The Silence After the Storm
Two years had passed since the night of the Kyūbi attack. The village of Konoha, though rebuilt, still bore visible and invisible scars. The visible ones were the new buildings and areas still waiting to be restored. The invisible ones were the political coldness and paranoia that had settled in the Council, directed primarily at the Uchiha Clan.
Uchiha Sora had turned four years old.
To his parents, Hitomi and Kenshin, Sora was a surprisingly mature and quiet child, with an unusual inclination towards reading. To the world, he was a civilian child, with his shinobi potential yet to awaken.
But to himself, Sora was an adult mind trapped in a body that was a miniature training engine.
The Uchiha Legacy Analysis System had proven to be an invaluable tool. It didn't give him free jutsu or bonus points for breathing, but it converted his training into measurable data.
Every morning, before dawn, Sora got up. He put on his training clothes, which his parents thought were just for playing in the yard, and headed to the small backyard, surrounded by the tall Uchiha fence that ensured privacy.
The First Systematic Training
His first objective was elementary: to increase his ridiculous chakra pool and strengthen his body, because in this world, $EXP$ was only activated by physical effort and energy manipulation.
"Come on, concentrate."
Sora sat in the lotus position. His high INT (28) allowed him to understand the theoretical concepts of chakra, but his four-year-old body was the bottleneck. Concentrating the energy was like trying to catch steam with his hands.
He began the exercise that was not taught in the Shinobi Academy until ages six or eight: Chakra Meditation.
[Chakra Meditation (Level 1):
Concentrate life energy (six hours a day).]
He did it for fifteen minutes, the limit of his childlike concentration. When he finished, the interface showed his progress:
ATTRIBUTESAttributeValueChakra10 / 1000Strength (STR)3Agility (AGI)3Endurance (END)2Intelligence (INT)28EXP10 / 1000
Only 10 experience for fifteen minutes of meditation. This will be slow, Sora thought. But constant. In this world, EXP is not the key, but efficiency. The key lies in the Attributes and Chakra.
Then came the physical exercise: 50 knee push-ups (squats), 30 sit-ups, and 10 minutes of slow running around the yard. A misery for an adult, but a punishment for his immature body.
[Basic Physical Exercises: Completed (1/1).]
EXP Gain: 20
Updated Attributes: END: 2/2.1
Sora smiled with effort. Unlike a real game, the improvement was incremental, decimal. But it was progress.
By the end of his morning training, his $EXP$ had moved, and his Attributes had been slightly polished. This was the Core of the System: the progress was real, not just numerical.
The Facade and the Civilian Disguise
Sora's biggest challenge was not the training itself, but hiding it.
A four-year-old who shows advanced maturity and physical control is automatically a genius. And Uchiha geniuses attract the attention of Danzo Shimura and his Root.
Therefore, Sora had cultivated a meticulous facade.
In front of his parents: He was an intelligent and curious child, fond of reading and stories of heroes. He spent hours in the clan library, not only reading the children's books Hitomi left him but secretly memorizing anatomy diagrams and elemental calligraphy scrolls.
The best way to gain INT is by studying.
[Basic Anatomy Study (Level 1): Reading diagrams of pressure points.]
EXP Gain: 5
In front of the Clan: He was a "promising civilian." His parents had enrolled him in calligraphy and etiquette classes, seeking a quiet life for their son away from the shinobi life, a choice many younger clan members made to avoid political scrutiny.
"Sora, what are you doing here alone?"
A deep voice pulled him out of his concentration. It was Kenshin, his father, returning from the night guard.
Sora quickly put away the anatomical diagram and picked up a frog storybook. He put on a face of childish boredom.
"I was bored, Dad. Mom says if I read a lot, my head will be strong," Sora said, forcing a slight childish lisp.
Kenshin smiled, ruffling his black hair.
"You're a smart kid, Sora. Much more than I was at your age. But remember, if you choose the path of the pen, it will be a quiet path."
"Yes, Dad. I want to be a great calligrapher," Sora replied, feeling a twinge of guilt for lying to him. Kenshin was a kind man, a common Chūnin, whose greatest desire was peace for his family.
Sora knew that the only way to guarantee his family's peace was to become something more than a calligrapher.
The First Threshold
Throughout the two years, his daily routine (meditation, physical exercises, and study) had remained constant. Finally, one day, at the age of four, the System flickered with a notification that almost made him scream with joy.
Congratulations! The User has accumulated enough EXP.
Level: 0 (Civilian) - Level: 1 (Inactive Genin)
Chakra: 10 / 1000 - 50 / 1000 (Base Capacity Increase)
Strength (STR): 3 - 3.5
Agility (AGI): 3 - 3.5
Endurance (END): 2.1 - 2.5
The increase in Attributes was subtle, but the increase in his chakra reserve was huge, quintupling his base capacity. Now he could train for longer periods without exhausting himself.
And most importantly, his new Level 1 allowed him to access the Basic Skills.
Unlocked Skills:
Basic Chakra Control - (Allows training of Tree and Wall Walking).
Chakra Sense (Level 1) - (Passive detection of nearby chakra sources).
"Yes! Chakra Control. It's the key."
With this ability, he could begin to strengthen his chakra foundation and endurance exponentially, without the need for complex hand seals that a four-year-old could not execute. Tree and Wall training was the fastest way to pump his 1000 potential.
Sora looked out the window. It was a few months before the Academy would begin, where Uchiha children his age were expected to attend, starting their shinobi life. Sora was already far ahead.
He clenched his fists. The annihilation clock was still ticking, relentlessly.
ESTIMATED COUNTDOWN
4 Years, 355 Days, 18 Hours.