"Uchiha Keiji actually won?"
"He's… so strong."
"Wait—no, that bet doesn't count! That was just a fluke!"
After a brief silence, the crowd erupted into heated discussion.
Some students had even bet on whether Keiji or Obito would come out on top.
"Hey, trying to back out now?"
"…Fine, I'll give you my stash of adult magazines."
…
Defeating someone known as the class underachiever wasn't exactly earth-shattering.
But for someone who had only just started practicing chakra control—someone who'd essentially trained for just a few days—to defeat a pre-academy ninja student?
That… gave people pause.
Years of training, overshadowed by someone who'd just stepped onto the field.
From that moment, the entire class began to view Keiji differently.
A taijutsu prodigy.
And the most terrifying part?
Rumor had it that Uchiha Keiji had already awakened the Sharingan—at his age.
Combined with the Uchiha clan's notorious talent for Fire Release, no one could say for sure whether Keiji's genius extended to other domains as well.
"Didn't expect that guy to be this good," Sarutobi Asuma muttered.
"Yeah…" Yuhi Kurenai nodded in agreement.
Her crimson eyes quietly observed Keiji.
Long, curled black hair drifted gently in the wind, brushing against her cheek.
"I wonder what his genjutsu is like," she murmured.
"Huh? What'd you say?" Asuma asked.
"Nothing." Kurenai shook her head.
"All right, Obito—don't let it get to you. Try harder next time," said Iruka Umino, stepping up to check on Obito.
He lifted his shirt—just some surface wounds.
"Cheh! I just didn't perform at my best today!" Obito huffed.
The thought of embarrassing himself in front of Rin made him burn with frustration.
"It's okay, Obito. You really tried your best," Rin comforted him gently.
Hearing her words, Obito's frown faded into a sheepish grin.
"What a waste… Keiji really should come train taijutsu with me," said Might Guy with a look of regret.
"If he joined me in the flames of youth, he'd grow so much stronger!"
"No… you'd ruin him," Kakashi replied, shivering slightly at the mental image of an Uchiha in a green jumpsuit with a bowl cut.
"Uchiha Keiji… I'll keep watching him," Kakashi said quietly.
He'd had enough of the meaningless scuffles in the academy.
More and more, the idea of graduating early tugged at his mind.
His father, the White Fang of Konoha, was a name known across the ninja world—and here he was, wasting time.
Even back when he was four, before entering the academy, he could already perform a complete Earth Release: Earth Wave technique.
He'd even entered a ninjutsu competition and taken first place, winning a silver kunai as a prize.
"If Uchiha Keiji could graduate early too… teaming up with him wouldn't be bad."
So Kakashi thought.
Back among the crowd, Keiji fielded congratulations and small talk from his peers.
The technique [Lightning Release: Iron Body] was proving useful.
He could feel his physical development speeding up.
Even during the fight with Obito, he noticed how much more agile he'd become since the day before.
[Lightning Release: Iron Body] allowed lightning chakra to be concentrated beneath the skin, stimulating muscle fibers through specific chakra frequency patterns.
This bioelectric stimulation activated fast-twitch muscle fibers, triggering protein synthesis and causing rapid muscle growth.
It was more effective than conventional physical training.
The downside? It didn't affect internal organs or bones—at most, it could improve surface resilience and a degree of defense.
But for now, that was more than enough for Keiji.
He hadn't fully mastered the technique yet. So far, he was only experimenting with it using a scroll, targeting local muscle groups.
Once he did grasp it fully, it would rapidly strengthen his body.
As Iruka Umino called for the next sparring group, Keiji quietly continued channeling [Lightning Release: Iron Body] within the crowd.
If someone were to peer into his chakra network using the Byakugan, they'd see faint electrical currents radiating outward from his tenketsu.
He was growing stronger—bit by bit.
Right now, he could easily defeat the version of himself who had first arrived in Konoha just a month ago.
Dusk.
The Third Training Ground still bustled with activity.
At the edge of the field, near a slow-moving river
"Today, we're going to learn how to walk on water," Rin explained patiently.
Keiji stood beside her.
Kakashi and Obito were nearby as well.
Obito folded his arms and deliberately stood away from Keiji, inching closer to Rin.
Behind the black fabric of his mask, Kakashi's expression remained unchanged, silently listening to Rin's explanation.
He already knew all of this.
The real reason he kept showing up here, day after day, was because he'd noticed something unusual:
Keiji improved every single day.
Sometimes, improvement itself was a kind of talent.
Hard work often led nowhere—but progress, real progress, was rare.
"This is harder than tree-walking… Let's see how Keiji handles it."
Kakashi's gaze turned toward Keiji.
With tree-walking, you only needed to gather a specific amount of chakra to a body part and maintain it.
Trees didn't move. As long as you could stick to them, you were fine.
It was one of the most fundamental ninja skills—learning how to regulate chakra output.
But walking on water?
You had to continuously release just the right amount of chakra.
Enough to support your full body weight—no more, no less.
It was much more difficult to maintain that delicate balance over time.
"Ninjas usually refine chakra while moving. That's what makes control and consistency so hard. That's why we need a solid foundation," Rin said seriously.
She clearly paid attention during class. Every word was textbook-perfect.
"Oh… I see now." Obito scratched his head.
Turns out Rin had rattled off a bunch of theory he'd never even heard before.
He glanced at Kakashi—expressionless as always.
Of course, he knew all of it.
Then he looked toward Keiji, who stood there in thoughtful silence.
Crap! Am I the only one who didn't get it?!
Obito panicked a little.
He resolved to catch up on theory as soon as he got home.
"I'll demonstrate," Rin said.
She stepped out of her sandals. Her delicate feet touched the gently flowing river, ripples spreading beneath her.
She walked several steps—graceful and steady.
"Taking off your shoes makes it easier," she added.
Without shoes, you only had to focus chakra at your soles.
With shoes, you had to consider thickness and chakra conductivity.
"Got it." Keiji stepped forward, removing his Uchiha robe and leaving only a long-sleeved undershirt.
He formed hand seals.
After focusing his chakra, he took his first step onto the surface of the water.