The gentle sunlight pierced through Konoha Village in April, spilling through the gaps between the cherry blossom trees and shining through the wide French windows onto tender, youthful faces, highlighting the vibrant energy of the young boys and girls.
The April spring breeze blew gently, mild and not biting, softly swaying the cherry blossom branches, causing pink and white petals to flutter and dance on the wind… drawing many passersby to stop and gaze.
But the pause was only temporary; most people, after a moment of daze, sighed inwardly and resumed their work, showing just how busy the school staff were during this special period.
After all, it was the Konoha Ninja School's annual enrollment season, and the Second Ninja World War had only recently ended. This was a crucial stage for the village to recuperate and cultivate new saplings.
"Hey, look, look! Who's that guy sitting in the back row? He's so handsome, and his eyes… beautiful, so beautiful! Looking at his clan emblem, he seems to be from the Uchiha clan, right?"
A soft gasp came from the front row of the classroom, drawing the eyes of a group of girls clustered together to the lonely figure sitting in the corner.
The young boy had messy, long white hair and a fair, tender face that looked to be only four or five years old.
But even more striking were his pair of shining purple eyes beneath those sword-like eyebrows; the depth in those pupils seemed to pull one in completely — utterly unlike what a child's eyes should possess.
The young boy was sitting in the corner by the French window in the last row, propping his cheek with one hand, his gaze drifting toward the petals gently falling outside. He seemed deep in thought, yet the calmness on his face conveyed an inner tranquility.
With the young boy's sharp hearing, even across the vast classroom, the girls' low whispers were as clear as if spoken beside his ear. Feeling the undisguised gazes falling on him, his mouth twitched faintly.
But even though he heard it, the young boy didn't respond. Having experienced similar situations many times before, he knew all too well that responding only made the other party bolder. Only by ignoring them would the discussions eventually dissipate.
"Oh, is Sora-kun also in this classroom?"
A slightly familiar voice came from behind Uchiha Sora. Turning around, he saw a young boy who looked a bit older than him smiling gently.
He wore a simple black, high-necked short-sleeved top with the Uchiha clan emblem printed on the back, and he had a rare button nose among the Uchiha.
Seeing the sunny boy in front of him, a rare smile appeared on Sora's usually serious face.
"So it's you, Shisui. It seems we'll be classmates from now on. Please take care of me."
It wasn't that Sora and Shisui were especially close — they had only met a few times among their peers in the clan. However, neither of them shared much of the Uchiha clan's inherited arrogance. Although they hadn't interacted often, they had conversed pleasantly and become familiar with each other.
Moreover, this large classroom wasn't Uchiha territory, but rather a place that gathered almost all the children of the same age from across Konoha Village. Seeing each other again here, both of them felt a little more at ease — at least they weren't alone. At least, they thought, he wouldn't have to suffer alone with all those obsessive girls in class.
"Haha, it's the same for me. I'll need Sora-kun to take care of me as well."
Creak!
The sudden sound of the classroom door closing brought the continuous chatter to an abrupt halt.
Everyone, including Sora and Shisui, turned their heads toward the podium. There stood a middle-aged ninja wearing a Konoha forehead protector and sporting a full beard. He walked in with steady steps and stopped in front of the podium.
"Please quiet down and take your seats. We're about to begin class."
Shisui and Sora exchanged a glance, smiled faintly at each other, and Shisui moved to sit down next to Sora.
Without wasting any time, the middle-aged teacher began with a simple self-introduction before moving on to distribute the Ninja Academy textbooks and preaching the so-called "Will of Fire."
Sora tilted his head slightly, watching Shisui beside him deeply engrossed, listening with great interest, his eyes shining with quiet determination.
Unaware… that one day he would die because of this very belief.
Sora sighed inwardly. Changing this mindset… won't be easy at all.
Five years.
It had already been five years since Sora transmigrated into this Ninja World.
In his previous life, he had been nothing more than an ordinary person in the early 21st century. In fact, even calling himself "ordinary" might have been generous — compared to others, he was worse off. He was an orphan.
Sora had no family from a young age. If not for the kindness of a few villagers, he probably wouldn't have even lived to see adulthood.
After growing up, just to have enough to eat and drink, he took on all kinds of part-time jobs. Perhaps it was due to sheer mental and physical exhaustion that, one day, he fainted… and when he opened his eyes again, he found himself in this world — already a member of the Uchiha Clan.
This life, however, was different. He was fortunate.
He had a renowned family name, loving parents who doted on him, and even a kind grandmother who often fussed over him.
Although his parents were only ordinary Chūnin, with no great fame or prestige, Sora still cherished this hard-won happiness deeply.
But good times never last.
It was as if fate itself had played a cruel joke on Sora.
Two years ago, just as the Second Ninja World War was drawing to a close, Sora's parents were ambushed by Kirigakure forces during a supply transport mission. Not even their remains were recovered.
The news struck Sora and his grandmother, who had been anxiously waiting at home, like a bolt from the blue — as if the sky itself had collapsed.
It was in that moment of overwhelming grief that Sora resolved to step out of his comfort zone. And in that very same moment, his immense sorrow triggered the awakening of his Sharingan.
Perhaps because he was a transmigrator — his mindset so different from ordinary children of his age — the impact of his loss felt even deeper. As a result, his Sharingan manifested at a level uncommon for a first awakening: it started directly at two tomoe.
In the two years since, Sora had trained his body and refined his chakra diligently, never slacking for even a single day.
Though he was still far from being a proper ninja, among his peers, only a handful could truly rival him.
But even so, Sora knew this was far from enough.
There were only twelve or thirteen years left until the Uchiha Clan's extermination.
If he were alone, he could simply escape Konoha ahead of time, bide his time, and return after he had gained overwhelming strength.
But he wasn't alone.
He still had his elderly grandmother.
Having been alone in his previous life, Sora cherished this last remaining relative even more after losing his parents.
And so — he absolutely could not run away.
He knew he had to make every single second count. Only then could he find even a glimmer of hope when the Uchiha coup and extermination came.
After much thought, Sora already had a plan.
What he lacked now was nothing but strength and prestige.
Great strength would allow him to survive against powerful enemies.
And enough prestige would earn him status within the clan — enough to influence the direction of the Uchiha's fate.
And in this world, where strength reigned supreme, the latter was inseparable from the former.
So, all in all, what he needed most — urgently — was to grow stronger, as quickly as possible.
At that thought, Sora's fists clenched tight.
Strength.
He must obtain even greater power.
To continue...