Hokage Tower
" Tcch" Tsunade leaned back, her face as if she had sucked a lemon.
Jiraiya leaned back with a crooked smirk.
"Looks like everyone's working."
A knock followed almost immediately.
"Hokage-sama," came a calm voice from beyond the door. "May I enter?"
"Yes, Sakumo," Hiruzen replied. "Come in. Did you speak with the Uchiha Patriarch?"
"I did, Hokage-sama," Sakumo said as he stepped inside. "Afterward, I… observed the meeting. One of my colleagues shared the memories of what transpired."
The room grew quiet.
"And?" Danzō prompted.
"The Hawk faction elders used rather… colorful language toward young Akira and his mother," Sakumo continued evenly. "It provoked him. His Sharingan awakened on the spot. He told the elders, to their faces, that he was too insignificant to bear Uchiha dignity, that he refused to remain in a place where his mother was insulted, and that he was done with the clan."
Sakumo paused.
"Then he walked out."
Danzō's visible eye widened.
"He awakened the Sharingan?"
Orochimaru tilted his head.
"He walked out?"
Hiruzen's tone sharpened slightly.
"Where is he now?"
"He went home," Sakumo replied. "I don't believe he even realized his Sharingan had awakened. He told the Patriarch they could take his eyes if they wished. He no longer cared. The last I saw of him, he was walking through the streets, eyes red and wet."
"How many tomoe?" Orochimaru asked immediately.
"Two," Sakumo answered. "Both eyes. Directly. Even the elders were startled. It's rare for someone to awaken the Sharingan at two tomoe immediately."
Hiruzen exhaled slowly.
"He didn't have it before today. Correct?"
"No," Orochimaru replied curtly. "He didn't."
Danzō scoffed.
"He's willing to give away his Sharingan? What a fool. Orochimaru, you will speak to your disciple. Under no circumstances should those eyes ever leave our control."
Koharu nodded.
"Yes, Orochimaru. You should speak with him. And Hiruzen… you truly chose a remarkable grand-disciple."
Hiruzen smiled faintly around his pipe.
"Of course. Sakumo… what did you uncover about Kurumi Uchiha?"
"She works at Konoha Hospital, as you know," Sakumo replied. "She's close to your wife. And… she is secretly involved with a Sarutobi jōnin."
Hiruzen's eyes gleamed slightly.
"Good. Very good."
Koharu chuckled dryly.
"Congratulations, Hiruzen. It seems your clan may gain a fine daughter-in-law. And a stepson. Though remember… a stepson can be a double-edged blade."
Hiruzen did not respond immediately.
"Do the Uchiha know?" he asked quietly.
"They suspect," Sakumo said. "But no. They have no proof."
"Hmm…"
Hiruzen turned toward the open window. Rings of smoke drifted from his pipe, dissolving into the evening air as he gazed out over the village entrusted to him.
Plans, unspoken and already forming, settled quietly into place.
_______
The discipline, rigidity, and quiet dullness of routine seeped back into Akira's life.
After the meeting at Naka Shrine, the Uchiha no longer bothered him. Instead, they compensated.
The Hawk Elder personally provided Akira with multiple jutsu centered on Fire Release and genjutsu. The Patriarch went further, sharing the famed Uchiha sword style itself. A blade was placed in Akira's hands by the Patriarch personally, along with a generous financial reward.
Akira accepted everything without hesitation.
He had known compensation would come after the Naka Shrine debacle. The Uchiha were too proud to let the matter rest otherwise. What he had not expected was how dangerous that compensation would be. Each gift carried weight, expectation, and sharp edges.
Still, the results were undeniable.
His jutsu repertoire expanded dramatically, and with it, Akira shifted his focus to his greatest weakness. His body. He tripled his food intake and intensified his physical training, pushing his young frame to its limits.
Each morning, shadow clones practiced chakra control and swordplay while his main body trained relentlessly, muscles burning and lungs screaming. After lunch, sword practice resumed, this time integrating clones and layered genjutsu. Sparring followed, first with Minato, then with his sensei, Orochimaru, stretching into the evening. Nawaki, the other disciple of Orochimaru also joined, after meeting him, Akira knew why Tsunade thought of her brother when she saw Naruto, the resemblance was uncanny. Akira also maintained relationship with Ino Shika Cho and Aburame. He even suggested Aburame to coat his insects with water and top it with alcohol to do way with their weakness to fire, Aburame has been experimenting ever since.
