Chapter 3: The Ninjutsu Scrolls

By noon, Uchiha Obito arrived at Uchiha Fūka's house, saying he wanted to treat him to lunch.

Fūka's eye twitched. He didn't want to end up at another restaurant, eating for free, only to be dragged into the kitchen to wash dishes afterward. It was way too embarrassing.

"I'll cook myself!" Fūka rejected Obito's offer.

"You can cook?" Obito scratched his head, giving Fūka a curious look. "Did your mom teach you?"

Fūka's parents, both Chūnin of Konoha, had died during a mission last year, leaving Fūka to live alone. It was tough, and honestly, if it weren't for Obito's help, Fūka might've starved long ago.

Fūka blinked and replied matter-of-factly, "I've never butchered a pig, but I've seen one run! Just wait, I'll show you my skills!"

He went into the kitchen only to find it empty—no ingredients at all. Even a Michelin-star chef would be helpless with nothing to cook.

"How much money do you have left?" Fūka knew his own pockets were empty.

Obito rummaged through his pockets and finally pulled out a handful of coins—not much.

Fūka snatched the coins. "Come on, let's buy some groceries!"

Obito looked bewildered. "Hey, Fūka, that's all the allowance I have left for this week!"

"Don't worry. Cooking at home is way cheaper than eating out!" Fūka dragged Obito out the door. "Which way is the market?"

"...Fūka, are you sure you can cook?" Obito was losing hope.

Half an hour later, the two six-year-olds returned home, laden with groceries. Fūka immediately got to work, washing vegetables and cooking rice.

Obito squatted by the kitchen door, chin in his hands, watching Fūka with a skeptical expression.

But a few minutes later, his expression changed.

"Mmm... mmm, it smells so good!" Obito's mouth began to water.

The kitchen filled with the tangy aroma of something spicy and sour, tantalizing Obito's taste buds. He couldn't help but peek into the pot.

"Fūka, what are you making? It smells amazing!"

"Sour and Spicy Cabbage," Fūka replied, shrugging. It was a common dish in his previous life, but here, it was something special.

"So good!" Obito's drool nearly dripped into the pot.

Fūka saw this and immediately kicked him away.

After the cabbage, Fūka whipped up some mashed potatoes with fresh green onions, making Obito's mouth water even more.

A few minutes later, the rice was ready. Fūka handed Obito a bowl. "Try it and see how it tastes."

"Okay!" Obito was excited. He took a bite of the cabbage. "Wow, it's sour, spicy, and delicious!"

Then he tried the mashed potatoes, and tears nearly came to his eyes.

"This is better than ramen! Fūka, you really can cook! This is great! I'll never have to eat out again!"

Obito was crying and shoveling food into his mouth at the same time, making Fūka's temper flare.

"Hey, Obito, you're eating too much! Leave some for me, you idiot!"

Finally, the two of them finished all the food, lying on the floor with full bellies, lazily burping in contentment.

"Obito, do you have any dreams?" Fūka suddenly asked.

"Dreams? Of course, I'm going to become Hokage!" Obito replied passionately, clenching his fists. "I'll make everyone acknowledge me!"

"And what about Rin?" Fūka turned to him, his expression serious. "If you had to choose between Rin and becoming Hokage, who would you choose?"

Obito froze, scratching his head in frustration. "Why? Why would I have to choose? Can't I have both?"

"Reality won't give us so many choices." Fūka sighed, then changed the subject with a smile. "Alright, Obito, now that we're full, go help some old ladies cross the street! You could spend the whole afternoon doing it!"

"You're crazy! What are you talking about?" Obito left, still confused, but not before saying he'd come back for dinner.

Then, Fūka faced an unpleasant situation… the dishes.

"Obito, you jerk! Get back here and wash these dishes!!"

Outside, Obito heard Fūka's voice and bolted.

With no other choice, Fūka washed the dishes himself.

Since arriving in this world, he hadn't really taken a good look around his home.

It wasn't a big place, but it was well-kept, with everything he needed—a kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, living room, and even a small backyard. The backyard had flowers and plants, and a small, clear pond with no fish.

Finally, Fūka entered his parents' bedroom.

"If my parents were both ninjas, they might have left behind some ninjutsu scrolls or something."

Fūka rummaged through the room and finally found two scrolls in a wooden box. Unrolling them, he saw that they were for Fire Release Ninjutsu and Genjutsu.

Most Uchiha started learning Fire Release from a young age, and those who awakened the Sharingan became proficient in Genjutsu. These were the Uchiha clan's signature techniques, so Fūka wasn't surprised to find these scrolls.

He immediately opened the Fire Release scroll.

"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique."

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique."

"Fire Release: Dragon Flame Bomb."

"Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique."

The scroll detailed four Fire Release jutsus unique to the Uchiha clan, including the hand signs and training guidelines.

All of them were C-rank jutsus, fitting the status of Fūka's parents as Chūnin.

Then he opened the Genjutsu scroll.

"Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique."

"Demonic Illusion: Mirage Crow Technique."

"Demonic Illusion: Cut."

There were three Genjutsu techniques, but all were standard ones that even non-Uchiha ninjas could learn.

"Sigh, they really didn't have it easy. At least one of them could've left me a Sharingan-exclusive Genjutsu like Mirror Heaven and Earth Change."

Fūka grumbled, but he was still happy. These Fire and Genjutsu techniques were perfect for his early training.

However, before he could practice ninjutsu, he needed to master two things: hand signs and precise chakra control.

Ninjutsu required hand signs, and the speed at which one could form them was a matter of life and death.

Uchiha Itachi could form six hand signs in one second. If you could only do two in a second, by the time you finished one jutsu, your opponent could have unleashed three. In that scenario, you were as good as dead.

And without precise chakra control, you'd waste unnecessary energy, or worse. Just like Naruto in his early days—why was he so easily beaten by almost everyone? Because the Nine-Tails had his chakra all messed up, making it impossible to control, which even made it difficult to perform basic jutsus like the Transformation Technique.

"Alright, I've refined chakra all morning. This afternoon, I'll practice hand signs, and tonight, I'll work on tree climbing and water walking!"