Meanwhile, Uchiha Reki walked down the bustling street while humming a tune.
Passing by a dango shop, he casually bought a skewer of three-color dango, biting into one and feeling the sticky glutinous rice between his teeth.
"Genjutsu," he twirled the bamboo skewer at his fingertips like a sword, "is just like the red bean paste in this dango. High-tier opponents all come with built-in resistance, while low-tier grunts can't even taste the flavor."
For Uchiha Reki, the most important function of the Sharingan was unlocking the Susanoo later on.
Then, emulating Uchiha Madara by slicing a mountain in half with a single slash—now that was the real thrill.
Lord Hashirama remained unusually quiet, as he didn't care much for Genjutsu either.
Back when he fought Madara, he only remembered him using it to control Kurama; otherwise, he hardly ever seemed to use it.
Pushing open his front door, Uchiha Reki's gaze was drawn to a scroll resting on the table.
《Uchiha-style Kenjutsu》
As he picked up the scroll, a piece of paper slipped out from between its pages, bearing messy handwriting still stained with wet ink.
"Reki-big brother, I borrowed this secret manual from a senior in our clan, hoping it will help you."
Uchiha Reki smiled; Shisui truly was a kind and good boy.
He picked up the scroll and read for a while, then hoisted Karma Fire onto his shoulder to practice in the courtyard.
Lord Hashirama chimed in from the side every now and then, "Your form is wrong, do it again."
"Too slow, do it again."
"Learn with your heart, Reki! If this were the battlefield, you'd already be dead!"
Uchiha Reki scratched his head. "Lord Hashirama, this is Uchiha kenjutsu; it's still a bit different from the Senju clan's style."
"Reki, that's where you're wrong. I fought against the Uchiha my whole life—don't you think I know the essence of Uchiha swordplay? Just listen to me."
Uchiha Reki spread his hands in resignation. "Yes, yes, Lord Hashirama."
The next morning, Uchiha Reki sauntered leisurely into the Ninja Academy.
The academy classroom was already packed with students whispering among themselves.
As Uchiha Reki walked past with a steamed bun in his mouth, he sharply caught fragments of conversation: "Will of Fire," "perfect score answer sheet," "personally approved by the Third," and similar phrases.
Upon asking, he learned that Lord Hokage had given his test paper a perfect score and published it as the standard answer for everyone to read.
With that, Uchiha Reki became thoroughly famous throughout the school, and even across all of Konohagakure.
Lord Hashirama was also quite excited; at first, he hadn't fully understood what was so good about what Uchiha Reki had written.
But since Monkey said it was good, then it definitely was good.
Lord Hashirama sighed with emotion: An Uchiha who has mastered the Will of Fire, wonderful!
Madara, in this regard, your bloodline doesn't seem to have played much of a role at all.
[Received from Senju Hashirama: Super Academic Genius Physique. Your speed in learning Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, and Genjutsu has been massively enhanced; you will master them instantly upon learning in most situations.]
The cheat is here!
At the classroom door, Kurenai Yuhi almost crashed right into his arms while carrying a stack of test papers.
The young girl's blushing eyes shone brilliantly. "Li-kun! That part where you analyzed 'Wherever the leaves dance, the fire burns, too' actually quoted the Second Lord's personal insights!"
She gestured excitedly. "So this is what the Will of Fire is really about!"
Before Uchiha Reki could reply, he was swallowed up by the surging crowd.
Someone shoved a exquisitely bound copy of the 《Standard Answers》 into his hands, and when he flipped to the title page, he saw Sarutobi Hiruzen's annotations.
Ah, I see—a reading comprehension of a reading comprehension.
Uchiha Reki's mouth twitched. "It just has to be you, dear Third Hokage, the strongest Hokage in history."
Miyagi Shunsuke stood on the podium, gesturing for the class to quiet down.
"This period is for self-study. Everyone, carefully study classmate Uchiha Reki's answers on the Will of Fire."
"Yes, Shunsuke-sensei."
Inside the classroom, every single student except Uchiha Reki was studying diligently.
Only Uchiha Reki stared blankly out the window at the sky as usual. When on earth would class end?
