1 Chapter 1: White Fang's Offer

Screams echoed wide and far as blood soaked the grass and trees. It was a cacophony of death and destruction that would forever scar the land and its survivors.

𝘋𝘪𝘯𝘨

𝘋𝘪𝘯𝘨

𝘋𝘪𝘯𝘨

Two shinobi locked in mortal combat continuously clashed blades, their appearances concealed by the darkness that reigned supreme. Yet, one of the two figures was different; his eyes shone a crimson red, emanating an indescribable sense of death as they analyzed their opponent.

"Hah! I knew it. You punk really did possess the legendary sharingan!" Lightning flashed, revealing the malicious smile and a greedy sparkle in the dark eyes of a former Kirigakure shinobi.

"Thanks for the gift, boy. I'll make sure they're put to good use!" With that, he finished pouring chakra into his legs and shot forward, unleashing a wave of ice shards with his right arm as his left hungrily reached out to seize its prize.

"Huh?" All of a sudden, the boy disappeared from view as the shards of ice flew off into the darkness, completely impotent.

"Genjutsu?!" Immediately forming the seals for genjutsu release, he was still unable to spot his opponent. The greedy glint in his eyes disappeared, replaced by slight panic as he shook his head from side to side.

"If these were the fabled sharingan… why should it be surprising that you'd be ensnared in my genjutsu?" A mocking voice appeared behind the now panicking shinobi.

Spinning around, the man found no opponent before him, but that did not make him feel any better; quite the contrary.

Left with no other option, he performed his most potent jutsu. "Ice Release: Frost Annihilation!"

Holding both palms up towards the sky, countless specks of gleaming ice flew upwards, only to bend to gravity's will and come crashing back down. Except something strange happened once the specks of ice reached their highest point; they turned from barely perceptible specks into shards the size of a human thumb.

With thousands of such shards slamming back down into the earth, the entire area around the rogue shinobi was devastated. Every plant, person, or animal within a 50-meter radius was shredded into pieces and frosted over with a thin layer of ice. It formed a dangerously beautiful image as it gleamed in the darkness.

"Hah…" His breath formed into mist as he attempted to recover from using such a chakra-demanding jutsu. Although it had been costly, it at least meant that the enemy was either dead, injured, or had retreated… Or so he thought.

"Hmm, nice try, but still not enough!" A voice that sent shivers down his spine whispered in his ear.

Before he could even react, the rogue shinobi was struck with dozens of precise strikes. Each one made him weaker and weaker, and before long, he could no longer even release a shred of his chakra.

Collapsing to the ground, he again found himself face to face with those demonic red eyes. Disbelief spread across his face; after all, he had recognized the attack that was just used on him, but the person responsible couldn't possibly have possessed those eyes.

"Wha-what are you??"

"Hmm, good question. I don't rightly know, myself. What I do know though... is that these eyes of mine, they aren't the sharingan," With those words, the mystery boy then placed a hand on his fallen enemy.

"I think the name Gizōgan suits them well enough, though." He said with an easygoing smile.

"Wha…" He never managed to finish his last word. His remaining vitality was utterly drained, forcibly taken from his body as it shriveled up and died.

"Hahhh…" Happily sighing, the boy stood back up and wiped his hands against one another. Unable to revel in this feeling for long, his carefree attitude instantly dissolved as the piercing screams and explosions suddenly registered in his mind.

Dashing off to where he had left his own squad, he discovered half a dozen fallen foes surrounding his two comrades, with three more still alive and fighting the two. Without delay, he rapidly performed the six hand signs necessary and spewed forth a river of flames from his mouth towards the enemies foolish enough to have their back to him, completely devouring the most unlucky of the three.

Continuing not to waste a single second, he shot forth with chakra brimming in his legs and flew towards the one that had dodged to the left of his Great Fireball jutsu, cutting them down before they could even utter a cry.

With his two remaining comrades dead in a matter of seconds, the last enemy attempted to flee, only to be restrained by a tree that appeared out of nowhere and then finished off by a pair of chakra blades.

"Captain!" The girl shouted in relief. Although they had managed to hold off against the last three enemies, they didn't know how long they could keep up their defense before making a mistake and being slaughtered.

