Uchiha Yuan smiled warmly and greeted the boy beside him. "Hatake Haruka, I hope you don't mind me sitting here."
Haruka froze for a moment—clearly taken aback. He hadn't expected Uchiha Yuan to speak to him at all.
When he looked at Yuan's face, he found no trace of mockery or insincerity there. Yuan's eyes were calm and clear, free from the disgust and malice that usually lurked in others' gazes.
Haruka replied softly, "Please, sit, Uchiha-kun. I don't mind."
With that, he turned his head away again, his expression distant. His blank stare made it obvious that he wasn't someone who enjoyed conversation.
Yuan didn't take offense. He crossed his arms and sat quietly.
The classroom buzzed with chatter all around them.
Then, suddenly, Haruka heard a voice near his ear.
"Hatake-kun, what do you think about all these rumors about the Uchiha lately?"
Startled, Haruka turned sharply, scanning around him before his eyes landed on Yuan.
Yuan met his gaze and nodded slightly, a faint smile on his lips.
After a brief silence, Haruka said cautiously, "Uchiha-kun, I'm not sure what you mean."
Yuan's smile turned faintly sardonic as his voice reached Haruka's ears through a subtle whisper technique.
"These sudden rumors about the Uchiha… don't they remind you of the ones that appeared six years ago about the White Fang of Konoha?"
Haruka's face went pale. He stared at Yuan, stunned, unable to speak for a long time.
Just then, a young ninja in his twenties entered the classroom—it was their homeroom instructor, Sarutobi Retsu.
"Today's lesson," he announced, "is about the Hidden Rain Village."
He drew a symbol on the board. "This is the emblem of the Hidden Rain."
"The Rain Village lies in the Land of Rain. Its leader is known as Hanzō the Salamander, a man once called the Demigod of the Ninja World. Our own three great shinobi—Orochimaru, Tsunade, and Jiraiya—earned the title The Legendary Sannin after battling him."
"…The Land of Rain lies northwest of the Land of Fire. Its climate is almost perpetual rainfall, forming vast inland lakes…"
After that class, two more ninja instructors came in to teach practical lessons—topics like identifying and setting traps, concealing one's tracks, and performing basic first aid.
For most students from shinobi clans, these lessons were nothing new, and many wore bored expressions.
After the academic lessons came the outdoor training period.
The Ninja Academy, after all, existed to cultivate combat-ready ninja—physical training was its core.
Through these sessions, students strengthened their bodies and honed their combat techniques—throwing shuriken, practicing taijutsu, refining chakra, and learning the basic E-rank jutsu such as the Clone Technique, Transformation Technique, and Substitution Technique.
Under the lead of a burly, short-haired instructor, the students began running laps around the training field.
The track was about one kilometer per loop. After several laps, nearly half the class had fallen far behind, panting heavily and stumbling from exhaustion—most of them were from civilian families.
Those still keeping pace fell into two groups: five students who stuck closely behind the instructor, and nine others following a short distance behind.
Uchiha Yuan was among the latter group. Sweat streamed down his face, but unlike the others' ragged breathing, his remained steady. His stride was strong and even, showing no sign of fatigue.
He deliberately held back—he didn't want to stand out too much.
Entering the Ninja Academy meant stepping under the village's watchful eyes.
For civilians, drawing attention through exceptional talent was a good thing—it brought opportunity and recognition.
But for someone like him, an Uchiha, and one from a branch family at that, standing out could be dangerous.
He would never display the same open loyalty to the village as Uchiha Shisui or Uchiha Itachi. Even if you proved your devotion, the Konoha leadership—led by Sarutobi Hiruzen—would never truly trust you. They would only use you.
If the leadership had given Shisui a position among the upper ranks after his legendary feats in the Third Great Ninja War—when he earned the name Shunshin no Shisui (Shisui of the Body Flicker)—it might have soothed much of the Uchiha Clan's resentment.
But for an Uchiha genius who didn't display such loyalty?
If he were from the main family, perhaps the higher-ups would tread carefully.
But for a branch family member like Yuan, such a genius would simply… vanish, quietly and inexplicably.
Indeed, over the past few years, several gifted Uchihas had died in mysterious "accidents."
There were many prodigies in the shinobi world—but only those who survived long enough to mature could truly be called geniuses.
Among the five students running directly behind the instructor were Hatake Haruka, Uehara Isamu, Hyūga Kyo, Yūhi Murasaki, and Senju Gen.
Yūhi Murasaki was a bright, pretty girl with long, sleek reddish-purple hair.
Senju Gen, on the other hand, was a boy who always wore a gentle smile, his long black hair tied neatly behind him.
The Senju Clan had been in decline for years—barely ten of its members had entered the Academy in recent times.
Because of his surname, Senju Gen was considered the heart of Class 9. Both clan-born and civilian students gravitated toward him naturally.
"Listen up!" the short-haired instructor suddenly called out. "One more lap—and I'm picking up the pace!"
He immediately surged forward, widening the gap between himself and the students.
The five at the front hastened to catch up, but the instructor kept accelerating.
Before long, Yūhi Murasaki faltered, falling behind. Then Hyūga Kyo dropped off, followed by Uehara Isamu—each only seconds apart.
But Hatake Haruka and Senju Gen not only kept up, they were closing in on the instructor.
"As expected of the Senju—the clan of the First Hokage! Senju Gen's living up to the name, keeping up with Instructor Tano Riki!"
The remark came from a boy with paint markings on his face—a member of the Inuzuka Clan—running in Yuan's group.
At the same time, he shot a sidelong glance at Yuan.
"Haruka-kun's doing well too," said a girl nearby. "He's keeping pace with Riki-sensei as well."
But her words were met with a few scoffs.
"Hah! That Hatake kid doesn't deserve to be compared to Senju Gen."
"Yeah. The Senju produced the First and Second Hokage—and even Lady Tsunade of the Legendary Sannin.
But the Hatake? They gave us that cowardly White Fang who shamed the whole village!"
Hearing this, Uchiha Yuan's brows furrowed slightly. His eyes swept coldly over the ones who had spoken.
So even after all these years… the shadow of the White Fang still lingers.
Then, a civilian boy spoke up hesitantly. "The Senju are one of the great clans alongside the Uchiha. Watching Senju Gen run like that—you can really tell he's from a noble family."
As his words fell, several students immediately turned their eyes toward Yuan.
Yuan exhaled, his voice low and cool. "Hmph. Since when does running fast make someone strong? How childish."
When the final lap ended, the students stopped, gasping for air.
Those who had fallen behind—mostly civilians—collapsed onto the ground, their chests heaving violently.
Uehara Isamu swaggered up to Yuan, grinning smugly. "Uchiha Yuan, don't you dare run off after class."
Seeing Yuan panting heavily, whatever lingering doubt Isamu had was gone.
This Uchiha kid was nothing to fear. His real competition, he thought, was Hatake Haruka—and Senju Gen.
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