Konoha Year 59, Summer
The cicadas at the Ninja Academy buzzed so loudly it was irritating.
"So, chakra nature transformation is the foundation for performing different types of ninjutsu—by controlling both the form and the attributes of chakra…"
Iruka-sensei lectured earnestly from the podium, chalk squealing as it scratched across the blackboard.
Uchiha Rin rested his chin in one hand, his gaze drifting toward the clouds outside the window.
White clouds. A blue sky.
It looked eerily similar to the sky on that afternoon—before the clan was annihilated.
He had been only seven years old then, hiding in a tree behind the Naka Shrine, skipping practice while listening to the clan elders argue about things like "a coup" and "timing."
He remembered yawning, sliding down from the tree, and sneaking out of the clan grounds.
That had been the day before the Uchiha massacre.
"Uchiha Rin."
Iruka's voice snapped him back to reality.
"What's your understanding of the Fire Release chakra nature transformation I just explained?"
Every eye in the classroom turned toward him.
Naruto, sitting in the front row, twisted around with a grin full of schadenfreude. Sakura, beside him, frowned slightly, clearly worried. By the window, Sasuke didn't even bother to look over—he stared outside as usual, his profile cold and distant.
Rin slowly stood up.
"The essence of Fire Release is combustion," he said lazily. "But true Fire Release is more than just that."
Iruka raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Go on."
"Ordinary Fire Release burns chakra," Rin paused, his eyes drifting toward the window again. "But the Uchiha's Fire Release burns will."
For a brief moment, the classroom fell completely silent.
Then it exploded into laughter.
"What kind of nonsense is that?"
"He's at it again!"
"Are all Uchiha orphans this weird?"
"What kind of answer is that supposed to be?!"
Iruka sighed and waved his hand. "Sit down. Pay attention next time."
Rin sat back down without a hint of concern. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Sasuke glance in his direction.
[Acting Progress Updated: Uchiha Madara Compatibility increased to 1.2%]
[Gained: Minor improvement to Fire Release chakra control]
The notification echoed faintly in his mind, like wind chimes heard from far away.
Rin had been in this world for five years.
And the system had only appeared last week—late, sluggish, and long overdue. Before that, he had lived every day on edge.
[Character Acting System]
[Select a character from this world, living or deceased]
[The higher the acting accuracy and immersion, the greater the power gained]
The dismissal bell finally rang.
"Rin! Let's go get ramen!" Naruto bounded over and slung an arm around his neck. "Old Man Ichiraku said there's a new special today!"
"Let go, you're choking me." Rin tried to pry him off, but Naruto clung on like an octopus.
"Come on! My treat!"
"With what money?"
"Hehe—yesterday I helped Hokage-jiji organize some documents. He gave me an allowance!"
Rin sighed inwardly. During this time, Naruto's living expenses were entirely funded by the Third Hokage in secret—though Naruto firmly believed he earned every coin himself.
The two of them shoved and tugged their way toward the classroom door, only to run straight into Sasuke.
The air froze almost imperceptibly.
Ever since the massacre five years ago—when Rin had returned to the village under the excuse of "sneaking out to play that night"—there had been an invisible distance between him and Sasuke.
Clanmates. Same age. Yet almost no interaction.
"Move," Sasuke said coldly.
"The hallway's huge—can't you go around?" Naruto shot back instantly.
Sasuke's gaze grew even colder. Just as the tension was about to boil over, Sakura rushed in.
"Naruto! Iruka-sensei wants you to help move some equipment!"
"Huh? Right now?"
"Yes, right now!"
She dragged Naruto away before he could protest, leaving only Rin and Sasuke standing in the corridor.
Silence lingered for a few seconds.
"What you said earlier," Sasuke spoke suddenly, still staring straight ahead. "About Uchiha Fire Release… what did you mean?"
Rin turned his head and looked at the only surviving member of his clan besides himself.
Sasuke was barely ten years old. There was still a trace of baby fat on his face, but his eyes were already as cold as a frozen lake. That night had taken everything from him, leaving behind only emptiness and hatred.
"Exactly what it sounded like," Rin replied. "Chakra has will. Uchiha chakra especially."
"Who taught you that?"
"Does it need to be taught?" Rin smiled faintly. "Look at your hand. Feel your chakra. It isn't a tool—it's part of you."
Sasuke's fingers clenched unconsciously.
"Quit playing mysterious."
He tossed out those words and turned to leave.
Rin watched his retreating back and shook his head.
[Special Interaction Triggered: Conversation with Uchiha Sasuke]
[Compatibility slightly increased: +0.3%]
"Tch. That's not even enough to fill the gaps between my teeth."
---
Ichiraku Ramen
"Old man! Two bowls of miso chashu ramen—extra chashu!" Naruto shouted, slamming the counter.
