Strictly speaking, yeah... I'm kinda looking forward to the academy.
Not for the friends or the fun or whatever normal kids get hyped about. I just want to finally learn something that doesn't start with "Back in the glory days of the Uchiha…"
Seriously, if I had a Ryo for every time someone in the clan said "glory," I could bribe my way to Hokage. Probably.
At home, it's all stories. Glory this, pride that, "you're the descendant of greatness, act like it"—blah blah blah. But when it comes to actual jutsu theory, chakra control, nature manipulation—nada. Just lectures that feel like brainwashing with extra steps.
I want the real stuff. How chakra flows exactly, how nature energy works, and whether it's even possible to 'bend' more than one element like the Avatar. And yeah, I already tested my affinity—lightning and fire. Not bad, but come on, couldn't I at least get three or even more like that young lad Hiruzen?
Guy was out there summoning mud walls, shadow clones, and freaking fire dragons all before lunch.
If I could master every chakra nature like him, maybe I'd be an Avatar but, well, with a tiny little bit more edge, a tailed beast, and no pacifist nonsense. Honestly, I'd settle for just being stronger than Tobirama at least. Racist water freak.
Anyway, before I got too deep into those power fantasies (which, trust me, is a daily thing), I spotted my mother waiting outside after the exam. Now, it's not like she was there because she was worried. No, no. That's not how Uchiha parenting works.
She was there to… supervise. Observe. Mold.
Because everything I do—the way I walk, talk, breathe—is supposed to reflect the Uchiha ideal.
Nervousness isn't allowed. Unsure? That's weakness. My voice must be confident, sharp, clear. "Speak like a leader," they say. "Because you are one."
In modern terms, that's called being raised in a control-freak environment.
But compared to what I've seen in Azula's memories?
This is paradise.
She grew up in a house where love came with knives—where being the perfect daughter meant twisting yourself into whatever shape pleased her father. All for a little affection. A kind word. Anything that didn't feel like a cage with flames.
And she never got it. Not really.
I'm different. I know I'm not her. But I still feel her.
That pain and loneliness in her chest, the way she broke inside while looking whole outside—I understand all of this because I have the memory and feel like it's something I have lived through.
But at least here, in this world, even if it's controlling… it's still love, just in a colder, shinier wrapper. So, I can adapt. I will.
On the way home, I couldn't help but notice something again—something I've been watching for the past five years.
The Uchiha aren't yet as isolated as I remembered from the anime.
They're still respected. Still feared, sure—but involved. We had someone from the clan as one of the Hokage's disciples. That would be unthinkable in the canon timeline.
Yeah, Madara's rebellion still lingers like a bad smell in history class, but so does the clan's sacrifice in the First Great War that has just ended.
It's not like after the 2nd Ninja War where we didn't participate greatly or in the 3rd where we were completely marginalized by Sarutobi.
...
...
...
It didn't take long before we reached the Uchiha district—nestled deep in the center of Konoha and not far from the Senju lands either.
Anyway, when we got there… the place was a ghost town.
And I don't mean that poetic, foggy kind of ghost town with tumbleweeds and ominous crows. It was just straight-up empty.
But that's what happens when you're still picking up the emotional shrapnel from the First Great Ninja War. Barely a year has passed, and people either lock themselves in their homes or the rest are around the Academy waiting for their kids.
I finished early today anyway, so it's normal for them to not be back.
Then there's my father.
The moment we stepped inside, there he was—back turned, arms folded, staring at the wall like he was posing for the cover of Stoic Samurai Monthly. The sheer aura he gave off nearly made me want to dig a hole in the tatami and vanish.
"Hm. You're back earlier than expected," he muttered without even sparing us a glance.
So mysterious. So dramatic. Someone please get him a fan and some theme music.
"How was it?" he added in that deep, unimpressed tone that could probably scare a wild boar into retirement.
I rolled my eyes so hard I saw my past life. Thankfully, Mom jumped in with her usual yandere smile, the kind that could melt glaciers but gives me shivers every day. "It went great. Azu was the best—first in everything. Though she might've found herself a rival. Hashirama's granddaughter, no less."
