"The past always seems beautiful and evokes nostalgia, I really miss the Ninja School life." Shiranui Genma couldn't help but exclaim as he sat under the tree, drenched in sweat, taking a break.
Back when he was in school, he always wanted to graduate quickly, yearning for the life of a ninja after graduation, but after actually graduating, Shiranui Genma began to miss his school days.
Back then, there wasn't as much training, and the Ninja Academy teachers weren't as strict as Teacher Chen. If he stayed up late, he could use the less important theory classes to catch up on sleep.
He thought deeply and realized he had always been this contradictory, looking forward to holidays while in school, but once on holiday, he couldn't wait for school to start again, and shortly after school started, he wanted holidays again.
"If I ever went back to Ninja School, I might end up missing being a ninja again." Shiranui Genma sarcastically remarked to himself.
"I don't miss it at all, what's past is past." Ebisu shared his view.
"Haha, that's because in fourth grade your true nature was exposed, right?" Shiranui Genma loudly teased his good friend.
Ebisu's face darkened; it wasn't that his true nature was exposed, but rather he encountered two lifelong rivals.
Seeing his good friend's expression as if wanting to beat someone up, Shiranui Genma chuckled and prepared to slip away.
"If you two are resting, just behave yourselves, recover your strength quickly, and get back to training early. You're all from the Ninja Academy, if your Taijutsu could reach half of Might Guy's level, I could focus on teaching you Ninjutsu." Teacher Chen appeared behind them, pinching their shoulders as he spoke.
Shiranui Genma took a sharp intake of breath and quickly nodded.
Ebisu also sat obediently, prepared to seize the time to continue training after resting. He acknowledged Teacher Chen's skills, genuinely feeling his Taijutsu improving.
"Teacher Chen, it seems like we haven't gone on a single mission, do you have any plans in this regard?" Shiranui Genma asked curiously.
Although he didn't really want to do those odd jobs, he was worried that not doing any missions would prevent him from taking on higher-level missions. Besides, having become a ninja, he had to earn his own money and couldn't always rely on family.
The reason he only asked now was that Shiranui Genma thought a powerful ninja like Teacher Chen must have his own thoughts and plans.
"Oh right, you still need to do missions, I forgot." Teacher Chen touched his chin, showing a suddenly enlightened expression.
When he was young, he had completed plenty of missions and saved up a good amount of money. Now, he basically wouldn't take on missions unless the Hokage assigned them. Coupled with Might Guy being so excellent, Teacher Chen was fully focused on training him to become stronger, and thus had completely forgotten about the missions.
Ninjas must complete missions, and without doing a single one, Teacher Chen wouldn't even be able to recommend them for the Chunin Examination.
Shiranui Genma: ...
He had considered many possibilities, but never that Teacher Chen had simply forgotten.
Seeing Shiranui Genma's expression of despair, Teacher Chen coughed lightly and corrected himself:
"I was just joking earlier, how could I forget? I've had arrangements for a long time; I just wanted you to train more initially to improve your strength. Doing too many D-rank missions doesn't really have any meaning."
Shiranui Genma looked at Teacher Chen with a skeptical gaze; he felt that Teacher Chen looked more natural when saying he forgot.
Teacher Chen calmly took out a book with a cool older sister on the cover and began reading, while Shiranui Genma silently shifted his gaze away.
When Might Guy got tired and took a break, he relayed Mokgetsu's response to Teacher Chen.
"Then let's do it tomorrow. Meet here at the training ground after two in the afternoon." Teacher Chen thought for a moment, setting the time and place.
Might Guy nodded, remembering Teacher Chen's words, planning to inform Mokgetsu in the evening, and maybe stay for another meal. Yesterday's fried rice was really delicious.
...
On the morning of the exchange meeting, Obito and Shisui met at the agreed location and headed together to the exchange meeting.
The meeting was held within the Uchiha Clan's grounds, in a large courtyard.
Casual conversations could take place indoors, while duels and sparring could occur in the open space of the courtyard.
When Obito and Shisui arrived, many Uchiha ninjas with their headbands were already seated inside the house.
Shisui glanced indifferently; he was the only one without a headband. The Uchiha here were indeed very young, all teenagers.
Shisui also spotted Uchiha Tekka, who was the only Uchiha there that was close to their age.
Uchiha Tekka was chatting with predecessor Uchiha Inabi, who had already become a member of the Police Department. Noticing Shisui's gaze, Uchiha Tekka smiled, turned around, and greeted Shisui.
"Who is he? He looks even younger than you, and he's not wearing a headband." Uchiha Inabi asked curiously.
