I woke up at exactly six in the morning.
At this point, my body had gotten used to the rhythm. No alarm, no prompting—just instinct. I rolled off my futon quietly and padded into the bathroom, rubbing my eyes as I washed my face and brushed my teeth with clumsy-but-practiced movements. Even after a week, seeing such small hands still felt strange sometimes.
After changing, I walked into the dining area.
Mother was already there, setting down breakfast. Steamed rice, grilled fish, miso soup—simple, warm, and familiar. The kind of meal that grounded you before the day even began.
The seat across from us was empty.
Third day.
I stared at it longer than I meant to.
"…Father's still on mission," I muttered, more to myself than anyone else.
Mother noticed immediately. She always did. She paused mid-motion, glanced at me, then followed my gaze to the empty space. Her expression softened, but she didn't force a smile this time.
"He'll come back," she said calmly. "Your father is strong. And careful."
I nodded, though a tight feeling settled in my chest anyway. I knew how dangerous missions could be. Even for Uchiha.
Especially for Uchiha.
I ate quietly, finishing my food without complaint. After breakfast, I rested for a bit to let my body recover, then headed out to the garden to train.
Hand seals first.
My fingers moved through the familiar motions—Ram, Snake, Tiger—slow at first, then faster, muscle memory slowly forming despite my small hands. Halfway through my drills, I heard footsteps behind me.
"Ah—there you are."
I turned.
Mother stood at the edge of the garden, smiling, with someone partially hidden behind her leg.
She gently nudged him forward.
"Obito wanted to play with you today."
Obito stepped out hesitantly, his goggles pushed up on his head. He looked nervous, eyes darting between me and my mother before finally meeting my gaze.
"H-Hi," he said.
"Hey" I replied simply.
Mother clasped her hands together. "Why don't you boys play here for now?"
She left us alone after that.
Since she wanted me to play with him, I figured I might as well make it productive.
"Sit," I told Obito, pointing to the ground.
He blinked. "Huh?"
"Hand seal drills," I explained. "My father taught me."
His eyes immediately lit up.
"Really? You can already do ninja stuff?"
"Basic things."
That was enough for him.
I demonstrated slowly, exaggerating the motions so he could follow. Obito mimicked me… poorly. His fingers tangled, seals came out crooked, and he kept laughing whenever he messed up.
"Like this?" he asked, holding something that was definitely not a Tiger seal.
"…Close enough."
While he practiced, I sat down and began Leaf Concentration.
I steadied my breathing, gathered chakra, and pressed a leaf to my forehead. Chakra flowed evenly, clinging it in place. My body slipped into a familiar calm, senses sharpening.
From the corner of my awareness, I could feel Obito staring.
He didn't interrupt me, though. To his credit, he kept practicing, even when his hands cramped and his seals slowed.
We trained like that all morning.
By the time we stopped, the system chimed softly in my mind.
[Skill Level Increased.]
Both skills rose together.
Skill Update
Leaf Concentration — Level 6 (Active)
Experience Until Next Level: 50.11% / 100%
Description: Allows the user to increase chakra control.
Chakra Usage: 1 Chakra per second
Passive Effect: +7% Chakra Control
Hand Seal Drill — Level 6 (Passive)
Experience Until Next Level: 66.69% / 100%
Description: Increases speed and efficiency of hand sealing.
Passive Effect: +7% Hand Seal Speed
Lunch was surprisingly lively.
Obito sat across from me, eyes sparkling as he tasted my mother's cooking.
"This is amazing!" he said between bites. "My grandma's food is good too, but this—!"
Mother laughed softly. "I'm glad you like it."
I felt oddly proud.
After we finished eating, Obito and I asked if we could go play by the Naka River again. Mother gave her usual warning—don't wander too far, don't do anything dangerous—and let us go.
Once we arrived, I immediately put Obito to work.
"Help me look for ant nests," I said. "And beehives."
"Okay!" he answered.
We split up, marking locations together. Small ant nests. Medium ones. Even a few small beehives. By around two in the afternoon, we had a decent list.
After resting, we started.
The moment the first ant died, the system chimed again.
[Party Member Detected.]
[Uchiha Obito has joined your party.]
I froze for half a second.
Then Obito crushed another ant.
+1 EXP
My eyes widened.
Every ant I killed only gave me one experience point now.
But when Obito killed one… I still gained experience.
Which meant—
He could kill everything, and I'd still level up.
This was broken.
Absolutely broken.
I kept my expression neutral, but inside, I was grinning like an idiot.
We cleared nest after nest. Obito worked hard, laughing, shouting, and celebrating every kill, completely unaware that every one of them was feeding my system.
By the time we finished, the sun was already dipping low.
Another notification rang out.
[Level Up!]
Status Update
Level: 6
Experience Points: 762 / 4,112
Health Regeneration: 1.60 HP/s
Chakra Regeneration: 1.60 CP/s
Chakra Capacity: 700 / 700
We didn't have time to deal with the beehives today, so we agreed to come back tomorrow.
I walked Obito home afterward.
"Today was awesome," he said, beaming. "Let's play again tomorrow!"
"Yeah," I replied. "Let's."
After waving goodbye, I headed home.
Mother asked how my day went, and I told her I played with Obito. She smiled warmly and said it was good for me to have friends.
She wasn't wrong.
But in my mind, I was already planning.
Obito wasn't just a friend.
He was my party member.
And from now on?
He was coming with me on every insect-hunting spree.
After dinner and washing up, I lay down and closed my eyes.
Tomorrow would be even better.
[Status]
Name: Uchiha Keisuke
Level: 6
Experience Points: 762 / 4,112
Health Regeneration: 1.60 HP/s
Chakra Regeneration: 1.60 CP/s
Chakra Capacity: 700 / 700
[Skills:]
Leaf Concentration — Level 6 (50.11%)
Hand Seal Drill — Level 6 (66.69%)