Editor Notes:
Uchiha clan is among one of the four noble clans of the Konoha Village known for its battle prowess.
Sharingan is a visual prowess specific to the Uchiha Clan, which can also be called a ‘copy ability’. While using the Sharingan, the user can replicate the attack movements of his opponent. Sharingan awakens with one tomoe, and three tomoe indicate full maturity of the Sharingan.
Chunin is one of the ranks of the shinobis or ninjas of Konoha. The beginning rank after a Student is Genin, followed by Chunin, different levels of the Jonin rank, and the Kage (chief).
Will of Fire is Konoha village’s core ideal.
Kunoichi: a term used for female practitioners of ninjutsu, female ninjas.
Hokage: Chief and the highest-ranked individual of the Konoha Village.
Konoha Village.
The edge of the Uchiha clan’s territory.
Six-year-old Uchiha Tonan was kneeling outside the door, gazing at the distant setting sun.
His clothes were in a mess and full of dust. The several shoe print impressions on his back were particularly clear.
Uchiha Tonan, more accurately, the soul within this body, was a transmigrator. It had already been three months since he transmigrated to this world. The original owner’s soul might have already been absorbed or passed over to the Pure Land.
The ‘golden finger’, a form of ‘cheat’ that seems to accompany transmigrators in most cases, the present Uchiha Tonan awoke was called the Legacy Inheritance System. As long as the people who acknowledged him died, he could inherit all abilities of the deceased.
There were many acknowledgment types he could inherit like this, such as strength, emotion, idol, and so on. But ever since he transmigrated, the system prompted that only Tonan’s parents had reached the required standard of ‘acknowledging’ him.
Tonan’s parents were members of the Konoha Police Force and were considered talented. They had both awakened the three tomoe Sharingan, a formidable visual ability inherent to the Uchiha clan.
As for Tonan himself, while he had long begun practicing how to refine his chakra under the guidance of his parents, his innate talent was too weak. According to the current progress rate, the highest achievement in his lifetime would only be as a mid-ranked chunin.
Awakening the Sharingan was left to fate or a chance encounter.
“Don’t blame me, I also have no other way out,” Tonan muttered to himself. He then lowered his head, put on a dejected look, and calmly waited for his parents to return.
A while later Tonan’s parents, Uchiha Kotoura and Uchiha Nanako, returned home. When they had just set foot at the door, their first sight was the miserable image of their son with bruises and his messed-up garb.
Nanako looked at her son with distress. However, the Uchiha clan had always been one where men had the final say, especially in context to the next generation’s upbringing. She stood there quietly, waiting for her husband to speak.
Uchiha Kotoura frowned a little and said indifferently, “Bullied by your classmates?”
Tonan nodded in low spirits.
Kotoura then said in a stern tone, “Then train harder and beat them back. The Uchiha Clan doesn’t need weak people.”
He walked past Tonan and entered the house. Nanako reached out wanting to help her son get up, but Uchiha Kotoura’s angry yell from inside the house stopped her.
“Leave him alone!”
Nanako hesitated, but she ultimately retracted her hand and headed to the kitchen to cook. Uchiha Kotoura poured himself a cup of saké inside the house.
“That Kakashi is too hateful,” Tonan’s sobbing voice could be heard from outside the door.
Uchiha Kotoura paused for a moment hearing this. He took a sip and said in a slightly relaxed manner, “Kakashi? White Fang-sama’s son? It’s expected that you are no match for him. So, you should train harder to catch up with him. Why were you fighting anyway?”
Looking desolate, Tonan got up, wiped his tears with his hands, and answered aggrievedly, “Today, I said that my Father-sama and Mother-sama are the members of the police force and its pride. But right in front of me, Kakashi said that you two are cowards. You don’t dare to go to the battlefield and just hide in the village bullying civilians. All the strong members of the clan have gone to the frontline, only the trash chose to stay behind. I couldn’t bear it…”
Crack!
Uchiha Kotoura smashed the wine cup in his hand; his mood to drink had disappeared completely. He took a deep look at Uchiha Tonan , slowly got up, and walked into the bedroom.
