The Uchiha estate was not particularly close to the Konoha Ninja Academy, but Aozora and his brother moved quickly, and before long they arrived at their family mansion.
Uchiha Kagami had once been a Konoha Jonin and a member of the Second Hokage's elite guard. He had left behind only a modest inheritance for his descendants—but even so, it was far from negligible. Though some of the family had squandered much of it, there was still a grand mansion waiting for Aozora and his brother.
As they entered, Uchiha Shisui suddenly remembered that his younger brother was graduating today. "Let's go out to eat," he said hurriedly. "You can have whatever you want."
Aozora rolled his eyes. "Not very considerate, huh? We're already home."
With that, he walked toward the kitchen.
Aozora's parents had died on a mission shortly after his birth, leaving Shisui to raise him. Once Aozora entered the ninja academy, Shisui became busy with missions and was often gone for days at a time. From then on, Aozora had lived alone and had become thoroughly skilled in daily life—cooking, cleaning, laundry—all second nature.
Shisui followed him into the kitchen. "Do you need any help?" he asked.
Aozora considered, then said, "There's frozen beef in the fridge. Just slice it thinly."
After giving his instructions, Aozora selected and washed vegetables.
Shisui laid the frozen beef on a cutting board, furrowing his brow like a warrior preparing for battle.
Moments later, with a single slap of the board, the beef rose into the air. He drew his sword from his back and began slicing in a flurry—swish, swish, swish!
Thin, almost translucent slices of beef hung neatly on the board. He asked, "Is this okay?"
"Uh… sure!" Aozora didn't know what to say. Thinner was fine; he'd just cook it for a couple fewer seconds in the hotpot.
With the "master chef with supreme blade skills" in the kitchen, the hotpot ingredients were soon ready.
Aozora placed the pot filled with broth over a small stove and announced, "Let's eat!"
The broth heated quickly, and steam rose. Its aroma wafted into the air, stirring Shisui's appetite.
"The water's boiling! Start with the meat, then the vegetables. Two seconds in the pot is enough; any longer and it'll be tough."
He carefully dipped the thin beef slices in the pot for two seconds, then into a homemade sauce, savoring the tender meat.
The combination of the sauce's aroma and the beef's delicate texture enveloped him instantly.
Aozora gave his brother a thumbs-up, mumbling, "Not bad for knife skills."
"Really? Let me try!"
Shisui's heart swelled at his brother's praise, and he couldn't resist trying.
"Delicious!" he exclaimed.
"Aozora, when did you get so good at cooking? This broth is incredible!"
"Ha, your slices are perfect—so tender!"
"I agree! One more slice!"
The meat quickly disappeared, followed by the vegetables. When Shisui finished the last pieces of ginger, the meal ended.
Lying on the floor with full stomachs, the two brothers relaxed.
"Aozora, what's your dream?" Shisui asked suddenly.
Aozora thought for a moment. "To learn every ninjutsu in the ninja world."
He wanted to understand how the skills of this world connected to the Heavenly Book. What would happen once he mastered all ninjutsu?
"What?"
Shisui was shocked. He had expected his brother might aspire to be a Chunin—or even the Hokage—but he had never imagined this.
There had been one other who spoke similarly, though that person's talent was once-in-a-century. Aozora… was just a boy.
Shisui's surprise was exactly as Aozora had anticipated. "This is my dream. I'm not joking."
Seeing the seriousness in Aozora's eyes, Shisui swallowed his words of caution and finally said solemnly, "I believe in you."
With that, he left for his room.
After lying down for a moment, Aozora realized something was amiss.
Glancing at the mess on the dining table, he sensed that his brother was up to something.
Huff— Aozora exhaled in annoyance and began cleaning up.
Just as he finished washing the dishes, Shisui appeared again.
Holding a black expression toward his "untrustworthy" older brother, Aozora watched as Shisui set down a wooden box.
"Aozora," he said, "inside this cabinet are the ninjutsu scrolls Father left behind. Over the years, I've also collected additional scrolls and added them here."
"Since you hadn't refined chakra before, I kept them safe. Now that you've graduated, you have the right to study them."
Shisui opened the box, revealing more than ten scrolls.
Seeing the burning eagerness in his brother's eyes, Shisui didn't hand it over immediately. Instead, he cautioned, "Aozora, I support your dream. But don't bite off more than you can chew. Make wise choices."
"I'll also check your progress regularly. If I find you neglecting your training to focus solely on studying ninjutsu, I will take these scrolls back."
He pushed the box toward Aozora.
Unable to contain himself, Aozora grabbed it eagerly. He walked a few steps before remembering to thank his brother.
"Thanks, brother! And don't worry—I won't give you the chance to take them back!"
With that, he clutched the box and ran upstairs.
Seeing his brother's genuine smile, Shisui returned to his room, satisfied.
Aozora placed the box on his bed and quickly kicked off his slippers to inspect its contents.
Just as he was about to sleep, someone handed him a pillow—truly, everything was going as he hoped.
Looking at the treasure trove, he slowly reached out with eager fingers.
I'll open it!
"Fire Style—Phoenix Fire Technique!"
Open another!
"Fire Style—Great Fireball Technique!"
And another!
"Fire Style—Fire Dragon Flame Bomb!"
After unleashing three basic fire-style jutsu, his excitement gradually calmed. He quickly flipped through the scrolls.
In total, there were 23 scrolls in the box. Each scroll recorded one or two jutsu and related training notes, totaling 33 techniques.
Of the 33 techniques: 18 were ninjutsu, 9 were genjutsu, 3 were kenjutsu, and 3 were tools manipulation techniques.
Though plentiful, most were D- or C-rank. Only three were B-rank, and there were no A-rank jutsu.
"Wow, big brother, you're slacking! 'Instant Shisui' and this is all you collected?"
Though he complained aloud, Aozora was secretly thrilled.
He was sure his brother had saved some for later—and there was undoubtedly a reason. The scrolls were more than enough for him to train for a long time.
He selected three scrolls to start with.
The first recorded basic Uchiha fire techniques: Great Fireball and Phoenix Fire.
The second contained two fundamental genjutsu: Naraku Vision and Mist Servant.
The third taught shuriken throwing and control—Shuriken Manipulation Technique.
Rather than choosing advanced jutsu, Aozora opted for basics. A towering building must rise from the ground.
With his initial techniques chosen, he stored the rest of the scrolls away.
Aozora opened one of the scrolls, ready to begin.