The Third Hokage was just about to lead Shigure to the training field when the door slid open with a low groan. A man entered, his presence sucking the air from the room.
His right eye was bound tightly in thick bandages. His face was lined and severe, his aura oppressive—like a shadow cutting through the Hokage's flame.
"Shigure stiffened inside. Danzo."
The man's single visible eye settled on him with disdain, before cutting toward Hiruzen. "Hiruzen… to take in a stray Uchiha as your disciple? Have you truly thought this through?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression sharpened, pipe lowering. His voice was calm, but behind it rang steel. "Danzo. Shigure is not like the others. This boy is different."
Danzo's eye narrowed dangerously, his voice dropping into accusation. "Different. Yes. So different that last night, Uchiha clan members vanished mysteriously. And here you are, smiling over a strange new Uchiha child, while bodies burn in ash. Hiruzen… are you blind, or complicit?"
Smoke billowed from the Hokage's lips. "That is enough. I have accepted him under my guidance. The matter is closed."
Danzo's lips curled down. "Closed? You forget Uchiha Madara, old friend. Monsters are always born of the same blood and arrogance. You pity him now, but mark my words—you will regret this."
His footsteps echoed as he turned and disappeared, leaving only silence and lingering menace.
Shigure dropped his gaze, hiding the glimmer of fury in his eyes.
"Do not be offended," Hiruzen said quietly. He exhaled, his voice carrying an edge of weary apology. "That was Shimura Danzo. Leader of the Foundation, one of my advisors. We were once teammates. But his way and mine… diverged long ago."
Shigure simply nodded once. "It's fine. I understand."
The Hokage guided him at last to Konoha's training grounds, where the autumn wind swept across the dirt field. Dust twirled like embers in sunlight.
"Then," Hiruzen said, the teacher's smile replacing the leader's sternness, "show me your ninjutsu. Don't hold back."
Shigure's fingers blurred through seals, faster than the eye could follow. Hiruzen's brows rose. So fast.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball!" Shigure exhaled. A massive orb of fire roared forward, heat searing.
"Suiton: Suijinchū!" (Water Wall!) Hiruzen reacted instantly. A towering wall of water erupted before him, hissing as it clashed against the fireball, steam rising in clouds. The jutsu broke apart, leaving grass scorched and wet.
The Hokage dropped his hand, impressed. But before he could praise, Shigure's eyes gleamed white and red, tomoe spinning.
Already, he was mapping the flow of the Hokage's chakra. Memorizing pattern and power in an instant.
"You copied it." Hiruzen murmured, equal parts awe and wariness.
Training then ignited fiercely.
Hiruzen's seals blurred. "Katon: Karyū Endan!" (Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!)
Flames burst into dragon-shapes, blazing and twisting under the Hokage's precise command, scorching the field in three converging routes. The control alone had been enough to destroy jōnin in an instant.
Shigure closed his eyes, aligning chakra. His imitation flowed nearly perfectly on the first attempt.
"Tiger-Dragon-Rat-Ox-Snake-Sheep." His voice fell into perfect rhythm as the dragon-shaped fire twisted from his mouth, wild and barely contained. The flames screamed outward, almost losing control.
"Guide it! With chakra!" Hiruzen barked, sweat at his temple.
Shigure clenched his chakra pools and forced the dragon's heads into his command. The three fire serpents slammed forward, carving identical burns into the earth.
The Hokage's mouth pulled into a grin despite himself. "Incredible. First attempt—and already you can control it. Your fire release… refined even beyond Uchiha expectations. Perhaps even beyond Orochimaru's first trial years ago."
But Shigure only nodded once, cool and calm. The Otsutsuki bloodline makes chakra control natural. For me, this is only beginning.
"Next… Suiton." Hiruzen's hands twitched. Three rapid seals. "Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu!"
Water bent into a roaring dragon, coiling from the earth itself and thrashing forward with magnificent force.
Shigure's eyes fixated, tracing signs of chakra molding. His seals flashed in perfect mimicry.
"Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu!"
Water shouted from his lips, forming into a dragon that tore through the clearing. Though less forceful, its form was undeniable.
Hiruzen laughed, smoke drifting from his pipe. "Perfectly mirrored… on the first attempt again. The rumors say you lack discipline, Shigure, but they were wrong. The truth is—the village has birthed a monster of memory and control. With those eyes… nothing can hide from you."
Already, the Hokage pushed forward: Doton, Fūton, Raiton.
Earth Dragon roared forward, mud spiraling like scales.
Wind Dragon howled, slicing trees with invisible knives.
Thunder Dragon cracked, splitting air with violent sparks.
Each technique was demonstrated once. Each was grasped almost immediately.
Hiruzen lowered his arms, panting faintly—not from exhaustion, but from the sheer weight of realization. "I meant to teach you one ninjutsu. Instead, you grasp every Dragon Bullet of the Five Elements. Your affinity across all nature releases is perfect. No… it's inhuman."
He drew a deep breath, steadying himself. "Shigure… you may even surpass the Sannin one day. Possibly faster than they grew in their youth."
For a moment, true pride touched his voice.
But the moment collapsed as three masked ANBU descended in silence, crouching low. Shigure stiffened instantly.
Even before they spoke, Hiruzen waved them aside, his calm voice serious. "Enough. He's had his lesson. Don't disturb him further."
Then he turned back, resting a hand on Shigure's shoulder. The weight was reassuring, though the eyes behind it were filled with calculation.
"Go home, my boy. Do not rush. Practice these carefully. The power of five natures… it can kill you if you are reckless. But if you tame it…" Hiruzen exhaled, smoke curling upward. "It will make you unstoppable."
Shigure bent low, masking the glint of ambition in his expression. "Yes, Sarutobi-sensei."
The sun bled orange as Shigure returned home. His heart buzzed with triumph.
"Five Dragon Bullets. The Fire Dragon Flame Bomb. And Water Wall," he murmured under his breath. "Combined with my eyes… and my control… Even a jōnin would fall before me now."
Excitement coursed through him, hot and sharp.
That excitement chilled, however, when he pushed open the ruined door of his house. Four silhouettes waited inside.
Hatake Kusuo, expression unreadable behind his mask.
Hyūga Akane, her pale eyes full of barely concealed worry.
And Hoshiko, who leapt to her feet at once, rushing forward.
"Shigure-nii! Where were you?!" Her words trembled with emotion.
Kusuo leaned against the wall, his voice quiet and blunt. "We've heard… rumors. About last night."
Shigure froze at the doorway, caught between shadow and fading sunlight, the fire of ambition burning behind his pale eyes.
The secrets of his bloodline were closer than ever to being discovered—and the bonds of his new team would either become his shield… or his undoing.
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