"I really am sick of this war," another boy grumbled as he tried and failed several times to light a cigarette before finally succeeding.

"Hey. Looks like you're both okay." Nodding to the girl first, the boy turned his attention to his other subordinate, "I wouldn't worry about it much. From what I've heard, the war is coming to an end soon. We just have to hold on for a bit longer."

On a particularly warm morning, as the sun began to climb higher and higher into the fluffy white sky, the fearful mood of Konoha's inhabitants that had persisted for so long finally shattered.

"The war… the war is over!" A voice cried out, as many more followed it.

Neighbors hugged one another, parents shed tears, and the elderly smiled. Like that, the last five years of misery seemed to dissipate as easily as a bad dream.

Yet, not everyone rejoiced in response to this joyous mood; some despaired at the loss of loved ones; one unusually dark figure felt frustration at the war's conclusion; and one young boy frowned, with his eyebrows knitted together.

Hikaru Uchiha, a boy five years of age possessing sharp onyx black eyes, an angular face, and the Uchiha signature raven-colored hair, yet streaked with dark purple, falling down on either side of his face, ending at his cheeks. Wearing sandals, light gray shorts with a pouch on the left thigh, and a dark purple shirt with the Uchiha clan symbol proudly emblazoned on the back, he sat pensively on a wall outside the Ninja Academy,

𝘍𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘦, 𝘩𝘶𝘩?

Hikaru shook his head, thinking that this truly was a dangerous world. Strength was the only thing that mattered, and it had to be absolute, else you risked becoming just another Hanzo or Tobirama.

It had been five years since he transmigrated to this ninja world, yet it never failed to amaze him just how perilous this second life of his was. Still, he wasn't genuinely worried. Not only did he wield the most powerful weapon of all, knowledge, but if worse comes to worst, he'll simply end up in the Pure Land.

That didn't change the fact that he was extremely lacking. Moreover, being from an incredibly peaceful environment made it difficult to adapt emotionally and physically to this new kill-or-be-killed world. Still, everything changed given enough time; at least, that was what Hikaru believed.

𝘞𝘦𝘭𝘭, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘶𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘩𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘍𝘢𝘯𝘨… 𝘏𝘦'𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥. 𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦, 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘢 𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘒𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘩𝘢 𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘰𝘣𝘪 𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴, 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘺 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘭𝘦𝘥𝘨𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴. Sighing, the peculiar young Uchiha bent his head back and gazed into the cloudy sky.

𝘚𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭, 𝘐 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘩𝘪𝘮, 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵? 𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘮𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘰𝘳 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘢 𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘰𝘣𝘪, 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘧 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦.

"Hey, hey! Wanna train with me, Hikaru?" A bright, challenging voice interrupted the boy's thoughts.

"Obito…" Rolling his eyes, Hikaru jumped off the wall he was resting on and turned to face the so-called black sheep of the Uchiha clan. The most frustrating thing was that Hikaru was barely any better; his talent was quite pitiful, especially considering who his parent was.

The only thing Hikaru had going for him was his fine control over chakra. He had been practicing as early as the age of 3, which was when he first felt able to safely do so without damaging his developing body. Using the Leaf Concentration method worked wonders in improving both his concentration and chakra control. Nonetheless, what good was chakra control without enough chakra to do anything?

"Fine… Let's go." 𝘛𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬, 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘶𝘮𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘰𝘭 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘰𝘰𝘯 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥'𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘰𝘣𝘪, 𝘮𝘢𝘺𝘣𝘦 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘺 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳.

"Yes! I knew you wouldn't miss the chance to train with the great me!"

"Yeah, yeah, thanks so much for bestowing me the privilege of training with you, oh great one."

𝘙𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬, 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥, 𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘵, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘥𝘢𝘮𝘯, 𝘪𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘒𝘢𝘬𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘪 𝘪𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘢𝘯 𝘶𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘹𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦.

Rubbing the back of his head, Obito let out a laugh with his eyes briefly closed.

"It's just... with the war finally ending, I can't afford to slack off! I have to become Hokage and stop wars from happening ever again!"

"Geez, you really are hopeless. Still going on about that dream of yours when Kakashi is the same age as us?"

