The gentle sunlight pierced through the Konoha Village in April, spilling through the gaps between the cherry blossom trees, and shining through the wide French windows onto the tender, youthful faces, highlighting the vibrant energy of the young boys and girls.
The April spring breeze blew gently, mild and not biting, softly swaying the cherry blossom branches, causing pink and white petals to flutter and dance with the wind… drawing many passersby to stop and gaze.
But this pause was only temporary; most people, after a moment of daze, sighed inwardly and resumed their work, showing how busy the school staff were during this special period.
After all, it was the Konoha Ninja Academy's annual enrollment season, and the Second Ninja World War had only recently ended. This was a crucial stage for Konoha Village to recuperate and cultivate new saplings.
"Hey, look, look! Who's that boy sitting in the back row? He's so handsome, and his eyes are big and bright, so beautiful! Looking at his clan emblem, he seems to be from the Uchiha Clan, right?"
A soft gasp came from the front row of the classroom, drawing the eyes of a group of girls clustered together to the lonely figure sitting in the corner of the classroom.
The young boy had messy black hair, and on his fair, tender face, which looked to be only four or five years old, hung a pair of sword-like eyebrows.
But compared to that, what was even more striking were the pair of dark, shining big eyes beneath those sword-like eyebrows; the depth in their pupils seemed to plunge one into the heart of darkness, completely unlike something a child should possess.
The young boy was currently sitting in the corner by the French window in the last row, propping his cheek with one hand, his gaze drifting towards the petals gently falling outside the window, as if he was deep in thought, yet the calmness on his face seemed to convey the tranquility within him.
With the young boy's hearing, even across the vast classroom, the girl's soft whispers were as clear as if they were spoken beside his ear. Feeling the undisguised gazes falling upon him, the young boy's mouth twitched fiercely.
But even though he heard it, the young boy did not want to respond, because having experienced similar situations many times, he knew deeply that responding would only make the other party more reckless. Only by ignoring them would the discussions dissipate with time.
"Oh, is Chishimo-kun also in this classroom?"
A slightly familiar voice sounded behind Uchiha Qianshuang. Turning around, he saw a young boy who looked a bit older than him smiling gently at him.
He was wearing a simple black high-necked short-sleeved top, with the unique Uchiha Clan emblem also printed on the back of his shirt, and he had a rare button nose among the Uchiha.
Seeing the sunny boy in front of him, a rare smile appeared on Chishimo's usually serious face.
"So it's you, Shisui. It seems we'll be classmates in the future. Please take care of me from now on."
It wasn't that Chishimo and Shisui were very close; they had only met a few times among their peers in the clan. However, neither of them had much of the Uchiha family's inherited arrogance. Although they hadn't met often, they had conversed quite happily and become familiar with each other.
Moreover, this large classroom was not Uchiha territory, but rather encompassed almost all children of the same age in Konoha Village. Seeing each other again, both of them felt a sense of meeting an old friend in a foreign land. This discovery made Chishimo feel somewhat amused and exasperated.
"Haha, it's the same for me. I'll need Chishimo-kun to take care of me as well."
"Creak!" A sudden closing door sound caused the continuous chatter in the classroom to pause.
Everyone in the classroom, including Chishimo and Shisui, turned their heads to look at the podium. They saw a middle-aged Ninja, wearing a Konoha forehead protector and with a full beard, walk in with steady steps and stop in front of the podium.
"Please quiet down and find your seats. We are about to begin class."
Shisui and Chishimo exchanged glances, smiled at each other, and Shisui sat down next to Chishimo.
Next, the middle-aged teacher wasted no time. After a simple self-introduction, he routinely began distributing Ninja Academy textbooks and instilling the so-called "Will of Fire."
Chishimo slightly tilted his head, watching Shisui, who was deeply engrossed and listening with great interest, unaware that he would one day die because of this very belief. He sighed inwardly, thinking that changing this mindset would likely not be easy!
Five years. It had been five years since Chishimo arrived in this Ninja World.
In his previous life, he was just an ordinary person living in the early 21st century. In fact, even ordinary people were better off than him, an orphan.
Chishimo had no family from a young age. If not for the help of the villagers, he probably wouldn't have lived to adulthood.
After becoming an adult, in order to have enough to eat and drink, he worked various part-time jobs. Perhaps due to mental exhaustion, after fainting one time, when he opened his eyes again, he had already become a member of the Uchiha Clan.
In this life, he was rather fortunate. He had a renowned family, loving parents who doted on him, and a kind grandmother.
Although his parents were just ordinary Chunin with no great prestige, Chishimo still cherished this hard-won happiness in this life immensely.
But good times didn't last. It was as if fate played a cruel joke on Chishimo. Two years ago, just as the Second Ninja World War was about to end, Chishimo's parents were ambushed by Kirigakure during a supply transport mission, and not even their remains were left behind.
This news struck Chishimo and his grandmother, who were anxiously waiting at home, like a bolt from the blue, as if the sky had fallen. It was at that moment that Chishimo resolved to step out of his comfort zone, and in his immense grief, he awakened his Sharingan.
Perhaps it was because as a transmigrator, his mental force was inherently different from ordinary people; this awakening started directly at two tomoe.
For the past two years, Chishimo had trained his physique and refined his Chakra every day, never slacking off on his cultivation. Although he was still far from being a proper Ninja, among his peers, only a few could rival him.
But even so, Chishimo knew this was far from enough.
There were only twelve or thirteen years left until the Uchiha Clan's extermination. If he were alone, he could simply escape Konoha in advance and return after he had gained significant strength.
But he still had an elderly grandmother. Having been alone in his previous life, Chishimo cherished this only remaining relative even more after losing his parents.
Therefore, he absolutely could not escape!
He knew he had to truly make every single second count, only then could he find a glimmer of hope when the Uchiha coup and extermination occurred!
After much consideration, Chishimo already had his own plan.
What he lacked now was nothing more than strength and prestige. Having great strength would allow him to survive against powerful enemies, and having enough prestige would allow him to gain status within the clan, thereby influencing the direction of the Uchiha.
And in this World where strength is paramount, the latter is closely tied to the former. So, all in all, the most urgent matter at hand was to quickly raise his strength.
Thinking of this, Chishimo couldn't help but clench his fists.
Strength!
He must possess even greater power!