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Naruto: Reborn As An Uchiha With The Wrong Eyes

"Hmm, these eyes of mine are neither sharingan nor byakugan. I think I shall name them... Gizลgan (Counterfeit Eye)!" With a race against time and a fight against destiny itself, can this strange Uchiha muster the power necessary to survive? ------------------------------------------------------------------- MC is not overpowered, nor is he perfect. There will be both an emphasis on character development and meaningful power progression. For those curious, the doujutsu the MC has is the one possessed by Ranmaru, a boy originating from the Land of Water that appears in a Naruto filler arc (Ep152-157). However, I will put my own twist on the eyes. This is my fanfiction, not a translation.

Crims0n_Dragon ยท Anime & Comics
Not enough ratings
21 Chs

Chapter 3: Training Day

Arriving home, he was in for a pleasant surprise as his mother had already returned. He could hear her and his father talking as soon as he entered the house. Taking off his sandals, he swiftly entered the kitchen and found his parents together, smiling as they chattered away.

"Mom, you're back already?" Hikaru exclaimed, seeing her for the first time in a month; as a member of the Military Police Force, she was an elite among the Uchiha clan and thus participated in the war efforts, fighting on the frontlines for the village.

"Karu! Oh, it's been so long since I last saw you. Come here", she beckoned him to come close, with her arms outstretched as she crouched down.

Ahma Uchiha was a short woman in her mid-twenties. Lithe of figure, she would be considered a gentle beauty by most people, save for her eyes which had a certain sharpness to them which made you feel as if she was analyzing your every trait and considering the best ways to subdue you should the need arise. Yet right now, those eyes, no matter how sharp they naturally were, expressed only sparkling love for the child before her. With the flowing rivers of raven black hair that ended around her chest unbound by their usual pins, her narrow face looked all the more delicate for it.

She wore the dark green flak jacket issued to all those in the Military Police Force, with the organization's symbol emblazoned on both her sleeves. Beneath the jacket, she wore the standard attire of shinobi, a dark black shit with kusari gusoku underneath. Similarly, her legwear was also standard attire. In fact, that was the perfect way to express her personality, the ideal shinobi, a real by-the-rules sort of person.

Embracing his mother, Hikaru enjoyed the sturdiness of her seemingly weak arms as they wrapped around him.

"How is my shining sun?" Ahma asked while resting her head upon the boy's own. She didn't let it show, but the past month had not been good for her mentally speaking. There was far too much death and destruction, even for a shinobi like her.

"I'm good, mom. Just trying my hardest to get stronger, so I can be like you when I grow up", her son answered with an all-too-serious voice. "Are you okay?"

"Hmm, silly boy, there's no need to rush things as much as you do, you'll have all the time you need to become strong, I'm sure," she replied with the soft voice she only reserved for her family.

"As for your old mother here, I'm doing just fine; after all, I'm here with you and your father, and I'm here to stay," she glanced up at Sora with a smile as bright as the morning sun.

"Good." Nodding, Hikaru pulled back from the embrace and sat himself at the table. The scent of roasted meat sent a shiver down his spine and caused his throat to gag a bit, but with some effort, he managed to overcome such feelings.

๐˜›๐˜ฉ๐˜ข๐˜ต ๐˜ต๐˜ณ๐˜ช๐˜ค๐˜ฌ ๐˜ธ๐˜ช๐˜ต๐˜ฉ ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ฐ๐˜ช๐˜ญ ๐˜ธ๐˜ข๐˜ด ๐˜ฒ๐˜ถ๐˜ช๐˜ต๐˜ฆ ๐˜ฆ๐˜ง๐˜ง๐˜ฆ๐˜ค๐˜ต๐˜ช๐˜ท๐˜ฆ, ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฐ๐˜ถ๐˜จ๐˜ฉ... He thought as all feelings of revulsion subsided, and his mind whirled to action. ๐˜—๐˜ฆ๐˜ณ๐˜ฉ๐˜ข๐˜ฑ๐˜ด, ๐˜ ๐˜ฐ๐˜ถ๐˜จ๐˜ฉ๐˜ต ๐˜ต๐˜ฐ ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜ค๐˜ญ๐˜ถ๐˜ฅ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ช๐˜ต ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ ๐˜ฎ๐˜บ ๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ๐˜จ๐˜ถ๐˜ญ๐˜ข๐˜ณ ๐˜ข๐˜ณ๐˜ด๐˜ฆ๐˜ฏ๐˜ข๐˜ญ...

Just like that, the family shared a meal together for the first time in quite a while. Yet, Hikaru's thoughts drifted elsewhere as his parents conversed, prompting him to half-consciously respond to questions thrown his way. ๐˜๐˜ฏ ๐˜ง๐˜ช๐˜ง๐˜ต๐˜ฆ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฏ ๐˜บ๐˜ฆ๐˜ข๐˜ณ๐˜ด' ๐˜ต๐˜ช๐˜ฎ๐˜ฆ. ๐˜๐˜ฏ ๐˜ง๐˜ช๐˜ง๐˜ต๐˜ฆ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฏ ๐˜บ๐˜ฆ๐˜ข๐˜ณ๐˜ด' ๐˜ต๐˜ช๐˜ฎ๐˜ฆ, ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜œ๐˜ค๐˜ฉ๐˜ช๐˜ฉ๐˜ข ๐˜ค๐˜ญ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ ๐˜ช๐˜ด ๐˜ฆ๐˜น๐˜ต๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜จ๐˜ถ๐˜ช๐˜ด๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฅ ๐˜ง๐˜ณ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฎ ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ฆ๐˜ข๐˜ณ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ. He glanced up at his mother's beaming face.

