The boy clearly hadn't noticed anyone hiding in the tree.
He walked straight up to the main hall of the shrine, pushed open the weathered wooden door, and disappeared into the darkness inside.
Rin raised an eyebrow.
So Sasuke has his own hidden passage.
Why was he here? To look for an Uchiha scroll? Some clan secret?
Or was he simply unable to let go of a place filled with memories?
Rin waited in the tree for five minutes before Sasuke finally came back out.
The boy's eyes were slightly red, but his expression had only grown colder. He wiped at his eyes, then quickly climbed over the wall and left. His movements were agile enough—but to Rin, they were riddled with openings.
"Too impatient, Sasuke," Rin murmured.
"You're still too inexperienced."
He jumped down from the tree, preparing to leave as well. But just as he turned, something glinting near the shrine's threshold caught his eye.
A kunai.
It was old, and on the handle was a small carving of the Uchiha fan.
Sasuke must have dropped it.
Rin picked it up, his fingers brushing over the worn engraving. This was probably something Sasuke had used since childhood—maybe even a gift from Itachi.
After a brief hesitation, Rin slipped the kunai into his ninja tool pouch.
"I'll give it back to him tomorrow."
---
The next day, at the Ninja Academy training grounds.
"Today's lesson is shuriken throwing!" Iruka pointed at the targets in the distance. "Pair up and supervise each other. Start with the ten-meter range!"
The students excitedly formed groups. Naruto immediately tried to drag Rin along, but Sakura beat him to it and pulled Naruto away instead.
Rin didn't mind. He walked alone toward the target in the far corner.
"Rin… you can pair with me."
He turned, slightly surprised.
It was Hyuga Hinata—the shy girl who always kept her head down and turned red whenever she spoke.
"Sure," Rin replied with a nod.
Training began.
Hinata's throws were textbook-perfect, just as expected from a member of a prestigious clan. Every shuriken struck the target cleanly, though most landed around the fifth ring.
Then it was Rin's turn.
He stepped up behind the throwing line.
With his right hand, he drew three shuriken from his ninja tool pouch. No unnecessary movement. No deliberate stance.
Just a flick of the wrist.
Swish. Swish. Swish.
Three soft sounds rang out almost at the same time.
On the bullseye, three shuriken were embedded deep into the wood, forming a flawless equilateral triangle. Each blade was sunk nearly two inches in.
The entire training ground fell silent.
"Whoa! That's awesome!" Naruto was the first to shout.
The other students turned to stare. Iruka walked over to inspect the target, surprise written clearly on his face.
"Rin… when did you practice this?"
"When I was bored," Rin replied casually.
[Role-Playing Action: Demonstrating Uchiha Throwing Technique]
[Synergy increased to 2.1%]
[Gained: Minor improvement in shuriken control]
Not far away, Sasuke stared intently at the target.
He had also thrown three shuriken just moments earlier—and they had also hit the bullseye.
But Rin's throw carried a different feeling.
It wasn't just technique.
It was something deeper.
"Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked softly. "Are you okay?"
"…I'm fine."
Training continued.
Hinata glanced at Rin from time to time before finally speaking in a quiet voice. "Rin-kun… your throwing form is… different."
"Is it?"
"Yes. It's not what's written in the textbooks, and it's not exactly the traditional Uchiha style either. But it's very effective."
Rin glanced at her.
The Hyuga clan's heiress—born with the Byakugan—really did have sharp eyes.
"I figured it out myself," he said lightly.
---
At lunchtime, Rin found Sasuke.
He was eating alone on the rooftop.
Rin walked over and placed the kunai on the ground beside him.
"I found this at the Naka Shrine yesterday."
Sasuke's body stiffened visibly.
"You followed me?" He snapped his head up, eyes sharp.
"Coincidence," Rin replied, sitting down by the railing and opening his lunchbox. "It's not like that place belongs to you."
"What were you doing there?"