"Hey, I'm just as good as Kakashi. You'll see!"

Despite himself, Hikaru smiled. 𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘒𝘢𝘬𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘪.

All of a sudden, Obito rushed forward for no explicable reason, at least until Hikaru's eyes rested upon the gentle girl with her hands behind her back, Rin Nohara.

"Hey, Rin! Did you hear the good news??"

"Hello, Obito," she smiled warmly at the energetic Uchiha. "Yes, it's great isn't it? Finally, all that bloodshed is over."

Walking towards them, Hikaru aloofly stood beside Obito, nodding towards Rin in greeting.

"Hello, Hikaru," she said, returning his greeting with a bright smile. "Are you and Obito going to train again?"

"That's right! We can't rest, even in peacetime!"

"What he said. We have a lot of work to do, after all."

"That's a very good mindset! I look forward to seeing the results of all your hard work."

"You should come watch us! If you want!"

"I'm sorry, I have to meet my parents" Rejecting Obito with an apologetic smile, she spoke once again when she saw his disappointed expression, "But, I can come watch you train another time if you'd like?"

"Yes! I mean, uh, that'd be good. I'd like that." Obito rubbed the back of his head awkwardly, bashfully smiling.

𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭. 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘧 𝘴𝘩𝘦'𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘶𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘶𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘣𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶… 𝘢 𝘣𝘪𝘵 𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘻𝘺.

𝘖𝘩 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭, 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘮𝘺 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘮, 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘪𝘦 𝘢𝘵 𝘒𝘢𝘬𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘪'𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥. 𝘉𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘴, 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘱𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘺, 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘢 𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘛𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘛𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘺 𝘥𝘰 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵 𝘔𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘰, 𝘏𝘪𝘳𝘶𝘻𝘦𝘯, 𝘖𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘶, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘦𝘢𝘧 𝘝𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘨𝘦? 𝘐𝘯 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘵, 𝘪𝘵'𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘢 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘷𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘨𝘦, 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘫𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘩𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘬𝘪 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘦𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘝𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳𝘴.

Inwardly sighing, Hikaru focused back on the conversation just as it ended, as Rin bid her farewells to the two.

With no other reason to delay their plans, the two boys quickly arrived at the Uchiha training grounds and began sparring.

Two hours later, the two black sheep of the Uchiha clan lay panting on the ground, drenched in sweat.

"Hah, hah, hahhh," Hikaru punched the dirt in frustration, 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘵, 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘭 𝘧𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘖𝘣𝘪𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘜𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘩𝘢.

𝘛𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬, 𝘐 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘴𝘯𝘶𝘧𝘧 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘰𝘵'𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘸, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘺 '𝘔𝘢𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘢 𝘜𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘩𝘢'. A cruel smile spread across his face for the briefest of seconds before being wiped away by Obito's next words.

"Hah, that was a good training session. Thanks, Hikaru! I can always depend on you!" Obito remarked after pulling his goggles past his eyes and wiping the sweat off his forehead.

Shaking off his feelings of frustration, Hikaru looked over towards Obito and offered a small smile, "Of course, as fellow Uchiha clansmen we must stick together."

"Hmm, too bad we don't have our sharingan yet, then Kakashi would know we are his equal!"

𝘒𝘢𝘬𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘪, 𝘒𝘢𝘬𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘪, 𝘒𝘢𝘬𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘪. 𝘠𝘰𝘶'𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘒𝘢𝘬𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘪, 𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘙𝘪𝘯. Finding this thought funny, he smirked as he began walking away.

"Wait… where are you going?" Obito quirked his head sideways when he noticed Hikaru leaving.

"I'm going home. See you another time." Then, waving backward at Obito, Hikaru left the training area and began walking the streets again. He disliked having to engage with his classmates more than necessary; it was too tiresome and a waste of his limited time.

Eventually, he stopped just outside of the Hatake house, staring intently at it, unsure of what he should do. He wasn't worried about Kakashi; the boy spent most of his time training alone, away from home these days, unable to deal with his depressed father.

𝘕𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯 𝘶𝘯𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘐 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯.

Despite Hikaru's safety net that was the Pure Land, he didn't feel particularly at ease; after all, who even knew if he would end up there? It was more likely that he'd be thrust into yet another world. No, he had to do everything he possibly could in this life.

