"Saiki-kun, Shizune, good morning!"
At the gates of the Ninja Academy, Saiki and Shizune ran into Kurenai Yuhi and Rin Nohara, who happened to be arriving together.
Saiki responded with a polite, charming smile. "What a coincidence. Kurenai, Rin—good morning to you both as well!"
"Good morning!"
Beside him, Shizune gave a small nod and offered her own greeting.
As they walked closer, Rin Nohara looked at Saiki and asked curiously, "Saiki-kun, team assignments are coming up in a few days. Have you thought about who you want to be paired with?"
"Yeah, Saiki-kun, is there anyone specific you're hoping to team up with?" Kurenai added, her voice tinged with expectation.
Seeing the hopeful glints in their eyes, Shizune shot them a wary look. If she weren't holding a bento box in one hand, she would have probably latched onto Saiki's arm right then and there to announce they were already a set.
Considering their expectant gazes, Saiki thought for a moment before replying. "Me? Honestly, I'm fine with anyone. It would be great to be on a team with you guys, too. But usually, the teachers assign teams based on grades to balance out strengths and weaknesses. I have no idea how they'll split us up."
"Ah! I'm really looking forward to it! It would be so wonderful to be on Saiki-kun's team."
Hearing his answer, both Rin and Kurenai's eyes sparkled with hope. Only Shizune looked a bit miffed.
The group had just stepped through the main gates when a boy behind them, wearing goggles and the traditional Uchiha high-collared outfit, barked at them.
"Saiki, you bastard! Let's settle this right now!"
Obito Uchiha, who miraculously hadn't encountered an old lady needing help across the street and thus wasn't late, had arrived only to see his goddess, Rin, looking at Saiki with total adoration. His mental state snapped instantly.
He balled his fists in a rage and charged straight at Saiki.
"Obito!"
Seeing it was him, Rin tried to stop him, but she was a second too late.
A furious Obito threw a clumsy, telegraphed punch. Saiki frowned slightly. What a crude, unrefined fellow.
In the future, a "blackened" Obito with the power of Kamui would be nearly invincible, but right now? This weak, amateurish punch was nothing in Saiki's eyes.
Saiki simply shifted his body an inch to the side, letting the punch whistle past. At the same time, he stuck out a foot to hook Obito's unsteady lead leg.
The boy hadn't even mastered basic footwork before trying to pick a fight. Saiki found it pathetic.
Tripped up by the casual move, Obito lost his center of gravity. With a startled "Gah!", he went face-first into the dirt, performing a perfect "dog eats shit" face-plant.
Rin gasped, covering her mouth in shock.
She looked at Saiki first, asking with concern, "Saiki-kun, are you okay?"
Saiki gave a small nod. Only then did Rin turn her ire toward the boy on the ground. "Obito! How could you do that? Why would you attack Saiki-kun like that!"
Faced with an angry Rin, Obito hung his head in shame, unable to say a word. Failing to hit Saiki was one thing, but face-planting in front of everyone? It was a massive humiliation.
Beside them, Shizune and Kurenai watched Obito with equal parts annoyance and pity.
Ultimately, despite her anger at the sneak attack, Rin was still that gentle, kind-hearted soul. She knelt down and asked softly, "Obito, are you hurt?"
Perhaps because Rin was too kind, it gave Obito the wrong idea. In the original story, Rin clearly loved Kakashi, yet Obito spent his life hallucinating that she loved him back. This delusional obsession eventually led to his tragic downfall.
The girl didn't love you; she was just being a decent friend. Trying to create a whole world just to have "Rin" in it... if that isn't the definition of a total nutcase, what is?
"Rin!"
At the slightest hint of her tenderness, Obito was moved to tears, his eyes welling up with pathetic gratitude.
But then he caught sight of Saiki's expressionless face. Obito immediately jumped back to his feet, yelling, "Saiki, you bastard! You used a cheap trick! Fight me again if you have the guts!"
Before Saiki could even open his mouth, Kurenai Yuhi stepped in front of him.
"You're the one who tried to ambush Saiki-kun and tripped over your own feet. Is everyone in the Uchiha clan a sore loser like you?"
Years later, Kurenai would be known as Konoha's Genjutsu master; her father was also a specialist. Consequently, she had a natural distaste for the Uchiha and their visual prowess.
She was just a young girl who didn't know when to bite her tongue. In Konoha, saying something like that could cause a serious incident.
Sure enough, a younger boy standing a few paces behind Obito—appearing to be two or three years younger than Saiki's group—stepped forward. He wore the Uchiha crest with pride.
"I can't let a comment like that go unheard. The reputation of the Uchiha is not something for you to judge."
"And who are you?" Kurenai asked.
The boy stated his name firmly.
"Shisui Uchiha."