"Coming right up!"
When the steaming bowls arrived, Naruto was already starving. His eyes practically glowed as he slurped noisily, talking with his mouth full.
"Rin, you were really bold earlier. Talking nonsense right in Iruka-sensei's class."
"It wasn't nonsense."
"Huh?"
"Uchiha Fire Release really is different." Rin lifted a strand of noodles. "I've seen the elders use it. Those flames… they felt alive."
That was the truth.
In his fragmented memories, Madara's Great Fire Annihilation was less a jutsu and more a natural disaster.
Naruto nodded, half understanding. "Sounds awesome! But hey, Rin—where've you been skipping off to lately? I went catching beetles near your place yesterday and didn't see you."
"The training grounds."
"By yourself?"
"By myself."
Naruto paused, chopsticks hovering in midair. "Listen… you're alone. Sasuke's alone. Why don't you train together? You're both Uchiha."
"Because it wouldn't work," Rin said, finishing his soup. "He and I aren't the same."
"What's that supposed to mean? You make everything sound complicated."
Rin didn't explain.
How could he?
Say that Sasuke lived for hatred, while he lived for survival? That Sasuke sought power for revenge, while he sought power to stay alive?
Even that wasn't quite accurate.
He looked out the window. Konoha was peaceful. Warm sunlight bathed the streets. Children played. Ninja patrolled the rooftops.
All of it would be destroyed by Pain in a few years—then later swallowed by the Infinite Tsukuyomi.
And right now, he was still just a Ninja Academy student. Not even a genin.
"Boss, check please." Rin stood up.
"Huh? Didn't I say it was my treat?" Naruto scrambled for his wallet.
"Next time. I've got something to do."
"What is it?"
"A secret."
---
Leaving the ramen shop, Rin slipped into a narrow alley.
Using the taijutsu enhancement granted by the system, he leapt a few times, landed on a rooftop, and raced across the tiles before stopping atop the wall surrounding the former Uchiha clan grounds.
Five years had passed, yet the area remained sealed.
ANBU guarded it around the clock—supposedly to preserve the site, but in truth to prevent anyone from uncovering Uchiha secrets. And, of course, to keep him and Sasuke from sneaking in.
But no surveillance was perfect.
Rin slipped down the wall and moved through the shadows.
His steps were light, catlike, each footfall carefully avoiding loose pebbles that might make noise. This was a route he had perfected over five years—made easier by the basic taijutsu unlocked through the system.
Ten minutes later, he slipped into the backyard of the Naka Shrine.
Weeds had overgrown the area, and the red paint on the torii gate had mostly peeled away. Rin sat beneath the largest cedar tree, leaned against the trunk, and closed his eyes.
"System, begin today's acting training."
[Loading memory fragment: Uchiha Madara (youth period)]
[Scene: Naka Riverbank — first meeting with Senju Hashirama]
Darkness swallowed his vision—then slowly brightened.
Rin opened his eyes to find himself standing beside a rushing river. On the opposite bank was a boy with long, straight black hair, about seven or eight years old, intently skipping stones across the water.
"Your throwing posture is wrong."
Rin heard the words come from his mouth.
No—Madara's mouth.
The voice was youthful, yet already carried an unmistakable dominance.
"Huh?" The boy looked up, revealing an honest, open expression. "What's wrong with it?"
"Your wrist should move like this."
Madara picked up a flat stone, turned sideways, and flicked his arm.
The stone skipped across the water seven times before sinking.
Hashirama's eyes lit up. "That's amazing! Teach me!"
"Why should I?"
"Because… because we're friends!"
"Who said we're friends?"
"We are now!"
The scene blurred.
Rin's consciousness snapped back to reality as a notification sounded.
[Acting Training Complete]
[Compatibility increased to 1.8%]
[Unlocked: Basic throwing technique (Uchiha Madara style)]
[Gained: Childhood combat intuition]
Rin exhaled slowly.
Each acting session drained a huge amount of mental energy—but the rewards were undeniable. In just one week, he had gone from 0.1% compatibility to 1.8%, unlocking basic Uchiha taijutsu, Fire Release affinity, and now throwing techniques.
But he could tell—the higher it went, the harder each increase would become.
He stood up, drew three shuriken from his ninja pouch, and flicked his wrist.
Without deliberate aim, the shuriken buried themselves into a tree trunk ten meters away—forming a perfect equilateral triangle.
[Throwing accuracy increased by 15%]
"Not bad."
Just as he was about to leave, Rin's ear twitched.
Someone was approaching.
Not someone skilled at concealment.
Their steps were light but chaotic, chakra deliberately suppressed, breathing uneven.
Rin leapt silently into the cedar tree, hiding among the dense branches.
A few seconds later, a figure vaulted over the wall.
It was Sasuke.