After deciding, there was nothing left to do but simply see where his decision led him. Walking towards the door, he crossed the boundary of the house's premises and stood directly in front of the door.

𝘒𝘯𝘰𝘤𝘬

𝘒𝘯𝘰𝘤𝘬

Some shuffling could be heard, succeeded by footsteps, then silence fell for several minutes. Eventually, the door opened, revealing a man striking an uncanny resemblance to Kakashi; yet, for all the splendor of his silver hair, it only made him look all the more pitiful. He was like a star consumed by darkness; from his listless eyes, pale skin, slumped shoulders, and stiff movements, he seemed to be in his death throes. Close to taking his own life, in Hikaru's estimation.

"Excuse me, Sakumo, sir," bowing his head Hikaru greeted the Hatake patriarch as respectfully as possible.

"Yes… Aren't you one of Kakashi's classmates? Are you here to see him? If so, I'm afraid he's not here right now."

"Actually, I'm here to see you, sir," Hikaru said as he offered a smile.

"What business could an Academy student have with an old pariah like me?" Sakumo's face showed the slightest hint of bewilderment behind his blank expression.

"For instruction, of course! Your power even surpasses the legendary Sannin!"

Silence descended upon the two for several seconds.

"You don't want to be taught by someone like me" Waving his hand dismissively, Sakumo turned as he began closing the door.

"Please! I need to become stronger; I want to catch up to Kakashi, and become worthy of being his rival! I need to be strong enough to protect my comrades!" Impassioned pleading bursts forth from the young boy's mouth, and suddenly the White Fang halted.

𝘑𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵, 𝘩𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘱𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘮, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘮, 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘴. Truthfully, Hikaru couldn't care less about his comrades or catching up to Kakashi; more than anything else, he wanted to surpass Kakashi.

Various thoughts flicked through Sakumo's mind as he considered the brazen boy's words. It wasn't as if he had anything better to do, but the question was… did he want to teach the boy anything? Of course, he didn't want to do anything, but he began to feel a faint pull. Another strong rival for Kakashi would do him good, and he admired the Uchiha's desire to protect his comrades.

Looking back at the almost impudent Academy student, Sakumo finally actually saw him; the boy's determination was strong and clear to see, he was calm, yet his eyes betrayed some anxiety over the request he had made.

𝘏𝘦 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘶𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘮𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘦𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘵…The White Fang examined Hikaru for a time, conflicted.

"You've got guts; I'll give you that. Not many would seek out their rival's own parent for training." Shaking his head, he spoke again, "Still, my answer is no." He continued closing the door.

"Wait! Is there something I could do? To make you accept me?" 𝘛𝘤𝘩, 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢 𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸, 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘫𝘶𝘮𝘱 𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘱𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨… 𝘚𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭, 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥.

Again, silence fell. It remained this way for so long that Hikaru began to think that Sakumo had already walked away.

𝘐𝘧 𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩... 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘐 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘣𝘢𝘥 𝘧𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘺, 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘐? While he had little interest in training the boy, he could at least test him.

"You really are a persistent one. Fine. There are creatures known as Red Striped Tigers in the Forest of Death. Kill one, bring its pelt to me, and I'll train you."

"Thank you for giving me a chance, sir." Then, bowing deeply to the closed door, Hikaru swiftly turned around, passed the boundaries of the house again, and started walking in the direction of his own home.

Shortly after leaving the Hatake house, Hikaru passed Kakashi, who was on his way home. Casting a slightly intrigued look towards his fellow student, Kakashi just shrugged and continued walking past him without another word; the boy was cut from the same cloth as Obito; after all, there was no reason worth talking to him.

𝘒𝘢𝘬𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘪 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘨𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘨𝘦. Nonetheless, Hikaru could only laugh at such a childish mentality coming from the future Hokage.

After walking some more, Hikaru finally arrived at his house, a modest two-floor building with five rooms (excluding the bathroom), nestled in between dozens of similarly designed buildings, it was utterly unremarkable, yet it was special to him.

Sliding the door open, he took his sandals off and placed them in their designated area. "Daddd, I'm home!" he shouted as he always did when entering the house.

