"Rin!"
A figure rushed past Akira Sato toward the brown-haired girl up ahead, the one with two purple markings on her cheeks.
It should have been a sweet, innocent scene — but to Akira, it was like seeing a snake or scorpion.
Yes.
That figure rushing by was none other than the future traitor, the one who would betray his teacher, destroy his own clan, and nearly bring the entire world to ruin — the ultimate backstabber.
Uchiha Obito.
Akira knew that even if Obito disappeared right now, the Uchiha clan would still face disaster, thanks to schemers like Madara and Danzo lurking in the shadows. But if it weren't for that, he'd absolutely try to eliminate this walking disaster before it grew too strong.
Before he reincarnated into this world, Akira remembered how many people online adored or admired characters like Obito — the tragic lover willing to destroy everything for the woman he loved.
But in real life? It was disgusting and infuriating.
The Fourth Hokage treated Obito like family, cared for him deeply — and what did Obito do in return? He hated Minato just because he didn't arrive in time to save Rin?
What kind of brain-dead logic was that?
The Fourth Hokage was one of the village's top fighters. His job was to be out on the front lines, not to babysit a group of kids — and besides, at the time, he wasn't even nearby!
As for the Uchiha clan? They had done absolutely nothing to Obito.
But Obito still turned on them, slaughtered his own people, and plunged the world into chaos.
And later, in the story, Naruto just forgave him because his "dream" was to become Hokage?
Tch, tch.
If all the people who died at Obito's hands could rise from the grave, they'd want to tear Naruto to pieces for that.
Forgiving someone like Obito — you'd have to be insane.
For Akira, there was no "redemption arc" for Obito.
Luckily, Obito was still just a student now — far from becoming the villain he would one day be.
Akira couldn't punish him for future crimes… yet. But if he could, you'd better believe he wouldn't hold back.
Honestly, the moral standards of this ninja world were utterly twisted. Akira had no respect for them.
Still, one thing was undeniable:
Even if the world's values were messed up, the aesthetics here were top-tier.
Maybe it was thanks to chakra or something, but the kunoichi (female ninja) here didn't look like they came from a war-torn, poverty-stricken world.
Take Mei, his "white knight" (protector) from the Uchiha clan — her beauty was on par with certain beloved video game characters from his old life. If she hadn't looked like that, Akira probably couldn't have "eaten this soft rice" (taken advantage of her protection) so easily.
Ahem.
Anyway, no matter how cute Rin was, Akira had no interest.
They were just little kids, after all — he wasn't some kind of creep.
At that moment, Obito, still chattering loudly, walked off with Rin, smiling brightly.
School was already on break, so they weren't heading back to class, and Akira didn't have to go the same way.
Before long, Akira arrived at the ninja academy.
The Uchiha clan compound was near the center of the village, much closer to the academy than his old home on the outskirts.
As soon as he stepped into the classroom—
"Akira!"
Honda Taka, his chubby friend sitting in the corner, waved him over. Other classmates also glanced his way.
Before yesterday, they wouldn't have paid him any attention — after all, Akira had been the class underachiever, barely scraping by, ignored by everyone except his two close friends.
But after yesterday's showdown, when Akira had taken down the genius Kakashi Hatake head-on, everyone's view of him had completely changed.
Ignoring the stares, Akira walked over and sat down next to his two best friends.
"Any intel on today's team assignments?" he asked as soon as he sat down.
Don't let the chubby guy's weak appearance fool you — when it came to information gathering, Taka was top-notch. He always had insider scoops.
Team assignments — and especially which jonin would lead which squad — were critically important.
Why?
Because your instructor could shape your entire future as a ninja.
Just look at the future "Konoha Twelve" — if they hadn't been assigned to elite jonin, but instead to random mid-level or special jonin, would they ever have reached their potential?
More likely, they would've died on some mission. Assassinating talented young ninja from enemy villages was a standard tactic, after all.
That's why Akira cared so much about today's results.
