-----
-----
A translucent interface flickered to life across Ken's vision.
Lines of information scrolled into place.
Host: Uchiha Ken Gender: Male Age: 8 Appearance: Exceptionally handsome Affiliation: Uchiha
Ninjutsu: Substitution Jutsu, Clone Jutsu, Transformation Jutsu, Shadow Clone Jutsu, Fire Style: Great Fireball, Fire Style: Grand Fire Annihilation, Wind Style: Gale, Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes, Wood Style: Cutting Technique, Wood Style: Strangling Technique, Wood Style: Wood Locking Wall, Wood Style: Great Forest Technique
Bloodlines: Sharingan Lv.2 (712 / 1,000,000), Sage Body Lv.2 (982,000 / 1,000,000), Wood Style Lv.2 (1,876 / 1,000,000)
Chakra: 2000 / 2000 (Average Jonin: 1000) Chakra Reserve: 8000 (Can store 4× own chakra)
After more than two years of grinding, Ken had finally pushed all three of his bloodlines up to Level 2.
Level 2 Sage Body alone had boosted his chakra from 500 to 2000. Even his reserve capacity jumped to 8000, four times his base amount.
But the upgrade wasn't just about numbers.
His regeneration had become downright absurd.
There had been a time when he'd been injured so badly that bone was exposed. With a Level 2 Sage Body, he'd fully healed in just an hour.
That kind of power spoke for itself.
Leveling up Wood Style also unlocked two new techniques: Wood Style: Wood Locking Wall and Wood Style: Great Forest Technique.
Now he was already looking forward to what Level 3 might bring.
Would he eventually get Sage Art: Wood Style: True Thousand Hands…?
Just thinking about it made him curious.
Meanwhile, upgrading his Sharingan to Level 2 had awakened the two-tomoe.
After sparring with Fugaku, Ken came to a clear conclusion—
His strength had already reached Jonin level.
As long as he didn't go picking fights with monsters like Obito, Nagato, Hiruzen, or Jiraiya, he could at least protect himself.
And the most important part?
He was only eight.
His growth potential was basically limitless.
Even Kakashi, Konoha's top prodigy, didn't become a Jonin until he was twelve.
Ken had beaten that by four whole years.
A complete freak.
Normally, there was no way someone could raise three bloodlines to Level 2 in just two years.
But starting a year ago, Ken had been secretly hunting enemy ninjas and rogue shinobi—absorbing their chakra to fuel his growth.
Without that, this progress would've been impossible.
In fact, his Sage Body was already close to Level 3.
"Still short by eighteen thousand energy…" Ken muttered under his breath.
He was already planning another trip out soon.
Once his Sage Body hit Level 3, even if he ran into one of the top-tier powerhouses, he could at least escape thanks to its explosive strength.
Still, one thing really bothered him.
Going from Level 2 to Level 3 required one million energy.
That was just ridiculous.
The other two bloodlines wouldn't be any easier either.
Shaking off his thoughts, Ken glanced at Sarutobi Kei and smiled.
"Kei, don't forget what you promised earlier."
Not long ago, Kei had made a deal—if Ken agreed to spar with him, he'd treat both him and Hitomi to barbecue.
After holding back for two years, Kei had wanted to defeat Ken in one go and strengthen his resolve to become Hokage.
To be fair, he had trained hard. He'd already reached Genin level and could graduate from the academy.
But his opponent?
A walking cheat with three bloodlines.
Defeat had been inevitable.
Ken beat him effortlessly.
Kei squeezed his already bulging wallet.
…Was this really enough?
He'd seen firsthand just how terrifying Ken and Hyuga Hitomi could be when it came to eating.
Especially Ken.
The guy was like a bottomless pit.
"Kei, I've been dieting lately, so I won't eat much," Hitomi said shyly, her bright eyes glinting with a hint of mischief.
After two years around Ken, even she had picked up a bit of a scheming streak.
"I, Sarutobi Kei, am a man destined to become Hokage! How could I go back on my word?"
"It's just barbecue. Let's go!"
He waved grandly and led the way, looking calm and composed on the outside…
…but inside, his heart was bleeding.
It hurts. It really hurts.
Why did I have to challenge Ken?
Kei, you idiot…
Ken and Hitomi exchanged a glance and broke into matching smiles.
Kei really was a good guy.
Within the Sarutobi clan, opinions toward the Uchiha were split between hardliners and moderates.
The hardliners pushed for suppression and discrimination.
The moderates preferred coexistence.
Kei clearly belonged to the latter.
That was why the three of them had become such good friends over the past two years.
They strolled through the village streets, lined with traditional Japanese-style buildings.
Over the past two years, Konoha had changed quite a bit.
The most noticeable addition was rows upon rows of neatly arranged apartment buildings.
Most of them were Uchiha real estate projects. They focused on quality, so their reputation was excellent.
Ken had once considered introducing the concept of shared-area fees…
But after thinking it over, he dropped the idea.
No point harvesting the field down to the roots.
You needed something left to grow next time.
As he walked, his thoughts drifted again.
He carefully went over the timeline from the original story.
Three major events were supposed to happen this year.
First—
Itachi would go on a mission with his team, where Obito would suddenly appear and kill their Jonin leader along with his teammates. That incident would trigger Itachi's two-tomoe Sharingan.
Right now, Ken wasn't strong enough to deal with someone like Obito.
With a Mangekyō Sharingan and Kamui, Obito was incredibly dangerous.
If he got targeted…
That would be bad news.
So Ken had no intention of interfering.
Second—
The Hidden Cloud would attempt to kidnap Hinata to obtain the Byakugan, only to be killed by Hiashi.
To avoid escalating conflict, Konoha would sacrifice Hizashi—Neji's father—sending his corpse to the Cloud after destroying the Byakugan. Neji would be left orphaned, his personality forever changed.
The Hyuga clan was arrogant, cold, and often at odds with the Uchiha. They'd even sided with the Hokage faction in suppressing the Uchiha.
Ken had no reason to step in.
No need at all.
Didn't Konoha preach the Will of Fire?
Weren't the Hyuga loyal followers of the Hokage?
Then let them tear each other apart.
Third—
Orochimaru's forbidden experiments would be discovered by Hiruzen, forcing him to defect from Konoha.
None of these events had happened yet.
After thinking it through, Ken made his decision.
For now, he'd just sit back and watch.
Let things play out.
At the same time…
He couldn't help but wonder—
Would his presence change anything?
—
The barbecue meal ended with two people completely satisfied…
…and one person utterly heartbroken.
After saying their goodbyes, Ken walked alone down the street.
Suddenly, a burst of angry shouting reached his ears.
"Demon fox, get lost! You'll bring me bad luck!"
"It was all your fault three years ago! The village was destroyed—so many people died because of you!"
"I don't get why the Hokage hasn't executed you. You're just wasting food staying here!"
"....."