Uchiha Clan Grounds, Rear Courtyard.
In front of several large trees, two young boys stood a short distance apart, each holding a few shuriken. Their eyes were focused intently on the target boards nailed to the tree trunks.
One of them had jet-black hair and eyes, dressed in the traditional Uchiha clan attire adorned with the clan crest. He looked about three or four years old. This was Uchiha Sasuke.
Beside him stood a blond-haired boy about the same age, Namikaze Naruto, son of the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato. Since he wasn't the Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki in this timeline, his cheeks lacked the familiar whisker marks, making him look more like a miniature version of his father.
"Watch this..." Naruto narrowed his eyes at the target on the tree, holding a shuriken with determination. With a sharp flick of his wrist, he hurled it forward.
The shuriken flew with precision and struck the target, though it didn't hit the bullseye. Instead, it landed on the second ring away from the center.
"Hmph. So that's all the Hokage's son can do?" Sasuke crossed his arms smugly.
Naruto scowled. "Hey! Don't get cocky. That was just a warm-up!"
"Oh, really?" With a confident glint in his eyes, Sasuke threw another shuriken.
Thunk!
It landed dead center.
Naruto scratched his head in frustration, gritting his teeth. He picked up two shuriken this time, determined to throw them both at once.
Because he wasn't a Jinchuriki, and as the son of the hero who died protecting the village, Naruto was respected by many in the neighborhood. His life trajectory had been completely different from the original story. The one thing that hadn't changed, however, was his dream, to become Hokage.
To become a Hokage respected and admired by all, just like his father.
And to become Hokage, he had to be a genius.
There was no way he could lose to a kid his age, not when he could beat people one or two years older than him.
Clink!
Naruto flung both shuriken. They collided mid-air, causing one to wobble slightly. Still, both managed to hit the target, though only on the outer edges.
Sasuke chuckled and casually tossed two shuriken of his own.
Thunk! Thunk!
Both hit much closer to the center.
"See that? That's the strength of the Uchiha clan."
Not far away...
Watching this exchange, Kaede couldn't help but curl his lips.
No surprise, they really were destined rivals. Sasuke was sweet and well-behaved around Itachi, but as soon as Naruto showed up, his bratty side emerged. Neither Indra's nor Asura's chakra had been awakened in the two yet, but Sasuke, trained constantly by Itachi, was clearly a step ahead in shuriken skills.
Come to think of it, Kaede hadn't been able to see Indra and Asura's chakra before, but now that he had the Rinnegan and reached the Six Paths level, he could perceive them clearly.
The chakra wasn't inside Naruto and Sasuke yet, but instead hovered faintly around them, half-ethereal, half-substantial, still dormant and unused.
Standing next to Kaede, Uchiha Itachi was also observing the two boys. His gaze was particularly focused on Naruto.
Compared to Sasuke's pride and confidence, he noticed something different in Naruto, his talent wasn't inferior to Sasuke's. With the right guidance, Naruto could definitely match him.
"A child who truly inherited Lord Fourth's gifts..." Itachi murmured to himself.
At that moment, Sasuke noticed Itachi and Kaede nearby and lit up with excitement, running toward them.
"Big Brother!"
Tap!
Before Sasuke could leap into his arms, Itachi reached out and flicked his forehead with two fingers, making him stumble back, clutching his reddened forehead.
"Mind your manners. The Hokage is present."
Itachi said calmly.
Sasuke rarely saw his brother speak so seriously. Rubbing his forehead, he obediently turned to Kaede and bowed.
"Hokage-sama."
"No need to be so stiff, Itachi," Kaede chuckled. "Your little brother's adorable, way cuter than Kakashi was at that age."
Truth be told, Sasuke was pretty cute, at least when he was around Itachi.
Itachi gave a slight nod to Kaede.
Just then, Naruto came running over as well, shouting, "Hey! Don't just run off, we're not done yet!"
Sasuke gave him a side glance. "What are you yelling for? Can't you see the Hokage's here?"
"H-Hokage?!"
Naruto looked at Kaede in surprise, noticing how much he resembled the face carved on the Hokage Rock. Remembering the stories his mother Kushina told him, he scratched his head sheepishly.
"S-Sorry! Uh... Hokage-sama..."
Kaede smiled gently. "Don't mind me. You two go on and play."
With that, he turned and vanished into the courtyard. Itachi followed close behind, leaving Naruto and Sasuke standing alone.
Sasuke tried to follow them but was stopped by Itachi's outstretched finger. Left with no choice, he watched their silhouettes disappear.
"A real Hokage... just like my dad..." Naruto murmured, staring at Kaede's retreating figure before turning to Sasuke.
"Hey, what's the relationship between the Hokage and your brother?"
Sasuke turned and replied flatly,
"He's my brother's teacher."
"His teacher, huh... I heard the Fifth Hokage is the strongest in history. The strongest ninja in the world right now. I wonder how strong that really is. I bet he could throw ten shuriken and hit the bullseye every time..."
Naruto mumbled, eyes still fixed in the direction Kaede had gone.
Sasuke scoffed. "You're underestimating the Fifth Hokage. Even my brother can do that easily... You can't begin to imagine the strength of the Fifth Hokage."
Naruto looked at him. "You've seen him fight?"
"Nope." Sasuke shrugged.
Naruto gave him a look that practically screamed, Then why are you talking nonsense?
"Someday, I'm going to become a Hokage even stronger than the Fifth!"
"I suggest you go home and sleep."
"You jerk..." Naruto glared. "You wanna go?!"
Sasuke huffed. "I've been meaning to see what the Hokage's son is made of."
Just as the two were about to clash, the voices of Kushina and Uchiha Mikoto echoed through the yard, making both boys freeze mid-move.
Kushina stepped into the courtyard and saw the boys pushing against each other. Her brow twitched. "Naruto, what do you think you're doing?"
"Sasuke?"
Mikoto walked up as well.
A bead of cold sweat formed on Naruto's forehead. He quickly wrapped an arm around Sasuke's shoulder, forcing a grin. "A-Ahaha... We were just playing a game..."
Sasuke, feeling the pressure of Mikoto's gaze, mumbled stiffly, "Y-Yeah... That's right..."
The two mothers exchanged glances and sighed in unison. Mikoto turned to leave.
"Time to go home, Naruto."
As soon as Kushina and Mikoto turned their backs...
Naruto and Sasuke immediately dropped their stiff poses and looked at each other, fire burning in their eyes. They quickly let go, huffed, and followed after their mothers with synchronized snorts.
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Completed version available on Patreon.com/Veltoria