Chapter 3: Unseen Shadow
Itachi's POV
How did I not sense him standing there?
Even Chunin-level ninja cannot hide their presence from me, no matter how much they try to conceal it. I have and was trained to detect the smallest irregularities, the tiniest shifts in the air, the subtlest changes in energy. Yet, this guy…
He wasn't hiding at all. He was just there.
My eyes locked onto his pale face, his dark eyes unreadable. Giving him a strange, almost eerie presence.
I watched as he leaned against the railing above, his smirk unbothered, as if this moment was nothing more than a small spectacle to him. His expression, his stance—it was unsettlingly calm.
I took a step forward, curiosity creeping into my mind.
"What are you doing there, Yuri-san?" I asked, keeping my voice neutral.
He smiled in response.
But it wasn't just any smile.
It was cold. Not unkind, but unsettling in a way I couldn't quite place. A smile that didn't seem to reach his eyes, yet held a quiet amusement. It sent a small shiver down my spine, something I hadn't experienced before.
"I was just walking, Itachi-san," he answered casually, his voice smooth and relaxed. "And it seems like I saw something amusing."
Then, as if the conversation meant nothing, he turned away. "Anyways, I'll be going now, Itachi-san."
With that, he disappeared down the hallway, his footsteps eerily silent despite making no effort to suppress them.
I stood there, my mind running through possibilities. How had he hidden his presence from me? Even if he wasn't intentionally suppressing it, it should've been noticeable.
Who was he?
Back to Yuri's POV
As I walked down the corridor, I couldn't help but wonder the same thing Itachi was probably thinking—how was I able to hide my presence? I wanted him to sense me. I had fully expected that he would notice me immediately.
Yet, he hadn't.
It didn't make sense.
Itachi is the heir to the Uchiha clan. That means he was trained from a young age to sense the smallest details in a battle. Even more so, he was Itachi Uchiha, a genius in every right.
Yet, he was caught off guard?
Or am I just rating him in high regard because of his future self?
I continued walking, my mind racing through the possibilities. Then, I caught my reflection in the glass window of a nearby classroom.
I stopped.
A pale face, dark eyes, black hair. The resemblance was uncanny.
Illumi Zoldyck.
I narrowed my eyes as a thought formed in my mind. What if… what if I have Illumi's skills? Not his Nen abilities, obviously—this world didn't work that way.
But his physical capabilities. His assassin instincts. His mastery over stealth.
My heart pounded a little faster.
If that were true, then I had exactly what I needed. I didn't care about Nen. I didn't need it. This world didn't run on Nen—it ran on Chakra.
If I had Illumi's skills on top of chakra potential, then I had already won half the battle.
My fighting capabilities would already be leagues ahead of my peers. Assassination techniques, unnatural movement speed, inhuman flexibility, pain tolerance—those alone were more than enough for me to excel in this world.
A smirk formed on my lips.
This was good.
Really good.
I looked down at my small hands. Before anything else, I need to train my body first.
The Ninja Academy focused on the basics—chakra control, jutsu fundamentals, and teamwork. But if I truly had an advantage that even Itachi couldn't understand, then I needed to hone it immediately.
The sooner, the better.
I left the Academy grounds, stepping out into the streets of Konoha. Since classes weren't officially starting today, no one would miss me. That gave me the perfect opportunity to start my training.
I made my way toward a secluded area near the outskirts of the village, somewhere quiet and away from prying eyes. There, I started with the basics.
First, physical conditioning.
I needed to understand my limits. I began testing my flexibility, balance, and overall physical endurance. The results were surprising.
My body—despite being that of a seven-year-old—already had a natural grace to it. My movements were smooth, fluid. It was like muscle memory, as if my body knew how to move efficiently even though I had never trained before.
This is definitely Illumi's foundation, I thought, intrigued.
Next, I worked on my agility.
I practiced sudden directional changes, silent footwork, and controlled breathing. I experimented with my weight distribution, seeing how lightly I could move across the ground without making a sound.
Then came the endurance test.
Push-ups. Sit-ups. Squats.
At first, it felt normal. But as I kept going, I realized something strange—
I wasn't getting tired as quickly as I should've.
I didn't have a chakra-enhanced body yet, and I certainly hadn't done any shinobi training before this. Yet, my muscles weren't burning, my breath wasn't ragged, and I still felt like I could keep going for a long time.
What the hell is this…?
It was as if my stamina was already leagues above what a normal seven-year-old should have. It didn't make sense.
But then, I thought back to Illumi. The Zoldyck family trained from childhood, their bodies conditioned to endure hellish training. If I truly inherited his physical attributes, then this… this must be a result of that.
I grinned.
This is perfect.
For the rest of the day, I continued my training. I practiced my reaction time, my spatial awareness, and even basic combat movement. I still needed to test myself against an actual opponent, but for now, I had a solid grasp on what I was working with.
By the time the sun began to set, I knew one thing for certain:
I had an advantage that no one else in this world had.
And I was going to use it to the fullest.
Chapter End.