"Now that you've been here a while, is there any ninjutsu you want to learn?"
Fugaku looked directly at Keiji.
"I just entered the academy, so… I'm afraid I'm not quite ready to learn ninjutsu yet."
Keiji hesitated, feigning humility.
"You can learn later. The right to choose ninjutsu is a privilege every Uchiha enjoys."
Fugaku's gaze lingered on him, his square face stern and commanding even without anger. Every Uchiha ninja had this right — access to the clan's vast ninjutsu library, a collection built up through generations of contribution.
"Then… I truly appreciate your generosity, Lord Fugaku."
Keiji gave a polite bow, appearing grateful.
Fugaku nodded, satisfied by Keiji's attitude. Trading a few jutsu scrolls for the boy's acknowledgment of the Uchiha clan — it was a worthwhile exchange. From what the instructors at the Ninja Academy were saying, Keiji had excellent potential.
That only made it more essential to draw him into the clan's fold.
If bonds couldn't be forged… then he would need to be quietly marginalized.
What the Uchiha needed were loyal Uchiha.
"Is there a particular chakra nature you want to train in?" Fugaku asked.
The shinobi world recognized five basic elemental natures:
Water Release
Fire Release
Wind Release
Lightning Release
Earth Release
Anything outside of those fell into the domain of secret techniques or kekkei genkai.
"Lightning Release, I suppose. I once used chakra paper — mine had a lightning affinity."
Keiji spoke after a moment of mock deliberation. In truth, he already knew what he wanted — Lightning Release.
The Yorutsuki clan (formerly known as the Yagetsu clan) had an innate affinity for lightning-style taijutsu. For Keiji, obtaining lightning techniques was like giving wings to a tiger.
Among the five chakra natures, all held promise, depending on how they were used. But the shinobi world had grown too traditional, too reliant on chakra. Chakra was both its strength… and its downfall.
Even its so-called "technology" was often just chakra in a different shell, ignoring real-world physics.
Lightning Release, for example, could be extended into electromagnetism — electricity generating magnetism, controlling magnetic fields.
Even manipulating gravitational pull, shaping electric fields to control electron orbits… the possibilities were endless.
That was the unique perspective Keiji possessed — the insight of a transmigrator.
Simply using Lightning Release to shock enemies or boost his speed? That was child's play.
Even Fire Release had untapped depths. At its core, fire-style ninjutsu was about two things: plasma creation and temperature control.
By shifting toward molecular motion or energy regulation, one could develop techniques that manipulate heat or even produce high-frequency waves.
Ironically, the most technologically progressive village was not the one you'd expect — it was Kumogakure, often seen as a land of brutes.
Orochimaru was a master of biology and genetics, but it was the Cloud Village that took real steps forward.
In The Last: Naruto the Movie, just a few years after the Fourth Great Ninja War, Kumogakure developed the Chakra Cannon — powerful enough to destroy the moon in a single shot. It was the most devastating weapon the shinobi world had ever known.
"Very well."
Fugaku nodded. The Uchiha archives had no shortage of Lightning Release scrolls.
"I'll have someone take you to the library. Pick a scroll you like — but don't overreach. A D-rank will do."
"Understood. Thank you, Lord Fugaku."
Keiji bowed again, still putting on the act.
"Alright, alright, let's eat now," Mikoto chimed in with a smile.
"If we don't start soon, the food will get cold."
"Mmh."
Keiji served himself a large bowl of rice. He needed proper nutrition to grow stronger.
As they ate, Fugaku shifted topics and occasionally chatted with Mikoto. Surprisingly, even someone as stern as him could share the occasional amusing story that brought a smile to Mikoto's face.
Keiji ate in silence.
…
About half an hour later, Mikoto walked Keiji back the way they came.
"Say, Mikoto-nee, what's the average retirement age for a shinobi?" Keiji asked.
Ninjas didn't seem to have a formal retirement age. And he'd never heard of retirement pensions either.
"Retirement? Hmm…"
Mikoto thought for a moment.
"Most shinobi don't live long enough to retire. But if one does wish to retire, they can file an application. Once approved, they'll be discharged from active duty and leave the shinobi life."
She had seen very few elderly shinobi — and far more academy graduates who'd quit early after being unable to cope with the brutality of the ninja world.
"I see," Keiji nodded.
It made sense.
In Itachi Shinden, there was a female shinobi named Shinko from Itachi's Team Two who, overcome by despair at the violence of their world, chose to resign. She ended up working in a small teahouse in the village.
Ninjas were tools.
But when using a tool, who truly considers its wear and tear?
This was a world where children went to war.
Once you picked up a kunai, you had to be ready to kill.
There was no therapy, no counseling for the scars left behind.
No wonder the ninja world was full of extremists and broken minds.
They'd been twisted by the shinobi system long ago.
"But as for me…" Mikoto's voice softened, "I might be retiring soon myself."
"Then allow me to offer my congratulations," Keiji replied with a smile — though his heart turned cold.
So… Itachi was about to be born?
The thought weighed heavy on him.
"If you ever decide not to be a shinobi, Keiji, you can choose to retire too," Mikoto said with a gentle smile.
They continued walking, Mikoto leading slightly ahead.
Keiji looked up at her back.
Was there a way… to stop Itachi from being born?
His left Sharingan flickered faintly red.
His pupil trembled with power.
But when he blinked again, his eyes were back to their usual black.
To Keiji, Fugaku was nothing but a weak hypocrite.
A man unworthy of Mikoto — and responsible for her tragic end.
The way he offered Keiji ninjutsu scrolls was no different from the manipulations of Kumogakure. It was a political transaction to win favor.
In the future, Keiji would surely have to serve the Uchiha.
So be it. It was part of the game.
But Fugaku… he had never treated the other Uchiha as kin.
He bore direct responsibility for their downfall.
When Itachi betrayed the clan, he massacred innocent members in cold blood — even slaughtering his way to his own home.
And yet Fugaku — clan leader, Mangekyo Sharingan wielder — said nothing.
Instead, in Itachi Shinden, he said:
"Even if our beliefs differ, you will always be our pride…"
He and Mikoto willingly died by Itachi's hand.
The only thing he asked of Itachi was to protect Sasuke.
Outside their home? Corpses of clanmates still warm.
Most of the Uchiha were civilians — not everyone had awakened the Sharingan, not everyone was a shinobi.
And yet the clan's chosen leader abandoned them.
Keiji had no intention of dying with that kind of twisted ideology.