The group of four, Akimichi Rie, Nara Shikiro, Yamanaka Keiichi, and Hiryu Suguru, went to a restaurant that served cold soba. Accompanied by Keiichi's older sister, they ate and talked about their first day of Academy classes.
"You know, Suguru, I was shocked when your spar with Mitsuko ended in just a few seconds!" Keiichi laughed as he dipped his noodles and wolfed them down.
Suguru smiled in reply and shrugged, seemingly saying that he too, had no idea how it happened.
"Right!" Rie giggled, "That kick was so cool, y'know?"
Suguru chuckled, "It was an accident,"
Just like this, the four continued to chat. The trio's dynamic soon accommodated Suguru's quiet presence as if it were only natural. Now and then, Keiichi's older sister would comment with a few pieces of advice.
Since Keiichi's older sister was already a shinobi, the children heeded her words, nodding enthusiastically.
Eventually, the four had to part ways. The Ino-Shika-Cho trio each returned to their clans' respective compounds while Suguru walked over to his apartment. He felt quite full.
'Socializing is as difficult as I remember,' Suguru shook his head. He preferred the silence of his laboratory much more.
'Which reminds me...'
It was about time he visited again. There were a few experiments he wanted to try out. Thus, after freshening up and going to bed, Suguru went to sleep...
...Only to wake up come midnight.
After confirming that Hiruzen was not using his Crystal Ball, Suguru transformed into a snake and slithered towards his laboratory. When he was there, he unlocked the seals that hid his lab and entered.
Smelling the stale air of his lab, Suguru finally felt as if he had returned home. Then, he took out one of the experimental corpses that Orochimaru had left him and began writing down a few seals.
'I need to see if I can apply my Living Corpse Assimilation on actual dead corpses...'
All of Suguru's attempts failed, but that didn't faze him. He already expected such mistakes from his theoretical attempts. All he was doing was reducing the possibility of future failures by adjusting the small details.
When the wee hours of the morning came, Suguru stored the mangled corpse in a storage scroll and left. He wanted at least two hours of sleep before going to class.
***
That day's class was similar to the classes he had the day before. Although Suguru got a little better with Shurikenjutsu, he knew that he had to practice during his own free time. Otherwise, he would be left far behind the others.
When Suguru almost fell asleep in class several times, he cursed. 'I need to make an energy pill that has less potency than Soldier Pills, but can still keep me — at the very least — awake for class.'
Suguru wasn't the type to fall asleep when knowledge was being imparted to him for free. He couldn't stomach such wasted time.
Every moment was supposed to be an opportunity to learn.
Thus, he placed it on his research to-do list.
***
Understanding his weaknesses allowed Suguru to create a training routine for himself. He focused on his physique the most, spending much of his free time running. He made sure to run to and from the Academy.
Furthermore, he also bought a few weights for himself. Although he didn't see the need to use them just yet, he figured he would need them soon.
Suguru also visited the Academy's shuriken range more often to practice his throwing skills. When that was done, he also tried learning Kenjutsu from one of the scrolls available in the village library.
As for Genjutsu and Ninjutsu — those could wait until his physique had improved. He already had the three jutsus needed to graduate. Higher-ranked Ninjutsu could wait.
Unfortunately, Suguru couldn't mirror a Sharingan out in the open, limiting his growth rate. This fact frustrated him, as having a Sharingan would greatly increase his abilities.
He could easily top the class in Taijutsu if he could mirror a two-tomoe Sharingan.
Realizing this, Suguru thought, 'I need to devote more time to figuring out how I can improve my eyes.'
Despite his continuous usage, his eyes never saw any improvements. However, Suguru had a hunch that his Kekkei Genkai had many more secrets that he had yet to uncover.
Anyways, all of these things pointed to one fact:
'There are indeed no shortcuts to true power,'
***
Suguru soon settled into a hectic routine. From running rounds the moment he woke up, to nightly visits to his lab, he never stopped pursuing strength and knowledge. Every waking moment of the day was devoted to his pursuits that it almost seemed like insanity.
To the trained eye, however, it was an immense display of efficiency and discipline. Everything Suguru did was in pursuit of power, from the meals he ate to the scrolls he read.
The year passed by quickly in this manner, and the undercurrents within Konoha's peaceful waters were growing stronger. The Uchiha continued their plans and Danzo set the stage for his schemes.
Hiruzen did his best to maintain balance while Itachi... Suguru couldn't keep track of him.
Something was very wrong — or perhaps, something had already gone awry.
One night, at a certain point in his training, Suguru suddenly felt a change in the atmosphere.
Suguru suddenly stopped his studies. He then hacked into Hiruzen's crystal ball. There, he saw two Uchiha facing off in a nearby forest. Itachi and Fugaku were seemingly ready to fight.
'Is this the start of the Uchiha Massacre?' Suguru thought, 'No... This feels different. Fugaku would have surrendered back then... Has anything changed?'
For a moment, Suguru pondered his actions.
He disconnected from Hiruzen's crystal ball and searched for Itachi and Fugaku on his own. It took a few moments to locate them given that he knew the vague location already.
When his eyes settled down, he was able to witness the fight that would soon occur. While he watched from above, however, he noticed more than just Itachi and Fugaku.
There were rats hiding in the bushes, waiting to strike at a moment's notice.
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I made a P@treon! Hehe~
Link: pa treon.com/ubemantou
(No space.)
Guys! You can now read up to TEN (10) chapters on P@treon!
Big thanks to Godphaze, CosmicOwl, and HE for supporting me on P@treon! <3
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