If he ended up stuck with a mid-level chunin as a team leader, forget about special training — even surviving missions would be a lot riskier.
Honda Taka lowered his voice.
"I heard there's been a change in the team leaders this year…"
He shot Akira a meaningful glance.
Obviously, the change was connected to Akira himself.
Yesterday's test had shaken things up.
Because in the ninja world, individual power ruled everything.
A single top-tier fighter was worth more than countless cannon fodder.
So when the village discovered a new "genius," they weren't about to waste that potential — they'd pour in resources to nurture it.
Akira was now officially considered a genius.
Even if his strength came from his summon beast, the fact remained: he had beaten Kakashi.
In the ninja world, nobody cared about "fair" or "unfair."
The only thing that mattered was results.
Soon, the instructors began entering the classroom one by one, announcing the names of the three-person squads they'd be leading.
"Squad Two — Kazuki Kuriyama, Eri Kido, Ayaka Toda…"
Three-person squads, also known as "teams."
One by one, the newly graduated genin were called up and assigned.
"Honda Taka!"
Suddenly, a chunin instructor called out Taka's name.
Team placements were decided by the village leadership; they didn't care about friendships or personal bonds, so it was normal for close friends to be split into different squads.
Akira quickly handed over several small vials of diluted healing medicine.
"Be careful out there. If you run out, come back and find me!"
Now that his healing potion had been publicly revealed, Akira wasn't about to withhold a few bottles from his best friend.
He'd even written down detailed usage instructions on a slip of paper.
With those potions, Taka would at least have a slightly better chance of surviving dangerous missions.
Taka didn't check the bottles right away — instead, he gave Akira a grateful look before hurrying out of the classroom.
Smart move — if you got your hands on something valuable, it was better not to flash it around in front of everyone.
That alone showed how sharp Taka was, despite his chubby, harmless appearance.
"Here's yours."
Akira handed another set to his other close friend, Koji Yamakami.
"Thanks."
Koji's expression shifted slightly as he accepted the bottles, but he didn't say much.
With their friendship, there was no need for extra words.
Akira knew Koji well — despite his usual cold, aloof exterior, Koji was the type whose warmth ran deep beneath the surface.
If that hadn't been the case, Akira wouldn't have chosen to befriend him, no matter how talented Koji was.
Now you understand why Akira made these two his "friends" after reincarnating, right?
Originally, his plan was simple: let Taka handle the money, let Koji handle the fighting, and he could kick back and enjoy the easy life.
But unfortunately, that plan had fallen apart.
Now, he had no choice but to work hard himself.
Still, he chose to help his friends anyway.
They were the only allies he truly trusted — even more than his own fiancée, Mei.
After all, despite their engagement, he and Mei hadn't spent much time together yet.
Akira wasn't some naive protagonist who blindly trusted the Uchiha clan just because of their anime reputation. That kind of thinking would get you killed.
Anime was anime, reality was reality.
The anime sugarcoated all the hot-blooded, youthful, passionate, friendship-centered ideals, while conveniently ignoring the darker sides.
In reality, the Uchiha clan was full of internal power struggles and political games — the anime just chose to focus on their "tragic beauty."
The rose-tinted filter was way too strong.
That's why Akira hadn't moved back into the clan compound even after reincarnating.
He only planned to return if his "coasting plan" completely failed — which, unfortunately, it now had.
As these thoughts ran through his mind, the classroom gradually emptied out.
Most of the team leaders were chunin, with only the occasional special jonin appearing — and even then, they were only assigned to kids from prestigious ninja families or recognized geniuses.
So shady.
Looking at this, you really understood just how stacked the deck was for the future Konoha Twelve — they all had elite jonin as team leaders.
For the average genin or civilian-born ninja, they were basically treated as expendable cannon fodder.
Finally, only Akira and Koji were left in the classroom.
Before they could even discuss who their future instructor might be, they saw two figures walk through the classroom door — one tall, one short.
Crap!
That was the only thought running through Akira's mind.