๐˜๐˜ด ๐˜ด๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ธ๐˜ฐ๐˜ณ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ ๐˜ด๐˜ต๐˜ฐ๐˜ฑ๐˜ฑ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜จ ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ค๐˜ฐ๐˜ถ๐˜ฑ? ๐˜•๐˜ฐ, ๐˜ณ๐˜ข๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ๐˜ณ ๐˜ค๐˜ข๐˜ฏ ๐˜ ๐˜ฆ๐˜ท๐˜ฆ๐˜ฏ ๐˜ด๐˜ต๐˜ฐ๐˜ฑ ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ค๐˜ฐ๐˜ถ๐˜ฑ? ๐˜›๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฏ๐˜ญ๐˜บ ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฏ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ธ๐˜ฉ๐˜ฐ ๐˜ค๐˜ข๐˜ฏ ๐˜ด๐˜ต๐˜ฐ๐˜ฑ ๐˜‹๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜ป๐˜ฐ ๐˜ช๐˜ด ๐˜๐˜ช๐˜ณ๐˜ถ๐˜ป๐˜ฆ๐˜ฏโ€ฆ ๐˜ฃ๐˜ถ๐˜ต ๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ฅ๐˜ช๐˜ฅ๐˜ฏ'๐˜ต ๐˜ญ๐˜ช๐˜ง๐˜ต ๐˜ข ๐˜ด๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜จ๐˜ญ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ง๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜จ๐˜ฆ๐˜ณ ๐˜ข๐˜จ๐˜ข๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜ด๐˜ต ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜œ๐˜ค๐˜ฉ๐˜ช๐˜ฉ๐˜ข'๐˜ด ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜ค๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ๐˜ข๐˜ด๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜จ ๐˜ฅ๐˜ช๐˜ด๐˜ค๐˜ณ๐˜ช๐˜ฎ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜ข๐˜ต๐˜ช๐˜ฐ๐˜ฏ, ๐˜ฏ๐˜ฐ๐˜ณ ๐˜ฅ๐˜ช๐˜ฅ ๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ฆ๐˜ท๐˜ฆ๐˜ฏ ๐˜ฎ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฆ๐˜ต ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฎ ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฏ๐˜ค๐˜ฆ ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ ๐˜ข๐˜ต๐˜ต๐˜ฆ๐˜ฎ๐˜ฑ๐˜ต ๐˜ต๐˜ฐ ๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ๐˜ด๐˜ฐ๐˜ญ๐˜ท๐˜ฆ ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ๐˜ช๐˜ณ ๐˜ช๐˜ด๐˜ด๐˜ถ๐˜ฆ๐˜ด ๐˜ธ๐˜ช๐˜ต๐˜ฉ ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ท๐˜ช๐˜ญ๐˜ญ๐˜ข๐˜จ๐˜ฆ. ๐˜๐˜ฆ ๐˜ช๐˜ด ๐˜ข๐˜ต ๐˜ญ๐˜ฆ๐˜ข๐˜ด๐˜ต ๐˜ค๐˜ฐ๐˜ฎ๐˜ฑ๐˜ญ๐˜ฆ๐˜ต๐˜ฆ๐˜ญ๐˜บ ๐˜ถ๐˜ฏ๐˜ค๐˜ข๐˜ณ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜จ ๐˜ฐ๐˜ง ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜œ๐˜ค๐˜ฉ๐˜ช๐˜ฉ๐˜ข ๐˜ค๐˜ญ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ'๐˜ด ๐˜ง๐˜ข๐˜ต๐˜ฆ ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜ฅ ๐˜ข๐˜ต ๐˜ฎ๐˜ฐ๐˜ด๐˜ต ๐˜ฉ๐˜ฐ๐˜ญ๐˜ฅ๐˜ด ๐˜ข ๐˜ฅ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฑ ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜ช๐˜ฎ๐˜ฐ๐˜ด๐˜ช๐˜ต๐˜บ ๐˜ง๐˜ฐ๐˜ณ ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฎ.

