After what felt like half a lifetime of Sarutobi Hiruzen's endless "Will of Fire" speech, Uchiha Souji finally stepped into his new classroom.
His ears were still ringing with words like "future," "hope," and "new leaves." If the Will of Fire had a physical form, Souji was sure it would be a long stick used to beat children's brains into submission.
He let out a quiet breath.
At last, class.
He walked into the elite class and took his seat beside Uchiha Itachi. Around them sat rows of young faces—some nervous, some excited, some completely clueless.
To Souji, they all looked like NPCs.
If Kakashi's era was a generation of geniuses…
And Naruto's era was a generation of monsters…
Then his era was clearly under-staffed.
He scanned the room slowly, mentally comparing faces to what he remembered from the original story.
Nope. Don't know him. Don't know her. Passerby. Background extra. Filler. Who are you?
In the entire classroom, he only recognized one person beyond Itachi:
Inuzuka Hana.
Kiba's older sister. Short dark hair, confident aura, that Inuzuka wildness in her eyes. She at least had some presence.
Everyone else?
They were the kind of people who appear on-panel once, say "Yes, Sensei," and never show up again.
Souji rubbed his chin.
No wonder Itachi graduated early. With a lineup like this, of course he'd be bored to death.
---
Beside him, Itachi noticed his wandering gaze.
"Souji, what are you looking at?"
His tone was cold, almost flat, but Souji could still hear a hint of curiosity.
The way he spoke was exactly like Fugaku—
Except Fugaku sounded like everyone owed him eight million,
while Itachi sounded like everyone owed him one million.
Souji thought for a moment.
If he revealed that he was evaluating everyone's future potential, Itachi might start thinking he was some strategic genius.
But Souji's idol was Sima Yi—the man who survived to the end by being underestimated.
His dream was simple:
Run away to the capital of the Land of Fire, have three wives and four concubines, spend money, and never fight in a war.
To live that long, he needed people to think:
> "Ah, he's just a vulgar, ordinary Uchiha. Not a threat."
So he smiled slightly and shrugged.
"Ah, nothing special. Just looking at the pretty girl. That one—"
He pointed lazily toward Inuzuka Hana.
"You think she's cute? Not bad, right?"
Itachi followed his line of sight, looked at Hana for a moment, then slowly looked away.
His inner thoughts were complicated.
That's it? That's what he was looking at? Just a girl?
For a second, Itachi suspected his father had misjudged Souji.
Is this… just a normal kid?
He felt his motivation slipping.
Sure enough, in his mind:
I should finish school fast. Maybe I should learn Shadow Clone after all. Send a Shadow Clone to class and go train with Shisui instead. That would be more productive.
Seeing Itachi fall into deep thought, Souji's heart lit up.
A tiny grin tugged at the corner of his mouth.
Perfect.
Yes, yes, that's right. Look at me and see only a vulgar guy who checks out girls. Good. Excellent. Hurry up and get bored with school. Graduate early. Leave me here with the extras. I'll follow the main story from a safe distance.
He started imagining the future.
Graduate → become a Genin → pick a long mission → disappear to the capital → three wives → four concubines → no talk of war.
The more he thought, the higher the corner of his mouth lifted.
At that moment, Uchiha Itachi looked back at him, having made a silent decision:
Today would be his last proper day of school.
He would only continue attending for appearances. The rest could be handled by Shadow Clones and clever scheduling.
But for his father's sake, he had planned to at least tell Souji where to find him if he ever needed help. He respected his father's judgment, after all.
Itachi turned, ready to speak—
—and saw Souji smiling to himself.
Not a childish grin.
Not a sweet, silly smile.
But something… else.
Itachi froze.
That's… not a simple smile.
The more he looked, the more his brain twisted it.
To Itachi's eyes, Souji's small smirk looked like contempt.
Who was he looking down on?
The class?
The elite students?
…Itachi himself?
Itachi's expression hardened.
He quickly scanned the room again, reevaluating everyone.
Most of the students were weak. Emotionally immature. Technically average.
Only the girl Souji pointed out earlier, Inuzuka Hana, had decent potential.
For a moment, he wondered if Souji simply looked down on everyone.
