After Uchiha Yohoshi left, the crowd at the training field quickly dispersed, but Uchiha Fūka's name began to spread across every class.
Six months ago, he'd beaten Hyūga Shinzo, and now, six months later, he had defeated Uchiha Roku. Even though he ultimately lost the fight against the Chūnin Uchiha Yohoshi, who had activated his dual-tomoe Sharingan, Fūka's status at the academy had soared. Students were in awe, believing him to be a genius on par with Kakashi!
But the so-called genius was now sitting in his courtyard, wearing a wry smile.
Once his Shadow Clone had taken fatal damage and dissipated, all its memories had returned to him.
"Uchiha Roku... seriously."
Fūka rubbed his temples in frustration. First, he'd tangled with the Hyūga Clan, and now his clan, the Uchiha. Was he on a mission to take down both of Konoha's great clans?
Still, even if he could go back and make the choice again, he would have defended Might Duy's honor without hesitation. As for dealing with a Chūnin, that was definitely beyond his pay grade—he'd leave that to Duy himself.
"But... the Academy is heavily guarded by the Third Hokage. How could the Uchiha just waltz in like that and cause trouble?"
Fūka's eyes narrowed. He had to think about these things. The situation in Konoha was anything but simple.
The Third Hokage had his faction, Danzō had his, the Uchiha had theirs, and the Hyūga clan had its own influence. Then there were all the other ninja clans tied to these power structures. Everyone was fighting for their place in the village, and Fūka was just a small fry. If he wasn't careful, he could easily get squashed in this game of power.
"Sigh, I don't have enough intel, and my strength isn't up to par yet. What else can I do? This is frustrating…"
Unable to find an answer, Fūka stood up. "Guess I'll have to head back to the Academy. I need to figure out what happened after I left."
In the blink of an eye, he vanished from his courtyard.
Over the past six months training with Might Duy, he'd managed to pester the man into teaching him advanced versions of the Three Body Techniques—Body Flicker, Immobilization, and Invisibility Jutsu. Among them, he'd focused hard on mastering Body Flicker because of its incredible utility. Even during the Fourth Great Ninja War, it was a technique used frequently, so Fūka couldn't afford to ignore it.
Soon, he was outside the Uchiha compound, weaving through the village streets until he reached the Academy.
The training field was empty, not a student in sight. Using Body Flicker twice, Fūka appeared at the back of the classroom and knocked before entering.
Standing at the podium, Sensei Kiyono Makoto's eyes narrowed as soon as he saw Fūka.
He wasn't supposed to interfere in the duel earlier, but that didn't mean he wasn't paying attention.
'Just a Shadow Clone, yet he could still stand up to Uchiha Yohoshi? This kid... he's growing way too fast. Maybe, just maybe, he really could catch up to Kakashi!'
Meanwhile, the rest of the class was buzzing with excitement.
"Fūka, you're amazing!"
"Haha, you're the pride of our class!"
"That fight was incredible!"
"That Chūnin was such a jerk for picking on kids!"
Fūka winced. Kids? Speak for yourselves! I'm mentally over twenty years old!
"Kai!" A certain spandex-clad, bushy-browed friend shouted at him, eyes brimming with emotion. The intensity in his gaze was enough to blind anyone.
Fūka nodded at him, indicating that he was fine.
"Fūka, you idiot! I was worried sick about you!" Obito stood up, hands on his hips, laughing hysterically. The look of smug satisfaction on his face made Fūka want to crawl into a hole.
"What, did you forget to take your meds today?"
"I'm not sick, you fool!" Obito replied, indignant.
Sigh, Fūka thought, this kid doesn't even get sarcasm. The innocence of youth.
"Fūka, take your seat," Sensei Kiyono interrupted, quelling the class's noise. "Let's get back to the lesson. Today, we're covering advanced kunai techniques."
Fūka took his seat as the teacher continued, "Kunai are generally used for five basic strikes: horizontal slash, vertical chop, diagonal cut, thrust, and throw. However, specialized kunai, like the ones Uchiha Yohoshi used earlier, can do much more. By infusing chakra into a kunai, its cutting power increases significantly, allowing it to deliver fatal wounds. If you're struck, you could bleed out in moments."
Obito, meanwhile, kept turning around in his seat, winking and making faces at Fūka. Left, right, then left again—he was relentless.
I'm gonna lose my mind, Fūka thought, his eye twitching. "Cut it out, you perv! Stop staring at me like that!"
"What do you mean? I was just worried about you during that fight!" Obito grinned, not showing the least bit of genuine concern.
Across the room, Rin glanced over and shook her head, clearly exasperated by Obito's antics.
Fūka blinked. So no one had figured out he'd used a Shadow Clone. At least, not his classmates...
His gaze shifted to the podium, where Sensei Kiyono was speaking. Occasionally, the man's eyes would flick over to him, lingering for a moment longer than necessary. It was subtle, but Fūka noticed.
Looks like Sensei figured it out, he mused.
"Hey, Fūka, I'm talking to you!" Obito's impatience broke through his thoughts. He looked like he had big news to share.
"Oh, right. So, after I left, what happened on the field?" Fūka asked.
"After you took off, that Chūnin came over and tried to get me to tell him where you'd gone, but of course, I didn't! Then, some masked ninja showed up. The Chūnin backed off and left with Uchiha Roku," Obito explained. Then, with a huge grin, he added, "But that's not the big news! I've awakened my Sharingan!"
"A masked ninja? Root or ANBU?" Fūka thought to himself, frowning. Then, Obito's words sank in, and his eyes widened in shock. "Wait, what?! You awakened your Sharingan? No way! How could it happen so soon?"
Fūka was genuinely thrown for a loop.
In the original story, Obito didn't awaken his Sharingan until near the end of the Third Great Ninja War, when he witnessed Kakashi risking his life to protect him. Now, though... was it because he'd been too convincing with his Shadow Clone's death?
Fūka rubbed his head in disbelief. This... this is wild. Did I mess up the timeline that badly?
Obito's Sharingan was still only at the single tomoe stage, Fūka noted with relief, giving him a wry smile. This really was one of those random twists of fate.
And more importantly, it confirmed something for Fūka: the original timeline could be changed.
"Fūka, after school, I'll show you my Sharingan! You're gonna be so jealous!" Obito boasted, practically vibrating with excitement.
"Uchiha Obito! Focus on the lesson!" Sensei Kiyono scolded. "I know you've awakened your Sharingan, but that doesn't mean you can slack off. You still need to master the basics!"