๐˜”๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜ข๐˜ต๐˜ฐ ๐˜ธ๐˜ฐ๐˜ถ๐˜ญ๐˜ฅ๐˜ฏ'๐˜ต ๐˜ญ๐˜ฆ๐˜ต ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฎ ๐˜ง๐˜ข๐˜ญ๐˜ญ, ๐˜ฏ๐˜ฐ๐˜ณ ๐˜ธ๐˜ฐ๐˜ถ๐˜ญ๐˜ฅ ๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜จ๐˜ช๐˜ท๐˜ฆ ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ ๐˜ต๐˜ฐ ๐˜‹๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜ป๐˜ฐ'๐˜ด ๐˜ฑ๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ๐˜ด๐˜ด๐˜ถ๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ. ๐˜๐˜ข, ๐˜ช๐˜ง ๐˜ด๐˜ต๐˜ฐ๐˜ฑ๐˜ฑ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜จ ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜œ๐˜ค๐˜ฉ๐˜ช๐˜ฉ๐˜ข ๐˜”๐˜ข๐˜ด๐˜ด๐˜ข๐˜ค๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ช๐˜ด ๐˜ข ๐˜ฏ๐˜ฆ๐˜ข๐˜ณ ๐˜ช๐˜ฎ๐˜ฑ๐˜ฐ๐˜ด๐˜ด๐˜ช๐˜ฃ๐˜ช๐˜ญ๐˜ช๐˜ต๐˜บ ๐˜ง๐˜ฐ๐˜ณ ๐˜ฎ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ข๐˜ด ๐˜ข ๐˜ต๐˜ธ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฏ๐˜ต๐˜บ ๐˜บ๐˜ฆ๐˜ข๐˜ณ ๐˜ฐ๐˜ญ๐˜ฅ, ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฏ ๐˜ต๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜จ๐˜ญ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜จ ๐˜ธ๐˜ช๐˜ต๐˜ฉ ๐˜›๐˜ฐ๐˜ฃ๐˜ช ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜ฅ ๐˜’๐˜ถ๐˜ณ๐˜ข๐˜ฎ๐˜ข ๐˜ข๐˜ด ๐˜ข ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ช๐˜ณ๐˜ต๐˜ฆ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฏ ๐˜บ๐˜ฆ๐˜ข๐˜ณ ๐˜ฐ๐˜ญ๐˜ฅ ๐˜ช๐˜ดโ€ฆ ๐˜ฏ๐˜ฐ๐˜ต ๐˜จ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฏ๐˜ฏ๐˜ข ๐˜ฉ๐˜ข๐˜ฑ๐˜ฑ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฏ.

Shelving such useless thoughts for the future, Hikaru re-engaged with the conversation between his parents for a short time before making the request he had wanted to make since the meal began.

"Mom, can I have a straight-bladed tanto?"

She turned her head towards her son and examined him for a second, "Hmm, and why do you want that?"

"I want to learn kenjutsu, and that's the best blade for me right now,"

"What is it that made you want to learn sword techniques?" Unlike her husband, Ahma didn't simply shrug and agree to her son's requests after asking one question; she wasn't so carefree.

Hikaru had already predicted such a question, so he had an answer prepared. If he told his mother he was to be instructed by Sakumo, she would doubtlessly forbid him from doing so. As a by-the-books woman, she disdained rule breakers, especially if those broken rules cost the village dearly. So naturally, she despised Sakumo and wouldn't want Hikaru to be corrupted by such a man.

"Because dad learned it, that's what you told me, right, that you trained in kenjutsu as a boy, like everyone in Kirigakure?" Then, turning his head towards his father, Hikaru shifted the conversation over to him.

"Wellโ€ฆ" Rubbing the back of his head, Sora smiled sheepishly, "It's true I did train as a child, but I was never really that good." Nonetheless, he felt touched that his son wanted to emulate him. He often lamented that beyond purple hair, there was much too little of himself that he saw in his son, so he was delighted to support this sudden decision Hikaru had made.

"How would you train?" Ahma asked, still carefully eyeing her son.

"With classmates. The Academy will help me, too!" Again, Hikaru had an acceptable answer ready to go.

"Hmm, you don't want anyone from our clan to help you?" She raised an eyebrow, worried that perhaps she hadn't been around enough to instill a sense of kinship in her son with the rest of her clan. She then began to consider moving house, to live in one of the Uchiha streets dotted around the village. The clan wasn't the most important thing to her, but it was still very dear to her heart.

"Wellโ€ฆ I don't really know anyoneโ€ฆ Other than Obito," now it was Hikaru's turn to rub the back of his head and smile sheepishly, a mannerism he had picked up from his father.

"Darling, why don't you just get him the tanto he wants? There's no harm, is there?" Sora placed a hand over his wife's, looking into her eyes, practically pleading with her.

Towards the war's end, the sales of weapons and ninja tools had become restricted except for certain approved vendors. It was the Land of Fire's effort to clamp down on the booming black market and prevent any more equipment from being stolen or sold off. Furthermore, only Konoha shinobi and those belonging to the country's military could easily buy them, always prioritized above all other customers. Hikaru had no doubt that such policies were still in place and would remain in place for the immediate future until Konoha was sure things had truly settled down and that all the roaming bandits and former shinobi endangering areas within the Land of Fire had been quashed.

Ahma looked between the two for a few seconds before giving in and nodding her assent. "I will see about getting you a straight-bladed tanto," she said coolly, "butโ€ฆ I expect my little sun to be a blade master in the future!" Her face broke out into a grin as she said the second part with a bright voice.

"I will be Konoha's greatest swordsman!" Hikaru proudly declared. Inwardly, he was relieved that he roped his father into helping him and began considering the next steps he should take.

The next day, Hikaru spent the morning with his family before visiting the few weapon stores still operating in Konoha. After touring a couple and carefully inspecting various blades of different quality, Ahma eventually settled on one that she found satisfactory. It wasn't composed of any unique metal or alloy, certainly, no material that held unique chakra properties like Sakumo's tanto or Asuma's chakra blades. However, it was of good quality, and that was the thing that mattered most to Hikaru's mother.

Thanking his mother for the gift, the two parted ways following farewells, she had to report in at the Military Police Headquarters, and he had training to do. There were only two more days free before he had to return to the Academy.

