For example, changing Obito's mindset!
In the original story, Obito awakened his Mangekyō Sharingan after Rin's death. Kamui was born from his desperate desire to create a world where she still existed.
At its root, Obito's entire path stemmed from one idea: Rin was his everything. She was the most important person in his life.
What Shirō wanted to change was precisely this. He wanted Obito to understand that there were other bonds in his life—that even after losing Rin, the world would not become meaningless to him.
This might prevent the birth of Kamui. Although, given Obito's talent, if Madara's plan still succeeded, Obito would likely awaken a powerful Mangekyō regardless.
But Shirō hoped it wouldn't be Kamui. Even a more offensive ability would be better. After all, one of the key reasons Obito was defeated in the original timeline was because Kakashi possessed his other eye—becoming his weakness.
Yet the changes Shirō had already set in motion were significant. For one, Kakashi had not graduated early this time. That meant he had more time to train under Sakumo (the White Fang), making his strength slightly greater than in the original timeline.
Secondly, Kakashi's mindset wasn't fully shaped yet. To prevent Kakashi from becoming overly dependent on his blade, Shirō had also taught him the Eight Extremities Fist, ensuring he could still fight effectively if disarmed.
Because of this, it was no longer certain that Kakashi would inherit Obito's eye at all. But Obito's talent remained unchanged.
What if Madara's plan went forward anyway, and Obito awakened both Kamui?
At that point, even Minato-sensei might not be able to injure him.
That was why Shirō was actively trying to guide Obito's thinking now. Whether it would ultimately make a difference, he couldn't be sure. All he could do was take things step by step.
After all, Shirō couldn't justify killing Obito for the sake of a future that might change. Right now, Obito was still just a model student.
---
A short while later, the ramen bowls arrived. Although someone said, "Let's eat," no one moved their chopsticks. Instead, all eyes turned toward Kakashi.
"What are you all staring at? Aren't you eating?"
"No, no—we're eating now," Obito stammered. But despite their words, everyone's gazes stayed fixed on Kakashi, Shirō included.
Even though he had seen Kakashi's unmasked face in the anime in his previous life, the experience was different in person. More than that, he had never seen Kakashi as a child.
Helpless, Kakashi finally tugged down his mask, letting them look to their hearts' content. At the same time, he silently resolved to increase his eating speed from now on.
"Alright, hurry and eat, Rin. It won't taste good once it gets cold," Obito said quickly, noticing Rin's blank stare fixed on Kakashi.
If she kept looking, his chances would really be zero.
"Oh! I—I understand." Rin snapped back to her senses, cheeks red, and lowered her head to eat her noodles.
Seeing this, Obito's stomach burned with frustration.
Shirō, however, remained indifferent. He didn't like men, and since he didn't currently have a girlfriend, Kakashi's face meant nothing to him.
Still, he decided to test Kakashi's Eight Extremities Fist in tomorrow's training session, just to see how his progress was coming along. Of course, that was purely his duty as an older brother figure—absolutely not out of jealousy.
---
After finishing their ramen, Shirō parted ways with them. The others returned to class, while he headed home to rest.
"I'm home."
"Shirō? Back already? Was the mission successful?"
"Yes, it went smoothly. Where's Dad? Isn't it his break time at noon?"
"Oh, the village has some big plans going on. He's working overtime. You should rest first. There's food in the kitchen—I'm taking his meal to him now."
"That busy?"
"Mm. I won't say more. The food's in the kitchen, alright?"
"Got it, Mom. Go quickly."
Shirō returned to his room, mulling things over.
A big plan? Could it be the Hawk Project? But wasn't it abandoned in the original story? Forget it… too lazy to think about it. Sleep first.
He washed up, lay down, and drifted into sleep.
---
"Beep—"
"Boom—Boom—"
"Where is this? That sound… it's so familiar."
In the darkness, Shirō heard the blaring of car horns and the rumble of engines.
But such things shouldn't exist in the shinobi world. Alarmed, he ran toward the noise.
No matter how far he ran, the darkness remained, and the sounds only grew fainter. Panic seized him. Something important was slipping away!
He sprinted harder, but he never caught up. Finally, the sounds faded completely.
And then—Shirō woke.
"Phew… how long was I asleep?" He exhaled, frowning.
He felt like he had dreamed for a long time, but he couldn't recall a single detail.
It wasn't worth dwelling on. Dreams he couldn't remember weren't unusual. He let the thought go, got up, and walked into the living room.
"Dad. Uncle Ci Lang."
"Rested well?"
"Yeah, too well. I'm almost too energized now," Shirō said with a helpless shrug.
"Haha! Serves you right for overdoing it, kid."
"Yeah, yeah… I regret it now."
"Alright, enough jokes. Sit down."
"What are you all looking at?" Shirō asked curiously, noticing a roster spread across the table.
"Oh, Okita's graduating soon. We're seeing if we can pull some strings to get him a good teacher. Shirō, do you know anyone?"
Shirō blinked, then gave a wry smile. "Mom, you're misunderstanding something. Okita's talent isn't weak. His class assignment will be decided by Hokage-sama."
"It has nothing to do with the academy teachers. The academy only handles regular classes. Don't tell me you didn't know that?"
"We really didn't… but that sounds like a good thing, doesn't it?"
"Of course. Elite squads are usually led by jōnin, and some of the best are even taught by elite jōnin. Those students are the village's key training targets."
"Is that so? Then we'll need to prepare carefully. The gifts for a jōnin sensei can't be light."
Shirō could only smile helplessly. This was just parents being overly protective, and it was hard to change their way of thinking.
Even his father had given gifts to Nakamura once. Most jōnin didn't really need them, but they accepted them anyway—it gave parents peace of mind. Eventually, most gifts were quietly returned.
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