As time ticked by, students continued to arrive at the Academy in steady streams.
They saw Shisui Uchiha standing there like a statue; some greeted him but received no response, while those who didn't know him cast bizarre looks his way.
The Uchiha were notoriously arrogant and dismissive of others, so everyone assumed Shisui was performing some kind of avant-garde "living art," resulting in a case of total social suicide on the spot.
The crowds thinned as the bell for class drew near.
"Sharingan—Activate!"
Shisui Uchiha finally broke through the suppression of the wisp of energy Saiki had left behind and regained his mobility.
Shock, fear, and humiliated rage swirled within him. Shisui was a true prodigy; his Sharingan, which had already manifested two tomoe at the age of six, reacted to Saiki's stimulus—one of his eyes had now evolved into a three-tomoe Sharingan.
He dropped to one knee, panting heavily; simply breaking through Saiki's energy seal had drained a massive amount of his chakra. His entire body was drenched in sweat.
The "Primordial Qi" Saiki had cultivated over three years was no joke; while he couldn't yet use it for offensive Ninjutsu, it was more than enough to protect himself or immobilize an enemy.
Just as he caught his breath, the school bell rang. Shisui didn't linger on his thoughts, scrambling to his feet and sprinting toward the classroom.
Shisui was hailed by many as a "genius," a title recognized even by the likes of Hiruzen Sarutobi. Despite Shisui being a member of the Uchiha—a clan the Leaf leadership viewed with suspicion—Hiruzen kept a close eye on this descendant of Kagami Uchiha.
In fact, it wasn't long after the incident at the gates that the report reached Hiruzen's desk.
The Ninja Academy might look peaceful on the surface, but beyond the instructors, Anbu were always watching from the shadows to protect the village's "leaves."
A short while earlier, in the Hokage's office:
"What is it?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had been buried in paperwork since dawn, looked up as an Anbu member suddenly materialized in the room.
"Reporting, Lord Hokage. A minor skirmish broke out at the Academy gates. Shisui Uchiha was defeated by Saiki Shiroya."
Hearing this, Hiruzen's interest was instantly piqued.
"Oh? Tell me about it."
Though the name Saiki Shiroya reminded him of Sakumo Hatake and stirred up some unpleasant memories, he was very invested in the progress of a prodigy like Shisui.
"At the gates, Obito Uchiha and Saiki Shiroya had a confrontation. Kurenai Yuhi, daughter of Shinko Yuhi, made comments regarding the Uchiha clan. Shisui stepped in to issue a warning, but he was instantly neutralized by Saiki Shiroya using a combination of Clone Jutsu, Body Flicker, and a Restraint Seal. It took Shisui over ten minutes to break the binding."
Hiruzen fell into deep thought. Before he could process this further, Kushina barged in.
"Third Lord! I'm leaving the village!"
Looking at Kushina, who looked ready to punch someone into the stratosphere, Hiruzen refused firmly. "No. The other nations are restless, and conflicts are breaking out at the borders. It's too dangerous for you to leave."
Seeing his resolve, Kushina demanded, "Then when is Minato coming back?"
"He's on a top-secret mission. His return date is uncertain," Hiruzen replied calmly, lighting his pipe and taking a slow puff.
At this, Kushina exploded in a rage. "I don't care! I want a mission! I'm leaving this village!"
"Kushina, you must understand your position. Do not be unreasonable," Hiruzen said sternly.
But the "Red Hot-Blooded Habanero" was not so easily swayed. "I'm going! Konoha is boring as hell, and having people watch me all day is driving me crazy!"
"I said no!"
The two engaged in another round of heated bargaining until finally:
"Fine! But the students I get better not be any worse than Kakashi!"
Watching Kushina stomp away like a crimson monster, making the building shake with every step, Hiruzen finally sighed in relief.
He flipped through the files of this year's graduates. Kushina wanted geniuses on par with Kakashi. He thought of the Anbu report about Saiki defeating Shisui—perhaps he was a hidden prodigy. But the boy's ideological standing was poor; he hadn't even passed "The Will of Fire."
While Hiruzen was hesitating, Tsunade walked in. Eventually, the team assignments for Saiki and Shizune were locked in.
On the Academy training grounds, Saiki's class was lined up in an orderly fashion.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
In the air, thrown shuriken collided with crisp metallic rings before falling uselessly to the ground. The dirt was already littered with kunai and shuriken.
"Dammit! Saiki, you bastard!"
It had to be said, Obito Uchiha was truly a magnet for bad luck. Not only had his sneak attack at the gate ended with him being tripped, but he had also ended up facing Saiki in the practical exam.
