"Shisui, if you can earn promotion in this Chūnin Exam, do your best."
"Patriarch Fugaku, with respect… I think it might be better not to stand out too much. My teacher said that the tallest trees catch the most wind. It made sense to me. Besides, the Uchiha don't need empty decorations right now."
"You think so? Then follow your own judgment."
That brief exchange with Fugaku echoed in Shisui's mind.
The clan… it's really complicated.
He hadn't fully understood before.
But now, he was beginning to.
Jingyi-sensei's words to Yahiko during that training session they stuck with him. After returning to Konoha, he trained and observed, and slowly came to understand.
Partner… enemy…
Exactly.
That was the first lesson.
Within the Uchiha, not everyone was a comrade. Some were obstacles. They had pride but little competence, and they turned even the Chūnin Exams into a battleground for status and power.
But did any of that matter?
Shisui was only five, but he already knew it was meaningless.
Just like how a single genius couldn't reverse the decline of a nation like the Land of Rain against the great powers.
And the elders of the clan… they saw Konoha as an enemy, not an ally.
Something was going to break eventually.
---
"Shisui, I heard this Chūnin Exam will be different. Be careful," Obito said.
Shisui looked up, slightly stunned by Obito's concern.
Nearby, Kurenai Yuhi smirked. "Obito, I think it's you who should be worried. Charging forward without thinking ahead you're going to lose face."
"Tch! With Kakashi out of the picture, this is my chance to shine!" Obito gave a thumbs-up, full of confidence.
---
But then came the first test.
A written exam?
Obito stared blankly at the test sheet.
Why is there a written test in the Chūnin Exams?!
Panic.
Outside, Minato watched the monitors, arms crossed.
"You made the questions pretty tough. Aren't you worried Obito might fail?" Jingyi asked, curious.
Minato smiled faintly. "He's talented, but he relies too much on instinct. I want him to understand the value of knowledge, too."
"You're kinder than you look," chuckled Bai, one of the proctors.
Jungyi added with a laugh, "Just don't make him panic so much that he explodes."
---
Inside, Obito scratched his head furiously.
So many questions… I don't understand any of them!
Jingyi sighed and patted Minato on the back. "You may need to rebuild this one from scratch."
He wasn't entirely joking.
Obito was a wildcard and in this timeline, Madara hadn't noticed him yet. Maybe someone like Shisui was more important in the grand scheme.
Still…
"You know," jingyi muttered, "the Second Hokage warned us when Uchiha awaken their eyes, some lose their way. The Third doesn't seem to remember that."
But better Hiruzen than Danzō. If it were Danzō in charge…
He might already have Obito on an operating table in Root's labs.
---
Eventually, the test ended.
Jingyi gathered up the papers and glanced through them. Most were easy to sort those who cheated with subtlety were ignored. But Obito...
He blatantly used a cheat sheet.
Hiruzen chuckled. "Let's put him on the waitlist. If the numbers work out, he passes. If not, he's a reserve."
He liked the boy. Obito reminded him of Kagami Uchiha kind-hearted and loyal.
Maybe he could change the Uchiha's future.
---
The results were posted.
Obito stared at the list, sweat beading.
One name after another… and none of them were his.
Then
"You think cheating would go unnoticed?" said a voice behind him.
Obito jumped. It was Jingyi.
He was doomed.
"Obito, look below!" Rin pointed.
He looked and blinked.
"Alternate Candidate: Uchiha Obito"
"Huh?! I passed?!"
"You're a substitute," jingyi warned. "Three-man teams. If the total is divisible by three, you're out unless someone drops out."
Obito's grin dropped.
"Eh?! That's so unfair!"
Kurenai and Rin giggled.
They already knew there was a missing slot. He'd just barely made it in.
Shisui, watching quietly, reflected on it.
Still... it was good that Obito had passed.
---
"Alright, enough celebration," jingyi said. "That was just the appetizer. The second exam? You'll regret making it through the first."
He smiled warmly.
But his eyes were serious.
The genin instantly quieted, standing in formation.
He was the second exam proctor.
"Very good. Let's begin..."
He unfurled a scroll, revealing a detailed map.
"You have one minute to memorize it. Use any means except direct physical copying."
Shuffling.
Everyone rushed forward.
A map! In a real mission, intel like this could cost lives to obtain.
Now the game had begun.
A real test not of brawn, but of a shinobi's essence.