"Anata! Come home for lunch!"
At Konoha's training field, a young woman dressed in a simple house robe stood under the sunlight, a baby cradled in her arms. Her voice, gentle but firm, called toward a man practicing kunai throwing among the trees.
Fugaku Uchiha stopped, put away his kunai, and replied with a calm, "Coming!"
Ever since he had fully absorbed Fugaku's memories and experience, Fuqiu had felt something strange inside him. This world was not his own, yet everything around him felt oddly familiar. The trees, the wind, the training ground it was all as if he had seen it before, even though he couldn't remember when or how.
He wasn't sure if this was a blessing or a curse. But one thing was certain: he had completely merged with Fugaku's memories, while his own personality remained intact.
It was hard to explain, but it meant that while he possessed all of Fugaku's knowledge, his own way of thinking was still his own. His decisions, his emotions, his reasoning, none of it had changed. Fugaku's soul was gone, and only Fuqiu's consciousness remained in control.
Still, he was unsure how well he could perform with this borrowed power. After all, he had never learned to control chakra or form hand seals before. So that morning, he came to the training field to test himself to see how much of Fugaku's strength he could truly wield.
The results were surprisingly good.
The ninjutsu, the taijutsu, even the smallest chakra control techniques all came naturally to him. Though this was his first time casting these techniques, his body moved as if it had done so countless times. His mind might have felt the wonder of something new, but his body remembered every move by instinct.
It was like his thoughts lagged behind his reflexes. Just like Sasuke facing Rock Lee years later his eyes could follow the movement, but his body couldn't keep up.
Fuqiu sighed and smiled to himself. There was no shortcut for this kind of harmony between mind and body. He'd simply have to train harder and adapt over time.
As he turned, he saw Mikoto walking toward him, her beautiful face lit by the sun. She handed him their baby, and together they began walking home.
"You're late again!"
"Sorry, sorry! I ran into an old lady trying to cross the street!"
"That excuse again? You're always like this! No wonder you're always at the bottom of the class!"
"What did you just say, you stupid white-haired fish-eyed freak?!"
"Stop fighting, please…"
While walking home, Fugaku heard a chorus of childish voices arguing somewhere nearby. He hadn't planned to check, but when he heard a familiar name among them, curiosity got the better of him.
Following the sound around a bend, he came upon a sight that made his heart stir.
Standing by the path was Minato Namikaze, the future Fourth Hokage, and his team a silver-haired boy with lazy eyes, a cheerful girl with kind laughter, and a dark-haired boy wearing goggles.
Kakashi Hatake. Rin Nohara. Obito Uchiha.
Fugaku greeted Minato with a polite nod, then found himself staring at the three young genin. His expression was calm, but inside, his thoughts were roaring.
He knew what the future held for these children.
One would become the Sixth Hokage.
Another would die saving her teammate, sparking the birth of the Mangekyō Sharingan.
And the last driven by despair would plunge the world into darkness, nearly destroying everything.
All of it, born from the fire called love.
Fugaku sighed in his heart. Love truly was terrifying.
A single spark of affection could burn down the entire world.
It seemed the old saying was true: early love never ends well.
"Lord Fugaku, good afternoon," Minato greeted with a polite smile.
"Ah, Minato," Fugaku returned the greeting, still deep in thought. Only two days had passed since he awoke in this world, yet he had already met so many of its future legends.
"What brings you all here?" he asked.
"We're heading out for training," Minato replied. "The Chūnin Exams are coming up soon, so I wanted to give my team some field experience."
"Already aiming for Chūnin? That's impressive," Fugaku said, nodding. "That means they're about eleven years old now, right?"
Minato blinked in surprise. "Oh? How did you know that?"
"Just a lucky guess," Fugaku said with a grin.
He turned to the three young ninja. "Be careful out there. Things have been… unsettled lately. But with Minato watching over you, you'll be fine."
"Of course! Our teacher's the best!" Obito said proudly.
Fugaku chuckled and exchanged a few more words with Minato before preparing to leave. He had trained all morning, and his stomach was already protesting.
He looked back once more at the three children and thought, I already know the story of your lives. Changing it isn't worth the risk.
After all, there was no system here, no reward for altering fate. Only danger. Only ripples that could destroy everything.
Better to play it smart. Use the knowledge he had to his advantage, move quietly, profit silently, and survive.
It was the safest path.
Just as he was about to leave, a voice called out behind him.
"Clan Leader!"
Fugaku turned, surprised, and saw young Obito jogging toward him nervously.
"Yes? What is it?"
Obito hesitated, his fingers nervously twisting together. After several deep breaths, he finally blurted out, "Clan Leader… how can someone awaken the Sharingan?"
Fugaku froze on the spot.
What?!
There was never such a scene in the original story.
The butterfly effect had come too fast.
He frowned slightly. Just a moment ago, he had sworn not to meddle with fate, and yet here it was, knocking on his door. Life really did love its ironies.
He looked into Obito's eyes, full of determination and the yearning for strength. A dangerous thought began to stir in his heart.
What if Obito awakened the Sharingan early? Wouldn't that change everything?
Even if he still ended up falling into Madara's hands, there was no real loss. But if Obito survived and grew stronger, that would mean the Uchiha clan would gain another Mangekyō user.
And not just any Mangekyō, Obito's Kamui, the most broken space-time ability ever conceived.
This was an opportunity too good to ignore.
Fugaku's lips curved slightly, his mind racing with possibilities.
If this worked… the clan's future, and his own survival, might take a completely different path.
A path no manga had ever written.
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