The Uchiha compound was alive with a different kind of energy. Usually, its courtyards echoed with the clash of wooden practice swords, the roar of Fire Release training, and the barked orders of senior shinobi. But today, anticipation clung to the air like static before a storm.
Whispers stirred among warriors, elders, and even the younger children who peeked from behind their mothers' robes.
For the first time in the clan's storied history, techniques never recorded in their archives—born not from centuries of battle, but from the hands of a single sixteen-year-old—were about to be tested.
Scrolls lay unrolled across wooden stands. Their ink glistened fresh, diagrams neat and meticulous. Sequences of hand seals were sketched with precision, annotated with sharp notes in Keiji's careful handwriting. Fire Release altered into new patterns. Lightning bent into unfamiliar shapes. Yin Release expanded beyond the clan's illusions. And at the edge, diagrams of glowing threads—medical ninjutsu unlike anything ever taught within the Uchiha.
"Eight B-rank techniques. Seven A-rank. And healing jutsu beyond anything we've known." Tajima Uchiha muttered, his fingers brushing over the ink like it was sacred scripture. His eyes, dark and calculating, narrowed. "The boy is either a genius… or a curse."
Madara stood with his arms crossed, sharp gaze fixed on Keiji. Izuna tapped his sandal against the stone impatiently, clearly itching to test. Unohana remained calm, her face unreadable but her eyes thoughtful. And in the shadows, Gengar drifted with a grin, glowing red eyes twinkling with amusement, already sensing the chaos to come.
Keiji felt the weight of the clan's eyes on him. For a moment, nerves pressed into his chest, but then his hand brushed against the edge of Gengar's shadow. A chill steadied him. He breathed deeply.
This is the first step… toward changing history.
---
The First Attempts
The clan divided themselves. Senior Uchiha took scrolls at random, eager to prove themselves—or disprove Keiji.
The first chosen was Katon: Agni no Tenchi (Fire Release: Heaven and Earth of Agni).
A warrior stepped forward, hands flashing through the seals: Tiger → Ox → Dog → Snake → Tiger. He drew in a deep breath, his chest glowing with chakra. When he exhaled, fire burst from his lips—wild, unbalanced, scorching the dirt. The flames flared too strongly upward, catching the man's hair and leaving the ends singed black.
The crowd burst into laughter. The warrior scowled, smoke curling from his head.
Keiji stepped forward, calm but firm. "This technique demands balance. One flame is Heaven—light, expansive. The other is Earth—dense, grounded. If they spin separately, they clash. Together, they become harmony."
The man grit his teeth and tried again. This time, the flames spiraled together briefly before sputtering out. Still flawed, but better.
"Better," Madara murmured. His Sharingan flickered briefly, analyzing the movement.
Encouraged, another shinobi chose a Lightning scroll.
"Raiton: Vajra's Wrath." Izuna snatched it before anyone else could. His eyes gleamed, eager.
He performed the seals smoothly: Ox → Hare → Ram → Snake. A crackling spear of lightning formed in his grip. It wavered, unstable, then shattered in sparks before it could strike the wooden target.
Izuna's jaw clenched. "Again!"
His chakra flared violently. He repeated the seals faster. This time, the lightning solidified into a sharper spear. With a shout, he hurled it. The spear pierced the log clean in half, splinters flying. Sparks hissed across the training ground.
The clan gasped. Even Madara's expression flickered, though only slightly.
"Not bad, little brother," he muttered.
Izuna grinned, exhilarated. "Feels natural. Like this lightning was waiting for me."
Unohana's eyes softened. She had seen many prodigies, but in this moment, she recognized something deeper. Izuna had uncovered his true chakra nature—lightning hidden beneath years of fire drills. And now it answered him like a long-forgotten friend.
Keiji blinked, realization dawning. So that's why Uncle Izuna could rival Tobirama…
---
Ghostly Interference
The scroll of In'yōton: Yami no Kagami (Yin Release: Mirror of Night) came next.
One after another, clan members failed. Their illusions wavered into faint shadows or collapsed instantly. One warrior pushed too far—and suddenly collapsed, screaming, clutching his head as visions clawed at him.
The crowd panicked.
But before chaos spread, Gengar glided forward. Its chuckle was low and haunting. Its red eyes flared, and with a sweep of a spectral claw, the illusions shattered. The warrior slumped into the dirt, dazed but alive.
