Uchiha Yexing finally left, and the students on the playground quickly dispersed. Before long, Fenghuo's name was spreading through every class at the Academy.
Six months ago, he defeated Hyūga Shinmune, and now, half a year later, he had beaten Uchiha Ronai and even gone head-to-head with Chūnin Uchiha Yexing, who wielded a two-tomoe Sharingan. Though ultimately defeated, Fenghuo had captured the admiration of the student body.
A genius after Hatake Kakashi! That was the whispered praise echoing through the halls.
But at that moment, the so-called "genius" was sitting alone in his courtyard, a bitter smile on his face.
When a shadow clone is destroyed, all its memories return to the original.
"Uchiha Ronai… unbelievable," Fenghuo muttered, pressing a hand to his temple.
First the Hyūga, then the main family of the Uchiha Clan—was this some kind of turf war between Konoha's two great powerhouses?
Even so, if given another chance, Fenghuo wouldn't hesitate. He'd still step up to defend Might Dai's honor. Of course, Dai would likely insist on defending it himself with his "youthful passion."
"But the Academy is personally overseen by the Third Hokage… It's practically sacred. How could a Chūnin from the Uchiha get away with attacking a student on school grounds?"
Fenghuo narrowed his eyes. He needed to think this through. Konoha's political situation was more volatile than it appeared.
The Third Hokage, Danzo and his Root division, the Uchiha Clan, the Hyūga Clan, and the many other ninja families allied with different factions—all of them vying for influence in the village. Hokage succession, clan interests, underground maneuvering… And mixed among them, foreign spies.
Fenghuo was nothing but an ant. If he stepped onto that big stage unprepared, he'd be crushed instantly.
"Ugh, not enough intel, and no strength to speak of. What can I do? I'm desperate here."
He rose to his feet. "I need to get to school. I have no idea what happened after my clone disappeared."
With a soft whoosh, Fenghuo vanished from his courtyard.
Over the past six months, he'd been training relentlessly under Might Dai. Thanks to that, he'd mastered the advanced Three Body Techniques: Body Flicker, Body Lock, and Cloaking Technique. The Body Flicker Technique, in particular, remained a staple jutsu even in the Fourth Great Ninja War—its usefulness couldn't be overstated.
Before long, he slipped out of the Uchiha district and onto the village streets, heading toward the Academy.
The playground was now deserted. In a blink, Fenghuo flickered twice and appeared outside his classroom. He knocked lightly and entered.
When Aoba Kiyone (青葉清音) saw Fenghuo enter from the podium, his pupils contracted slightly.
During the earlier fight, he'd been ordered not to interfere—but he had observed everything.
"To think he could go head-to-head with Uchiha Yexing using just a shadow clone… This boy's growth is frightening. He might really catch up to Kakashi Hatake."
Inside, the class exploded with excitement.
"Uchiha Fenghuo, you were amazing!"
"Haha, you're our pride!"
"That Chūnin was the worst—bullying a student like that!"
Fenghuo's eyebrow twitched. "Student? I'm mentally over twenty, okay?!"
"Fenghuo!" Kai's booming voice called out. Under those thick eyebrows, his gaze gleamed with intensity.
Fenghuo nodded to assure him he was fine.
"Fenghuo, you bastard! I was worried about you! Hahahaha!" Obito struck a triumphant pose, hands on hips, his expression ridiculous.
"Did you forget your meds again?"
"I'm not sick, idiot!"
Fenghuo chuckled. That idiot… so carefree, so happy.
"Fenghuo, take your seat," Kiyone finally called the class to order. "Let's get back to kunai basics."
"Kunai can be used five primary ways: horizontal slash, vertical slash, diagonal cut, thrust, and throwing. But more advanced versions, like the specialized kunai used in today's fight, can be far deadlier. Uchiha Yexing infused chakra into his weapon to sharpen its edge. If it had landed a clean hit, the damage would've been catastrophic—trauma severe enough to cause death by bleeding in minutes."
Obito kept glancing back and winking at Fenghuo.
Left.
Right.
Left again.
"Stop it, pervert. My eyes are gonna fall out."
"I'm just worried about you," Obito said innocently. "You vanished mid-fight!"
Across the room, Rin glanced over and shook her head helplessly.
Fenghuo's heart skipped. So… they didn't realize it was a shadow clone. But—
He glanced at Kiyone. Their eyes met briefly. The teacher looked away, casual—but Fenghuo caught the subtle pause in his gaze.
He knows.
"Hey, Fenghuo! I'm talking to you!" Obito leaned in, impatient. "You won't believe it! I awakened my Sharingan!"
"A masked ninja?" Fenghuo whispered, eyebrows rising. "Was it someone from Root? Or ANBU?"
Then he did a double take. "Wait—what?! You awakened your Sharingan?! How?!"
This threw him.
In the original timeline, Obito awakened his Sharingan during the Third Great Ninja War—when he saw Kakashi risk his life to protect him. But now? Did he awaken it… because of my clone dying?
Fenghuo winced. "I feel like I just lost big time…"
His Sharingan had been active for half a year already, and his chakra reserves were strong—but without a dramatic emotional trigger, he still hadn't progressed to two tomoe.
When he confirmed that Obito's Sharingan was still a single tomoe, Fenghuo could only give a defeated smile.
So the story can change after all.
"After school, I'll show you!" Obito grinned, eyes gleaming.
"Obito Uchiha, stop disrupting class!" Kiyone snapped. "So what if you've awakened your Sharingan? It's not a cure-all. Focus on mastering the basics!"
"Yes, sensei…" Obito replied, half-heartedly.