The sun blazed mercilessly above the Uchiha training grounds, casting sharp golden light across the stone pathways and wooden fences that lined the perimeter. The air shimmered with heat, turning the landscape into a slow-burning furnace. Even the crows that usually perched on the compound roofs had retreated to the shade. Shin's sandals pounded rhythmically against the gravel path as he ran, sweat trailing down his neck and soaking into the collar of his dark shirt. His breath came in controlled bursts, muscles aching but steady.
"Keep going. This pain means nothing. I chose this."
Shin finally came to a halt near the edge of the training field, his shirt clinging to his back and chest, breath shallow but controlled. He leaned forward, resting his hands on his knees as beads of sweat dripped onto the dry ground below. Glancing at his wristwatch, he blinked away the sting of sweat from his eyes—7:30 AM.
"Academy starts in thirty minutes… not much time left."
Straightening up, he formed a single hand seal, and with a subtle poof of chakra, three shadow clones appeared beside him, each nodding silently as they awaited instruction.
"You," Shin said, pointing to the first clone. "Practice the jutsu I picked up yesterday. Start with Fire Ring, then Fire Lance and Fire Shuriken. Once you're warmed up, move on to Flame Ground and Wind Projection. Get a feel for their chakra flow and efficiency. I want precision, not just power."
The first clone nodded and vanished toward the jutsu grounds.
He turned to the second. "Focus on shuriken and kunai accuracy. Run both distance drills and moving target exercises. Adjust your aim under pressure—simulate enemy movement if you have to."
The second clone took off toward the weapons section of the yard without a word.
Finally, Shin faced the last clone. "Go to the quiet corner near the east shrine. Use the Uchiha meditation method. Clear the mind, feel the chakra coil, and expand our awareness. Try to find any imbalance in control."
With a brief nod, the third clone disappeared into the shaded part of the grounds. Alone again, Shin wiped the sweat from his brow and let out a quiet breath.
"Every minute counts."
After making sure his clones were all at work, Shin grabbed his bag and jogged toward the academy, the village beginning to buzz with life as merchants opened shops and villagers swept their porches. By the time he reached Class 1A, the hallways were already filled with chatter and footsteps. Sliding open the classroom door, he spotted Minato and Aiko near the middle row.
"Morning," Shin greeted with a nod as he made his way over.
"Yo," Aiko replied, spinning a pen between his fingers. "You look like you just ran a marathon."
"I kind of did," Shin muttered, sitting down beside them. Minato simply gave a knowing look and returned to reading a scroll half-tucked under his notebook.
A few minutes later, the classroom quieted as their instructor, Nara Boku, entered with his usual sluggish gait and a large scroll tucked under his arm.
"Alright, brats," he yawned, tying back his long black hair lazily. "Today we're covering the foundation of Konoha's alliances." His voice trailed on, dull and steady, as he unraveled the scroll and pointed lazily at a chalkboard already filled with clan symbols.
Shin blinked slowly, zoning out by the third sentence.
"If I memorize the year Fire and Water signed the trade pact one more time, I'll puke," he thought, sliding his hand casually under the desk. Channeling chakra into his palm, he began forming a small, palm-sized barrier—barely visible and vibrating softly. It was a technique from a scroll he skimmed late last night, and this was as good a time as any to practice.
"Boring lectures or not, I won't waste the time."
The first week slipped by in a blur of droning lectures and endless notes on village history, alliances, and hand sign theory. Every day followed the same rhythm—Nara Boku would enter half-asleep, unravel a scroll, and begin his monotonous explanations while the rest of the class fought off sleep. Shin, however, had other priorities. While the rest of the class struggled to stay awake, he kept his hand subtly beneath the desk, refining the palm-sized barrier technique. His focus never wavered from chakra control, layering and reshaping the barrier until the edges were smooth and stable. Meanwhile, his shadow clones continued their assigned tasks outside—one mastering elemental jutsu, another improving shuriken accuracy, and the third immersed in deep Uchiha-style meditation.
By the start of the second week, the pace shifted. Sensei Boku announced a change in focus—this week would center around practical shuriken and kunai throwing. Shin immediately adjusted his training schedule, releasing the second clone from throwing drills and assigning it barrier practice instead, now that he'd be training projectile techniques during class hours. To assess progress, Boku organized a friendly competition at the end of the week, pitting students against each other in accuracy, speed, and technique.
When it was over, Shin stood at the top of the rankings, having demonstrated precision and calm control that impressed even the laziest of their instructors. Aiko followed close behind, his flair and sharp aim earning second place, while Minato's consistent technique landed him in third. The last two spots in the top five were taken by a quiet Hyuga boy with impeccable focus and a Shimura girl whose throws were deceptively powerful.
Just like that, the first month at the academy came to an end. The rhythm of the days had become familiar—lectures, drills, competitions, and quiet hours of secret training. As the second month began, the academy shifted its focus from projectile techniques to the art of taijutsu. Unlike shuriken throwing, this was an area where Shin found himself stumbling. Despite his sharp mind and chakra control, the raw physicality and fluid close-range movements of taijutsu didn't come naturally to him. In the final assessment sparring matches, Minato dominated the field with his graceful yet precise strikes, taking first place with ease. Kira Hyuga, with her clan's signature Gentle Fist, claimed second, followed closely by Senju Toru, whose stamina and strength overwhelmed most opponents. Two more Hyuga students and a pair of Sarutobi clan kids filled out the rest of the top rankings. Shin gritted his teeth as he barely managed to place tenth, his movements still a bit rigid and his footwork lacking finesse. Aiko, while more agile, also struggled with coordination and placed just one spot ahead at ninth.
As the class ended and the students began to filter out of the training hall, Shin remained seated on the wooden floor, sweat clinging to his brow. His limbs ached from repeated sparring sessions, and a faint bruise was already forming along his ribs.
"This won't do," he thought, clenching his fists. "If I'm barely scraping the top ten now, how will I survive when real battles come?"
He recalled the third shadow clone, still sitting calmly somewhere on the Uchiha grounds, deep in clan-style meditation. Shin stood up slowly, his eyes narrowing with new resolve.
"Starting tomorrow, no more meditation. That third clone trains taijutsu now. I need to close this gap… fast."Unlocking sharingan can wait
And with that silent vow echoing in his mind, Shin walked off into the setting sun, determined to turn weakness into strength.
[End of Chapter]