He scoffed. Of course he did. "Hmph. Hashirama's granddaughter? I'm better than his son. While that brat snoozed on the prestige of his father and uncle, I was out there, bleeding in the war for Konoha."
There it was. The proud, guilt-drenched patriotism of the Uchiha. Still trying to earn forgiveness for Uncle Madara's Godzilla tantrum.
"Anyway," I cut in before he launched into a full-blown history lecture about Uchiha glory, "you do remember our bet, right?"
Simple deal. If I came out first at the Academy evaluation, he'd finally start teaching me Lightning Nature Ninjutsu. I've been bugging him about it every single day, but his answer's always the same: "Your body's not ready."
Whatever that means.
I've already done a secret test of the bending technique and it worked. Once. Alone. Late at night. Just enough to confirm it worked. I didn't go all out nor did I observe the change.
This is the Ninja World. For all I know, some creepy root-dwelling Zetsu is watching me through a leaf. Or the Hokage with his forbidden jutsu that lets him spy through that ball—though, to be fair, I doubt even he could sneak peeks inside the Uchiha Compound. Too many traps. Too much paranoia.
Plus the same answer: I'm the clan head's daughter, after all. There could be a Jonin tailing me every time I was alone and the current me might not even feel it.
So, no full-blown chakra + bending technique experiments just yet.
But I need Lightning Nature. It's the closest thing to proper bending in this world—flashy, fast, and perfect for someone like me. Some techniques don't even need hand seals. It's basically ninja jazz.
In fact, Ninjutsu are a scam.
Rasengan, Chidori, fancy hand signs, and dramatic zoom-ins.
But the more I thought about it—and the more I accidentally stumbled into that cursed thing called Boruto—the more I realized something important: these chakra techniques are practically lunch for every mid-tier villain that pops up later.
"Oh no, he's absorbing chakra!"
Of course he is. They all do. It's like chakra-based attacks are just expensive snacks for bad guys now.
So, yeah. I decided early on: forget flashy Ninjutsu. The real path to power is raw, unfiltered physical strength. Train your body to the absolute limit, hang in the Eight Gates formation plus whatever technique your Mangekyou got, and you may really be able to punch anyone you want.
So in the earlier stage, I want sculpted muscles, sharpened reflexes, zero dependency on pretty lights.
Combine that with Lightning Nature to stimulate your cells like crazy, shock out all the impurities, and you're looking at Kumogakure-tier progress.
Azula's memories back me up here. She lived long enough to see the world evolve—even watched the weird steampunk bending circus called Legend of Korra.
So, I need a valid reason to start using Lightning Bending and I also want to learn the Lightning Ninjutsu of this world.
Then the old man sighed.
"You know," he said, voice calm, "unlocking chakra this early is already risky. Playing with Lightning Nature on top of that will make you even more in danger. Just stick with our clan's legendary Fire Style. It's what made the Uchiha great."
I stared at him. Long. Hard. Unblinking.
If there was a Ninjutsu type more useless to me, it's Fire. Yeah, yeah—Madara made it look godly. But remove that one outlier, and what do you have left?
A bunch of dramatic fireballs that barely singe anyone. If you ask me, Fire Style's only real job is to look cool while missing its target.
Earth has more practical uses. Defensive walls, traps, terrain control—you name it. Lightning and Wind are swift and deadly. Water can heal. But Fire? All style, no substance.
Of course, maybe that's just because no one really pushed Fire Nature to its limit. But that's not my job. I'm not here to revive Uchiha pride—I'm here to win.
The old man probably felt the way I was staring holes into his back because he sighed again. Then, like a reluctant merchant giving a stubborn customer a discount, he turned and held out a scroll.
"Fine," he muttered. "If you want to learn Fire Ninjutsu, no matter which one or many, I will personally guide you. But I think your body isn't ready for Lightning Nature Ninjutsu, so you can only learn it yourself. But of course, if you can't and change your mind, then come to see me."
I took the scroll without hesitation. Without bowing or thanking because Lightning was calling.
....
Officially start this time, don't forget to vote please