๐˜’๐˜ข๐˜ฌ๐˜ข๐˜ด๐˜ฉ๐˜ช ๐˜ธ๐˜ช๐˜ญ๐˜ญ ๐˜จ๐˜ณ๐˜ข๐˜ฅ๐˜ถ๐˜ข๐˜ต๐˜ฆ ๐˜ด๐˜ฐ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฏโ€ฆ ๐˜ž๐˜ฉ๐˜ช๐˜ค๐˜ฉ ๐˜ฎ๐˜ฆ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜ด ๐˜š๐˜ข๐˜ฌ๐˜ถ๐˜ฎ๐˜ฐ ๐˜ธ๐˜ช๐˜ญ๐˜ญ ๐˜ข๐˜ญ๐˜ด๐˜ฐ ๐˜ต๐˜ข๐˜ฌ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ฉ๐˜ช๐˜ด ๐˜ญ๐˜ช๐˜ง๐˜ฆ ๐˜ด๐˜ฐ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฏ, ๐˜ ๐˜ค๐˜ข๐˜ฏ'๐˜ต ๐˜ธ๐˜ข๐˜ด๐˜ต๐˜ฆ ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜บ ๐˜ต๐˜ช๐˜ฎ๐˜ฆ.

With such thoughts in his mind and determination in his every step, he soon found himself yet again at the Hatake house. Knocking on the door, he ritually awaited Sakumo's appearance, only to be met by a bewildered Kakashi.

"Yes?"

"Hello, Kakashi. I'm here to see your father," the Uchiha explained casually.

"Right, he told me he was training one of my classmatesโ€ฆ Dad, Hikaru's here for you!" Kakashi glanced at him with a mixture of confusion and gratitude.

It had been the most lively he'd seen his father since he failed that mission, and it meant he would be out of the house for once, doing something. Given the treatment he received from those in the village and his own shame, he only ever left the house for two things: picking Kakashi up from school and taking part in the few missions given to him. For all of that, he was thankful towards that mediocre Uchiha classmate of his.

Hikaru nodded his thanks before stepping back and giving the father and son space to speak. Sakumo then came out of the house, looking as hollow as ever, yet a small light shined within him now.

"I see you've already gotten yourself a blade like mine. Very good. Not only is it a blade best suited for someone of your age and size, but it's also the one I'm most proficient in using,"

"Those were my thoughts, sir," Hikaru said, as his right hand went behind his back and gripped the hilt of his new tanto that sat upright behind his left shoulder.

"Well, I suppose there's no point in wasting any time. Let's go. I have a personal training ground we can use. Away from prying eyes." Sakumo's glazed-over eyes seemed to sharpen for a split second as he glanced over in one specific direction.

๐˜Š๐˜ฐ๐˜ถ๐˜ญ๐˜ฅ ๐˜ช๐˜ต ๐˜ฃ๐˜ฆโ€ฆ? ๐˜'๐˜ฅ ๐˜ข๐˜ญ๐˜ธ๐˜ข๐˜บ๐˜ด ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฐ๐˜ถ๐˜จ๐˜ฉ๐˜ต ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ข๐˜ต ๐˜‹๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜ป๐˜ฐ ๐˜ฉ๐˜ข๐˜ฅ ๐˜ข ๐˜ฉ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜ฅ ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ ๐˜š๐˜ข๐˜ฌ๐˜ถ๐˜ฎ๐˜ฐ'๐˜ด ๐˜ถ๐˜ฏ๐˜ง๐˜ฐ๐˜ณ๐˜ต๐˜ถ๐˜ฏ๐˜ข๐˜ต๐˜ฆ ๐˜ค๐˜ช๐˜ณ๐˜ค๐˜ถ๐˜ฎ๐˜ด๐˜ต๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜ค๐˜ฆ๐˜ด, ๐˜ช๐˜ต ๐˜ธ๐˜ฐ๐˜ถ๐˜ญ๐˜ฅ ๐˜ง๐˜ช๐˜ต ๐˜ฉ๐˜ช๐˜ด ๐˜”.๐˜–. ๐˜ธ๐˜ฆ๐˜ญ๐˜ญ. ๐˜Š๐˜ฐ๐˜ถ๐˜ญ๐˜ฅ ๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ฉ๐˜ข๐˜ท๐˜ฆ ๐˜ฐ๐˜ณ๐˜ฅ๐˜ฆ๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฅ ๐˜ข ๐˜™๐˜ฐ๐˜ฐ๐˜ต ๐˜ข๐˜จ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฏ๐˜ต ๐˜ต๐˜ฐ ๐˜ด๐˜ฑ๐˜บ ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฏ ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ž๐˜ฉ๐˜ช๐˜ต๐˜ฆ ๐˜๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜จ?

Not letting any of these questions show on his face, Hikaru agreed with Sakumo's words and followed him off towards his private training ground. Neither one spoke a word the entire journey. Hikaru had no desire to get to know the dead man more than necessary, and Sakumo naturally wasn't a great conversationalist in his current state.

Only when they arrived at a secluded clearing did Sakumo finally open his mouth. "First and foremost is physical fitness. That is most important. Second is footwork. Everything else follows after that. Footwork, hand-eye coordination, battle judgment, and experience โ€“ All of these things culminate in a term we consider "skill." Techniques are separate but deeply intertwined with skill."