“After eating food, go to the courtyard to practice your throwing techniques.”
Tonan nodded with tears on his face. After dinner, he came to the courtyard with several kunai, and facing the target hanging on a tree branch, he practiced as he was told.
…He missed all the targets.
In the bedroom, Uchiha Kotoura and Uchiha Nanako sat seiza style, facing each other. The atmosphere was slightly solemn.
“Did you truly make up your mind? The battlefield is very dangerous.”
“I had always felt that Tonan’s poor talent has lost the Uchiha Clan face. I never thought that, as his father, I was also trash in others’ eyes. Tomorrow, I will report to the elders and go to the frontlines. As the father, I must lead by example. I want to let Tonan know that his father is not a coward or useless.”
“I’ll go with you.”
“Just stay at home and take care of Tonan .”
“No, as a member of the Uchiha clan, he should also learn to be independent.”
As his parents spoke, Tonan was looking towards the house throwing kunai and thought to himself:
“I’m sorry. If you two don’t die, it will be very hard for me to take the first step. Isn’t the Will of Fire about striving for dedication? Then, you two should dedicate your lives to me.
Although I’m not your son, in the future, I will sleep with many kunoichis with good genes and pass down this body’s bloodline. Go on your way and accompany your son earlier. It’s better to die at the hands of the enemy than to die at the hands of clansmen later.”
These thoughts were rather evil. He had just transmigrated a few months ago and taken over someone else’s body, but he was already scheming to let the other party’s parents die. How come he was increasingly becoming like a ninja?
Soon afterward, he threw a kunai again, which made a beautiful parabola in the air and fell to the ground.
Missed the target again.
In the bedroom, Uchiha Kotoura heard the continuous sounds of the kunai falling, each thump increasing his determination to go to the battlefield.
The next day. Ninja Academy.
Today marked the end of the mid-year term. All students had to take the half-term examination scheduled for the afternoon. In the morning, the academy students assembled on the training ground, where Hokage-sama was to preach about the Will of Fire.
Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen stood on the platform and glanced at the students below. He cleared his throat and began his address. Just after saying a few words, though, Sarutobi Hiruzen noticed something was amiss. Most of the students looked at him with admiration. However, a first-grade student was casting a confused look at him.
The Hokage frowned. After thinking for a bit, however, he did not find anything wrong with what he just said.
“Perhaps, this child’s comprehension power is too low to understand this.”
He stopped paying more attention to the matter and proceeded with his speech. Halfway through, though, he suddenly noticed that the doubt in that student’s eyes had disappeared. Moreover, it had turned into a look of sudden realization.
Hiruzen nodded in his heart. “Very good, it seems this boy is listening sincerely.”
His voice became a bit louder.
By the end of his speech, Uchiha Tonan’s countenance had indeed changed into deep admiration, just like everyone else. But Hiruzen could see that Tunan’s look was different from others. The other people admired his identity, but Tonan was truly convinced by the principle he just preached.
Thinking of this, made Sarutobi Hiruzen nod in satisfaction.
“This boy will become a useful tool in the future.”
After completing his speech, Sarutobi Hiruzen left with all students bidding him farewell. Just before leaving, he gave Tonan a meaningful look. Seeing this, the young Uchiha immediately trembled with excitement.
Later at noon, Tonan returned home. As expected, the house was already empty, leaving just a tableful of meals and a note. The handwriting on the note was neat and pretty. It was obviously written by his mother.
The note more or less explained that the two had already set out towards the battlefield, and they hoped that he would take care of himself.
Study hard, train hard and strive to become a powerful ninja in the future. Enough money was left in the bedroom, but they still hoped that Uchiha Tonan wouldn’t be wasteful and so on. Everything needing attention was written. Just the last line showed Uchiha Kotoura’s tone.
In the Uchiha Clan, there are no cowards or trash.
After reading the note, Uchiha Tonan sighed and stored the note.
“Have a good trip! Don’t return alive.”
