Hidden Leaf Village Year 21, Spring.
Six-year-old Uchiha Nen finally reached the age to attend school.
On the day of enrollment, Sarutobi Hiruzen, draped in the Hokage Battle Robe, stood on the massive platform in the Ninja Academy plaza, delivering an impassioned speech to the Hidden Leaf Village's new sprouts:
"Wherever leaves dance, fire will burn. The fire's shadow will illuminate the village, and allow new leaves to bud. When you want to protect the people most precious to you, the true power of a Ninja will manifest..."
A gentle breeze, a riot of flowers, at this moment, students and parents alike basked in the sunlight, their faces filled with happy smiles, their eyes brimming with anticipation for the future.
Only Uchiha Nen stood silently at the back of the crowd, eyes downcast, looking utterly alone.
For some reason, despite the Hokage's presence, the joyful gathering, he felt no warmth, and a sense of disgust even arose in his heart.
He hated occasions like this.
Because this atmosphere was only temporary, it was fake. No matter how wonderful it seemed now, wouldn't he still return to that empty little house after school?
He raised his head, looked around, his gaze sweeping over the crowd, finally spotting two familiar, sneaky figures in a certain bush.
Tong Ren, Orochimaru!
Those two guys, they finally skipped class to "attend" his entrance ceremony.
Nen's eyes trembled slightly, and at that moment, he made up his mind.
The so-called Ninja Academy is just a slightly larger house. There's no need for me to fit in with them. These two friends are all I need.
Time slipped away unnoticed, and the ceremony quietly ended amidst Nen's wandering thoughts.
Just as he was hesitating whether to greet Tong Ren and the other, someone bumped his shoulder, causing him to stumble. His muscles instinctively tensed, and he barely managed to steady himself with his excellent balance.
Before Nen could turn around, he heard an aggressive shout:
"Hey, are you blind? Or did you forget your eyes at home?"
It was a fat kid with wavy, light brown hair, wearing a large vest with the character "food" printed on it. He was probably a freshman this year as well.
The reason for this judgment was that Nen noticed a similarly stout woman following behind the fat kid.
"Asahi, be polite when you talk to people!" the plump woman said in a perfunctory "scolding," her gentle tone full of doting.
Clearly, the words were useless, as the fat kid immediately stepped forward and grabbed Nen's collar with his short, thick arm.
"Uchiha Clan? Hmph, what's your name?" The fat kid noticed Nen's clan emblem.
Nen's expression was calm as he raised his hands. "My name is Uchiha Nen. I'm sorry for bumping into you."
Akimichi Asahi pushed Nen away, his tone threatening. "Hmph, watch it next time!"
"Ara~ Don't be so angry, you might be classmates in the same class in the future..." The plump woman covered her mouth and smiled.
"Don't worry, Mom, I'll get along with him..." Akimichi Asahi turned back and gave Nen a sinister smile.
Nen straightened his collar, not responding to his provocation.
Since he had decided to be invisible, there was no need to get angry. He didn't want to attract attention on the first day of school.
Thus, after school on the first day, in a dark alley near the school gate, Uchiha Nen was blocked by three children of the same age.
"Asahi? Is this the guy who provoked you?"
The speaker was a blond-haired boy, and judging by the clan uniform he was wearing, he was probably a child of the Yamanaka Clan.
"Hey, he's at least from the Uchiha Clan, don't go too far," a boy with a ponytail reminded him.
Akimichi Asahi snorted coldly, "What's so great about the Uchiha? Speaking of which, my uncle was assassinated by a Rogue Ninja from the Uchiha back then and died tragically. I really don't have any good feelings about this group of guys."
There was no fear on Nen's face, only a hint of helplessness in his tone, "So, what do you plan to do? I remember I already apologized."
These three in front of him were probably children from the Ino-Shika-Cho trio of clans. Being entangled by them on the first day of school was not a good thing.
"Heh heh, what to do?" Akimichi Asahi grinned sinisterly, "Just loosening your muscles a bit. Next time you see us, remember to take a detour!"
"Is there no room for negotiation?" Nen's eyes were calm, but before he could finish speaking, Akimichi Asahi took the lead and rushed over, throwing a punch at Nen's face.