Hikaru considered his teacher's words and found them obvious yet profound. Words he shouldn't forget. ๐˜Œ๐˜ท๐˜ฆ๐˜ณ๐˜บ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜จ ๐˜ง๐˜ญ๐˜ฐ๐˜ธ๐˜ด ๐˜ง๐˜ณ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฎ ๐˜ข ๐˜จ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฅ ๐˜ง๐˜ฐ๐˜ถ๐˜ฏ๐˜ฅ๐˜ข๐˜ต๐˜ช๐˜ฐ๐˜ฏ, ๐˜ด๐˜ฌ๐˜ช๐˜ญ๐˜ญ ๐˜ช๐˜ด ๐˜ฎ๐˜ฆ๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ๐˜ญ๐˜บ ๐˜ข ๐˜ค๐˜ฐ๐˜ญ๐˜ญ๐˜ฆ๐˜ค๐˜ต๐˜ช๐˜ฐ๐˜ฏ ๐˜ฐ๐˜ง ๐˜ข๐˜ต๐˜ต๐˜ณ๐˜ช๐˜ฃ๐˜ถ๐˜ต๐˜ฆ๐˜ด ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ข๐˜ต ๐˜ฏ๐˜ข๐˜ต๐˜ถ๐˜ณ๐˜ข๐˜ญ๐˜ญ๐˜บ ๐˜ง๐˜ญ๐˜ฐ๐˜ธ ๐˜ง๐˜ณ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฎ ๐˜ด๐˜ถ๐˜ค๐˜ฉ ๐˜ข ๐˜ง๐˜ฐ๐˜ถ๐˜ฏ๐˜ฅ๐˜ข๐˜ต๐˜ช๐˜ฐ๐˜ฏ.

His mind then moved over to the mention of techniques. ๐˜•๐˜ฐ๐˜ธ ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ข๐˜ต ๐˜ ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜ฌ ๐˜ข๐˜ฃ๐˜ฐ๐˜ถ๐˜ต ๐˜ช๐˜ต, ๐˜ฌ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฏ๐˜ซ๐˜ถ๐˜ต๐˜ด๐˜ถ ๐˜ช๐˜ด ๐˜ฑ๐˜ณ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฃ๐˜ข๐˜ฃ๐˜ญ๐˜บ ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ฎ๐˜ฐ๐˜ด๐˜ต ๐˜ญ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฐ๐˜ด๐˜ฆ๐˜ญ๐˜บ ๐˜ฅ๐˜ฆ๐˜ง๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฅ ๐˜ต๐˜ฆ๐˜ค๐˜ฉ๐˜ฏ๐˜ช๐˜ฒ๐˜ถ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ฅ๐˜ช๐˜ด๐˜ค๐˜ช๐˜ฑ๐˜ญ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜ฆ, ๐˜ข๐˜ด ๐˜ช๐˜ต ๐˜ฆ๐˜ด๐˜ด๐˜ฆ๐˜ฏ๐˜ต๐˜ช๐˜ข๐˜ญ๐˜ญ๐˜บ ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฏ๐˜ญ๐˜บ ๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฒ๐˜ถ๐˜ช๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฅ ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜ค๐˜ญ๐˜ถ๐˜ด๐˜ช๐˜ฐ๐˜ฏ ๐˜ฐ๐˜ง ๐˜ข ๐˜ฃ๐˜ญ๐˜ข๐˜ฅ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ต๐˜ฐ ๐˜ฃ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ค๐˜ฐ๐˜ฏ๐˜ด๐˜ช๐˜ฅ๐˜ฆ๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฅ ๐˜ข ๐˜ด๐˜ธ๐˜ฐ๐˜ณ๐˜ฅ ๐˜ต๐˜ฆ๐˜ค๐˜ฉ๐˜ฏ๐˜ช๐˜ฒ๐˜ถ๐˜ฆ. ๐˜ž๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ๐˜ณ ๐˜บ๐˜ฐ๐˜ถ ๐˜ถ๐˜ด๐˜ฆ ๐˜จ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฏ๐˜ซ๐˜ถ๐˜ต๐˜ด๐˜ถ, ๐˜ฏ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜ซ๐˜ถ๐˜ต๐˜ด๐˜ถ ๐˜ฐ๐˜ณ ๐˜งลซ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜ซ๐˜ถ๐˜ต๐˜ด๐˜ถ, ๐˜ซ๐˜ถ๐˜ด๐˜ต ๐˜ข๐˜ฅ๐˜ฅ ๐˜ข ๐˜ด๐˜ธ๐˜ฐ๐˜ณ๐˜ฅ ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜ต๐˜ฐ ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ฎ๐˜ช๐˜น ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜ฅ ๐˜ด๐˜ถ๐˜ฅ๐˜ฅ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฏ๐˜ญ๐˜บ ๐˜ช๐˜ต'๐˜ด ๐˜ฌ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฏ๐˜ซ๐˜ถ๐˜ต๐˜ด๐˜ถ.

Examining the boy, Sakumo shook his head but then pondered for a second and changed his mind. For his age Hikaru was quite physically fit; it was just that he couldn't help but compare the Uchiha to his son and find him lacking.

