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The academy was humming with excited whispers and wide-eyed stares. The students couldn't stop talking about the previous day's event. Horyu, a student largely regarded as the class loser, had managed to beat Sasuke in the shuriken contest. It was a sight no one would soon forget, a stunning reversal of the established pecking order.
Sasuke, the class prodigy, was brooding by the window, his expression sullen. Sakura was hovering nearby, trying to gain his attention, but Sasuke seemed uninterested in her attempts to cheer him up.
When Horyu entered the room, he was met with an unusual scene. Every pair of eyes in the room turned to look at him, waiting to see his reaction. But Horyu simply walked to the back of the room and took a seat, waiting for Iruka to enter and begin the class.
Despite the curious gazes that continued to linger on him, Horyu chose to focus on the blinking notification on his system. A red "1" was flashing in the upper corner, signaling a reward from his recent dungeon conquest. As he mentally accessed the reward details, his eyes widened in surprise.
[Dungeon Reward: Uchiha Stealth Manual - a rare scroll that would allow him to learn the Uchiha Clan's stealth techniques. Along with the manual, he'd been awarded 1000 XP, +2 stat points and a title. Uchiha Crusher – a moniker that reduced all damage from Uchihas by 5%.]
[New Title: Academy Student
Increases the talent related to learning. Creating new skills taught by teachers is easier. Leveling up Jutsu in the school ground is faster and easier.
System Message: New Tab opened.
Title Tab is where you can see and wield titles. At the same time, you can only use 1 active title.
Titles: Academy Student, Uchiha Crusher, Talentless Uchiha(Passive)]
His shock quickly transformed into a grin, causing a ripple of murmurs among the students around him. They watched with puzzled expressions as Horyu chuckled to himself, their curiosity about the usually taciturn boy piqued.
As whispers rose, Horyu leaned back in his chair, his fingers tapping a silent rhythm on the desk. They could whisper all they wanted; he had his prize and a title to boot. He relished the idea of having the edge on Sasuke, the boy who had always looked down on him. A sweet, almost cruel sense of satisfaction crept into his heart.
The thought of it, the power, the respect, all because he'd beaten their prodigy in a simple shuriken contest, he found the irony deliciously amusing. He had to fight back the urge to laugh outright, causing an odd huffing sound to escape his lips. It drew a few more curious looks, but he simply shrugged, grinning at the bewildered faces.
Just as the whispers were about to turn into an uproar, Iruka entered the classroom, his stern gaze immediately silencing the room. He frowned at the unusual atmosphere, his eyes landing on Horyu, who was still grinning like a loon.
The day wore on as usual. Iruka lectured, Sasuke brooded, Sakura attempted to gain Sasuke's attention, and the rest of the class largely ignored Horyu. But it was different today. The whispers continued, covert glances were thrown his way and Horyu reveled in the change.
The final bell rang, signifying the end of the school day. As students started packing their belongings, Horyu remained seated, his mind already focused on his newly acquired Uchiha Stealth Manual. He wasn't going to waste any time starting his training.
As soon as he left the Academy grounds, Horyu slipped into the maze of back alleys and side streets of Konoha. He was heading for a specific spot in the village, a secluded corner of the training grounds obscured from prying eyes. Arriving at the location, he scanned the area to ensure no one was around. The space was nestled between two large rock formations, shielding it from view and granting him the solitude he desired.
From his system inventory, Horyu withdrew two scrolls - the Fire Style: Great Fireball technique, an Uchiha staple, and the rare Uchiha Stealth Manual, his hard-earned dungeon reward. As he brought out the scrolls, a gentle prompt from the system echoed in his mind. "Would you like to learn these skills?"
Grinning, Horyu mentally willed a 'yes.' In an instant, both scrolls dissolved into particles of light, merging with his consciousness. A new stream of knowledge rushed into his mind, the basics of the skills assimilated into his understanding. In the blink of an eye, the techniques appeared in his skill list:
[Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique – A basic Uchiha skill that enables the user to exhale a sphere of fire from their mouth.
Uchiha Stealth Technique – A unique stealth ability that utilizes the Sharingan to manipulate the perception of others, making the user seem invisible.]
Horyu couldn't help but chuckle at the sheer absurdity of it all. He could now spit fire and turn invisible. If the classmates who ignored and scoffed at him could see him now, he mused, they would be shocked.
He got up and dusted off his knees, a determined gleam in his eyes. Staring at the grassy training field ahead, he started focusing his chakra. Each Great Fireball technique would consume 25 points of his precious 40-chakra reserve. It was a steep cost, but he couldn't afford to dwell on the downside. The more he practiced, the more efficient he would become.
Summoning the image of the Great Fireball technique into his mind, Horyu took a deep breath. His chakra flared to life, and he released it in a burst of flame from his mouth. The fireball roared into the distance, searing the grass and leaving a charred patch in its wake.
Exhaustion washed over him, his chakra reservoir nearly depleted. Still, satisfaction filled his chest. He had taken his first step, and it was a success.
"I suppose a victory's a victory, no matter how small, huh?" Horyu mumbled to himself, his breath still coming out in short huffs. A smile crept onto his face, the ghost of a sarcastic laugh echoing in the quiet training ground.