Needless to say, for Uchiha Shisui, his admiration value simply went up by one.
As for Uchiha Obito, an absolute idiot who frequently scored zero on written tests, he completely failed to accept this reality.
In the past, he used to be dead last in written exams, while Uchiha Reki's performance in Ninjutsu class was utterly appalling.
The two of them had been dubbed the Black and White Fiends of the Ninja Academy—the ultimate embodiment of the dropout holy trinity.
But things were different now. Uchiha Reki was proficient in both literary and martial arts, transforming overnight into a model student praised by the principal. How could anyone stomach that?
So Uchiha Obito figured he'd find some free time to ask his good friend Nohara Rin for tutoring or something.
Konohagakure Hospital.
Asuma lay in a hospital bed. Just last night, he had been subjected to strict family discipline by Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Wielding a leather belt, Sarutobi Hiruzen had lashed out left and right while cursing up a storm.
"Rebellious youth, are you? Talking nonsense, are you? Running your mouth about Lord Hashirama, are you...?"
"When did I ever talk about Lord Hashirama?!"
"Shut up!"
Smack!
"Ah!"
Asuma wore a look of bitter indignation. Getting a beating was no big deal; he had gotten used to being beaten over the years.
Yet before leaving, Sarutobi Hiruzen had dropped a new demand: memorize the entire text of the Will of Fire fluently before being discharged from the hospital, or else he needn't bother coming out ever again.
Wasn't this just making things difficult on purpose?
Toward this Uchiha Reki—the quintessential "other people's child" constantly brought up by parents—Asuma actually felt a surge of anger.
How could that dropout who always brought up the rear in Taijutsu class suddenly fathom a Will of Fire that even the Hokage found astonishing?
Soon, a pang of jealousy mixed in with those thoughts.
This made Asuma find it hard to believe: would the proud son of the Hokage actually be jealous of a good-for-nothing Uchiha?
Driven by this complex swirl of emotions, Asuma actually started memorizing the text...
Overall, the majority of villagers and students were inspired.
However, there was one exception: Hatake Kakashi.
Any handsome reader who frequently follows the ninja world knows that Hatake Kakashi's father was Hatake Sakumo, known as the White Fang of Konohagakure.
Back on the battlefield, wielding his chakra short blade, he carved a bloody path in and out seven times, slaughtering indiscriminately and conveniently executing Sasori's parents.
His moniker resounded across all nations, and even the legendary Sannin had to show him a measure of respect.
Within the village, Hatake Sakumo was deeply loved by the residents and hailed as someone fully qualified to become the next Hokage.
Yet such an outstanding ninja had ultimately chosen suicide.
Because during a mission, he chose to abandon the objective in order to protect his comrades.
This pushed him into the storm center of public opinion, and even the two worthless comrades whose lives he had saved turned around to blame him.
Hatake Sakumo's mental fortitude eventually shattered, and he chose to end his own life.
This left a massive psychological shadow on young Kakashi.
He simply couldn't understand: when teachers lectured on the Will of Fire at the academy, they told everyone to protect their comrades.
Yet his father had done just that—abandoning the mission to protect his comrades.
And yet people pointed fingers, claiming a ninja should place the mission above all else.
Anyway, they got to say whatever nonsense they wanted, and every argument somehow sounded justified.
Just as Kakashi accepted reality and decided that missions superseded everything else, Sarutobi Hiruzen went off the rails again.
He vigorously promoted Uchiha Reki's perfect-score test paper, demanding that everyone study it earnestly.
Kakashi took one look and thought, *What the hell is this if not a mental disorder?*
We've gone right back in a circle, dammit.
Kakashi felt like he was losing his mind.
Before the memorial stone, Kakashi caressed his father's name, kneeling in the muddy water while the scene of driving the chakra short blade into his heart replayed in a loop in his mind.
"Father, what on earth am I supposed to do?"
A fine drizzle pattered against the bluestone slabs like broken glass beads, and Hatake Sakumo's gravestone looked exceptionally desolate amid the curtain of rain.
*Tap, tap, tap*—a string of footsteps drew closer from afar.
"Kakashi, failing a mission is a disgrace to a ninja, but those who abandon their comrades are even worse than trash."