Konoha Year 44, Autumn.
Uchiha Settlement, atop the Naka Shrine.
A fine drizzle fell steadily, tapping against the walls engraved with the Uchiha clan's flame-shaped fan crest, leaving faint streaks of moisture behind.
Just last month, something major happened within the Uchiha clan.
During a mission, they discovered an Uchiha—one who wasn't born in Konoha!
As the saying goes: if you find one cockroach, there's a nest behind the wall.
No one knew how many other Uchiha with the same bloodline might still be scattered across the shinobi world, like this boy named Seiji.
To prevent the dilution of their bloodline or its exploitation by rival clans, the Uchiha who found Seiji immediately brought him back.
> "But why has only one of his Sharingan eyes awakened?"
"Yeah, has anyone in the clan ever had something like that happen before?"
The Uchiha clansmen murmured in confusion. Such a phenomenon had never occurred before, and the commotion it caused was naturally immense.
From time to time, glances were thrown toward the boy sitting in the back—Seiji.
Seiji ignored them entirely.
> "While you were in the Land of Lightning, did you ever meet anyone else with the same red eyes as you? We're all kin—you can tell me, and I'll have our people bring them back."
Seated at the top of the room, Fugaku Uchiha tested the boy gently.
After all, no one could clearly trace Seiji's years in the Land of Lightning. What exactly had happened during that time was hard to determine.
A month-long investigation had verified only this: Seiji's background was clean.
He had learned some basic chakra refinement techniques, but showed no signs of formal shinobi training.
But shinobi villages had always engaged in cruel political games.
As the newly appointed clan head, Fugaku had no choice but to be cautious.
> "I've never seen anyone with the same eyes as mine, Lord Fugaku," Seiji replied calmly, raising his head.
He was a transmigrator. Years ago, he had awakened to memories from his past life the moment he was born, solving the mystery of his own reincarnation.
His mother died giving birth to him.
His father… was absent from the start.
It wasn't until he turned two and could walk on his own that he met his father for the first time—
Only for the man to die shortly after on the battlefield.
But that was nothing special. In the shinobi world, being orphaned was just a standard beginning.
Naruto, Sasuke, Konan, Itachi, Orochimaru—who among them hadn't lost their parents?
His former name had been Yagetsu Seiji, a distant member of the Yagetsu clan, living in a remote town.
He awakened the Sharingan by chance and was discovered by Uchiha Yakumi, who happened to be on a mission nearby. That was how he was brought to Konoha.
> "Good. Regardless, as long as Uchiha blood runs in your veins, you are one of us. I will arrange for you to enroll in the Ninja Academy."
Fugaku's crimson eyes lingered on Seiji for a long while.
Historical records of the Uchiha clan mentioned journeys to the Land of Lightning. It was even believed that some Uchiha may have lived there at some point.
This reportedly dated back even further than the era of fierce battles between Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha.
According to one account, a feudal lord's wife in the current territory of the Land of Lightning once hired the Uchiha to eliminate the Clan of the Blood Pool.
Unfortunately, much of that history was lost in the Uchiha–Senju wars.
Even someone like Fugaku couldn't uncover the full truth.
He didn't activate his Sharingan, merely stared intently.
A heavy, oppressive atmosphere hung in the air, stifling the room.
But Seiji remained composed.
He understood exactly what Fugaku was thinking—
That he was gauging the legitimacy of Seiji's origin.
Unfortunately for Fugaku, there truly was a historical link between the Uchiha and the Land of Lightning.
Even the official novel Sasuke Shinden: The Coming Light referenced it.
At length, Fugaku withdrew his gaze.
After all, the boy was only a few years old.
Could a child truly remain unfazed under the pressure of the Sharingan?
If so… that would be terrifying.
Even Hatake Sakumo's rising star of a son wouldn't necessarily have such mental fortitude.
> "Lord Fugaku, I'm truly grateful to have discovered my Uchiha heritage. I'll never tarnish the clan's name!"
Seiji's voice rang with earnest sincerity.
Just then, a mechanical female voice echoed in his mind, devoid of emotion:
> "You have unlocked the trait: [Art of Speech (White)]."
---
[Trait: Art of Speech (White)]
Requirement: Successfully deliver five false statements without betraying emotion in front of a high-ranking figure.
Progress: (Complete)
Effect: Your words become more convincing. Those with a lower status than you are more easily influenced.
Note: This trait can evolve.
---
> "Finally," Seiji thought, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
If you didn't want to become a beggar in the ninja world, you needed power.
And in the world of Naruto, real power was passed down one of three ways—through mothers and sons, through master and disciple, or through blood.
If you didn't have the right bloodline or a good teacher with powerful connections…
Well, you'd need something akin to blood transfer—intimate exposure to a higher source of chakra and Will of Fire—just to learn one or two basic jutsus.
Luckily for Seiji, he possessed something different:
A crude Trait System.
It tracked trait names, completion conditions, and effects—
But nothing came for free. Everything had to be earned.
Just like this [Art of Speech] trait—
Seiji had just told his fifth lie to Fugaku Uchiha without flinching.
Happy to be born an Uchiha?
What a joke.
He felt nothing but crushing pressure.
The Night of the Massacre…
Two more Shinobi World Wars…
His life was already on the countdown.
In just over a decade, this clan would be wiped out—by Fugaku's own son, Uchiha Itachi.
> "Not bad," Fugaku nodded, visibly pleased by Seiji's earnest tone. A worthy candidate.
The purity in his speech conveyed deep emotion.
In fact, Seiji's devotion seemed more genuine than that of many full-blooded Uchiha.
Fugaku motioned for him to leave.
After Seiji stepped out, Uchiha Yadai turned to Fugaku, whose face remained impassive, yet exuded authority.
> "Seiji is the one Yakumi brought back from the Land of Lightning. They say he also has traits of the Yagetsu clan. Could he be a spy?"
> "We'll need further investigation. But I'm certain he carries Uchiha blood. Outsiders who transplant the Sharingan can't deactivate it. It would be a tremendous burden."
Fugaku shook his head and continued:
> "Lady Tsunade will come later to examine his Sharingan."
> "Let me arrange things for the boy," said Mikoto, rising from the tatami mat within the Naka Shrine.
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(End of Chapter)