.
Once Kakashi killed him, the boy would be forever tainted — forced down the same dark path Danzo had walked.
After all, killing outsiders made you a hero…
But killing your own villagers? Even once, and you'd carry that stain forever.
And with so many witnesses, that stain would never wash away.
Meanwhile, his own death would smear the Uchiha clan's name.
As for him personally?
Heh. In this world where human life was cheaper than dirt, even if he died right here, Hiruzen would at most scold Danzo, make him drink three cups of sake, and call it a day.
The "kind" Third Hokage from the anime? Total illusion.
Think about it — the man led the strongest ninja village in the world, a place built on assassination, espionage, and war.
If he were truly kindhearted, he'd have been dead long ago.
Anime was anime.
Try treating this world like a cartoon… and you'd be fertilizer before the opening credits finished rolling.
And yet, just outside the barrier, in the shade of a tall training post, someone else had already turned their eyes toward the field — and toward Uchiha Shien.
◇ I'll be dropping one bonus chapters for every 10 reviews. comment
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on P@treon if you're interested:
patreon.com/FicHaven786