Sarutobi Shinnosuke pulled a cigarette out of his pocket and lit it with a flip-top lighter.
After exhaling a puff of smoke, he continued, "Alright, you little brats from the Uchiha Clan, let's start with you."
(Well, aren't you three a bunch of smokers? I bet your brother inherited that lighter from you.)
Uchiha Itachi saw that his teacher had called his name first, so he stood up and introduced himself:
"My name is Uchiha Itachi. I like sweets and I'm good at Fire Release and Shurikenjutsu. I'm eight years old this year."
(By the old reckoning.)
Seeing that Itachi had finished speaking, Naraku, who was sitting next to him, also stood up and introduced herself:
"My name is Uchiha Naraku. I'm skilled in Fire Release and Taijutsu, and I'm eight years old this year."
Upon hearing Naraku's introduction, the young man from the Senju Clan, who was sitting alone, curled his lip.
Damn it, they assigned me two brats as teammates.
I don't know how the village arranged this, but I'm going to participate in the Chunin Exams this year. Won't these two kids drag me down?
Well, since I want to revitalize the Senju Clan, I can't be afraid of difficulties. I'll just have to reluctantly take care of these two little kids.
"My name is Senju Chakan, I'm twelve years old, and I'm skilled in Taijutsu and Medical Ninjutsu. My dream is to become the Hokage and revitalize the Senju Clan. I admire the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama, the most."
"When I become the greatest Hokage in history, you two will be my personal guards. Then you can make history with me, hahahaha."
Uchiha Naraku: ...
Uchiha Itachi: …
"You've got ambition, you've got passion, that's great. But you have to take things one step at a time, and eat your meals one bite at a time. Instead of thinking about such grand ideals, I'd rather see if you have the skills to be my students."
Sarutobi Shinnosuke was smiling when he said the first few sentences, but his tone became colder as he went on.
"Tomorrow morning at 6 AM, don't eat breakfast, and meet at Training Ground Six. Anyone who's late, scram immediately. Remember what I said."
After Sarutobi Shinnosuke finished speaking, he looked at his watch, extinguished the cigarette in his hand, and suddenly vanished in a puff of smoke.
(Body Flicker Technique? When did he even make the hand seals? I didn't notice at all. This guy seems pretty strong.)
Uchiha Naraku frowned. If she wasn't mistaken, tomorrow would likely be that bell-snatching game again.
Come to think of it, the first person to play this bell game was her old man. She figured she probably wouldn't have any trouble learning it, right?
After Sarutobi Shinnosuke disappeared, Senju Chakan also stood up. He glanced at Naraku's beautiful face before waving his hand in a cool manner.
And with that, he walked out of the classroom.
"Big bro, you're back! Where's sis-in-law? Didn't she come back with you?"
On a street in Konoha, Sarutobi Asuma greeted Shinnosuke happily.
He heard his big brother had returned and immediately finished his current mission to rush back to the village.
"You rascal! Your sis-in-law is still in the Hokage's direct Anbu. How can I reveal her whereabouts? But I heard it'll be soon, she should be back in the village in the next few days."
Sarutobi Shinnosuke ruffled his younger brother's hair. After a year on the front lines, his brother had grown so tall.
"Come on, come on, Dad's busy, I'll throw a welcome-home party for you."
Sarutobi Asuma grabbed his brother's hand and continued,
"I know a dumpling shop that's especially delicious."
"Brother, you're back so early today, take me to play, okay?"
Naraku and Uchiha Itachi had just reached the door of Itachi's house when little Uchiha Sasuke ran out of the house like a happy little bird.
"Sasuke, I still have to go train with your sister Naraku, next time."
A classic scene from the anime appeared, Sasuke, who had been poked on the forehead, covered his forehead and looked at Naraku, his cheeks puffed up in anger.
"Stupid big sister, bad big sister, I'm not talking to you anymore, humph."
(Alright, it's not like you were the one taking advantage of me by rubbing against my chest, as expected, men are all… Damn it…)
Watching Sasuke storm off into the clan grounds in a huff, Itachi chuckled and turned to Naraku, saying:
"Let's go, we haven't trained together in a while, have we?"
Half an hour later, the two were lying on the grass, resting after their training.
Itachi stared blankly at the sky, lost in thought.