An image of a boy with deeply damaged hands flashed in the White Fang's mind. ๐˜•๐˜ฐ๐˜ธ ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ข๐˜ต ๐˜ ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜ฌ ๐˜ฐ๐˜ง ๐˜ช๐˜ต, ๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ธ๐˜ข๐˜ด ๐˜ข ๐˜จ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฅ ๐˜ง๐˜ถ๐˜ต๐˜ถ๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ณ๐˜ช๐˜ท๐˜ข๐˜ญ ๐˜ง๐˜ฐ๐˜ณ ๐˜ฎ๐˜บ ๐˜’๐˜ข๐˜ฌ๐˜ข๐˜ด๐˜ฉ๐˜ช, ๐˜ข๐˜ด ๐˜ธ๐˜ฆ๐˜ญ๐˜ญ... ๐˜Œ๐˜ง๐˜ง๐˜ฐ๐˜ณ๐˜ต ๐˜ช๐˜ด ๐˜ข๐˜ญ๐˜ญ ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ข๐˜ต ๐˜ฎ๐˜ข๐˜ต๐˜ต๐˜ฆ๐˜ณ๐˜ด ๐˜ง๐˜ฐ๐˜ณ ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฐ๐˜ด๐˜ฆ ๐˜ญ๐˜ฆ๐˜ด๐˜ด ๐˜ต๐˜ข๐˜ญ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฏ๐˜ต๐˜ฆ๐˜ฅ.

"Right. Well, physical fitness aside, we will work on basic movements for now; until they are ingrained within you to the point where you could do them while sleeping. Sparring will come at a later date. Any questions?"

"Yes, sir. How should I best improve my physical fitness?"

"I'm sure the Academy has already instructed on the basics. Training with me will also improve them. I don't have any particular instruction when it comes to that, as everyone has their own methods. If you're at a loss, your best bet would be to ask that mother of yours for help. She's quite a capable shinobi, after all."

"Of course. Thank you, sir." Hikaru was quite disappointed, as he had hoped such a legendary shinobi would have a specially crafted physical fitness training regiment, but alas, things couldn't be so easy.

"If there's nothing else, then let's begin," the White Fang said as he unsheathed his own blade and began instructing his new student.

Three hours passed as Hikaru tirelessly repeated the same six movements, over and over again. Towards the end, he even began to incorporate them into shadow sparring, no longer repeating the same moves in a stiff, stable position; but actively moving around. It was clumsy and unstable, but he didn't slack even for a second. He couldn't afford to. He wouldn't let himself.

Sweating buckets and panting like a dog, he lay sprawled out on the floor, aching all over once again. It seemed to be a constant for him; if everything else ceased, body aches would remain.

"Well, that concludes our training today. Make sure to get enough rest to recuperate properly. Seek me again when you're ready. In the meantime, you should still practice those movements by yourself," Sakumo instructed as he waved a hand and used the Body Flicker jutsu to disappear.

"Hahโ€ฆ What a rude guyโ€ฆ." Wiping the sweat away from his eyes, Hikaru once again found himself staring up at the sky, getting lost in the vast expanse of blue, trying to penetrate the secrets that hid behind it.

This was a pleasant feeling, too - Working hard, improving. Though, it still couldn't compare to the euphoria he had felt that day. Shaking off these newfound yearnings of his, he returned to the situation at hand.

๐˜ ๐˜ค๐˜ข๐˜ฏ'๐˜ต ๐˜ฉ๐˜ข๐˜ท๐˜ฆ ๐˜ฎ๐˜ฐ๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ 3 ๐˜ฎ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฏ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ด ๐˜ต๐˜ฐ ๐˜ด๐˜ฑ๐˜ข๐˜ณ๐˜ฆโ€ฆ ๐˜‰๐˜ถ๐˜ต ๐˜ธ๐˜ฉ๐˜ข๐˜ต ๐˜ช๐˜ง ๐˜'๐˜ท๐˜ฆ ๐˜ข๐˜ญ๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ๐˜ข๐˜ฅ๐˜บ ๐˜ฑ๐˜ฐ๐˜ด๐˜ต๐˜ฑ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฏ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฅ ๐˜š๐˜ข๐˜ฌ๐˜ถ๐˜ฎ๐˜ฐ'๐˜ด ๐˜ด๐˜ถ๐˜ช๐˜ค๐˜ช๐˜ฅ๐˜ฆ? ๐˜๐˜ง ๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ญ๐˜ช๐˜ท๐˜ฆ๐˜ด ๐˜ต๐˜ฐ ๐˜ด๐˜ฆ๐˜ฆ ๐˜’๐˜ข๐˜ฌ๐˜ข๐˜ด๐˜ฉ๐˜ช ๐˜จ๐˜ณ๐˜ข๐˜ฅ๐˜ถ๐˜ข๐˜ต๐˜ฆ ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ข๐˜ต ๐˜ฎ๐˜ช๐˜จ๐˜ฉ๐˜ต ๐˜ข๐˜ญ๐˜ด๐˜ฐ ๐˜ช๐˜ฎ๐˜ฑ๐˜ข๐˜ค๐˜ต ๐˜ฉ๐˜ช๐˜ด ๐˜ฅ๐˜ฆ๐˜ค๐˜ช๐˜ด๐˜ช๐˜ฐ๐˜ฏ ๐˜ฎ๐˜ข๐˜ฌ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜จ ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜ฅ ๐˜ง๐˜ฆ๐˜ฆ๐˜ญ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜จ๐˜ดโ€ฆ

๐˜ ๐˜จ๐˜ถ๐˜ฆ๐˜ด๐˜ด ๐˜ ๐˜ธ๐˜ช๐˜ญ๐˜ญ ๐˜ซ๐˜ถ๐˜ด๐˜ต ๐˜ฉ๐˜ข๐˜ท๐˜ฆ ๐˜ต๐˜ฐ ๐˜ฎ๐˜ข๐˜ฌ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ด๐˜ถ๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ฌ๐˜ช๐˜ญ๐˜ญ๐˜ด ๐˜ฉ๐˜ช๐˜ฎ๐˜ด๐˜ฆ๐˜ญ๐˜ง ๐˜ฃ๐˜ฆ๐˜ง๐˜ฐ๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฏ.

