The moment class ended, a cold pulse flickered behind my eyes.
[Reward Granted — Perception Ninjutsu][Reward Granted — Identification Skill][Reward Granted — Fire Attribute Manipulation: Master Level]
Three rewards. Stacked. Immediate.
My mind swelled with memories — training sequences, muscle habits, chakra flow simulations — as if I had lived an entirely different lifetime mastering fire-nature transformation.
For a moment, the realism was so sharp I felt like a veteran Fire Release specialist wearing an 18-year-old's body.
Shisui approached me quietly.
"Teacher Hanyū, may I ask you a question?"
I paused mid-step. This kid's calmness… he didn't act like someone barely six years old.
I nodded and led him behind the empty teaching building. A quick flick of my newly unlocked sensory Skill swept the surroundings.
[System Notice: Area Scan — No high-threat chakra signatures detected]
Good.
"It's not about today's lecture." Shisui hesitated. "I have… a doubt."
"What is it?"
He looked down, then up again with a seriousness far too heavy for his age.
"Teacher… the Senju clan and the Uchiha clan founded Konoha together. So why does everyone only talk about the Senju? Why does no one mention the Uchiha's contribution?"
Quiet. Sharp. A wound speaking for itself.
I sighed inwardly.
What kind of PR did Hashirama get… and what kind of PR disaster was Madara? Those reputations aren't even in the same galaxy.
"You've probably only read clan records, right?"
Shisui nodded.
"All I have access to is what the Uchiha elders teach us."
"Then the picture you have is incomplete," I said. "And it's too complicated to explain in a quick conversation."
I let a bit of hesitation show. Kids like Shisui were too perceptive — you had to feed them truth slowly.
Guilt flashed across his face.
"I… I didn't mean to trouble you."
"It's fine." I waved it off. "Come find me after class tomorrow. I'll give you the context your clan didn't."
His eyes widened slightly. A chance at truth — something he'd never been offered outside his clan.
"Also," I added lightly, "I owe your clan a favor anyway."
"You… owe the Uchiha a favor?" Shisui blinked.
"Yes." I met his gaze. "My parents were surrounded during the war. A ninja named Uchiha Kagami saved them. They died later… but that debt is permanent."
That wasn't a lie. It was from the original body. And honestly?
Being an orphan came with one major perk:
No one's left alive to contradict whatever I need to say.
Shisui froze.
His grandfather. It was his grandfather who had saved my parents.
The revelation hit him harder than I expected. But being a good kid, he simply bowed.
"Thank you for telling me, Teacher."
Before he left, I activated my new Skill.
[Identification Skill — Activate]
[Name: Uchiha Shisui] [Chakra Stat: 500] [Potential Rating: SS–] [Evaluation: Six Paths Bloodline. Optimal for Fire Release and Genjutsu Specialization. Highly recommended for Apprentice registration.]
I stared.
SS–.
A tier reserved for monsters. Prodigies who distort entire timelines.
No wonder the system was practically vibrating.
So this is the kid who'll one day awaken Susanoo with a single eye…
I checked my own updated panel.
[Name: Hanyū Yuuma] [Age: 18] [Chakra Stat: 4300] [Evaluation: Fire Attribute Manipulation — Master Level. Limited by overall chakra reserves. With improvement, projected combat level approaches Elite Jonin.]
Elite Jonin.
The same tier as early-series Kakashi and Asuma.
From a single lecture.
I almost laughed. But reality hit just as quickly:
I was still Root. Still branded by Danzo's cursed seal. Still a weapon someone else thought they controlled.
Power alone wasn't enough.
I need disciples. I need levels. I need insurance. And I need it fast.
If I couldn't kill Danzo, fine — but I needed to become someone he couldn't kill either.
I entered the teachers' office. Three instructors sat inside complaining about their students.
I scanned each.
[Name: Ikegaya Isamu] [Chakra: 2000] [Potential: C] [Evaluation: Standard Chunin — expendable]
All three shared that same depressing label: cannon fodder.
Ikegaya groaned dramatically.
"How did Class 2 of Year 4 fall on me? Guy and Obito… they're disasters! I'm cursed!"
Ueda Aya, the only woman present, sighed sympathetically.
"I have a blind date tomorrow afternoon. And unfortunately, I'm stuck teaching that same class."
Mu Yue walked in, earning warm smiles.
"Teacher Hanyū!" Ueda called. "How did your first class go? Did the tips I taught you help?"
Ah yes. Her advice had been:
'Chant carrots and cabbages in your head so you don't panic.'
"I tried your trick," I said politely, "but the kids told me not to be picky about food."
Laughter erupted.
"Teacher Hanyū, you joke more smoothly than most veterans!"
I turned to Ikegaya.
"I don't have class tomorrow afternoon. If you need help covering for Year 4 Class 2, I can do it."
He lit up like a lantern.
"Really?! I… I owe you dinner! Thank you!"
Inside, I smirked.
Obito. Might Guy.
Two more talents with massive growth curves.
Covering that class wasn't charity. It was an investment.
…
Meanwhile, inside the Hokage's office—
Hiruzen Sarutobi watched a crystal ball projection of my lecture, fingers stroking his goatee.
"A Root shinobi… teaching the Will of Fire with such conviction," he murmured. "Danzo must think he hid him well."
He hadn't.
Hiruzen already knew which Root members were never registered on official lists.
But he overlooked Danzo's secrets as long as they benefited Konoha.
"Let's observe him further," Hiruzen said, closing the jutsu. "If his talent proves real… pull him out of Root."
For now, paperwork called.
…
That evening, Shisui followed the directions I gave him until he found my residence — a modest wooden house near the southeast edge of Konoha. Quiet. Isolated. Exactly what a Root-raised orphan would be assigned.
He stepped into the yard quietly…
And froze.
Eyes widening.
Mouth opening in shock.
A scene he never expected was unfolding right in front of him.