Uchiha Gen smiled faintly and greeted the boy beside him.
"Hatake Seiko, mind if I sit here?"
Hatake Seiko blinked in surprise. He hadn't expected Uchiha Gen to speak to him at all.
Most of his classmates avoided him ever since they learned of his lineage.
He studied Gen's face carefully. The boy's expression was calm, his eyes clear—free of mockery or disdain.
"…I don't mind," Seiko replied softly, looking away as soon as the words left his mouth. His tone was flat, his gaze distant, as if he preferred silence to conversation.
Uchiha Gen didn't take offense. He simply nodded and sat down quietly, folding his arms.
The classroom buzzed with chatter. Laughter, gossip, and footsteps echoed through the air.
Then, after a while, a low voice spoke beside Seiko.
"Hatake… What do you think of the rumors about the Uchiha Clan lately?"
Seiko turned, startled. Uchiha Gen's tone was calm, but there was weight behind his words.
"I don't understand what you mean," Seiko said carefully.
Gen's lips curved slightly. "It's just… these sudden rumors feel familiar. They remind me of what happened six years ago—when the Village turned on Konoha's White Fang overnight."
Hatake Seiko froze. His expression shifted from confusion to disbelief. His father's death had always been a wound buried deep within him.
He stared at Gen for a long moment, words caught in his throat.
Before he could reply, a man in his twenties entered the classroom.
"Alright, everyone, settle down," he called. "Class is starting."
It was Sarutobi Retsu, the homeroom instructor for Class Nine. He wore a dark flak jacket and carried himself with quiet authority.
"Today," Retsu announced, writing on the board, "we'll learn about the Village Hidden in the Rain."
He drew the symbol of Amegakure with a piece of chalk.
"This is their headband emblem. The Land of Rain lies northwest of the Land of Fire. It's known for its constant rainfall and inland lakes. The Village's leader, Hanzō of the Salamander, earned the title Demigod of the Shinobi World. It was he who named our own legends—Orochimaru, Tsunade, and Jiraiya—as the Sannin of Konoha."
The students listened quietly as Retsu-sensei continued his lesson.
Later that morning, two other instructors came to teach practical skills—identifying and setting traps, hiding tracks, treating wounds.
For students from noble clans, these lessons were repetitive; most had been trained since childhood. Some couldn't help but look bored.
After the cultural lessons came what everyone awaited most—outdoor training.
The Academy existed to mold children into capable shinobi. Combat and endurance training were its foundation.
Today's task was simple—run laps around the training field.
The instructor, a short-haired, broad-shouldered chūnin named Tanoriki, stood before them with a whistle in hand.
"One lap is one kilometer," he said. "We'll start with five. Keep up!"
With that, the students took off behind him.
After several laps, nearly half had fallen behind, gasping and clutching their sides. The stragglers were mostly from civilian families, unused to rigorous training.
Only a handful could still keep up with Tanoriki's pace.
Five students—Hatake Seiko, Uehara Yu, Hyūga Kagami, Yūhi Murasaki, and Senju Gen—remained close behind the instructor.
Another group of nine trailed steadily behind them, including Uchiha Gen. Sweat clung to his face, but his breathing remained even. His steps were measured, powerful, yet restrained.
He was careful not to stand out.
Entering the Academy meant entering Konoha's watchful eyes. And for an Uchiha—especially one from a branch family—attention was dangerous.
If he had been a civilian prodigy, fame might've meant opportunity.
But as an Uchiha, it only meant suspicion.
Even Uchiha Shisui, despite his loyalty and fame as Shunshin no Shisui during the Third Great Ninja War, was never trusted by the village elders. If someone of his caliber couldn't bridge the gap between the Uchiha and Konoha's leadership, what chance did a branch clansman have?
For the Uchiha, loyalty meant little. Power only made you more threatening.
Over the years, several talented clansmen from lesser lines had "died in accidents."
The truth was clear—a genius who doesn't survive isn't a genius at all.
Meanwhile, at the front of the pack, Senju Gen's dark hair swayed as he ran, his lips curved in an easy smile. He moved with quiet grace, his stamina remarkable.
The Senju Clan had declined sharply since the death of the Second Hokage. Only a handful of members still lived in Konoha, but the Senju name still carried weight.
"Alright!" Tanoriki shouted. "Final lap! Let's see who can keep up!"
He suddenly accelerated.
One by one, the students began to falter. Yūhi Murasaki fell first, then Hyūga Kagami, then Uehara Yu.
Only Hatake Seiko and Senju Gen managed to stay close behind the instructor, matching his pace stride for stride.
From the group behind, an Inuzuka boy—face marked with red fangs—grinned. "As expected of a Senju! Descendant of the First Hokage—Senju Gen's amazing!"
He glanced sideways at Uchiha Gen. "Right, Uchiha?"
Before Gen could answer, a girl chimed in, "Hatake Seiko's keeping up too! He's really fast!"
A few others snorted.
"Please. The Senju produced two Hokage and one Sannin. The Hatake family gave us a coward who killed himself."
"The shame of Konoha's White Fang still stains their name," another muttered.
Uchiha Gen's eyes narrowed slightly. Even after all these years, the village's whispers about Sakumo Hatake hadn't faded.
He exhaled and spoke coldly, "Is a shinobi's worth decided by how fast they run? How boring."
When the last lap ended, the students staggered to a stop, gasping for breath. Several collapsed onto the ground, clutching their knees.
Hatake Seiko and Senju Gen stood apart, exhausted but upright.
Uchiha Gen wiped the sweat from his forehead, his expression unreadable.
At that moment, Uehara Yu walked up to him, smirking.
"Uchiha Gen," he said mockingly, "don't run away after class."
He gave a confident grin, clearly emboldened by Gen's seemingly average performance.
To him, Uchiha Gen was no threat at all.
His real rivals were Hatake Seiko and Senju Gen.
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