Since starting school, Saiki had focused almost entirely on his own training. He didn't care much for the playground squabbles of children, despite being one of the most popular boys among the girls.
If Kurenai hadn't said the name, Saiki wouldn't have realized this "moron" standing in front of him was the future Shisui "of the Body Flicker," possessor of the "strongest" Genjutsu, Kotoamatsukami.
Calling it the strongest Genjutsu was a bit of a joke. If it were truly that useful, Itachi wouldn't have had to hide in the Akatsuki; he could have just used it on Nagato and ended the conflict.
Furthermore, when Danzo used Kotoamatsukami, it became useless the moment it was detected.
The only time it truly performed well was when it allowed an Edo Tensei Itachi to break free from Kabuto's control—but any ninja with a sufficiently strong will could resist Kabuto's grip.
The reason Saiki considered Shisui a "moron" was simple: the massacre of the Uchiha clan was largely tied to Shisui exposing his eye powers to the Konoha higher-ups.
Looking at Shisui's stern expression and Kurenai's tense posture, Saiki decided to act. He didn't want trouble, but he also didn't want the Uchiha harassing Kurenai. After all, she was one of his most loyal little fangirls.
Saiki stepped forward with a smile. "My apologies. Kurenai shouldn't have said that, and she didn't mean to insult the entire clan. But Obito did strike first. Kurenai was just speaking out of anger."
Shisui's expression softened slightly at the reasonable explanation.
But in the next heartbeat, Shisui felt a hand clamp onto the back of his neck. Not only that, but his chakra was instantly suppressed and locked. A cold, quiet voice whispered in his ear:
"Besides, your Uchiha kin was in the wrong first. Can we not even question it? Or is the Uchiha clan truly this tyrannical within the Leaf?"
Shisui's body went rigid. He turned his head with great difficulty to see Saiki looking at him with a pleasant smile. However, the inability to mold his chakra sent a massive wave of alarm through him. A ninja stripped of their chakra is no harder to kill than a common chicken.
After delivering the warning, Saiki's Flower Clone dissolved into a flurry of petals. Despite the clone vanishing, Shisui found he still couldn't move.
Everyone—Rin, Kurenai, and Obito—stared at Saiki, stunned by the vanishing clone and the paralyzed Shisui.
Only Shizune remained calm; she was well aware of some of Saiki's unique abilities.
"Let's go. Class is about to start," Saiki said with a chuckle, patting Shizune's head before turning toward the school building.
Seeing him walk away, Rin ignored Obito and, along with Kurenai, hurried to catch up with Saiki.
"Saiki! Saiki! What did you just do?" Kurenai asked excitedly, glancing back at the still-frozen Shisui.
Saiki laughed. "Nothing much. Just let him stay there for a bit. Think of it as a small lesson."
"Saiki-kun, you're amazing! Shisui is considered a prodigy of the Uchiha!" Rin added, her eyes wide with wonder.
Before Saiki could respond, Shizune said proudly, "Of course he is! Saiki is incredibly hardworking and strong. He just stays low-key. If he actually tried, that Uchiha 'prodigy' wouldn't even be in the conversation!"
As Saiki's group disappeared into the distance, Obito finally picked himself up. He stomped over to Shisui, sounding annoyed. "Hey, you okay?"
But Shisui didn't answer. His eyes were wide, and he remained standing there like a statue.
Seeing no response, and noticing Rin walking away with Saiki, the brainless Obito didn't care that Shisui had just stood up for him. He abandoned Shisui and ran after the group.
Shisui stood there, feeling as though that single turn of his head had drained every ounce of his strength. He couldn't even manage to speak.
He hadn't seen Saiki weave a single sign. He hadn't sensed a flicker of chakra. Yet a clone had appeared behind him and paralyzed him instantly. It was incomprehensible.
Based on his own limited experience, Shisui realized that in that split second, Saiki had used a Clone technique, a Body Flicker, and a Restraint Seal all at once. Shisui hadn't been able to offer even a shred of resistance. If they had been on a battlefield, he would have been dead instantly.
Shisui knew of Saiki Shiroya; the boy was famous among the girls in every grade. Every lunchtime, you could see a swarm of girls surrounding him in the woods.
As for his grades, they were supposedly just above average.
In the past, Shisui had looked down on Saiki. He believed that wine, women, and wealth were the three taboos of a ninja, and anyone obsessed with the opposite sex had no future. Today, Saiki had taught him a lesson.
A student who gets perfect scores isn't necessarily the strongest, but a student who knows exactly how to fix his grades to look average is terrifying.
His combat scores were mediocre only because Saiki always fought to a draw or forfeited. Whether facing a genius or a failure, Saiki always made the fight look "close."
If Saiki were truly that weak, he wouldn't be so popular with the girls. One had to realize that girls have sharp eyes—he wasn't just popular for his looks.