"Ah, there's my boy! Have you heard the news? I bet you're excited that mom is finally coming home!" A cheerful yet serene male voice drifted towards him from the kitchen.

Heading to the back of the house, Hikaru found his father preparing food, as was the norm in the last couple of years.

Sora Daigo was a tall man in his late twenties, lean, and not someone people would consider powerful or overbearing, yet he had a certain quality of strength to him. His bright purple eyes belied a liveliness that represented his personality well, and his light purple hair was neatly trimmed, leaving just a thin braid on the right side of his head. Unlike his son, Sora's face was well-rounded, with only a hint of sharpness to his features. He tended to wear light purple clothing, in line with his hair and eye color.

"Yeah! I'm glad the war is finally over. She doesn't have to be away from home any longer." Hikaru let a genuine smile blossom on his face. He had a soft spot for his new parents. Though he hadn't known them long, their love was as clear as a blue sky, and it meant something to him.

"So am I buddy, so am I." Sighing, his father stretched his arms, "War is an evil thing. It does nothing but breed misery and hatred. Hopefully, with the conclusion of this one, there'll be some lasting peace between the nations."

"Yeah…" Hikaru could only halfheartedly nod as he sat down, at the table, before changing the topic, "How's work?"

Sora turned to face his son with a bitter smile, "You know how it is. People can be scared and resentful; foreigners aren't exactly welcome at a time like this. Still, I can't complain; peddling goods is honest work."

"I'm sure things will get better now that the war is over," the boy replied, not believing his own words. He knew better than most just how petty and cruel Konoha's villagers could be

"I'm sure they will, son," his father replied with a smile as he set some food on the table. Like that, they spent an hour eating and chatting in a relaxed mood. Towards the end of the meal, Hikaru made an unusual request of his father.

"What could you possibly need oil for?" Sora raised an eyebrow in bafflement.

"Training, of course. I want to see if I can do something with it." Hikaru shamelessly lied.

"Hmm." After hesitating for a while, the man finally nodded, "Just be careful, okay?"

"I will!" Nodding thoughtfully, Hikaru readily agreed.

"Good boy. I'll see if I can get some for you tomorrow, a small jug's worth," Patting his son on the head, Sora then stood up to begin cleaning the dishes.

Leaving the dining room, Hikaru went upstairs and entered his room.

Sitting on the floor, he began to circulate chakra around his body, a process he had done so often that it was practically tradition at this point. He did so in an attempt to expand his chakra pathways through usage and to familiarize himself deeply with his own chakra and how to manipulate it.

Once he was satisfied, he shifted gears slightly and spun his chakra into a tight spiral in the direction that his hair grew. From what he recalled, this was an effective method of building up his chakra.

After a while of spiralling his chakra, he then accumulated chakra within his body, to the point where it began to overflow with chakra past its natural capacity to store it. It was something he picked up from Itachi, actually – When the Uchiha prodigy wanted to unleash a terrifyingly powerful jutsu far beyond his ability, he would build up chakra over time until he was practically bursting with it. At its core, it was a similar technique to Tsunade's Strength of a Hundred Seal, which Hikaru believed it had been inspired by.

It required incredible chakra control, which meant that naturally, only geniuses like Sakura and Itachi or hard workers like Naruto could pull off such a thing, which also, unfortunately, meant that since Hikaru wasn't a genius, he'd have to put in a lot of work to do so.

Even with his efforts over the past year, he was still only able to safely build up his chakra to about 5% past his usual capacity; any more than that, and it would spiral out of his control and go haywire. However, it did accrue benefits elsewhere, mainly in increasing Hikaru's chakra control, which was a big deal.

"Hah…" Exhaling, he finally opened his eyes, releasing all of the chakra from his control and letting it flow naturally once more. His body ached and burned all over, from where he assumed his chakra points were and his chakra pathways. Without the ability afforded to sharingan or byakugan users, he was somewhat flailing in the dark when it came to testing and refining his approach to chakra control. In another sense, he was doing it the natural way, as opposed to the cheater's way. 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳…

Sighing, Hikaru stretched, climbed to his feet, and then fell onto his bed, slowly falling asleep as thoughts whizzed past his mind.