The morning sun filtered through the high walls of the Uchiha compound, casting long, golden streaks across the stone pathways. A gentle breeze rustled the paper lanterns and stirred the smell of early dew and fresh earth.
Shin wiped the sweat from his brow, his shirt clinging to his back after a brutal round of push-ups, sprints, and other physical exercises. His limbs ached, but a small grin tugged at his lips—he was getting stronger.
As he stepped into the courtyard of their modest home, the familiar scent of miso and grilled fish greeted him, along with the sight of his uncle, Kazuma, flipping something in a pan with all the grace of a seasoned warrior pretending to be a chef.
"Took you long enough, brat," Kazuma called without turning. "Thought you passed out somewhere halfway through your run, like a princess."
"And here I was thinking old men needed more sleep," Shin shot back, smirking as he tossed his towel over his shoulder. "Didn't expect to see you awake before the rice cooker."
Kazuma snorted, finally glancing over his shoulder. "Watch your mouth or I'll feed you burnt pickles for breakfast."
"You already do."
"Brat."
"Old man."
They both chuckled, the morning's silence broken not by tension, but by warmth—the kind of warmth only found in rare, precious moments of family.
---
The two sat cross-legged at the low wooden table, steam rising from bowls of miso soup and freshly cooked rice. Kazuma placed a generous helping of grilled fish and pickled vegetables between them, but before he could even pick up his chopsticks, Shin had already devoured half his bowl.
Kazuma raised an eyebrow, watching the rice vanish at an alarming pace. "You sure you're not part Akimichi? That's the appetite of a man twice your size."
Shin rolled his eyes mid-chew, refusing to dignify the jab with a response. Kazuma just snorted and took a bite of his fish.
"So… how was the mission?" Shin asked between mouthfuls.
Kazuma chewed for a moment, then shrugged. "Went smooth. Nothing worth bragging about. But I've got to head out again—there's a council meeting this morning."
Shin blinked, surprised. "The Uchiha council?"
Kazuma nodded casually, sipping his soup. "Yeah. Gotta play the part of the responsible adult sometimes, you know."
Shin leaned forward, curiosity piqued. "Uncle… are you part of the Uchiha council?"
Kazuma, mid-sip of his miso soup, froze for a second—then burst into laughter, nearly spilling his bowl.
"Hah! You serious right now?" He slapped the table, grinning from ear to ear. "Princess, did falling on your head make you forget everything? I knew you were dense sometimes, but this is a new record!"
Shin scowled. "Stop calling me princess."
Kazuma waved him off, still chuckling. "You ask if I'm part of the council—boy, did you forget your grandpa is one of the Uchiha clan elders? One of the oldest, most respected guys in the entire district. The man practically helped raise half the council, and you're sitting there like it's news!"
Shin blinked, stunned. "Grandpa… is that important?"
Kazuma raised an eyebrow. "Tch, what did you think he was? Just some old fart with back pain? He may act like a harmless geezer, but he's sharper than half the jonin I know."
Shin scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, realization dawning. Of course, the original Shin probably saw his grandfather every day—never thinking twice about it. But to him, who'd only read about the Uchiha in a fictional world, this was huge.
Kazuma leaned in with a smirk. "What's next, you gonna ask me if the Sharingan comes in different colors? Or maybe forget your own name?"
Shin rolled his eyes and mumbled, "He's not going to miss a chance to tease me, is he?"
---
Kazuma's laughter finally died down, and the rest of their breakfast passed in comfortable silence, broken only by the occasional clink of chopsticks and bowls.
Once they finished eating, Shin stood to help with the dishes, rinsing and stacking while Kazuma dried. Just as they were wrapping up, Kazuma reached into a drawer and pulled out a thin, almost weightless square of parchment.
He held it up with a knowing smirk. "Here. It's time."
Shin's eyes lit up instantly as he snatched the chakra paper like a child offered candy. "Finally!"
Kazuma chuckled. "Stop overreacting, brat. It's not like I gave you the keys to the Hokage's vault."
Shin ignored him, fingers itching with anticipation.
"Alright, listen," Kazuma began, slipping into sensei mode. "This paper reacts to chakra nature. If your affinity is fire, it'll burn. If it's wind, it'll split clean in half. Lightning makes it wrinkle, water dampens it, and earth turns it to dust. You just need to focus your chakra into the paper evenly—like a slow stream—and watch how it reacts. Got it?"
Shin stared at him flatly. "Yeah, I know. I read it in a book last week."
Kazuma froze mid-sentence, blinked, and coughed into his hand. "Tch… smartass."
Suppressing a grin, Shin held the paper between his fingers and took a deep breath. Channeling his chakra slowly, he fed it into the sheet.
Instantly, the paper reacted—one half sizzled and curled into ashes, flames licking its edge before dying out. The other half split sharply down the center, clean as a blade.
Kazuma leaned forward, his eyes narrowing. "Fire and wind, huh?"
Shin looked down at the smoldering and sliced halves. "The fire side was more intense."
Kazuma nodded thoughtfully. "Looks like your primary affinity is fire. Typical Uchiha… but wind as a secondary? That's a good combination—fast and explosive."
Shin smirked, a spark of excitement in his eyes. "Guess I'm full of surprises."
As Kazuma examined the burnt and sliced chakra paper, Shin fell into thought, his eyes narrowing in contemplation.
Fire and Wind… he mused internally. Fire release is expected. I'm an Uchiha, after all, and the clan practically breathes katon. The village has countless fire-style jutsu techniques documented—it won't be hard to get access to them once I'm ready.
He glanced at the cut side of the paper.
But wind… that's a little rarer here. Most wind users are from Suna, not Konoha.
His thoughts drifted toward the future.
I know the ultimate wind-style jutsu—the Rasenshuriken. It's a monster of a technique, but way beyond my current chakra reserves. I'll need mastery over Rasengan before I can even dream of modifying it with wind release. First things first—leaf and tree walking. Once that's done, I'll start Rasengan training.
Snapping out of his monologue, Shin looked up at Kazuma. "Hey, old man, any tips for training elemental chakra?"
Kazuma raised an eyebrow, then without a word stepped outside to the small backyard and plucked a green leaf from a nearby tree. He held it out to Shin.
"Simple. For fire release, try to focus your chakra and ignite the leaf. Don't force it—just imagine your chakra heating up like a furnace."
Shin nodded, taking the leaf carefully.
"As for wind..." Kazuma scratched his cheek. "Can't give a demonstration since I'm not a wind-nature type, but I've seen it done before. You need to slice the leaf in half using chakra alone. Think of it like turning your chakra into a blade."
Shin gave a mock salute. "Hai hai, Sensei Kazuma-sensei, the Great Leaf Burner."
Kazuma rolled his eyes but smirked. "Don't burn down the backyard while I'm gone."
With that, he slipped on his flak jacket, tied his forehead protector loosely around his neck, and headed out the door.
"I'll be back after the council meeting. Try not to blow yourself up."
As the door closed behind him, Shin stretched, leaf in hand, and grinned to himself.
"Alright… time for training."
He resumed his training routine, adding chakra nature exercises to his regimen. Each day became a relentless march toward progress—mastering tree and leaf walking, refining his fire release, and steadily chipping away at wind manipulation.
His body grew stronger, his chakra control sharper, and the fragile boy from before began to fade. The Uchiha compound, once a quiet backdrop, now echoed with the rhythm of his growth.
And like that, six months passed.
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