Yami was walking through the forest not far from the academy.
Today was the day the institute held small festivities, giving students in their final three years before graduation a chance to show off their skills.
The goal was to allow ninjas to observe them and decide—either in advance or on the spot—whether to take a specific student as an apprentice or to scout a promising group of students to lead as their *jōnin-sensei*.
This was one of the reforms implemented in the academy's shinobi education system. Another well-known reform involved final-year specializations, where each student could choose a specific field of study to prepare for the future and build a stronger foundation for graduation.
These specializations included ninjutsu, taijutsu, *bukijutsu* (weaponry), *iryō ninjutsu* (medical ninjutsu), logistics, and *fūinjutsu* (sealing jutsu). In addition to the initial block of general classes, students could select two of these specializations; the afternoon classes were all conducted by instructors ranked Special Jōnin or higher.
But returning to the festival, practically all the teachers were occupied with the event. It wasn't just ninjas attending; civilians—parents, siblings, and guardians—also came to watch, getting a rare, up-close look at the dazzling ninja arts.
To prevent any incidents, the teachers supervised everything closely; after all, prevention is better than cure.
Consequently, students not participating in the festival had the day off.
Yami went to check out the scene out of sheer curiosity, only to be slightly disappointed; it wasn't anything particularly impressive.
While a few students managed to stand out on their own, from Yami's perspective, their feats were nothing he couldn't replicate himself with a little practice.
Faced with this reality, he decided to leave and head to the nearby forest to train. Once in a secluded spot, Yami closed his eyes to feel his body being nourished by chakra while also sensing—however faintly—an energy that he understood to originate from nature.
He could neither touch nor interact with it, yet he knew it was there. He had already mentioned it to his mother, who told him not to mess around with it; she said she would teach him how to use it eventually—unless, of course, he wanted to turn into a plant for the rest of his life.
Yami didn't quite grasp what she meant by that, but the serious tone of her warning made it clear she wasn't joking, so for now, he simply focused on getting used to being constantly surrounded by that energy.
He didn't expect to just stand around doing nothing—that wouldn't be training, after all—and just as he was about to form a hand seal, he sensed an object hurtling toward his position at high speed.
Without a second thought, he performed the necessary hand signs; the moment the object struck, a smoke-shrouded log appeared where Yami had been standing.
Yami reappeared a few meters away, already gripping a kunai in case of a counterattack, only to realize that the projectile wasn't a weapon but rather a large stone.
"I expected nothing less from the Hokage's son," a voice called out from the trees.
Yami looked up to see a young man with black hair and a Leaf Village headband smiling down at him.
"You know I'm the current Hokage's son, yet you still attack me?" Yami complained, glaring at him.
"It's *because* you're the current Hokage's son that I attacked you," the ninja replied simply, leaping down to the ground. "Let me introduce myself: I'm Shisui Uchiha. Nice to meet you. I imagine you've heard of me?"
"No, actually, I haven't," Yami clarified, leaving a moment of silence in the air.
"Really?" Shisui asked, scratching his head. "I guess the fact that everyone recognizes me must have gone to my head."
Shisui was trying to lighten the tense atmosphere he had created himself, but Yami continued to look at him as if he were a weirdo.
Seeing that his attempt had failed, he could only sigh and let his arms drop—not just out of weariness, but to show the young man before him that he posed no threat, deliberately exposing his vulnerability.
Yet, watching Yami out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the boy's guard remained as high as ever, causing him to smile inwardly. "I see he has the potential not to be easily fooled," the Uchiha thought to himself.
"What is an Uchiha doing in a place like this—specifically, right here?" Yami asked.
"You can just call me Shisui," Shisui tried to correct him.
"What is an Uchiha doing right here in front of me?" Yami asked again, rendering Shisui's previous words a waste of breath.
"I came to the festival to see if the new generation showed any promise, but—just like you—nothing caught my eye. Then, I happened to see you heading into the woods, so I followed you," he explained, with no need to hide anything.
"That's stalking; I didn't know the Uchiha Police Force did things like that," Yami complained, his guard still up.
"Not the Uchiha Police, but the ANBU do. I never joined the Uchiha Police; I went straight to working under the Hokage's direct command in the ANBU as soon as the war ended." Hearing Shisui's explanation, Yami sensed neither lies nor deception, so he began to lower his guard—especially considering the man worked directly under his mother.
"Weren't you on duty?" Yami asked tentatively.
"It's my day off," Shisui said, pulling a stone from his pocket. "Under the Fifth Hokage, the ANBU isn't as rigid anymore; there's more flexibility, though the training and instruction are far more rigorous and demanding in exchange."
As he spoke, he tossed the stone into the air, catching and re-throwing it. By the time he finished speaking, he looked straight at Yami and fired the stone at him at full speed.
Yami's eyes widened, but he managed to raise the kunai he was holding to defend himself.
The moment the young man looked at the ninja who had thrown the stone, the man was already gone—leaving Yami wide-eyed at the Uchiha's incredible speed.
"You have potential," a voice called out from above Yami. But just as he was about to speak, Shisui dropped down, nearly crushing him; Yami ended up pinned to the ground with Shisui sitting on his back. "But you still have a long way to go."
As he said this, he saw Yami transform into a log. Shisui was momentarily surprised, glancing back at the log that had been there earlier—only to find the young Senju standing in its place.
"Are you sure about that?" Yami asked, displaying something he rarely showed: his pride.