Then he shook his head.
No. That's too shallow. Father wouldn't praise someone so one-dimensional.
He looked again more carefully.
Small groups of students had already formed. Kids were laughing, talking, excitedly chattering about becoming shinobi, about jutsu, about fame.
They were smiling happily in their own little circles.
Meanwhile, he and Souji…
Sat alone together.
Like two lone wolves in a cage full of puppies.
A sudden thought flashed in Itachi's mind like lightning.
I see.
He believed he finally understood Souji's deep plan.
It's not that he looks down on them as people.
He's thinking about alliances.
Ninjas fought in teams. Teams needed trust. People needed connections.
The Uchiha had too few friends in the village. Too many enemies. Too much distance.
If they continued isolating themselves, sooner or later, they would be surrounded.
Itachi's heart shook.
So that smile… was it aimed at the current situation? At our clan's arrogance? At our lonely place in the village?
He placed a hand on Souji's shoulder and spoke with rare earnestness:
"Souji… I'm sorry. I've been too proud."
Souji: "???"
Itachi's expression was serious.
"You're really amazing. There's a lot I need to learn from you."
"You wanted to tell me, didn't you?" Itachi continued, voice low.
"If we isolate ourselves, we'll eventually be outnumbered. Only by forming allies and building friendships can we create a lasting future."
"The Uchiha clan has too few friends right now, so you want to change that. Make more friends. Fewer enemies."
"In time, that will become the Uchiha's shelter in Konoha."
He looked almost moved.
"You really are a genius, Souji."
Souji's brain crashed.
Meow meow meow??
When I put a question mark, it's not that I'm confused—it's that YOU are sick.
Are you okay, Itachi?
Did you inhale too much second-hand smoke from your "Grandpa Hokage" just now?
All Souji had done was look at a pretty girl and think about his three-wives-four-concubines retirement plan, and somehow Itachi had constructed a political philosophy of long-term alliance building.
He quickly tried to defend himself:
"Wait, hold on, Itachi. I'm just a normal, common Uchiha. There's nothing special about me. I really think I should explain—"
But Itachi cut him off with perfect timing.
"Yes. You're right. We are all 'common' Uchiha. And common residents of Konoha."
Itachi nodded solemnly.
"That's exactly why we need friends."
And just like that, he stood up.
Without waiting for Souji's response, Itachi left his seat and walked toward the other students—toward those smiling small groups he'd previously ignored.
He started talking to them, joining conversations, introducing himself.
A few heads turned. Then more.
The classroom atmosphere shifted.
In that moment, Itachi silently decided:
He wouldn't skip school with Shadow Clones.
He would train just as hard.
But he would also use this time to build bridges.
He remembered Shisui's words about the tension between the Uchiha and the village, about misunderstandings and mutual fear.
As the next patriarch, Itachi felt a strange weight on his shoulders.
And now—thanks to what he believed was Souji's "reminder"—he saw a path.
If there's even a small chance that building friendships here can create a safer future for the clan… then I have to try.
He clenched his small fists.
I have to move. If I wait, it might be too late.
---
Back at the desk, Souji stretched out a hand in Itachi's direction, opening his mouth—but no sound came out.
His face twisted as if he'd just swallowed a live fly.
He watched the future god of slaughter smiling awkwardly at a group of kids, trying to start small talk. The sight was unbelievable.
Souji's thoughts spun.
Everyone in this clan is insane. I must have transmigrated into the wrong version of Naruto. Is this… some kind of parallel universe?
But no—everything he knew still matched the original timeline.
Yet people's brains didn't.
Itachi was reading deep strategy into random actions. Fugaku was mistaking accidental reactions as proof of genius. Hiruzen was eyeing him like a prized secret asset.
Souji clenched his fists under the desk.
If things kept going at this pace, he might never get the chance to escape.
He felt a chill crawl up his spine.
No. If I stay passive, I'll be dragged into their plans and expectations. I'll be crushed without even knowing when it started.
He needed to act.
He didn't know how yet.
He didn't know when.
But one thing was clear:
If he wanted to live long enough to become "a vulgar landlord in the capital," he needed to start steering his own fate—now.