At evenings, when the sun finally dipped low, Akira moved to the laboratory, where he conducted experiments and practiced sealing techniques until exhaustion claimed him.
After a month of such intensive training, the improvement was unmistakable.
Name: Akira Uchiha
Age: 9
Level: 20
Physical Power: 25
Spiritual Power: 65
Chakra: Chunin-level
Chakra Control: Jonin-level
Bloodline: Uchiha
Combat Proficiencies:
Taijutsu: 15
Ninjutsu: 23
Genjutsu: 25
Jutsu:
Fireball Jutsu Lv.4
Clone Jutsu Lv.5
Transformation Jutsu Lv.5
Substitution Jutsu Lv.5
Shurikenjutsu Lv.4
Hell Viewing Technique Lv.4
False Surroundings Technique Lv.4
Dragon Fire Jutsu Lv.3
Phoenix Sage Jutsu Lv.3
Darkness Genjutsu Lv.0
Snake Summoning Lv.1
Shuriken Shadow Clone Lv.3
Shadow Clone Lv.3
Body Flicker Lv.4
Wind Shuriken Lv.2
Lightning Ground Walk Lv.2
Rasengan Lv.2
Kekkei Genkai: Sharingan (Two Tomoe)
Chakra Nature: Fire, Wind, Lightning, Yin
Despite the progress, one concern refused to leave him.
His physique was far too weak compared to his spiritual strength.
Akira attributed it to his age and constitution, but fear lingered beneath the logic. What if this imbalance led to illness? What if he followed the same fragile path as Itachi?
Each night before sleeping, he meditated, calming his thoughts and steadying his chakra. He had observed that meditation noticeably improved his mental clarity. Whenever he was home, he activated his Sharingan while cooking or speaking with his mother.
When she asked why, he answered honestly.
"I'm practicing. And I want the Sharingan to remember happy things too."
She laughed and copied him, activating her own Sharingan in playful imitation.
Sometimes Kushina Uzumaki joined Minato, Nawaki and Akira during sparring sessions, often accompanied by Mikoto Uchiha.
Afterward, both women insisted Akira sing while they spread out an impromptu picnic, turning the training ground into something warm and lively.
Fugaku Uchiha also reached out to him, in his own gruff, emotionally handicapped manner he apologised and told Akira to come to him if he needed any tips.
Akira had also gained a new companion.
A white snake with red eyes, no thicker than his arm when first summoned. He named it Tom. In this world, at least, no one minded the name.
Akira fed Tom chakra, along with chakra-infused rats and rabbits. The snake grew rapidly, its body thickening and posture straightening into that of a cobra. Its venom glands matured, producing a neurotoxin capable of inducing paralysis. In small mice, it could even stop the heart.
With Orochimaru's help, a second venom gland was implanted, one that produced a hallucinogenic poison.
Experiments followed.
Akira attempted blood-mixing trials with other snakes. None succeeded. He was not yet immune to Tom's venom. When chakra flowed between them through fangs and poison, Akira experienced paralysis, nausea, and intense disorientation. At times, it felt like being trapped in a vivid hallucination, disturbingly similar to drug-induced visions.
Still, he continued.
Lately, his focus had shifted to a new technique.
A Shadow Sword Clone technique.
The concept was simple in theory and absurdly complex in execution. His sword would multiply into hundreds before launching forward like arrows. He attempted to incorporate genjutsu and elemental chakra, imagining the blades splitting mid-flight into petal-like fragments.
Flaming petals. Thunder-laced shards. Splitting pink steel. He was inspired by Byakuya Kuchiki from Bleach.
A vision inspired by elegance and devastation.
Reality disagreed.
He lacked the necessary chakra and spiritual density to execute it properly. For now.
The experiments continued regardless.
His idea, however, had already borne fruit elsewhere.
Inspired by Akira's theory, Orochimaru developed a technique of his own.
Ninja Art: Dance of a Thousand Snakes.
