"Are people from the Land of Lightning all naturally this talented?"
Kurenai Yuhi politely declined the candy Asuma Sarutobi offered her—she was worried eating too much sugar would make her gain weight.
Asuma was basically her childhood friend.
They had known each other since before they even started at the academy.
"My family's fought Cloud shinobi before. From what I've heard, yeah—they're built different."
Images of burly, dark-skinned men flashed through Asuma's mind—massive guys with hulking muscles.
No matter how you looked at it, they were nothing like the slim, almost delicate Keiji.
"But Keiji's skin tone isn't even that dark," Asuma pointed out.
The old man—his father, had mentioned that although most people from Kumogakure were dark-skinned, there were exceptions. Some had surprisingly fair complexions.
One thing they all shared, though: they were built like tanks.
No one really knew how they trained that way.
"Who knows," Kurenai shrugged, shaking her head.
She wasn't particularly interested in how physically strong Keiji was.
What she really wanted to know... was how gifted he was in genjutsu.
Her father had always told her that the Uchiha were prodigies in illusions—every Sharingan user was said to be a master of the art.
Kurenai didn't buy that for a second.
In her heart, the true pinnacle of genjutsu was her father—a man who had trained tirelessly for a lifetime to reach such heights.
There was no way just having a Sharingan automatically made you better.
In their class, Keiji was the only one who had awakened the Sharingan.
Word was, it even caused Lady Tsunade herself to come take a look.
Keiji suddenly felt someone's gaze and turned toward it.
It was Kurenai.
Why was she staring at him?
He gave it a moment's thought but didn't dwell on it. Instead, he casually responded to the conversation happening around him while focusing on the panel before him.
[Trait: Long-Distance Runner (White)]
[Requirement Achieved: Run 5 kilometers]
[Progress: Completed]
[Effect: Your lower body strength has improved. You're now more suited for long-distance travel. Leg power increased by 5%.]
[Note: This trait can be further upgraded.]
"A whole new trait in just one class period."
Keiji closed the panel. His lower body surged with warmth, as if that power were fusing with each of his cells—he could feel the increased density in his muscles.
This would definitely enhance his taijutsu techniques, especially kicks.
"I wonder if training methods like rock climbing or kunai throwing will trigger more related traits…"
He mulled over the idea silently.
"Keiji, are you contemplating the essence of youth?" Might Guy asked with the enthusiasm of someone who had just found a kindred spirit.
"…."
Keiji didn't respond.
Ten minutes later, after the students had rested up, Ebisu began announcing the results.
"Might Guy, first place. Kakashi, second…"
He continued reading down the list until he got to Keiji—sixth place.
Keiji's face remained impassive.
He had only recently begun physical training, and to already be in sixth place? That alone spoke volumes about his innate talent.
Others had been training for years each term, and yet he had already surpassed them.
No wonder Nonō Yakushi had once said he was perfectly suited to become a taijutsu-focused shinobi.
"Alright, everyone," Ebisu called out, "remember to prepare for next week's sparring class. Here's the pairing list."
He began to read off the matchups for the following week.
Originally, the class had an even number of students, so everyone had a sparring partner. But now that Keiji had transferred in, they were one over.
Ebisu paused for a moment, then spotted Obito talking to Rin nearby.
"Obito," he said, "you'll be sparring with Keiji next week. The pairings rotate weekly."
Obito froze for a second.
Wasn't this the perfect chance to prove himself?
If he could beat Keiji in front of Rin, he could finally show her that Keiji's win last time was just a fluke.
"Got it, Ebisu-sensei!" Obito replied loudly.
Ebisu nodded.
Obito's academic performance wasn't great, but his attitude was always enthusiastic.
His taijutsu scores were near the bottom too—this would also help Keiji ease into the class dynamic.
"That's all—class dismissed."
With that, the day's lesson came to an end.
After school, Keiji again approached Rin to ask for help controlling his chakra.
This time, both Kakashi and Obito were present.
Just like the day before, Keiji trained with unwavering determination.
They continued working on tree climbing, but this time the trees were taller, demanding more precise and sustained chakra control.
As the golden hues of dusk filtered through the forest, Keiji was the first to call it a day.
"Heading out already, Keiji-kun?" Rin asked.
"I've been in Konoha for about a month now. Figured it's time I explored a bit—see what good food the village has to offer."
"I see," Rin nodded.
Some of the local vendors did have excellent food. She even knew a little girl named Anko Mitarashi who always went to a particular shop for red bean soup—usually paired with dango.
…
After leaving the training site, Keiji didn't go straight home.
He wandered the streets of Konoha aimlessly for a while, eventually walking into a seemingly ordinary sushi restaurant.
He had just stepped inside when a staff member approached him.
"Here to try our new specialty dish—squid sushi?"
The voice came from a blonde-haired waitress in a short bob cut. Her apron barely concealed her ample chest, the gray top underneath just visible.
Samui!
Keiji immediately recognized her.
She was one of the few women in the original series who could go toe-to-toe with Tsunade.
For one reason only: she was stacked.
After a quick glance, Keiji looked back at her face and furrowed his brow slightly.
Samui looked like she was already a teenager—this didn't line up with the original timeline at all.
Could his presence in this world have caused a butterfly effect?
"I'll take the squid sushi," he replied smoothly, rolling with Samui's prompt.
Samui was from Kumogakure—if she was here, it had to be under the directive of someone high up.
And if she had come over to speak with him, she likely recognized his face.
"You're our first guest to try this dish. Please, come with me," Samui said, leading him toward the back.
"This item uses only the freshest squid, hand-selected by the customer."
Soon, they arrived at a room filled with large glass tanks. Inside swam a variety of fish, the water bubbling from filtration systems.
But Samui didn't stop there—she placed her hand on the wall.
A black sealing pattern flared to life, and a section of the wall opened.
A dark corridor lay ahead.
At the far end stood a man with dreadlocks who turned as they entered. His presence was unmistakable.
"Yagetsu Keiji—it's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Samodo."
"That surname is from the past," Keiji replied coolly. "I'm Uchiha now."
Samodo's hairstyle wasn't unusual for Konoha. Back in Part I, Iruka had taken Konohamaru and the other kids on an outdoor class, and Hiruzen Sarutobi came to lecture them about the Will of Fire.
One of the children in that group had dreadlocks too.
So this wasn't anything strange.