At seven in the morning, Ren slowly opened his eyes after refining his Chakra.
"It's almost time."
Ren muttered as he stood up, preparing to pack his things for school.
Ren had woken up and washed at four in the morning, then began refining Chakra until now. After all, he didn't inherit a powerful Bloodline, so he could only rely on his efforts.
He picked up the bento he had made earlier that morning and put it in his school bag. Then, Ren left.
Arriving at the school gate, Ren saw his Yamanaka Sensei standing there, talking to a man.
The man opposite stood against the light, emanating an aura that kept people at a distance. The child standing beside him was about Ren's age, head bowed, with messy bangs covering his forehead.
Under the sunlight, the boy's distinct black hair revealed sharp, untamed eyes, and his long, narrow phoenix eyes darted around. His nose bridge was high, but what was most striking was the fan emblem on their back.
The Uchiha Clan! Descendants of Indra, the Six Paths Sage's eldest son, this clan possesses the Bloodline Limit—the Sharingan. They excel in Fire Release Ninjutsu and ocular techniques, and they are one of the two major clans that founded Konoha.
The other, the Senju Clan, had, under the command of their clan leader, integrated all their younger generation into Konoha. Now, the Senju Clan land only had a few old, weak, and sick members, and Tsunade.
Unbeknownst to him, Ren had already walked up to the group. At the same time, the three of them noticed Ren.
"Good morning, Yamanaka Sensei."
"Good morning, Ren. You've come at just the right time. This is our new classmate, Uchiha Ryufeng. I have something to attend to, so why don't you take Ryufeng to the classroom first? I'll be there shortly."
Yamanaka Ryo was surprised to see Ren, so he asked Ren to take Uchiha Ryufeng to the classroom, thinking it would be good for the children to get to know each other early.
Uchiha Ryufeng looked at his father, Yusuke Uchiha. The latter glanced at the two children, then nodded. As the Uchiha Clan's Great Elder and Vice Captain of the Police Force, he was busy with many affairs and had a meeting to attend soon. He felt relieved entrusting his child to the sensei, so he didn't waste any more time there.
"Then, I'll trouble Yamanaka Sensei to take good care of Ryufeng from now on. I have matters to attend to, so I won't disturb you any further."
Yusuke Uchiha said politely.
"Alright, Yusuke, go ahead and attend to your matters. Ryufeng is in my care."
After hearing Yamanaka Ryo's reply, Yusuke Uchiha nodded in acknowledgement, then disappeared with an Instantaneous Body Technique.
"Then you two go to the classroom first. I'll go to the office to prepare my lessons. Ren, make sure to get along well with Ryufeng."
Yamanaka Ryo smiled and instructed them, then also left with an Instantaneous Body Technique.
"Then, let's go."
Ren said, looking at Uchiha Ryufeng beside him.
His only reply was a cold "Hmm."
Knowing the Uchiha's tsundere personalities, Ren didn't mind much and led Uchiha Ryufeng to the classroom.
Upon reaching the classroom, Ren went to his seat. Yuhi, who was reviewing her lessons beside him, put down her textbook and greeted Ren when she saw him.
"You're here, Ren. Good morning."
"Mm, good morning, Yuhi."
After greeting Yuhi and sitting down, he had just taken out his textbook when the class bell rang.
At this moment, Ren looked at Uchiha Ryufeng, pointed to his left, and said,
"You can sit here for now. Yamanaka Sensei will arrange a seat for you when he comes."
Uchiha Ryufeng surveyed the spot, nodded, and sat down.
Yuhi looked over curiously but didn't ask further, continuing to review her lessons.
A minute later, Yamanaka Ryo walked into the classroom and asked Uchiha Ryufeng to come to the podium for a self-introduction. Uchiha Ryufeng simply said, "My name is Uchiha Ryufeng," then walked back down. Yamanaka Ryo looked at Uchiha Ryufeng helplessly. Alright, that's very Uchiha.
"Now that the self-introduction is done, let's arrange a seat for Ryufeng. Currently, the only empty seat in the classroom is next to Ren, so Ryufeng can sit there."
Uchiha Ryufeng nodded and returned to his seat.
Everyone else wasn't surprised. It's the Uchiha, being aloof is normal. It's Uchiha like Obito who are abnormal.
Time passed with Yamanaka Ryo's rambling.
"Ding-a-ling-ling!"
When the dismissal bell rang, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, put down their textbooks, packed their school bags, and went their separate ways, each returning home to their mothers.
Ren slung his school bag over his shoulder, walked Yuhi to her doorstep, and then, finding himself alone, headed down another path. After two days of observation and searching, Ren had discovered an open space behind the Seventh Training Ground. It was flat and hidden among the trees, suitable for his various training sessions.
After a long while, Ren, passing by the training ground, did not linger. He bypassed the training ground and continued to rush into the forest behind it.
Rushing along, Ren didn't notice a dark figure emerging from the Seventh Training Ground, who saw him and followed closely behind.
Completely unaware, Ren passed through the forest and arrived in the middle of the clearing. He put down his school bag, took out the Ninjutsu scroll he had tucked inside, and began to study it carefully. Just then, a sound came from the nearby bushes.
"Who's there! Come out!"
Ren shouted sharply, performing a carp jump. His left hand was forward, his right hand gripping the Kunai on his body, poised for action.
The dark figure, who had trailed him to this point, emerged from the bushes, revealing his true identity: an aloof demeanour, the Uchiha fan crest on his back, and a poker face.
"What are you doing here?" X2
Both spoke in unison.
...
Ren was the first to break the silence. "Tell me, why were you following me, Uchiha Ryufeng?"
That's right, the stalker was Uchiha Ryufeng, his deskmate, whom Ren had only met today.
"Who was following you? You were sneaking around near the Uchiha's training ground. I came over to see if you were trying to harm us Uchiha!"
Caught following someone, Uchiha Ryufeng's cool demeanour from this morning vanished as he yelled at Ren, his face flushed.
"Oh?" Ren stared at Uchiha Ryufeng, full of suspicion.
Just as Uchiha Ryufeng's face was about to explode from embarrassment, Ren turned his head and said, "Now you've seen it. I was just looking for a quiet place to train. Is that all, Ryufeng?"
He stared at Uchiha Ryufeng with a half-smile.
"Hmph," Uchiha Ryufeng snorted coldly and turned to leave.
Suddenly, Ren called out to him.
"Ryufeng, would you like to have a spar?"
"Hmm, you want to fight me one-on-one?" Uchiha Ryufeng turned back, looking at Ren with surprise.
"Not a one-on-one fight, but a spar. What? The famous Uchiha aren't afraid to fight, are they?"
"What did you say?" Uchiha Ryufeng was hooked. "You despicable fellow, I'll bet on the Uchiha's honour, let's fight!"
...
Ren sweatdropped. Sure enough, at the end of the day, he was still a five-year-old child; a little prodding was enough to hook him. However, his sense of family honour was quite strong.
"Then let's go."
Looking at the furious Uchiha Ryufeng, Ren waved his hand, then walked to one side of the clearing first, nodding at Uchiha Ryufeng.
The air was thick with tension.
The battle was about to begin!