Chapter 7: Encounter with Itachi Uchiha, I Want to Apply for Graduation

"Master Akira, today is the day you start at the Ninja Academy. From now on, you'll need to follow a regular schedule for washing up and other daily routines!" said Keiko as she cleaned up the breakfast dishes after Uchiha Akira had finished his meal.

"That probably won't be necessary," Uchiha Akira replied, shaking his head.

"Not necessary?" Keiko asked, clearly puzzled. After all, once you start school, isn't it normal to wake up at a set time and go to school at a set time?

But seeing Keiko's confused expression, Uchiha Akira just smiled lightly and didn't offer any further explanation.

He left the house, following behind his grandfather as they headed together to the Ninja Academy to enroll.

On their way out of the Uchiha compound, they encountered other children of the same age heading to the Academy, including Uchiha Sasuke.

"Akira-kun, your name has been quite famous lately!" said the young Uchiha Itachi, Sasuke's elder brother and the infamous slayer of the Uchiha clan during the night of the massacre.

"My fame can't compare to yours or Shisui's," Uchiha Akira replied modestly.

Of course, this wasn't just modesty. Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Itachi were known as the two prodigies of the Uchiha clan, with Shisui already earning the nickname "Shisui of the Body Flicker," and Itachi becoming a captain in the Anbu.

Itachi wasn't one for small talk, but perhaps out of consideration for Sasuke's close relationship with Akira, or maybe because of Akira's recent rise in fame within the clan, he greeted Akira.

After exchanging a few words, Itachi remained silent, letting Sasuke and Akira chatter away while he listened quietly. Meanwhile, Akira's grandfather engaged Itachi in some light conversation.

Walking through the streets of Konoha, Uchiha Akira could clearly sense that the villagers' attitude toward the Uchiha clan members had become more cautious and distant.

After reaching the Ninja Academy, they filled out the necessary forms and successfully completed the enrollment process.

Soon after, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, appeared on the school grounds with a kind and approachable demeanor, giving a speech about the Will of Fire.

Uchiha Akira, however, had already been exposed to these ideas many times.

Thanks to the life simulations, Akira felt like he was a student who had been held back in the first grade multiple times.

Does this make me even more of a "dead last" than Naruto Uzumaki?

Could I actually have a protagonist's destiny?

No way. Just think about Naruto Uzumaki, with his Uzumaki clan's natural physique.

Even before graduating, he learned the A-rank forbidden Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu in one night!

He could create thousands of shadow clones and had the Nine-Tailed Fox as a massive cheat code inside him.

Now, think about me. After years of grinding with the life simulator, I can barely produce a few shadow clones.

With such a bottomless chakra pool, even if I trained for a hundred years, or two or three hundred years, I'd never match him, right?

And I think I can compare myself to the main character? Just being the reincarnation of the Sage of Six Paths' son is something I can't compete with!

...

"Alright, we will now begin the class assignment. All students whose names are called, please follow me!" said Iruka Umino, who was the first to step onto the stage with a roster in hand, after the Third Hokage finished his speech on the Will of Fire.

Uchiha Akira, who had been daydreaming throughout the speech, finally returned to reality.

After about half an hour, Iruka began reading out names.

"Naruto Uzumaki, Hinata Hyuga, Kiba Inuzuka… Akira Uchiha…"

After calling out around thirty names, Iruka's class was fully assigned!

Iruka then prepared to leave the stage to make way for other teachers.

"Wait, Iruka-sensei!" Uchiha Akira suddenly called out just as Iruka turned to step down.

This caught the attention of everyone present.

"And you are?" Meeting Akira for the first time, Iruka recognized the Uchiha crest on his clothes but did not know his name.

"I am Akira Uchiha, Iruka-sensei. I would like to apply for graduation from the Ninja Academy!" Akira bowed respectfully to Iruka and voiced his request.

In the original story, Iruka was a character worthy of respect, so Uchiha Akira was willing to observe the proper student-teacher etiquette.

Though his demeanor was humble and respectful, the boldness of his words shocked everyone on the school grounds.

Murmurs quickly spread across the crowd.

Applying for graduation on the first day of school?

Is this the pride of the Uchiha?

Is this what it means to be a genius?

Sure, Kakashi Hatake set the precedent—becoming a Genin at five, a Chūnin at six, and a Jōnin at twelve!

But that was during wartime…

Note: If you are interested, you can read up to chapter 31 at patreon.com/Emik01.