Konoha’s 4 Guardian Beasts

"Wow, Aizen-kun, you're amazing!" Uchiha Izumi was wide-eyed and shocked, unable to stop praising Fujiwara Aizen after seeing him master the Body Replacement Technique on his first day.

"Shh." Fujiwara Aizen quickly covered Izumi's mouth with his hand, making a hushing gesture. "Please keep this a secret. I don't want anyone else to know."

Izumi blushed as her mouth was covered, nodding. "I can keep it a secret, but why don't you want anyone to know, Aizen-kun? With how cool you are, you could become as popular as Itachi-kun," she thought to herself.

"Because if too many people notice, I won't be able to sneak over to your house for meals anymore." Aizen casually made up an excuse.

He couldn't exactly tell her that he wanted to avoid catching the attention of Konoha's F4 until he had enough strength to protect himself.

"I see..." Izumi's face grew even redder, with her blush spreading down to her neck. She hesitated for a moment before continuing, "My family has a lot of ninjutsu scrolls, but most of them are forbidden to outsiders. If I gave them to you, my clan might cause trouble for you."

After pausing briefly, she added, "How about this: I'll teach you the Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu, Shadow Clone Jutsu, and the Body Flicker Technique. These are pretty common techniques in Konoha, so even if my family finds out, they won't make a big deal about it."

"Thank you so much!" Fujiwara Aizen, excited, grasped her hand. These were exactly the jutsus he needed the most right now.

Especially the Shadow Clone Jutsu. It allowed him to create physical clones with independent consciousness and the ability to take hits. Once dispelled, the clone's experiences and memories would return to the original.

It was practically a cheat code.

And the Body Flicker Technique would be equally valuable. Combined with his future mastery of the "Heaven Technique," it could elevate him to the second-greatest taijutsu user in the ninja world, second only to Might Guy, whose mastery of the Eight Gates was unparalleled in terms of taijutsu.

In the peaceful era of the ninja academy, while they trained students to become competent genin, they also taught essential life skills.

That morning, the teacher had sparked interest by briefly explaining how to refine chakra and demonstrating the basic three techniques.

Formal lessons would begin in the afternoon.

Even though there were several students from prestigious clans like the Uchiha, the first lesson was still about how to refine chakra.

By evening, the day's lessons were over.

The next day, Aizen received the Fireball, Shadow Clone, and Body Flicker techniques from Izumi. After reviewing the first-year curriculum and noticing it mainly covered stealth, trap-making, and general ninja knowledge with no real combat, he decided to let his shadow clones attend school for him.

That very night, after mastering the Shadow Clone Jutsu, Aizen stopped going to school himself.

Instead, he found a secluded forest where he could begin his training.

Interestingly, Uchiha Itachi had also stopped attending in person, sending his shadow clones to school instead from the second day onwards.

Even though Aizen didn't like Itachi much, he had to admit that the boy was a true genius.

Itachi mastered anything in no time, often exceeding expectations. If Aizen hadn't read the original story, he might've assumed Itachi was also a reincarnated person, starting off with god-like power.

One year later.

At Konoha's Hokage Office, the Konoha F4—Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzo Shimura, Homura Mitokado, and Koharu Utatane—were all seated.

Standing before them was the chunin teacher responsible for the class that included Fujiwara Aizen and Uchiha Itachi.

As in the original story, Itachi had been involved in a scuffle with older students, revealing his Shadow Clone Jutsu and earning a reputation as a genius.

Toward the end of the school year, just before the sixth-grade graduation, the chunin instructor reported Itachi's extraordinary talent to the Konoha F4, recommending early graduation.

Aizen, having anticipated this development, had been attending school personally during that period to avoid attracting Konoha F4's attention.

"Genius, huh?" Danzo broke the silence, his face expressionless. His right eye was covered with bandages, revealing nothing, but his left eye betrayed an unusual mixture of emotions—fear, cunning, and even a hint of murderous intent.

Danzo exuded an ominous, conspiratorial aura at all times. As a staunch believer that the Uchiha were inherently evil, no one hated the Uchiha more than he did, yet he also envied them, particularly for their Sharingan.

"Yes, Lord Danzo," the chunin teacher answered respectfully. "He not only mastered the Clone Jutsu for last year's graduation exam but has also learned the Shadow Clone Jutsu. In every other aspect, he's exceptionally skilled as well. Keeping him in the academy any longer would be pointless."

The teacher, standing upright, swallowed nervously, daring not to meet Danzo's gaze. By now, Danzo had earned a reputation that made him feared even by his fellow villagers. It was this very demeanor that prevented him from ever becoming Hokage, though he remained oblivious to that fact.

"But isn't he still a first-year student?" Hiruzen Sarutobi, known for sticking to rules, didn't want Itachi to graduate so soon in this era of peace.

"Yes," the teacher replied weakly, sensing the Third Hokage's displeasure.

Danzo, ever the contrarian, interjected, "Isn't that better? There's precedent for early graduation."

"But that was during wartime," the Third Hokage began, only to be cut off by Danzo again.

Turning to the chunin teacher, Danzo asked, "He's a genius, correct?"

"I've never seen a student like him," the teacher confirmed.

"Graduating early would be for his own good!" Hiruzen muttered, lowering his head slightly as his hat obscured his eyes. He didn't argue any further.

The teacher went on to report other promising students, most of them from noble clans.

Hiruzen remained silent until the mention of Fujiwara Aizen, the only notable civilian student, caused him to raise his head. "Is he from the Fujiwara family?"

"Yes, Lord Hokage. In his class, aside from Itachi, Fujiwara's orphaned son shows the most promise. Although he can't compare to Uchiha Itachi, he has talent and potential. With proper guidance, he could have a bright future," the chunin teacher replied.

"I see, Fujiwara did raise a good child," the Third Hokage said thoughtfully, though no one knew what he was really thinking. Meanwhile, Danzo and the others remained fixated on Itachi, dismissing Fujiwara Aizen as just another civilian prodigy.

Of course, this was precisely what Fujiwara Aizen wanted.