"You're talking about Shisui? He's only a prospective second-year student at the Ninja Academy, so of course he doesn't have a headband yet," Uchiha Tekka explained.
"But don't be fooled by his age, Big Brother Inabi. He's stronger than I am. You might not know since you've been busy with missions and Police Department matters these past few years, but he's the newest genius of the Uchiha Clan."
When discussing Shisui's superior strength, Uchiha Tekka's face showed admiration rather than reluctance.
In Shisui, he truly felt the difference between a genius and an ordinary person; the efficiency in cultivation was vastly different. Training for an extra two years was useless, as he was quickly surpassed.
Uchiha Tekka is a very typical Uchiha. Under the belief that the strong are revered, he never treated Shisui as a clan brother but as a leader.
"Oh, now I'm a bit interested in meeting him. Just finishing the first grade and already surpassing you," Uchiha Inabi expressed interest in Shisui.
He was aware of Uchiha Tekka's abilities; Tekka could even be considered a small genius. Being so highly praised by Tekka, Shisui's abilities were certainly impressive.
"Who's that beside him? Seems unfamiliar," Uchiha Inabi noticed Obito, who was curiously looking around.
"That's Uchiha Obito, who graduated the same year as I did," Uchiha Tekka replied with a complex expression.
"Uchiha Obito? I recall someone being called the tail end of the Uchiha, with that name. Is it him?" Uchiha Inabi recalled some related memories.
"Yes, his grades were poor before, but he hasn't been the tail end for a while. In the fourth grade, he progressed rapidly. With his current strength, if he took the Chunin Exam now, he could likely become a Chunin directly."
Saying this, Uchiha Tekka couldn't help but recall the strength displayed by Might Guy and Obito in the third-semester practical exams.
He was sure that if he faced either of them, he would be crushed.
"That's another excellent Uchiha," Uchiha Inabi nodded, saying, regardless of past performance, as long as one becomes strong, they are an excellent Uchiha.
Uchiha Inabi then walked towards Shisui and Obito, wanting to get acquainted with them.
"Hello, I'm Uchiha Inabi. I've heard about your achievements from Tekka; you're both geniuses of the Uchiha Clan," Uchiha Inabi said, approaching Obito and Shisui.
"Hello, Inabi-senpai. I wouldn't call myself a genius, just temporarily a bit ahead of my peers," Shisui responded humbly.
"Hello, I'm Uchiha Obito," Obito replied, ceasing his wandering gaze upon hearing the voice.
"If defeating Tekka at your age doesn't make you a genius, then the Uchiha would have a hard time finding geniuses. No need to be modest. In the Uchiha, strength speaks, and strong is strong," Uchiha Inabi smiled.
Uchiha Tekka, arriving alongside, nodded in agreement. If Shisui wasn't a genius, he couldn't think of anyone else in the Uchiha who could be considered one.
Uchiha Inabi's words caught the attention of other Uchihas, surprised to hear such praise from him. Among the new generation, Uchiha Inabi was relatively famous; he graduated at ten, became a Chunin at twelve, and joined the Police Department at thirteen through his own ability.
"If you have any cultivation questions, feel free to ask. If you want to improve your battle prowess, I can guide you during the combat phase later. Don't feel like you're bothering me; just consider it a warm-up before challenging a senior," Uchiha Inabi said with a smile.
"Great, the exchange meeting is about guiding juniors and challenging seniors," said Uchiha Yashiro, approaching with a pleased expression at Uchiha Inabi's words.
"Indeed," Uchiha Fugaku nodded in agreement, walking alongside Uchiha Yashiro.
"Clan Leader Fugaku."
"Elder Yashiro."
The young Uchiha on the scene greeted the two senior Uchihas as they approached.
They were naturally not young ninja, attending as organizers and combat judges. They would critique the Uchiha battles and offer rewards if they were satisfied with outstanding performances.
"Shisui, do your best," Fugaku encouraged Shisui, patting him on the shoulder before stepping to the front to make a speech.
Fugaku's brief speech was genuinely brief, only taking a minute to officially start the exchange meeting.
"This point is better than some Ninja Academy teachers who drone on for half an hour," Obito quipped, recalling past teachers' long speeches.
"Do either of you have any questions for me?" Uchiha Inabi asked them. If Obito and Shisui didn't have any, he would go converse with older Uchihas.
"I heard that there's a chance to be rewarded with Advanced Fire Release at the exchange meeting. How can I earn it?" Obito asked directly.
Upon hearing that Obito's goal was to be rewarded with Advanced Fire Release, Uchiha Inabi smiled and, in a joking tone, said:
"If you can defeat me in battle, Clan Leader Fugaku will surely reward you with Advanced Fire Release."
Obito set his goal.