Shisui smiled, realizing that the young man before him had already had the jutsu ready to go at a moment's notice. "Let's see if that's true," Shisui questioned, already drawing a kunai, causing Yami to smile at him.
...
In the sewers of Konoha, Danzo could be seen waiting for his subordinates to arrive.
After a few moments, a Root ANBU appeared behind him, kneeling before his master.
"Did you manage to find anything?" the old hawk of war asked.
"Nothing, Lord Danzo," the Root ANBU replied.
"Nothing?" Danzo questioned incredulously.
"The boy is very skilled; he neither sweats nor bleeds during sparring matches with his peers," the Root ninja explained.
"Not even a single hair or anything?" the former disciple of the Second Hokage pressed.
"Not a shred of DNA to collect," his subordinate admitted.
Danzo simply stared at him, feeling frustrated by this.
"No matter. From what I've seen, the brat has great potential; he will surely participate in the upcoming early graduation exam. Once he becomes a ninja, you'll be able to collect some of his DNA to see if my theory is correct."
At that moment, another Root ANBU appeared, kneeling just as his comrade had.
"I have news, Lord Danzo," the newly arrived subordinate said.
"Did you manage to find the missing Uchiha?" Danzo asked.
"No. In fact, the situation has begun to cause unease among the Uchiha, as it appears he vanished right after speaking with him," the Root ninja explained.
"Hmm... It must have been the Hokage's secret force that captured him; he is likely being held prisoner while they try to extract information," Danzo deduced, turning around. "This could serve to further stoke discontent among the Uchiha regarding the Hokage's current administration."
At the thought, Danzo couldn't help but smile.
"It is no longer safe to meet within the village; we will have to do so on the outskirts, even if it carries more risk. Use Orochimaru's abandoned bases to meet with the Uchiha. You are dismissed." "At your command, Lord Danzo." With that said, the two Root ninja vanished from the spot using *Shunshin*, leaving the old hawk of war alone.
...
A panting Yami could be seen leaning against a tree while Shisui held him at knifepoint with a kunai.
"I was surprised by the speed at which you performed hand signs, as well as the power of your water bullets; I imagine you share the same chakra nature as the Hokage," the ninja remarked.
"My mother told me there were two types of ninja: those who use few hand signs and those who use them all but at blinding speed," Yami explained.
"And which of the two are you trying to be?" Shisui asked.
"Both." Shisui hadn't expected that answer. "And regarding my chakra nature—why do you ask?" "Are you going to train me?"
At the question, Shisui began to recall what had happened in the Hokage's office that morning.
*Flashback*
"So, you want me to train your son?" Shisui asked.
"Not exactly," Miyu countered. "You're planning to go to the Academy, right?" The dark-haired man nodded. "I know Yami will be going too, and I know him well enough to realize he won't stay there long—and I imagine you won't either."
"Then what do you want me to do?" Shisui asked again.
"If you find him, I want you to do just one thing," the Hokage explained, raising a single finger. "Push him beyond his limits."
*End of flashback.*
"No, I was just curious," Shisui said, looking at him. "Well, since I'm here—and because the Hokage asked me to..."
He pulled a scroll from his pocket and unrolled it to reveal a seal; with a puff of smoke, two wooden training swords appeared.
This caught Yami's attention, and he reached out his hand to take one of them.
"So, how about we get a little serious?" Shisui asked Yami, his eyes shifting from black to blood-red.
Yami saw this and understood it immediately; it was the first time he had seen the Sharingan, yet he knew its primary function—knowledge gained from his mother's teachings, alongside the mechanics of the Byakugan.
The very next second, Shisui vanished in a blur of movement, reappearing behind Yami. Yami sensed him but failed to react in time; a blow to his arm forced him to his knees.
He immediately scrambled up and spun around, only to find no one there.
Suddenly, a stone came flying toward him; the moment he moved to intercept it, Shisui appeared at his side, striking him in the stomach and sending him flying.
"Too slow," Shisui declared, vanishing once more.
This one-sided thrashing continued for thirty minutes.
Shisui would knock him down, and the very next second, Yami would rise only to take another hit.
At one point, the ninja appeared and struck him in the face, sending him crashing to the ground and slamming into a tree. Shisui felt that was enough, but Yami got back up.
He hesitated for a moment about continuing, but the Hokage's words came back to him:
"It's no problem if you leave him covered in bruises; I can heal him later. Besides, that brat is incredibly tough and tenacious—unless you knock him unconscious, he won't give up."
Recalling this, he decided to prolong the little skirmish a while longer.
Yami was panting, barely able to stand, filled with a sense of dissatisfaction—mostly with himself.
"If this guy were actually my enemy, I'd be helpless against him. I need more strength," Yami told himself, gripping his training sword tighter.
Shisui wasn't fighting seriously at any point; in fact, he always gave a subtle tell before attacking, and this time was no exception. The attacker appeared behind Yami and struck with a thrust, but this time, Yami's eyes and mouth flew open.
Yami had spun around and—for the first time—precisely blocked the attack, wielding his sword with both hands.
Yet, it wasn't the block that caught Shisui off guard; it was the fact that Yami's eyes were no longer black but red—like a Sharingan with a single, spinning *tomoe*.
"I managed to block the attack," Yami said triumphantly, just before his Sharingan deactivated and he lost consciousness.
Shisui caught him, standing there unsure of what to do next.
"I need to see the Hokage right now," he declared before vanishing from the spot using *Shunshin*.