"Mangy Uchiha brat, who taught you medical ninjutsu?"
On top of the Hokage Rock, Tsunade stood tall, exuding confidence. The negative emotions she had shown earlier seemed to have vanished into thin air.
"Uh, it was Sis Nonō who taught me," Fūka replied honestly. "Nonō Yakushi, from Konoha Hospital!"
"Oh, her, huh? She's a gentle one." Tsunade nodded, acknowledging the name, but her suspicious gaze lingered on Fūka, scanning him up and down. "But you…"
"What about me?" Fūka was practically sweating bullets.
"You seem pretty nervous!" Tsunade began to circle him slowly, one hand on her chin, speaking deliberately. "Uchiha Fūka, I've read your file. In your first year at the Academy, you were at the bottom of the class. You even challenged Kakashi at his graduation, only to get knocked out in one kick, becoming the laughingstock of the school. Then, over the break, you suddenly turned things around—started training hard, mastered Fire Style: Great Fireball, and even reached genin-level hand seal speed. Then there was that incident when you passed out from training too hard and ended up in Konoha Hospital."
Fūka didn't expect he'd caught Tsunade's attention so early on. The realization made him uneasy. If she was watching him, could the Third Hokage or even Danzo be keeping tabs on him too? The latter was the head of Root, Konoha's darker side. Fūka didn't want to cross paths with him any time soon.
"I'm guessing it was after that you asked Nonō Yakushi to teach you medical ninjutsu?" Tsunade continued.
"Yeah, I didn't want to have to go to the hospital every time I got hurt. Besides, I can't afford it!" Fūka admitted readily, taking deep breaths to calm his nerves.
Tsunade pressed on, "So, you're training in taijutsu, ninjutsu, and now medical ninjutsu. And with your clan's Sharingan on top of all that… Hmph, kid, you've got some big ambitions, don't you?"
Fūka's heart skipped a beat. He forced a nervous laugh. "I'm just a six-year-old kid, what kind of ambitions could I have?"
"Who knows?" Tsunade smirked, her golden hair fluttering in the wind, making her look like a fox atop the mountain. "But you're not quite like the other Uchiha. Heh, I'll be keeping an eye on you, kid."
With that, Tsunade leaped off the Hokage Rock.
She jumped—just like that!
Fūka was dumbfounded.
"Hey, hey! You crazy woman, take me back down with you!!!"
Standing on the head of Tsunade's granduncle, Fūka stared blankly at the village below. From this height, he couldn't make out any details, and unlike Tsunade, he couldn't just leap down—he'd have to take the long way around.
"This sucks!"
Frustrated, Fūka began the trek down the mountain, cursing his luck. The area behind the Hokage Rock was dense with lush forests, stretching as far as the eye could see. Occasionally, the growls of wild animals echoed through the trees, adding an eerie atmosphere.
"This isn't the Forest of Death, so there shouldn't be any really dangerous creatures, right?"
Just as he was trying to reassure himself, a loud crashing sound erupted from somewhere ahead.
It sounded like a sharp stick was relentlessly charging at someone's rear end.
Smack, smack, smack…
Fūka's butt clenched.
Smack, smack, smack…
A cold shiver ran down his spine.
Smack, smack, smack…
Fūka couldn't take it anymore. Without a second thought, he turned and ran.
SMACK!
Suddenly, there was a loud crash, followed by the sound of something heavy hitting the ground repeatedly.
"Who's there?" A voice, stern yet lively, full of enthusiasm, burst out as a figure suddenly appeared before Fūka.
Fūka froze mid-run, staring at the familiar sight in front of him. The bushy eyebrows, the dazzling white teeth, and the deep green jumpsuit—it could only be Might Duy, Konoha's eternal genin.
"Hmm? A kid? What are you doing here? Where are your parents?" Duy relaxed as he realized it was just a six-year-old boy.
"Uh, hi! My name's Uchiha Fūka. I'm an orphan, and I'm here to train!" Fūka lied effortlessly, without missing a beat.
"An orphan? From the Uchiha clan?" Duy raised an eyebrow. "The Uchiha compound is quite a ways from here."
Fūka quickly improvised, "Yeah, well, I've been training in taijutsu, and I didn't realize how far I'd gone. I was just about to head back when I ran into you!"
"But the Uchiha clan has the Sharingan, which is incredibly powerful. Why are you focusing on taijutsu?" Duy asked, genuinely curious.
"Because I believe taijutsu is just as strong—if not stronger—than the Sharingan!" Fūka replied earnestly, clenching his fists and putting on a determined, excited expression. It was all part of his plan to win Duy over. Otherwise, asking for taijutsu lessons out of the blue wouldn't be very realistic.
And it worked like a charm.
As a lifelong genin with zero talent in ninjutsu and genjutsu, Duy had devoted himself entirely to taijutsu. Hearing a Uchiha kid say that taijutsu was as powerful as the Sharingan naturally made him happy.
"Kid, you've got a good eye! Hahaha!" Duy laughed heartily, hands on his hips.
"Mister, can I train in taijutsu with you?" Fūka finally revealed his true intentions.
"What? Do you want to learn taijutsu from me? Do you even know who I am?" Duy asked, surprised.
"I don't know who you are, sir, but I'm sure your taijutsu is amazing! I want to train with you!" Fūka said earnestly.
Duy seemed a bit tempted, but his strong sense of responsibility made him hesitate. "Kid, the taijutsu I practice is tough. It puts a lot of strain on your body, and you're still too young. I'd recommend you go to the Hyūga clan. Their Gentle Fist style is easier on the body. You're a Uchiha, a member of one of Konoha's noble clans. The Hyūga should be willing to teach you a bit."
"No way! The Hyūga's Gentle Fist is so dainty—it's like dancing! There's no way I'm learning that!" Fūka blurted out in panic, breaking out into a cold sweat.
He swore the sweat was real this time. If his words got back to the Hyūga clan… Any day next year could end up being his memorial.
Duy stared at Fūka in shock.
At this time in Konoha, taijutsu was still dominated by the Hyūga clan's Gentle Fist. Other taijutsu styles didn't have much room to grow. Someone like Duy, who followed the path of Strong Fist, practiced a style passed down through generations, but few others showed any interest.
"Kid, no—Uchiha Fūka, are you really serious about learning taijutsu from me?" Duy's curiosity was piqued, and his enthusiasm was ignited. As a devoted practitioner of the Strong Fist style, he outwardly praised the Hyūga's Gentle Fist, but deep down, he had his own opinions.
Fūka nodded firmly. "Yes, I'm serious!"
"Alright, then I'll teach you!" Duy agreed with equal conviction.
Fūka felt a surge of excitement, practically shouting in his mind: Eight Gates, here I come!!!