Sorry for the lack of chapters yesterday. I'm covering for a friend at the hospital—48-hour shift. Anyway, I managed to write this one now that I'm finishing my shift. See you next week.
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Chapter 2 – Home
"I'm back." Opening the door to the small house, Sato called out softly to announce his presence.
Behind him, Hiroto stepped in, visibly nervous, setting aside all the composure one might expect from an elder.
"Welcome back—Hm? Sato, what happened to your eye?" A young woman, still in her twenties, asked with genuine concern—something Sato hadn't felt in a long time.
"It's nothing, Mom," Sato quickly replied. "Just a minor bruise."
"Really? Let me take a look." The woman moved closer and tried to remove his bandage, but Sato pulled away slightly and gestured behind him.
"No need. We have a guest."
"H-H-Hello, Mirai-nee," Hiroto said nervously, while the woman—Mirai—looked at him silently.
"Well, if it isn't Elder Hiroto."
Just moments ago she had been a worried mother, but now she resembled someone abandoned at the altar.
"To what do I owe the visit of the great elder to my humble home?"
"Well, you know\... it's not that I didn't want to come. I mean, there were a lot of matters to attend to... and besides, I'm married now and have a son..." Hiroto looked away, fumbling for excuses while Mirai stared at him in silence.
Sato watched it all with a faint smile, reminded of how much he missed hearing them argue.
Hiroto and Mirai had been childhood friends. More precisely, they had been trained by the same person—Uchiha Taro.
Taro was Sato's grandfather and Mirai's father. He was also a close cousin of Madara and had led the clan through many battles, especially against the Senju.
During the Sengoku period, Taro was a formidable force within the Uchiha clan, ranked among the top five most powerful of his era. While that might not sound like much, it was actually impressive considering he never awakened the Mangekyō and lived in a time with legends like Uzumaki Mito, Senju Tobirama, Sarutobi Sasuke, Uchiha Izuna—and of course, Madara and Hashirama themselves, who together ended the endless wars and brought peace to the ninja world.
Taro had three daughters: Mirai, and two others who died young from illness. Even Mirai had been born with frail health but showed exceptional talent and was trained by her father from an early age.
Hiroto was taken in by Taro after the last great battle between the Senju and Uchiha. Having lost his parents and brother, Hiroto grew up close to Mirai. And although he was older, he treated her like an older sister—not by choice, but because any time he questioned the hierarchy, she'd beat him senseless.
As for why the two never ended up together, it was mainly because Mirai had been promised to another man—Sato's father, Uchiha Ren.
Ren was a good man. Unlike many Uchiha, he wasn't arrogant. And though their marriage had been arranged, Mirai genuinely loved her husband.
Hiroto also married a woman chosen by Taro, and they were now expecting their second child.
Seeing Hiroto continue fumbling through his excuses, Mirai finally sighed, told them both to come in, and went to make some tea.
Sato took the opportunity to excuse himself and head to the room to "change" his bandage for something better.
Inside, he quickly applied a simple but more effective dressing.
'I need to speak to Kagami or Naori as soon as possible,' he thought, returning to the living room a few moments later.
Back in the room, Sato sat next to Mirai as they both turned to face Hiroto, who now carried a more serious air.
"Now that Sato is here, I'll get straight to the point. The village is starting a ninja school—and I want Sato to attend as a student."
"A school?" Mirai asked, a little confused, while Sato paused, his mind drifting to his future memories.
Officially, the ninja academy would only be established under the Second Hokage. But in truth, even during Hashirama's time, the idea of a place to train children had already been proposed.
Of course, the concept was still Tobirama's, but to say the academy was created during his time as Hokage wasn't entirely accurate—especially considering he barely had time to consolidate power before war broke out.
Moreover, the first class wasn't meant to bring civilians into the ninja ranks, as would happen later. Instead, it was intended to raise the next generation of prominent clans, free from the grudges of the past.
Sato remained silent as Hiroto explained to Mirai what the school would be like.
Mirai occasionally glanced at Sato while nodding at Hiroto, as if seriously considering the matter—but Sato wasn't worried.
If everything went as he remembered, he would be chosen as an outstanding member of the new generation and sent to show the world the power of the Uchiha.
At least, that's what he originally believed.
The truth, however, was that while he was still very young and immensely talented, his arrogance and overconfidence were just as great as his skill.
Some of the elders close to Taro had noticed that while confidence wasn't inherently bad, extreme arrogance would only alienate others. And it wasn't just a personal trait—many believed it was a growing issue among the Uchiha in general.
Sato hadn't understood that before. But now, with the memories of his future self, he began to realize that those elders weren't jealous old men. They genuinely cared and didn't want the grandson of their respected friend to go down a dangerous path.
"Sato, what do you think about all this?" Mirai asked suddenly, and Hiroto looked at his nephew with a smile.
"Well, I think it's fine. I'll prove I'm the strongest," Sato said arrogantly, which didn't surprise either of them.
"Well, it won't be easy," Hiroto smiled. "Many clans are sending their best this time."
"Hmph. Just wait—I'll show them the Uchiha are far superior," Sato said, then stood up.
"Where are you going?" Mirai asked.
"To train," Sato replied and left the house.
"Haa... that boy. Why can't he be more reserved like his father?"
"Maybe he takes after his mother?" Hiroto answered—then immediately froze under the weight of Mirai's cold stare.
"What exactly do you mean by that, Hiroto?"
"Ahem... nothing. I didn't say anything," he replied, looking away.
"Really? Because I could've sworn..."
"Mirai-nee, I'm sorry!" Hiroto said, quickly kneeling before his older sister.
Meanwhile, Sato made his way toward the home of one of the most powerful members of the clan: Uchiha Naori.