"Same thing you were," Rin said, taking a bite of his rice ball. "Thinking about the past. Though there isn't much worth remembering for me."
That much was true.
His memories from before coming to this world were already blurry. And even before the Uchiha massacre, Uchiha Rin hadn't had many happy memories to begin with.
His parents had died in the war when he was young. He'd grown up alone in the empty house they left behind, living off Konoha's welfare.
Surviving the night of the massacre had only been possible because he knew the plot in advance and avoided it deliberately—becoming one of only two Uchiha left in the village.
More than anything, he felt like an observer.
Watching this world. Playing a role.
Sasuke stared at him for a long moment before finally picking up the kunai and gripping it tightly.
"…Thanks."
His voice was barely audible.
"You're welcome." Rin paused, then added, "If you want to train, I know a few places that aren't monitored."
"Why?"
"Because I'm bored," Rin said, gazing into the distance. "Training alone gets old."
That was only half the truth.
The real reason was simple:
Interacting with Sasuke increased his Synergy.
Last night's conversation alone had given him a 0.3% boost. If they trained together regularly, progress would be even faster.
Sasuke was silent for a long time.
"After school tomorrow," he finally said. "Training Ground Three. The woods at the back."
"Deal."
[Special Interaction Triggered: Promise with Uchiha Sasuke]
[Synergy increased to 2.5%]
[Gained: Minor improvement in Uchiha taijutsu]
The corner of Rin's mouth lifted slightly.
The plan was working.
---
Days passed.
Classes. Training. Occasionally skipping lessons to zone out at the training grounds.
Rin's role-playing progress grew steadily—2.5% to 3%, then 3.8%.
He and Sasuke trained together two or three times a week. Most of the time they trained separately, with the occasional spar. Sasuke's growth was rapid; hatred really was a powerful driving force.
Naruto remained loud and energetic, constantly dragging Rin off for ramen or pranks. Sakura worked tirelessly to catch up to Sasuke. Hinata occasionally came to ask for advice on throwing techniques.
Step by step, Rin strengthened himself, steadily increasing his Synergy as he continued playing the role of Uchiha Madara.
After a year or two of careful testing, he also gained a clearer understanding of the system.
The deeper his immersion as Madara, the more of Madara's abilities he could gradually obtain. Certain actions and special interactions could trigger system tasks and grant additional rewards.
The system also had analysis and simulated training functions—though he still hadn't fully mastered them.
Konoha was peaceful.
But Rin knew it was only the calm before the storm.
Then the day finally came.
The Graduation Exam.
"Clone Technique!" Iruka shouted. "Create two properly formed clones and you pass!"
One by one, the students stepped forward. Most passed without trouble—until Naruto's turn.
"Clone Technique!"
Poof.
A pale, half-melted clone collapsed limply onto the floor.
Laughter burst out around the room.
Naruto's face flushed bright red. He tried again—and again—but each attempt was worse than the last.
Iruka's expression softened with pity, but in the end, he raised his red pen.
"Fail."
The light drained from Naruto's eyes.
Standing in line, Rin watched the blond boy shuffle out of the classroom, shoulders slumped.
According to the original story, Mizuki would trick Naruto into stealing the Scroll of Seals tonight. Naruto would then learn the Shadow Clone Technique and pass the make-up exam.
But—
Rin stroked his chin.
Should he get involved?
Something like the Scroll of Seals…
If he observed it from a distance with the Sharingan, it should boost his Synergy significantly.
Right now, Uchiha Rin was still too weak.
The One-Tomoe Sharingan was nothing more than the system's beginner gift. Aside from that, his ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu were all unremarkable.
"An opportunity like this can't be wasted."
Rin's gaze deepened.
He had no intention of becoming anyone's experimental subject.
[Temporary Task Triggered: Witness the Scroll of Seals Incident]
[Task: Be present during Naruto's theft of the Scroll of Seals]
[Reward: Significant Synergy increase (based on level of involvement)]
[Warning: Excessive interference may alter the plot]
"…Perfect timing."