Hearing Sarutobi Retsu call his name, Uchiha Gen stepped forward, immediately feeling several gazes lock onto him.
With a casual sweep of his eyes, he identified their owners.
Hyūga Kagami, Uehara Yu, Hatake Seiko, and Senju Gen stood among the crowd, all watching him closely.
Uchiha Gen walked forward slowly, his mind deep in thought.
As Hyūga Kagami and the others subtly released their chakra, Uchiha Gen carefully observed and sensed it.
Within his perception, their chakra appeared like several streams of glowing air—some dense, some faint—each tinted with a slightly different hue. His own chakra, however, felt entirely different: thick, viscous, like a flowing river of condensed light.
If he had to describe it—
Other people's chakra was like alcohol of varying proof, while his was high-octane gasoline.
It seems I need to dilute my chakra, he thought. Otherwise, it'll definitely attract attention.
At that moment, Hatake Seiko returned to the formation, passing by him and softly greeting, "Gen-kun."
Uchiha Gen glanced at him and sent a whispered chakra transmission.
"Are you wondering why I asked you to hold back your strength?"
"Yes," Hatake Seiko replied quietly.
Uchiha Gen continued, his tone serious.
"Chakra is generated from the fusion of physical energy and spiritual energy—qi and blood, as some would call it. You train standing meditation every day. As your circulation improves, your qi and blood are refined continuously. Your chakra has already surpassed everyone else in our class."
"Do you remember our ideal?" he added. "We're still in a growth phase. The best way to protect ourselves is to hide among the crowd."
"And once you go all out, you'll be labeled a genius—especially since the Hatake Clan has already produced Senior Kakashi."
"Once that happens, you'll attract the attention of the village's higher-ups. That would interfere with our plans."
As he spoke, Uchiha Gen thought of Shimura Danzō.
Whenever a genius appeared, that old hawk would immediately try to pull them into Root.
Once targeted by Danzō, conspiracies and manipulation would surely follow. Although Uchiha Gen knew that one day he would inevitably clash with him, his wings had not yet fully grown.
For now, he wanted nothing more than to remain an ordinary, unremarkable Ninja Academy student.
Hatake Seiko's eyes widened slightly as realization dawned on him.
"So that's it… I understand."
Uchiha Gen nodded earnestly. "Seiko, remember this well—we are just ordinary students for now."
Soon after, Uchiha Gen stepped up to the test pillar.
He took a few deep breaths, let out a loud shout, and—looking as though he was exerting all his strength—threw a punch.
The test pillar buzzed, and its screen lit up.
Class D — 30
Seeing the result, Uehara Yu smiled in satisfaction. Hyūga Kagami, however, frowned slightly, his eyes narrowing.
Uchiha Gen returned to the formation wearing a gloomy expression. Anyone could tell he was dissatisfied with his result.
After several more students completed their tests, only one name remained.
Sarutobi Retsu called out, "Last one—Senju Gen."
The surroundings instantly fell silent.
Under everyone's gaze, Senju Gen stepped forward.
Staring at the test pillar, memories of his family's expectations surfaced in his mind.
Xiao Xuan… the Senju clan's bloodline grows thinner with each generation. The responsibility of carrying our name now rests on you.
His expression hardened with resolve.
He stepped forward and punched without hesitation.
Bang!
The screen flickered.
Class C — 17
Even though Sarutobi Retsu had been mentally prepared, seeing that number still shocked him.
As expected of the Senju clan.
Senju Gen exhaled slowly and turned his gaze toward Uchiha Gen as he returned to the formation.
Their eyes met briefly.
Then, without another word, Uchiha Gen turned and left.
---
Deep within a secluded forest, towering ancient trees stretched toward the sky, their dense canopies blocking out the sunlight.
A massive black-red python slithered down from a tree, its purplish tongue flicking in and out as its cold eyes locked onto a deer grazing nearby.
This was the Forest of Death, located on the outskirts of Konoha.
Suddenly—
A series of violent metallic clashes rang out.
The deer bolted in terror.
In a clearing deep within the forest, a translucent barrier shimmered into existence. At each of its four corners stood an identical Uchiha Gen.
Inside the barrier, two figures flickered rapidly, colliding again and again in a fierce exchange.
The violent fluctuations of chakra caused ripples to spread across the barrier's surface, yet none of it leaked outside.
Moments later, the two figures halted simultaneously.
Two Uchiha Gens stood facing each other.
One held a shuriken in a forward-thrusting stance.
The other calmly caught the shuriken between two fingers.
Uchiha Gen withdrew his weapon and bowed slightly.
"Teacher, I lost."
Standing opposite him—identical in appearance but possessing eyes filled with solitude and cold resolve—was Hatake Sakumo.
Sakumo looked at him with clear admiration.
"Gen, your strength has improved again. Compared to last week, you've made noticeable progress. The Hatake Sword Technique has already integrated into your movements. What you lack now is experience against stronger opponents."
In Sakumo's eyes, the boy before him was the most naturally gifted genius he had ever encountered.
He had agreed to accept Uchiha Gen as his disciple for two reasons.
First, he had been moved by the boy's words.
Second, he had hoped this bond would allow him to pass on the Hatake Sword Technique to Hatake Seiko.
Yet after teaching him, Sakumo discovered something astonishing.
Uchiha Gen was not only frighteningly intelligent—able to grasp taijutsu and ninjutsu with ease—but also possessed an exceptional ability to think independently.
The questions he raised were often novel and profound. Even Sakumo himself found enlightenment through their discussions.
For instance, the Sakumo standing before him now was a special application of the Shadow Clone Technique.
After learning the jutsu, Uchiha Gen had begun analyzing it from its very foundation.
Just the day before, he had summoned a shadow clone and allowed Sakumo's consciousness to possess it.
After many years of death, Sakumo Hatake had once again felt alive.
Despite having endured countless missions and battles, despite a heart hardened like steel, Sakumo found it impossible to remain calm after that experience.
The Shadow Clone Technique… Can it be used like this?
As if that weren't enough, Uchiha Gen soon shocked him again.
After learning the Earth Release: Headhunter Technique, he developed an earth-based movement method that allowed him to travel underground freely.
Such techniques already existed—like Earth Release: Underground Projection Fish Technique—yet this meant Uchiha Gen had effectively created a new variation on his own.
Through further conversations, Sakumo learned of even more of the boy's astonishing ideas.
For example, Uchiha Gen believed that the Flying Thunder God Technique, though classified as a forbidden jutsu, was not truly a space-time ninjutsu at all, but rather an advanced derivative of summoning techniques.
The same applied to the Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags.
These ideas left Sakumo with a chilling realization.
Uchiha Gen already had a clear framework in mind. Sooner or later, he would decipher both S-rank techniques from the village's Scroll of Seals.
After successfully allowing Sakumo to possess a shadow clone, Uchiha Gen proposed a genuine battle.
To ensure secrecy, he deliberately chose this clearing deep within the Forest of Death—
An area not monitored by Konoha's Barrier Corps.
---
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