Chapter : 3

The next morning, with the morning mist having not yet dissipated, a small figure walked out of the house and was walking on the road with a destination in mind.

On the way, I met many early risers, some of whom were forced to start busy early because of their livelihood. Some people get up early to exercise like him, and when they meet someone who knows him, they will always greet him with a kind smile and ask the question

"Toshiro, why are you up and about so early today?"

Encountering the friendly greetings of the clansmen, Toshiro did not hesitate to return a big smile and answer, "Good morning, Uncle. I am getting ready to do some exercises."

At the entrance of the clan compound, there was a large gate with an unmissable Uchiha fan emblem engraved on it. There is a small part of my body that says there is no need to start working so hard today. But there is a larger part of me that says, 'I need to. This is my fate since I was born into the Uchiha clan, and to escape its tragic fate of near extinction, I need to.' 

It's the spring season in Konoha, 36 years after its establishment, and the Nine-Tails incident is still years away. The Uchiha clan's land is located in the heart of Konoha, as they are the founding clan of the village. It's understandable for them to occupy a piece of territory in the center of Konoha.

Over the years, due to the growth of the clan population, there have been repeated mentions and petitions to expand the station and clan compound. However, considering the large and small families crowded around, along with the functional departments of Konoha and the Hokage Building, these ideas did not get to pass either with the Hokage or the clan council.

Pushing aside these cranky thoughts, Toshiro began to run earnestly. Though this new body of his is strong and resilient due to his chakra, and is not quite like that of a normal four-year-old. He didn't want to push too hard during his first workout.

He started with a three-kilometer run as a goal to see how his body would react. Then he moved on to sit-ups, push-ups, and frog jumps. Then he continued this till he was completely exhausted.

"One step at a time. Whether it's the Third Shinobi World War or not, whether it's the night of the massacre, it's still a long journey. There's no need to rush."

An hour later, after jogging for nearly half an hour and completing bodyweight exercises, Toshiro returned home with trembling legs. Mei had already prepared breakfast, waiting for his return from his training.

"It's hard work, Toshiro-chan." After wiping away my sweat stains with a hot towel, she handed him a small medicine bottle.

"Apply this medicated oil to your knees, ankles, and other joints, and rub them until they're hot."

Following his sister's advice, he started massaging his joints.

"Is this medicine for relieving knee and ankle injuries?" he questioned.

Instead of helping him as usual, Mei stood quietly aside, observing my unfamiliar movements and guiding him on the correct application.

"Since you want to become a ninja, I am helping you, and these are the first steps. There will be more difficulties and hardships waiting for you in the future."

"Neechan, I will keep going until I become the strongest, and no one can beat me!" Toshiro declared this, both to himself and his sister.

"Good determination. Let's start eating now, the strongest ninja of the future!" Mei said, slightly ruffling his hair, and started leading him towards the dining area.

"The breakfast seems different today, Neechan?" Toshiro asked with some surprise as he looked at the breakfast spread on the table.

Two breakfasts were placed on a tray: bread, beef, carrots, greens, and tofu. There were also two cartons of milk on the side. Each dish was served on small plates, delicately arranged.

"Of course, being a ninja is not easy; one of the most important things for growing boys training to be ninjas is diet. You need to eat a lot of carbs, protein, and vitamins; there's a lot to consider. Plus, you still need plenty of sleep and rest. You have a long way to go!"

"mmhmm! I'll diligently follow my training and eating regimen."

"Sugoi, today's breakfast is super delicious!"

Hearing Toshiro's exaggerated praise, Mei's beautiful eyes narrowed with a sweet smile.

"Ara, only today's breakfast is delicious; what about yesterday and the day before..?".

Toshiro panicked when he heard the question, and seeing his sisters smile, he quickly replied.

"No, no, Neesan's cooking is the best. After exercising, this meal felt even more delicious. That's it."

Seeing that Toshiro had worked hard today and was coming out of his shell, Mei didn't mind this little mistake.

"Ne Toshiro, you have started working hard to become a ninja. That is fine, but at your age, it's more important to have fun. You can still train, but you have to make some friends too."

"I know Neesan! I'll go out for a walk in a bit."

'My sister's child is surprisingly sensible and mature.' Mei heard a slight reluctance in the child's words, but that was expected given the circumstances. At the end, if he tries to heed her words and go out more, she's happy with that.

'Are you as worried as I am?' Mei thought as she looked at the photo of her sister and brother-in-law on the wall.

After breakfast and another half-hour rest, Toshiro stepped out of the house once again with those little legs of his.

Though today was his first workout, it took almost an hour of exercising to completely exhaust him. He did sit-ups, push-ups, frog jumps, and lots of running. Now, after just a half-hour break post breakfast, he unexpectedly regained his energy completely. It seemed that the strength and potential of his body were even higher than he had imagined.

Could it be because of his transmigration that there were some benefits to him, like the mumbo jumbo that the fanfic writers say about having the power of two souls in one body, or is it his cheat? Whatever it might be, I need to compare myself to other children to confirm.

While walking around the streets in the clan compound and responding to the greetings of the adults, Toshiro pondered these questions in his head. The Uchiha clansmen were not as indifferent and cruel as was originally portrayed in the anime and manga.

In Toshiro's original imagination, the Uchiha are supposed to be egotistical, kind of aloof, and straight faced. But from what he has seen today, all of them were quite friendly and even lovable.

Whether it was Mei Uchiha who took good care of him and showered him with love or the warm greetings of the clansmen he met along the way, that shattered his original imagination.

'Well, let's not rush to conclusions just yet. Most of the people I've encountered are civilians, and there were only a few ninjas.' Toshiro thought to himself.

While wandering around, Toshiro also saw several ninjas wearing green vests with the Uchiha emblem on their backs. Though he didn't know them, visually, they didn't seem much different from ordinary people.

The Uchiha compound wasn't too big; after all, it was a big clan of ninjas and some civilians, but ultimately it was still a clan. After a few minutes of strolling, he ended up at the entrance gate of the compound. He then ventured into the village to see its sights.

AN : You can read chapters published ahead on my p@treon account - p@treon.com/noviceauthor777