A handful of swords multiplied into thousands, raining down upon multiple opponents. Each blade was infused with wind chakra sharp enough to pierce a human body. Any sword that missed its mark twisted mid-fall, steel softening into scales, transforming into serpents that struck from every direction, delivering a slow, venomous, and thoroughly gruesome death.
Orochimaru tested it during a mission.
Jiraiya witnessed it.
He was profoundly disturbed.
Now, driven by rivalry and wounded pride, Jiraiya had vanished to create a super toad technique that was, according to him, "far cooler" than Orochimaru's.
Akira suspected that was unlikely.
Still, he couldn't help being curious.
A thousand toads ribbiting in a swamp would certainly be… memorable.
Whether it would be terrifying or simply loud remained to be seen. 🐸
Akira's mother, Kurumi Uchiha, eventually introduced him to her boyfriend.
His name was Sosuke Sarutobi.
He stood only a few inches taller than Kurumi, who herself was barely five feet two inches. Akira quickly concluded that the Sarutobi clan, as a whole, seemed to produce rather compact men. The only known anomaly was Asuma Sarutobi, who, thankfully, had not yet been born.
The Uchiha clan, unfortunately, did not appear to excel in height either.
Akira's father, at least according to old photographs, had been tall. Easily six feet or more. Brown hair, brown eyes, broad shoulders. An outlier. His mother claimed he had been a commoner.
Sometimes he wondered whether his father was a Senju, then again, if his father had truly been a Senju who abandoned the clan at the First Hokage's request, Akira reasoned, he would have possessed a far sturdier physique. The lack of such traits made the theory unlikely.
In the end, it didn't matter much.
What mattered was that his mother was happy.
From Akira's perspective, the relationship was also politically sound. A Sarutobi jonin was a respectable choice.
Stable. Influential. Sensible.
So he asked the obvious question.
"When are you getting married?" Akira said calmly. "I don't mind if I get brothers or sisters. I'll protect them and take care of them anyway."
The result was immediate.
Kurumi froze.
Sosuke choked on a glass of juice.
The Sarutobi jonin hastily announced that he had suddenly remembered an urgent errand and left at near Body Flicker speed. Kurumi, flustered and red-faced, declared that she needed to visit the hospital and followed shortly after.
Akira watched them go, expression thoughtful.
Sometimes, he wondered if they had gone directly into the production phase of his future siblings.
To prevent potential disasters, Akira took precautions.
He pinned his daily schedule prominently on the wall, clearly marking when he would be home. On the rare occasions he needed to return outside his routine, he made sure to sing loudly or create an unreasonable amount of noise before entering.
Accidentally walking in on his mother and her boyfriend was… something his fragile soul was not prepared to endure.
Soon after, the Ninja Academy began.
Akira promptly sent a shadow clone to attend classes while he continued his training elsewhere, optimizing time with ruthless efficiency. Lessons, drills, lectures. All absorbed secondhand, filtered through clone memories, neat and orderly.
Days bled into weeks.
Weeks bled into months.
And life, quietly, moved forward.
His mother became engaged to her boyfriend.
The ceremony was small and held behind closed doors, intimate by design. Only a few attended, but those few were people who mattered.
The Hokage and his advisors. His students. Clan heads. Hospital staff. Members of the Uchiha Dove faction, Mikoto Uchiha, Fugaku Uchiha. Sarutobi clan members, Mito Uzumaki, Kushina Uzumaki, Minato Namikaze, Ino Shika Cho, Aburame, Inuzuka, Hyuga, Nawaki and some old Senju clan members. Several jonins.
A gathering of quiet weight.
To commemorate the occasion, Akira brought out his guitar.
He sang
Romantic songs, gentle and sincere.
He even assembled a makeshift band, pulling together musicians from wherever he could find them, turning the evening into something warm and human rather than political.
As the day drew to a close, cherry blossom petals 🌸 drifted through the air, carried by the evening wind. A subtle touch of genjutsu guided their creation and movement, just enough to blur the line between illusion and reality.
When Akira sang I Love You for a Thousand Years, the melody settled gently over the gathering, seeping into hearts long accustomed to duty and restraint rather than tenderness.
For a fleeting moment, the village felt serene.
Even Danzō couldn't help but smile.
Days slipped by, rains and strong became frequent, somedays biting cold winds, on some there were raging sun.