People flocked to Nakano Shrine from all across the village, shinobi of all different ages and ranks came together for the mandatory clan meeting. The only things that they shared in common? Their onyx black eyes.

Among them, Ahma Uchiha walked with her hair pulled up and held in place by pins and her gaze cold and imperious; she was completely different from how her family saw her. Some nodded respectfully towards her; others sneered disdainfully at her. While she was a talented rising star among the Uchiha clan and a woman renowned for her professionalism, she was also a figure emblematic of the current crisis the clan experienced.

As someone who married outside of the clan and did not live among her fellow clansmen, she was a figurehead for the current movement that placed less importance on the authority and structure of the clan and more on the village itself.

Like the Senju before them, the Uchiha clan was finally in the process of dissolving, only held together by two things: their shared kekkei genkai and the Military Police Force, which was an institute specifically created for their clan. Both of which strengthened clan ties and naturally made them closer than they otherwise would be.

It was ironic that what the Second Hokage had created as a means of controlling the Uchiha clan had backfired and instead helped maintain the Uchiha clan as a distinct entity when it would have otherwise assimilated into Konoha completely.

Two main factions formed due to these circumstances: The traditionalists, those who clung to the Uchiha clan's past glories and held positions of authority within the clan, who were reluctant to lose such power; and those who embraced the change, having a less clan-centered mentality and who felt like Konoha shinobi first and foremost and Uchiha members second, younger people mostly.

Nodding her head back to those that greeted her and ignoring those that sneered at her, Ahma entered the shrine and went down to the underground section.

The hall, fifteen or so tatami mats large, was almost filled to capacity.

As the last people to arrive took their places, several of the human forms stood up and together lit the candles in the four corners of the room. A faint light illuminated the interior.

At the back of the room stood a man whose hair flowed down to his waist, more gray than black, facing those who all knelt before him with a steely gaze. Beside him knelt a young man with a square face and hard eyes; he had a face that looked as if it had never smiled once in his entire life. He was the patriarch's heir, Fugaku. He was by far the most talented Uchiha to have been born in recent years, but talent alone wasn't enough to warrant him leading the clan; he was also loyal to both the clan and village in equal measure and quite good at handling internal conflicts.

"We will now begin our regular meeting," Fugaku announced beside the patriarch after ensuring everyone had both attended and taken their places.

With a bow of his head towards the patriarch, he shut his mouth.

Pacing from left to right, the elder finally spoke. "As you all know, the Second Great Shinobi War is over," with those words booming across the room, he stopped and gave them a second to sink in.

Everyone among the crowd had participated to one extent or another and had lost friends, comrades, and loved ones. However, it was not such a simple occasion for the Uchiha clan as it was for other clans.

"Those of you who have gained something in exchange for your suffering, reveal it now for everyone to see!"

With those words, dozens of crimson lights suddenly grew in the eyes of half as many people within the room.

๐˜Ž๐˜ฐ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฅ. ๐˜ˆ๐˜ญ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฐ๐˜ถ๐˜จ๐˜ฉ ๐˜ธ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ฉ๐˜ข๐˜ท๐˜ฆ ๐˜ญ๐˜ฐ๐˜ด๐˜ต ๐˜ฎ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜บ, ๐˜ธ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ฉ๐˜ข๐˜ท๐˜ฆ ๐˜ข๐˜ญ๐˜ด๐˜ฐ ๐˜จ๐˜ข๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฅ ๐˜ฎ๐˜ถ๐˜ค๐˜ฉ ๐˜ฎ๐˜ฐ๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ ๐˜ธ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ญ๐˜ฐ๐˜ด๐˜ต. The patriarch did not let such feelings show on his face, as he couldn't afford to anger people, not now that his authority was so weak.

Around a third of the people in the room had already awakened their sharingan; yet, the war not only helped others awaken their own but also helped to evolve many people's sharingan to the next stages. Among those gathered, there were even four more people possessing 3 Tomoe.

Naturally, Fugaku was among them; although he had not gained great merits during this war, his eyes had evolved rapidly as his talent began to bloom.

๐˜›๐˜ค๐˜ฉ, ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ข๐˜ต ๐˜ต๐˜ณ๐˜ข๐˜ช๐˜ต๐˜ฐ๐˜ณ๐˜ฐ๐˜ถ๐˜ด ๐˜ธ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฏ๐˜ค๐˜ฉ ๐˜ข๐˜ญ๐˜ด๐˜ฐ ๐˜ฉ๐˜ข๐˜ด ๐˜ฉ๐˜ข๐˜ฅ ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ ๐˜ฆ๐˜ท๐˜ฐ๐˜ญ๐˜ถ๐˜ต๐˜ช๐˜ฐ๐˜ฏ. His eyes betrayed a flicker of annoyance for a split second when passing over Ahma Uchiha, but that split second was all it took for those with their sharingan active to notice.