The Uchiha stared in stunned silence.
"...That creature," someone whispered, "banishes nightmares?"
Keiji stepped quickly between them and Gengar. "He's… protective. Think of him as a guardian spirit."
Some muttered in awe, others in fear. But as the Yin training continued, Gengar drifted among them. When illusions faltered, it would nudge their shadows. When chakra wavered, it lent just enough of its spectral presence to steady them.
What once terrified the clan began to inspire whispers of reverence.
Unohana's lips curved faintly. "That creature is more healer than destroyer, in its own way."
---
Breakthroughs
The sun climbed higher. Sweat beaded brows. More attempts ended in failures, burns, and sparks. But then Madara himself stepped forward.
"Enough wasting time," he said. His hand selected a scroll: Katon: Ryūka no Kōjin (Fire Release: Dragon God's Blaze).
The seals—Horse → Tiger → Ox → Ram → Snake—blurred under his hands. His chest expanded, chakra surging like a furnace.
When he exhaled, fire roared forth—coiling, expanding, taking shape. A massive dragon with blazing wings soared upward, roaring across the training grounds. Its heat scorched the dirt, its embers scattering like stars before fading.
Silence followed.
Even Tajima's stern face cracked into a rare smile. "As expected of my son."
But Madara's eyes didn't soften. They narrowed on Keiji instead. "You've given me fire with wings. Tell me, boy—what else hides in your head?"
Keiji's throat tightened. But he forced his voice steady. "Enough to change how our clan fights. If… we can endure the learning."
The words hung in the air. Challenge and promise both.
Next, Unohana chose her scroll: Medical Ninjutsu: Chakra Sūtra Threads.
Her palms glowed green. But instead of simple healing, luminous chakra threads extended from her fingertips. They glided gracefully, weaving torn fabric, sealing cracks in wood. Then she turned to a shinobi with a shallow gash across his arm.
With swift precision, the threads stitched muscle and skin like silk. Within moments, the wound closed, leaving little more than a faint line.
Gasps erupted.
"This…" she whispered softly, her eyes haunted yet gentle. "This reminds me of the battlefield. Stitching warriors back together after they tore each other apart."
Keiji's chest tightened with pride. This… this is what I wanted. Healing, not only destruction.
---
Failure and Frustration
Of course, not every trial was success.
Katon: Phoenix Garuda Dance left multiple shinobi scorched as they failed to maintain the delicate rhythm of circling flames.
Yin Release: Dreamless Sleep caused more than one Uchiha to collapse mid-stance, snoring while their comrades groaned.
Even Tajima faltered. Attempting Raiton: Indra no Yari (Spear of Indra), his chakra crackled brilliantly but drained him too quickly. He staggered, sweat streaming, sparks dissipating into the dirt.
The whispers began.
"Too dangerous."
"Too costly."
"Perhaps curses, not gifts…"
Through it all, Keiji remained calm. He explained, corrected, even laughed gently at their mistakes. His voice was never arrogant. He taught with patience, like a comrade rather than a superior.
And always, Gengar hovered near, grinning at failures, clapping shadowy claws at successes. The clan began to murmur—not only about Keiji's brilliance, but about whether he was truly just Madara's son.
---
The Family's Mastery
As dusk settled, the last scrolls remained: a combination jutsu.
Madara and Unohana stepped forward together. Izuna joined, unwilling to be left out.
Keiji guided them. "Fire and Lightning combined—Indra's Wrath."
Madara's chest glowed with fire chakra. Izuna's hands crackled with lightning. With Keiji's direction, their chakra merged, guided into balance.
Flames roared upward. Lightning carved through. Together they fused into a storm of blazing lightning, striking the training ground with thunderous fury. The explosion split stone, splintered trees, and left the earth smoking.
The Uchiha stumbled back in awe.
When silence fell, Tajima whispered, voice trembling despite his years. "So this is what our future holds."
Keiji stood between his parents, heart pounding. His mother's hand rested warmly on his shoulder. His father's gaze, sharp and wary, flickered with something rare—pride.
In that moment, Keiji wasn't just a reincarnated soul with secret knowledge. He was Uchiha—bound by fire, lightning, yin, and the ghostly laughter of the companion who hovered loyally behind him.
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End of the Chapter
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