But his training was far from over. He turned his attention to the second technique - the Uchiha Stealth Technique. Despite its rarity, the technique consumed less chakra, making it possible to practice even with his depleted reserves.
He had yet to awaken his Sharingan, but Horyu decided to begin with small steps. Alone in the training field, he focused his attention on practicing the Uchiha Stealth Technique.
Closing his eyes, Horyu visualized the technique, calling on the knowledge granted to him by the scroll. He imagined the chakra flowing through his body, concealing him from sight. But it wasn't as simple as that. The technique required him to manipulate the perceptions of others, a feat only possible with the Sharingan.
A hint of frustration started to gnaw at him. It felt like attempting to thread a needle in the dark. He shook his head, forcing himself to remember the resolve he'd felt just moments ago. The words his new self had adopted as a mantra resurfaced in his mind: "Start small."
After a few more failed attempts, Horyu finally managed to make a step forward. While he couldn't make himself entirely invisible, he did manage to blur his figure, creating a slightly distorted image of himself. It wasn't perfect, but it was progress.
The next day at the Academy was no different than any other, the relentless tide of time washing over the students, unconcerned with the whirlwinds of change outside. Days blurred into one another, and before Horyu knew it, an entire week had passed. The village was finally growing accustomed to the shocking news of Yondaime Hokage's betrayal and the ascension of the Fifth Hokage, Uchiha Shisui.
A new shockwave rippled through the village when Horyu, on his way to the market, noticed a crowd gathering beneath the towering Hokage Mountain. There, shinobi and artisans were hard at work, their chisels erasing the face of Yondaime Hokage Minato from the mountainside. In its place, they were carving the visage of Uchiha Shisui. The audacity of Shisui's decision resonated in the gasps of the onlookers – he didn't just aim to replace Minato as Hokage, but also intended to erase him from the villagers' memories.
The onlookers stood in mixed clusters, their gazes focused on the changes taking place on the Hokage Mountain. The murmurs that passed between them were filled with a tangled mix of anger, relief, and support.
The murmurings grew louder, and a conversation between two older villagers caught Horyu's attention.
"That Minato, he was the devil in the disguise of an angel. Who would have thought?" said an elderly man, his fingers trembling slightly as he clutched his walking stick.
"Aye, he had us all fooled," replied his friend, a woman with hair as white as snow. "With his boyish good looks and those gentle smiles, we all thought he was a saint. But it was all just a mask."
Horyu turned his gaze from the chisels on the mountain to the crowd, observing their reactions. Most wore expressions of shock, some nodded their agreement, and others looked almost lost, as if struggling to reconcile with this new reality.
Another voice chimed in, this time from a middle-aged man. "It was Uchiha Shisui who opened our eyes. Had it not been for him, who knows what disaster Minato could've brought upon us."
"He's our savior, that Shisui," a young woman added passionately. "It's only right that his face replaces Minato's on the Hokage Mountain."
As Horyu listened to their words, a cold feeling settled in his heart. Anger and disbelief were obvious emotions in the crowd, but there was something more disturbing. The villagers' perception of Minato and Shisui had changed overnight, their beliefs manipulated by the power players of the village.
He closed his eyes, trying to block out the discordant hum of the crowd, and instead focused on the silent voice in his head - the system. It was his only ally in this twisted world, and for a moment, he felt a sense of solace. He knew he was the only one who could see through this facade.
Opening his eyes again, Horyu looked around at the onlookers. He was still young, not yet a true shinobi, but he understood what was happening. The village was not just replacing their Fourth Hokage with a new one; they were reshaping their collective memory, their shared history. The decision to carve Shisui's face into the mountain was symbolic, a statement intended to reinforce this new narrative in their minds.
To Horyu, this was more than just a political maneuver. It was a powerful psychological tool, effectively turning the villagers against Minato and towards Shisui. He understood the principle - after all, he had just learned a technique to manipulate perception - but to see it being used on such a grand scale was sobering.
The conversation continued around him, voices of agreement adding fuel to the growing support for Shisui. But Horyu had heard enough. He turned away from the scene, mentally shaking off the oppressive atmosphere.
As he left the crowd behind, he murmured under his breath, "If only these folks knew what they're cheering for. Too blinded by the dazzling 'hero' to see the puppeteer behind the scenes. Well, everyone loves a good story, don't they?"
He let out a dry, cynical laugh. "Minato, the traitor, and Shisui, the hero. Quite a gripping plot indeed. It's a shame, though, that the script was written by someone else."
His voice trailed off as he disappeared down an alley, a wry smile on his face. This village, these people, their stories - it was all a maze, an intricate game of shadows and illusions. And Horyu was no longer an ignorant player; he was slowly learning to see through the game.
The hard reality was a bitter pill to swallow. But as Horyu had already decided, he wouldn't be fooled by the narratives spun by others. His path was his own, and he would write his own story, no matter how challenging the journey might be.
He muttered to himself, the corners of his lips lifting in a sardonic smile. "Well, at least life isn't boring around here. Can't wait to see what other surprises are in store."
One thing was clear - Horyu had his work cut out for him.
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