Today was supposed to be a test. For some people, it turned into a grudge.
Time passed. More and more students arrived at the academy.
Uchiha Shisui stood rigidly at the gate the entire time. When people greeted him, he couldn't respond. Those who didn't know him simply stared with confused, awkward expressions.
The Uchiha were known for arrogance and distance, so most students assumed Shisui was doing some kind of strange "Uchiha thing."
It wasn't impressive.
It was mortifying.
As the crowd thinned and class time approached, Shisui's breathing finally steadied. His eyes hardened.
"Sharingan… activate!"
With a surge of will, he broke through the last trace of foreign pressure inside him and regained control of his body.
Shock. Fear. Humiliation.
All of it churned in his chest.
Shisui's talent was real—so real that under the stress of what Adrian had done to him, his Sharingan advanced. One eye, which had already awakened early, pushed further—
A third tomoe formed.
Shisui dropped to one knee, gasping heavily. Forcing himself through Adrian's restraint had burned a massive amount of chakra. Sweat drenched his clothes.
That lingering force Adrian left behind wasn't ordinary.
Even though Adrian couldn't channel it into direct ninjutsu attacks, it was more than enough to suppress and bind.
The bell rang.
Shisui didn't linger. He staggered up and sprinted toward the classroom.
He didn't have time to dwell.
Not when the memory of that invisible hand on his collar still felt like death.
…
It didn't take long for word to travel.
The Ninja Academy might look harmless on the surface, but it was still Konoha's pipeline for producing shinobi. Instructors weren't the only ones watching.
ANBU kept eyes on it too.
In the Hokage's office, Hiruzen sat behind his desk from early morning, already buried in documents.
A masked ANBU appeared silently.
"What is it?" Hiruzen asked without looking up.
"Report, Hokage-sama. A minor incident occurred at the Ninja Academy… Uchiha Shisui was defeated by Adrian Voss."
Hiruzen's hand paused.
His interest rose instantly.
"…Go on."
The name Adrian Voss reminded him unpleasantly of the White Fang, but Shisui was a recognized prodigy—someone the village had been watching carefully despite being an Uchiha.
The ANBU reported calmly. "At the academy gate, Obito Uchiha clashed with Adrian. During the argument, Kurenai Yuhi made a remark involving the Uchiha clan. Shisui intervened to warn her. Adrian then used a combination of a clone technique, Body Flicker, and a binding seal to immobilize Shisui. It took Shisui more than ten minutes to break free."
Hiruzen fell silent, thoughtful.
Before he could dig any deeper, the office doors opened again.
Kushina strode in like a storm.
"Third Hokage. I'm leaving the village."
Hiruzen's response was immediate. "No. Border conflicts are increasing and the other nations are restless. It's too dangerous."
Kushina narrowed her eyes. "Then when is Minato coming back?"
"He's on a classified mission. His return time is uncertain." Hiruzen calmly lit his pipe.
Kushina's temper detonated. "I don't care! I want a mission outside the village!"
"Kushina," Hiruzen said sternly, "you need to understand your identity. Don't be reckless."
But the "Red-Hot Habanero" wasn't a title given lightly.
"I'm bored!" Kushina snapped. "I'm watched all day, every day! It's maddening!"
"No."
Another firm rejection.
The argument continued—back and forth, tension thick enough to crack walls—until finally Kushina relented just enough to throw out one final condition.
"Fine," she said sharply. "Then the students you give me can't be worse than Kakashi."
When she finally stomped out, the floor trembling with each step, Hiruzen exhaled in exhaustion.
He returned to the graduation files.
Kushina wanted a genius. Someone who could keep up with her training without breaking.
Adrian defeating Shisui suggested hidden talent… but Adrian's ideological grades were a problem. If a child refused to "absorb Konoha's values," that was dangerous in a different way.
Hiruzen hesitated.
Then Tsunade arrived.
And not long after that—
The team assignments were decided.
Quietly.
Permanently.
…
On the academy training grounds, Adrian's class lined up in order.
The practical exam had begun.
Clink—clink—clink!
Shuriken collided in midair, producing sharp, ringing impacts before falling uselessly to the ground. The dirt was already littered with kunai and star-shaped blades.
"Damn you, Adrian!"
Obito Uchiha looked like the universe had personally targeted him.
Not only had he been embarrassed at the gate earlier—
Now, in the combat exam, he was matched against Adrian again.