Realizing his mistake, he quickly spoke again before anyone could complain. "Very good. You have all inherited your comrades' will. Through their deaths, they empower you; a part of them remains with you. More than that, you bear the future of the Uchiha clan on your shoulders, and your eyes are the very proof of that."

Various people clicked their tongues at the last part of his speech, finding it distasteful.

Everyone whose eyes shined red closed them for a moment, switching them back to their natural state with haunted expressions.

"Now, with that out of the way, let's move on to more grave matters. Ahma!"

The woman in question bowed her head before straightening and staring at the elder, "Yes, my lord?"

"Report to the clan the details of your mission during the war," he ordered.

"Of course. As some of you already know, I was in charge of recovery operations for our fallen brethren. Many enemy combatants coveted our power, and as such, the duty of recovering the bodies of our Uchiha clansmen fell to my team and me." She pursed her lips and gritted her teeth for a second before continuing. "Unfortunately, a great many of those we recovered already had their eyes stolen," spitting out the last words, a murderous aura erupted from her, quickly followed by waves of bloodlust that flared up throughout the entire room.

All internal conflicts disappeared at this moment, as everyone in the room shared the very same thought, '๐˜œ๐˜ฏ๐˜ง๐˜ฐ๐˜ณ๐˜จ๐˜ช๐˜ท๐˜ข๐˜ฃ๐˜ญ๐˜ฆ!'

"Shamefully, I was unable to apprehend those behind most of the cases of theft. Those that we did catchโ€ฆ They are no longer of this world," Ahma finished her report with a cruel smile as her eyes blazed red.

No one faulted Ahma's failure in securing their clan's legacy from poachers, as the exact same thing had occurred during the First Great Shinobi War, except this time they were able to recover the bodies, which was an improvement.

The patriarch's fury was tangible, rolling out of his body in waves as he struggled to keep his raging chakra under control. As a proud member of the clan, the eyes of his brethren, the legacy of his forefathers was supreme in importance to him, not to mention the disrespect done to the Uchiha by those who defiled their bodies and got away with it.

Fugaku's eyes narrowed as he glanced up at the patriarch. Although he felt just as furious at such an affront, he still found the elder's behavior to be inappropriate.

The overwhelming power spiraling around the patriarch's body all fell and disappeared as he sighed. Then, looking as if he aged ten years, the man nodded and thanked Ahma for her report.

"Brothers, sisters, we are being hunted. It is clear now. More than that, we are being toyed with! Do you all not see how foolish it is to divide our strength and split the clan apart?" His voice no longer boomed or demanded but was more like a whispered plea.

Some people in the crowd hesitated, shaken by the news and concerned that if the clan continued to dissolve, they would only suffer as a result. Others were more obstinate, insisting they shouldn't be ruled by fear. A small group of people even insisted that it was the clan itself that painted targets on their backs and that they would be safer by being just like any other shinobi of Konoha.

Various people argued back and forth until it was clear to Fugaku that they would get nowhere, so he shouted for people to cease talking and to move on to the next topic on the agenda.

"Let us then move onto matters of promotion within the Military Police Force." The bloodlust diminished significantly as the meeting changed focus.

Strictly speaking, it was quite improper for the decision-making of a separate institute belonging to the village to be made within a clan meeting, but no one was under any illusion that the Military Police Force was anything other than a facet of the Uchiha clan.

Hours passed until finally, the clan meeting came to an end, and people gradually went their separate ways.

The old man known as the patriarch of the Uchiha clan slumped his shoulders after the last person left, turning to his successor with a feeble appearance.

"I fear that our clan is on the verge of collapse. I am not so blind to see that I am not capable enough to prevent it."

Fugaku seemed at a loss for words. "...My lord, what is it you mean to say?"

"Hah! It's rare to see you express any emotion these days," the old man smiled at the boy before him. ๐˜ž๐˜ช๐˜ด๐˜ฆ ๐˜ฃ๐˜ฆ๐˜บ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฏ๐˜ฅ ๐˜ฉ๐˜ช๐˜ด ๐˜บ๐˜ฆ๐˜ข๐˜ณ๐˜ด ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜ฅ ๐˜ฎ๐˜ฐ๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ต๐˜ข๐˜ญ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฏ๐˜ต๐˜ฆ๐˜ฅ ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ ๐˜ข๐˜ญ๐˜ฎ๐˜ฐ๐˜ด๐˜ต ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜บ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฏ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ฐ๐˜ง ๐˜ฉ๐˜ช๐˜ด ๐˜จ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฏ๐˜ฆ๐˜ณ๐˜ข๐˜ต๐˜ช๐˜ฐ๐˜ฏ... ๐˜ข๐˜ญ๐˜ฎ๐˜ฐ๐˜ด๐˜ต. An image of that annoyingly talented blonde boy from the Namikaze clan flashed through his mind.

"It would be inappropriate of me to recklessly show such emotion as someone who will soon hold the clan above my shoulders and lead it into the next age," Fugaku replied stiffly.

"That is why I hold great hope for you," patting the boy's shoulder, the patriarch felt reassured. "Very soon. When you are ready, I will pass everything on to you. The clan needs new blood to lead it into the next generation, someone not asโ€ฆ stuck in his old ways as I. The clan needs you, Fugaku."

Fugaku stared up at the patriarch for several seconds before bowing deeply, "I will do my best to ensure the clan stands strong and thrives."