"Then there's no choice." Nen sighed helplessly, taking half a step back while twisting his body, letting the chubby fist brush past his nose, deftly dodging the attack.
"You dare to dodge!" Akimichi Asahi stopped, twisted his waist, and threw another punch.
Nen bent his knees slightly, shifting his center of gravity downward, while tilting his head to the left, dodging the fat boy's fist again.
At this moment, Akimichi Asahi's defenses were wide open, and the weaknesses of his entire back were exposed to Nen's eyes. If he wanted to, he could completely land a left hook to the back of the opponent's head, shutting him up.
But he simply pushed Akimichi Asahi's back, causing him to stagger and fall into his companion's arms.
"I'll say it one last time, if you're angry because I bumped into you, then I can apologize, but that's all."
Nen's emotions were quite stable, and his tone was neither warm nor cold, "First of all, I'm afraid of pain and don't want to be beaten. Secondly, even though my dignity is worthless, I won't allow you to easily humiliate me."
In fact, in the year before entering the Ninja Academy, he had learned to condense Chakra from Orochimaru and Uchiha Kirito. On that day, four reactions appeared on the Chakra Paper!
One corner burst into flames, one corner was moistened by water, one corner split into two, and the last corner shattered into paper scraps.
This meant that Nen was born with a full four Chakra attributes!
Therefore, he also learned a little Wind Release and Fire Release Ninjutsu from the two of them. In addition, after day after day of training in the abandoned training ground, Nen's Taijutsu and Shuriken throwing skills were also at a good level.
Although he still couldn't compare to Orochimaru and the others, it was more than enough to deal with a few children of the same age.
"Damn it! Who are you looking down on!"
Akimichi Asahi's face flushed red, and he rushed over again unwilling to admit defeat. The two behind him also exchanged glances, "Let's go together!"
"You guys forced me to do this."
Nen adjusted his breathing and stood still. When the three of them approached within a few steps, he threw the shoulder bag on his body, hitting Akimichi Asahi's face.
Taking advantage of Akimichi being blinded, Nen first rushed towards the Yamanaka Clan child, raised his left arm to block the opponent's fist, grabbed his wrist with his backhand, and stepped out, cutting into the opponent's lower body, like a long knife tearing through the enemy's formation.
Nen's eyes suddenly sharpened, and he took advantage of the situation to suddenly rotate his body, using a beautiful shoulder throw to slam the Yamanaka to the ground, making him dizzy.
At this time, the backpack fell to the ground, revealing Akimichi Asahi's appearance with blood streaming from his nostrils. The weight of the books had all hit his nose.
Then he saw Uchiha Nen trip Nara with a sweep of his leg, while forming hand seals and spitting out a breath towards himself.
"Wind Release: Breakthrough!"
The air surged violently, and Akimichi Asahi subconsciously closed his eyes. A gust of wind blew him away, slamming him into the wall behind him.
"Ouch!" He clutched the back of his head, tears welling up from the pain. Once his vision cleared, Uchiha Nen was already standing before him.
"Let's end things here for today."
Nen looked down at Akimichi Asahi, two fingers holding a shuriken against his chubby face.
"I have no intention of being your enemy, nor will I challenge your dignity. Can we all just live in peace from now on?"
The cold sensation finally awakened Akimichi Asahi's consciousness. He looked up at Uchiha Nen, staring into those dead fish eyes that were as still as an ancient well, and shuddered violently.
"Okay," he managed to say, the vast difference in strength forcing him to accept reality.
Just then, applause came from the alley entrance. Uchiha Kirito and Orochimaru appeared side by side, their approving gazes as if they were watching their own disciples.
"Not bad, Nen, your taijutsu is getting more and more like my style."
"Yes, your Wind Release has improved a lot too."
Akimichi Asahi was completely dumbfounded. "S-Senior... Senior students..."
Any thoughts of getting even later vanished like smoke.
The applause was crisp and forceful, like slaps on his chubby face.
On the eaves of the wall, a piebald cat licked its paw, then stood up straight and stretched elegantly.
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