Obito had thrown everything into his clan's signature shuriken technique.
And Adrian had casually blocked every single one with his own thrown weapons.
Adrian didn't even train shuriken seriously. But with precise control of force and a strong sense of trajectory, countering Obito's throws was effortless.
Besides, Obito wasn't trained in the Uchiha's real throwing style. He wasn't Itachi—his technique was raw and incomplete.
And even if it were perfect…
With Adrian's physical toughness, Obito couldn't kill him with thrown steel anyway.
As Obito fumed, the girls in the crowd exploded with support—support that only fueled his rage.
"Adrian is amazing!"
"Obito, you idiot! Don't insult Adrian!"
"Adrian, you can do it!"
Obito caught Rin's admiring gaze drifting toward Adrian.
Something inside him snapped.
"AAAAAH!"
He screamed, threw his last kunai, and formed seals at top speed—finally using the Uchiha's most famous technique.
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
He inhaled deeply, chakra roaring into his throat.
For once, maybe because anger sharpened his focus, the jutsu didn't fail.
A huge, blazing fireball burst from his mouth, bigger and hotter than anything he'd ever produced in practice.
Adrian moved after the fact—but still faster.
He flicked Obito's kunai aside with his own blade, watched the hand seals, then formed the same seals at a speed Obito couldn't even follow.
Almost like six seals in a heartbeat.
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu."
Chakra surged.
A fireball erupted—massive.
Far larger than Obito's.
Fireball Jutsu was the Uchiha's trademark, yes…
But Adrian had Tsunade behind him. And the Senju household didn't lack information on Uchiha techniques.
The two fireballs collided.
BOOM!
A violent wave of heat exploded outward.
Obito's fireball was swallowed instantly.
Adrian's continued forward—rolling like a burning sun straight toward Obito.
"Not good!"
The chūnin instructor flashed in front of Obito in an instant, forming seals rapidly.
"Earth Style: Earth Wall!"
He slammed his palm to the ground.
A thick earthen barrier erupted upward just in time, absorbing the remaining force of Adrian's jutsu.
When the heat finally faded, the wall was scorched black, its edges cracked and broken.
The instructor exhaled in relief.
Obito collapsed backward in terror, landing on his butt with a heavy thud.
As the earth wall crumbled without chakra support, Obito stared at Adrian's calm expression and harmless smile, half convinced he'd nearly died.
He shook with rage and humiliation.
"H-How is that possible?! Adrian, you… you bastard!"
The instructor turned on Adrian, irritation clear. "Adrian Voss. This is a test. Control the power of your jutsu."
There were two things the instructor disliked about Adrian.
First—those ideological grades.
Second—Adrian always forced draws before. Always "even." Always safe.
So why was he suddenly throwing out something like that?
The instructor had nearly failed to save Obito in time.
Adrian simply smiled, perfectly polite. "Ah, sorry. Obito looked so serious, I thought he was really strong."
That only made Obito explode again.
"Damn you! I'm going to kill you!"
Adrian just chuckled faintly and returned to the line.
Applause rose. Praise followed.
And the moment Adrian stepped back into the crowd, the girls' heated stares locked onto him again.
"Adrian, you're incredible!" Kurenai said excitedly. "It's like you can use any element!"
Another girl nodded rapidly. "Yes! Yes!"
Even Rin, after glancing worriedly at Obito, couldn't stop her admiring gaze from returning to Adrian.
Obito's heart shattered all over again.
Adrian responded with a mild smile. "I work hard. But I'm sure all of you are amazing too."
The exam continued.
"Next match—Shizune versus Natsuki Sei."
When Shizune's name was called, Adrian gave her a quiet boost. "Shizune, you've got this."
"Mm!" Shizune nodded with a small, confident smile.
Unlike the original timeline's Shizune—who focused almost entirely on medical ninjutsu—training beside Adrian had broadened her foundation. She had learned some Water Style techniques as well.
As Shizune stepped onto the field, the students began cheering again.
Adrian's gaze flicked briefly toward Obito.
Not yet corrupted, Obito was still essentially kind at heart. Even after losing, he recovered quickly—refusing to stay down for long.
But Adrian knew better than to dismiss it.
Grudges piled up quietly.
And when Obito eventually fell into darkness…
Whether he would come back looking for revenge was anyone's guess.
Two chapters today. Please recommend and bookmark.
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