Shiro Gen's casual posture and contemptuous tone told Kakashi one thing. His opponent had not gone all out.
Yet he had lost. He could not even block a single move. The gap was overwhelming.
It was the first time Kakashi had been beaten by someone his age.
What could he even say?
He had no words for the tangle in his chest. He only clenched his fist, met Shiro Gen's gaze without flinching, and said with firm resolve:
"In the future, I will definitely defeat you!"
"Heh."
Shiro Gen sheathed his blade with a faint, dismissive smile and answered calmly, full of confidence:
"Those I defeat are never my rivals. I'll give you time to chase me until I am far beyond your sight."
With that, he turned and walked through the school gates.
His words and that brazen, unhurried back left everyone around them deeply shaken.
"So cool!"
"That line was insanely cool!"
"One strike to beat Kakashi, then drop a line like that, then just walk into school!"
"Damn it, why wasn't I the one to beat Kakashi?"
"..."
As for Kakashi, he watched Shiro Gen's back recede. His complicated gaze hardened into steel, and he made his decision.
"I will defeat you."
Not far away, Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced at Kakashi, then at Shiro Gen Uchiha, and his eyes turned thoughtful.
Kakashi holding first place in the entire academy was, to Hiruzen, already the mark of a rare talent.
But compared to Shiro Gen Uchiha, the difference was stark.
"The Uchiha clan has never lacked for prodigies."
"Shiro Gen Uchiha, to master the Uchiha sword style at such a young age, and with real depth too, is a shocking talent."
"I wonder if such a genius can be brought to serve my purposes."
Hiruzen's arrival signaled the start of the entrance ceremony.
Standing below the stage, Shiro Gen listened to Hiruzen speak about the Will of Fire, and felt nothing but disdain.
"When I watched the anime as a kid, I never thought much of it."
"After crossing over and thinking it through, Konoha is basically a terror organization."
"The academy is just a department that trains children into killing machines."
"The Will of Fire sounds pretty, but it's just the language of brainwashing."
"Tsk, tsk, sacrifice is so noble, devotion is so glorious."
In his previous life, Shiro Gen had been a wage slave, studying hard and working harder, scraping by at best.
He knew exactly what it meant when they asked you to sacrifice and devote yourself. It meant exploiting you, grinding you down.
He had died from overwork. After all the trouble of crossing over, after finally getting another life, he would never choose to sacrifice, never choose to devote himself.
In this life, he would live for himself.
He would grow stronger until no one could oppose him, then rule this world, reshape it to his liking, and enjoy life without restraint.
The long, stifling speech finally ended.
Shiro Gen walked into Class 1 of Year 1 and found a seat at random to wait for the lesson.
He did not wait long before the teacher stepped up to the platform.
The man introduced himself, handed out textbooks, then had the students introduce themselves one by one.
Utterly boring.
Shiro Gen had no interest in playing house with children.
Even less interest in chasing after little girls who might grow into beauties one day.
With invincible strength, would he ever lack for women?
All he needed now was to study, and grow strong as fast as possible.
"Let's start with the textbook."
"Come to think of it, I am curious."
A competent ninja must know how to kill.
So the academy's texts naturally included related content.
To ensure children could learn it, the material was extremely simple and easy to absorb.
"Simple and easy little tricks for killing. That they are."
He sighed inwardly, and his eyes turned serious.
The first class ended.
During the break, Shiro Gen went to the library.
The books might not teach techniques, but they were packed with theory.
Many were written by Tobirama Senju himself.
"On the Principles of Chakra Birth — Tobirama Senju"
"On the Nature Transformations of Chakra — Tobirama Senju"
"Foundational Theory of Hand Seals — Tobirama Senju"
...
"The academy library is a treasure vault for me."
"There are over a thousand volumes. Once I finish them all, [Exceptional Intellect (Purple)] is bound to upgrade to a gold entry."
"And exceptional intellect, combined with enough theory, will let me create jutsu of my own."
"Creating jutsu will also grant me more entries, and make my existing ones level up fast."
His mind teemed with concepts that demanded knowledge and intellect to forge into techniques.
The thought alone thrilled him.
Time was about up. Class was starting.
Back in the room, he opened the textbook again.
"After I finish this, I'll borrow from the library."
"On paper, it takes six years to graduate from the academy."
"But war is about to break out."
"I might not get to stay here the full six years."
"Then again, maybe I will. I am Uchiha."
"With the clan's protection, I probably won't be sent to the front too early."
The thoughts flickered by and vanished.
He settled down and read in earnest.
Lost in study.
Time sped by, and before he knew it, classes were over.
He had barely stepped into the clan grounds when a man appeared before him, an aide of Setsuna Uchiha named Inaho Uchiha.
"Shiro Gen, that was beautiful work!"
He had clearly heard about the morning's match. He popped up and gave Shiro Gen a big thumbs-up.
"Elder Setsuna wants to see you. Come with me."
"Alright."
Shiro Gen nodded and smiled.
On the way, Inaho could not help himself.
"'Those I defeat are never my rivals. I'll give you time to chase me until I am far beyond your sight.'"
"That line was insanely cool. How did you come up with it, Shiro Gen?"
"Did I need to think about it? I only stated a fact."
Shiro Gen's tone was light, as if it were nothing.
Inaho blinked.
Seriously? We're both Uchiha and you're going to flex like that right to my face?
But looking at Shiro Gen's serene expression, he did not seem to be putting on airs.
Was that truly how he thought?
"Alright."
Inaho fell silent, stopped making small talk, and simply led the way.
Soon,
Shiro Gen stood before Setsuna Uchiha.
"Shiro Gen, you are worthy of the Uchiha name."
"I gave you a task, and you finished it on the very first day."
"And you did it magnificently."