Thinking this was his chance for revenge, Obito unleashed the Uchiha clan's pride—their shurikenjutsu. But the result was humiliating. Saiki casually countered every single one of Obito's projectiles with his own.
Saiki never bothered training with useless tools like shuriken, but by relying on his precise control of force and his ability to predict trajectories, he neutralized Obito's attack with ease.
Obito was an outlier in the Uchiha—he hadn't learned the clan's formal throwing techniques and certainly didn't have the elite skills of someone like Itachi.
Besides, even if Obito's aim were perfect, Saiki's physical durability was such that he could probably stand still and let the boy hit him without dying.
Faced with a raving Obito, Saiki just smiled calmly, letting the girls in the crowd do the talking for him.
"Wow, Saiki-kun is so cool!"
"Obito, you idiot! Don't you dare insult Saiki-kun, you loser!"
"Go, Saiki-kun!"
Seeing Rin Nohara in the audience with her eyes fixed adoringly on Saiki, Obito finally snapped.
"Aaaaaagh!"
With a roar of fury, Obito threw his final kunai. His hands then blurred through signs as he unleashed the Uchiha clan's signature technique.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
He took a deep breath, molding chakra in his throat. Perhaps fueled by his rage, the jutsu didn't fail this time. He spat out a massive, scorching ball of flame, more powerful than anything he had produced in training.
Faced with the incoming fire, Saiki moved even faster. He swiped away the kunai with a blade of his own. After identifying Obito's signs, Saiki's hands moved at a speed far exceeding the boy's—nearly six signs per second—countering with the exact same jutsu.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
A ball of fire significantly larger and hotter than Obito's erupted from Saiki's mouth.
The Great Fireball might be an Uchiha staple, but Saiki had Tsunade backing him!
As the sworn enemy of the Uchiha, Tobirama Senju had collected countless Uchiha techniques over the years.
The two fireballs—one massive, one smaller—collided violently.
BOOM!
A terrifying wave of heat exploded. The larger fireball swallowed the smaller one whole, continuing its path toward the stunned Obito.
"Not good!"
Seeing the danger, the Chunin instructor used a Body Flicker to appear in front of Obito, his hands weaving signs at high speed.
"Earth Style: Mud Wall!"
Rumble!
The teacher slammed his palms onto the ground, infusing it with chakra. A wall of stone rose from the earth just as the remnants of Saiki's fireball slammed into it.
When the smoke cleared, the stone wall was charred black, its edges crumbling from the heat.
Having successfully blocked the blast, the instructor let out a breath of relief, while Obito collapsed onto his butt, trembling with fear.
Without chakra to sustain it, the wall crumbled. Seeing Saiki still standing there with that same calm smile, the terrified Obito shouted, "Aaaaagh! How is this possible? Saiki, you miserable bastard!"
The instructor looked at Saiki with irritation. "Saiki Shiroya, this is just a test. Watch the power of your techniques!"
The teacher already disliked Saiki for his poor "Will of Fire" scores, but this was worse. Weren't you always fighting to a draw before? Why the hell did you suddenly explode like this? He had nearly failed to save the boy.
"Ah! My apologies. Obito looked so serious, I assumed he was actually strong," Saiki replied with his usual harmless smile.
These words enraged Obito even further. "Dammit! Aaaaagh! I'll kill you! I'll kill you, Saiki!"
Saiki simply chuckled and returned to the line.
The end of the fight brought a wave of applause and praise. The moment Saiki returned, the girls' intense gazes were upon him.
"Saiki, you're so amazing! It feels like you know every type of nature transformation!" Kurenai said excitedly.
A girl named Meiko Yamada nodded in agreement. "Mm-hmm, totally!"
Even Rin Nohara, after casting a worried glance at Obito, looked back at Saiki with admiration. This sight shattered Obito's heart all over again as he scrambled up from the dirt.
Faced with their praise, Saiki just smiled. "I've worked very hard. But I'm sure you all are amazing too."
The next match began shortly after.
"Next pair: Shizune vs. Shigeru Natsuki."
Hearing Shizune's name, Saiki gave her a thumbs up. "Go get 'em, Shizune!"
"Mm!"
Shizune nodded with a sweet, obedient smile.
Unlike the Shizune of the original story who only specialized in Medical Ninjutsu, this Shizune had trained alongside Saiki and learned several Water Style techniques.
As Shizune took the field, the crowd cheered again. Saiki cast a glance at Obito.
Unlike the future "blackened" version, this Obito was still pure and kind-hearted. Though he had lost to Saiki, his vitality returned quickly.
However, whether this accumulated resentment would lead a fallen Obito to seek revenge on Saiki in the future was anyone's guess.