Akira continued his routine without pause. Training, sparring with friends, and long hours lost in the study of seals and jutsu filled his days. Life moved forward.
At home, things had changed as well.
After his mother's engagement, Akira offered to move out and rent an apartment closer to the Academy. The idea was rejected almost immediately.
Instead, his mother and her fiancé bought the house next door and moved into it, leaving the original home entirely to Akira. A three-room, single-storey house was far too large for him alone, but he hardly noticed. He used it only to sleep.
The location helped. It sat close to the Konoha Center, and more importantly, not far from Ichiraku Ramen.
As the days passed, something felt off.
Kushina Uzumaki stopped coming to the Academy. She missed sparring matches too.
Akira felt a faint unease about it, but Minato, Mikoto, and the rest of the group didn't seem to notice. Minato, however, was worried in his own way. He repeatedly tried to convince Akira to go check on her with him.
Akira refused.
"If I go," Akira said calmly, "what if Kushina thinks I'm in love with her and tries to become my girlfriend? I'd rather avoid that misunderstanding."
That statement sent Minato into instant alarm.
"And if you don't go," Akira added casually, "she might think you don't like her."
That did it.
Minato looked like someone had set fire to his backside. Without another word, he bolted toward the Senju compound.
Meanwhile, Akira and the rest of the group set up a makeshift picnic. They were midway through laughing and eating when, about an hour later, Kushina arrived. Her mood was subdued, her usual fire dimmed just a little.
The gang exchanged glances.
Akira picked up his guitar.
He played.
Verse
Hey Kushina, sometimes life feels strange
Someone feels like home, then things just change
Oh Kushina, sometimes they slip away
And all that love feels like yesterday
So how do you stop your tears at night?
So how do you tell your heart it's alright?
Chorus
Everyone joined in, except Minato, who stood there completely clueless.
Just Kushina, smile, smile for a while
Even if it's just a small smile
Some days hurt, some days break
But everything's gonna be okay
Verse
When you're happy, the world feels new
The sun breaks through the clouds for you
Even the night knows how to end
Morning comes, my friend
Chorus
So Kushina, smile, just smile for a while
Even if it's just a small smile
Hold on now, don't let go
You're not alone, just so you know
Hey Kushina…
Just smile…
Just a little while…
Neither Kushina nor Minato had expected this.
Kushina burst into tears. Then she laughed. Then she lunged forward and wrapped Minato in a fierce hug.
Minato froze, caught between dancing with joy and fleeing in sheer panic. Somehow, he managed neither and survived.
When the song ended, Kushina explained that her grandmother was sick, which was why she hadn't come to the Academy. The group handed her food, which she accepted gratefully.
Before leaving, she turned to Akira.
"Akira-kun… would you still be my friend if I became a monster?"
Akira blinked.
"Are you not a monster already? Some kids back at the Academy tell their younger siblings scary stories. 'Behave, or the red-haired monster from the Ninja Academy will come and punish naughty kids who bully others.'"
Kushina puffed up. "Akira-kun, I'm serious."
"Alright, alright," he said quickly. "As long as you don't try to eat me or my mother, I don't care if you're a monster. Having monsters for friends is cool. I can scare people away. Especially the Uchiha Hawks."
He puffed his chest.
"'Don't you know who my friend is? She's a monster. She'll punish your evil schemes.'"
"Grrr! Akira-kun, stop joking for once!" Kushina snapped. Her hair began to rise.
Akira sighed dramatically.
"Kushina, after you become a monster, the decision will be yours. What if one day you say, 'Akira Uchiha? Who's that? Never heard of him. I don't want to meet him.'"
He clasped his hands together, acting devastated.
"Then this poor Akira Uchiha can only cry, remembering a sweet friend named Kushina… with flowing red hair… who decided she didn't want to be his friend anymore."
"No! I won't say that!" Kushina swore.
"In that case," Akira smiled, "of course I'd still be your friend."
He leaned back lazily.
"Oh, Minato," he added brightly, "have you decided when you and Kushina are getting married? I need time to plan a song for your wedding. Have you thought of a name for your kid? Why not Akira?"
That evening, Minato and Kushina chased Akira through Konoha with murderous intent.