Konoha Village – Uchiha Clan Training Grounds
As the sun set in the west, a young boy was drenched in sweat as he practiced his sealing technique.
"Clone Jutsu!"
Poof!
A puff of white smoke appeared—yet nothing materialized.
"Ah! I failed again…"
Takayama Haru scratched his head and shouted in frustration.
Why is it that Mr. Takayama's Clone Jutsu looks fake?
Why can Kakashi perform it so effortlessly?
Why can't I succeed?!
Just one sentence from Takayama-sensei today had made him feel completely disheartened.
He fantasized about being a prodigy, stunning the world with his abilities, becoming Hokage, standing proud above the rest of the ninja world.
But the truth was… he had no talent.
He'd tried to deceive himself before—but today, he couldn't. Not anymore.
Every now and then, members of the Uchiha clan passed by, casting strange glances in his direction.
"That's Takayama Haru, training so hard every day."
"It's a shame his parents died so young."
"Without parental guidance, it's even tougher."
"He came home crying today, I heard…"
"He's probably going to fail and have to start over."
Whispers floated around him, accompanied by looks of contempt and pity.
Haru's shoulders trembled slightly, then he roared in anger:
"I am not useless!"
With that resentment burning inside him, Haru trudged home, still coated in dirt.
His grandmother greeted him at the door, "Haru, you're back. Let's eat."
"I'm not eating!"
Haru slammed the door shut behind him and refused to come out. He immediately dropped to the ground and began a frenzy of push-ups.
...197, 198, 199, 200!
Gritting his teeth, Haru continued, his sweat dripping down, soaking the floor beneath him.
Finally, his body collapsed to the ground, but Takayama-sensei's voice echoed in his mind:
"You… drag your comrades down. You shame your clan…"
Haru clenched his jaw, pushed himself back up, and continued training!
Meanwhile, in Rin Nohara's home, her parents were beaming as they asked:
"So Rin, that means you're able to endure training now?"
Rin nodded, "Yeah, actually, Takayama-sensei is a pretty good teacher. Oh—Dad, Mom—have you ever heard of him?"
"Takayama? Hmm, no, can't say we have. Why, what about him?"
Rin rested her chin in her hand, her mind drifting to Takayama's bright, cheerful smile.
"Kakashi said Takayama-sensei is a really incredible person."
"Incredible, huh? Then you should definitely learn as much as you can from him."
"Mm." Rin nodded obediently.
Elsewhere, Kakashi was alone at home, eating instant noodles. His father wasn't home again tonight—probably busy with official duties.
His mind replayed Takayama's words from earlier that day.
This Takayama-sensei seems unreliable… or rather, he spoils his students too much.
That someone like Haru could pass under the Uchiha name was honestly unbelievable.
At that very moment, Takayama was having dinner. Sitting beside him were Uzumaki Mito, Kushina, and Tsunade.
As soon as she sat down, Tsunade complained about how busy the Medical Corps was, leaving her with almost no time to sleep.
She then mentioned the recent uprising in Kirigakure, the Hidden Mist Village. Many low-ranking ninjas had been injured or even killed.
Numerous undercover Konoha agents stationed there had to flee because of the chaos.
Many of them had died on the road.
Those who managed to return to Konoha were all seriously wounded.
As a result, Tsunade had barely slept for days.
Takayama listened intently—these were things not seen in Konoha's public reports.
Kirigakure... its most notorious reputation was for the Bloody Mist. But Takayama didn't understand what made it "bloody." Did it mean they killed their own people?
Tsunade gave a chilling explanation:
"Kirigakure used to be a place where everyone was equal, just like Konoha.
But ever since the Third Mizukage came to power, things started to change."
"The village's native nobles and elite jōnin clans that earned honor during wartime became the highest class of aristocrats."
"Small clans absorbed by Kirigakure—including those with bloodline limits—and even normal families, were demoted to civilian status."
"These civilians were treated as tools for the most dangerous missions—less than dogs, really."
"As for the so-called 'Land of the Bloody Mist,' it refers to their genin graduation exams.
To pass, a student must kill a classmate."
"Of course, only civilians have to go through this—nobles are exempt."
"Naturally, the civilians didn't take this quietly. They began to riot."
"In response, it's said the Mist's high council sent in the Seven Ninja Swordsmen to violently suppress them.
Kirigakure was drowned in terror and blood."
The Seven Ninja Swordsmen!
Takayama finally heard something he recognized.
But the names Tsunade mentioned—Biwa Jūzō, Kurosuki Raiga, Fuguki Suikazan, Kushimaru Kuriarare, Jinpachi Munashi, Ameyuri Ringo, and Mangetsu Hōzuki—were all unfamiliar to him.
Where were Zabuza Momochi or the famous Executioner's Blade?
Tsunade added, "Now, Lord Hiruzen plans to send several ninja teams to the Mist region. It's likely that idiot Jiraiya will be acting as the main commander."
Takayama asked curiously, "Isn't Jiraiya also the school principal? Why is he going out on missions?"
Tsunade looked at him like he was clueless.
"The Ninja Academy exists to train ninjas who will go on missions.
Having the principal act as a mission commander—isn't that normal?"
"Huh? This mission won't include students from the academy, right?"
Tsunade shrugged. "From what I heard, that's the plan. We're extremely short on manpower right now.
There are conflicts all along the borders—almost everyone has been deployed."
"If necessary, even new graduates might be sent to the battlefield."