Meanwhile, Naraku was checking the tasks she hadn't yet completed.
Besides the main quest of surviving the Uchiha Clan massacre, there were two other tasks that Naraku hadn't finished.
[Side Quest 2: Become a Chunin.]
[Mission Objective: Pass the Chunin Exams to become a Chunin.]
[Mission Time: Unlimited.]
[Mission Reward: The earlier you become a Chunin, the greater the reward.]
This quest followed up on Side Quest 1: Ninja Academy Graduation, so there wasn't much to say about it.
The important one was the second mission, the one the system had released halfway through in the Village Hidden in the Sand.
[Sharingan Liberation Quest 2: Gain a Voice.]
[Mission Objective: Obtain a certain degree of influence within the Uchiha Clan gathering held in the second half of the year, and express your stance through your words.]
[Time Limit: Before the end of the meeting.]
[Mission Reward: Unlock the Mangekyo Sharingan exchange rights.]
[Mission Penalty: Permanently close the subsequent Sharingan cultivation system.]
[Note: Please think carefully about your stance. Your choice will affect the direction of subsequent missions regarding the Uchiha Clan.]
Uchiha Naraku sighed. She had also participated in the last meeting, and the lower-ranking clan members had no say at all.
To stand out in the meeting, ordinary methods simply wouldn't work.
Either demonstrate your strength beforehand to gain respect, or flip the table during the meeting.
And the direction of your stance also requires careful consideration.
Support the coup, or oppose the coup?
Or are there other options besides these two?
To be honest.
After staying in Konoha for more than half a year, she was at least very familiar with the uncles and aunts in the neighborhood.
She already had a certain sense of belonging to the Uchiha. If it didn't affect her survival, she still wanted to help the Uchiha.
But if she wanted to save the Uchiha, the best way was to suppress the hardliners on both sides and try to achieve a situation where Konoha and the Uchiha could coexist.
As for the idea of leading the Uchiha Clan to defect, as many novels portrayed, that was simply impossible, not to mention the various difficulties.
Just the Uchiha Clan wouldn't agree. They were so proud that they would never slink away. They would rather fight against the Konoha's high-ranking officials at the cost of the Uchiha's name.
How could they be chased out of Konoha so ingloriously?
Naraku sighed. In this case, Shisui's Kotoamatsukami became exceptionally crucial.
It seemed that protecting Shisui was the first step in preserving the Uchiha.
A headache… Naraku knocked on her head. Although she had a general idea, the specific details required more planning.
For example, if you killed Danzo, do you think Konoha would just let it go? Impossible. If things went wrong, it could lead to a civil war.
"Naraku, what are you thinking about?"
Suddenly, her thoughts were interrupted, and Uchiha Itachi's voice reached her ears.
"I'm thinking about the relationship between the village and the clan. Ever since I saw that scene at the last meeting, I've been…"
"Don't worry, I've got this. No matter what happens, I'll stand in front of you. Once I become strong, I'll lead the clan in the right direction."
You? I suspect you're messing with me. I'll be thankful if you don't kill me later.
Even though she thought this, Uchiha Naraku still showed a very reassuring smile.
[Congratulations to the host, your favorability with Uchiha Itachi has increased, receiving 10 currency.]
Relying on others is unreliable, I still have to work hard myself.
Currency is the most universal thing.
.....
Completed English PDF of this fan-fic on my Patreon shop if you want to support and own the full fan-fic in one go. Just grab the PDF and binge the entire story from start to finish!
Here are a few titles of recently uploaded fanfics on my patreon shop:
" Genderbent Naruto: I, Haruno Sakurao, a Roaming Dragon of the Shinobi World "
" Naruto: Kaguya Is My Wife "
" Naruto: Silver Wolf of Konoha (18+) "
" After Unifying Naruto, I Begin Invading the Other Dimension "
" Naruto: Starting Out by Picking Up the Ito Ito no Mi "
" Naruto: Reviving the Uchiha Clan, Starting by Marrying Tsunade "
" Naruto: I Became Sasuke's Golden Finger! "
" Naruto: I Became Hyuga Hanabi (18+) "
" Starting from Naruto, AFK to Become a God " many more are available for you,
Your support means a lot—thanks in advance, legends!
Patreon.com/AniFic
(End of Chapter)