After entering the Ninja Academy, Uchiha Tatsumi officially began his shinobi training.
First-year classes were simple. Alongside basic theory lessons, the most important early training was chakra refinement.
Chakra is the foundation of all ninjutsu. In the very first week, the instructor began teaching chakra extraction techniques.
Of course, Uchiha Tatsumi had already mastered chakra extraction by the age of four.
That said, his chakra reserves were currently at Level 2—excellent compared to his peers.
After all, being a Uchiha came with innate advantages. Their bloodline naturally granted greater chakra reserves than the average student.
But still, they were relatively limited.
The Uchiha clan was never known for having massive chakra like the Senju or Uzumaki. They specialized in precise chakra control and high-level techniques, not raw stamina.
Take, for example, the boy seated in front of Tatsumi—Senju Nawaki. Tatsumi could clearly sense that Nawaki's chakra was several times greater than his own.
That's a biological difference. Nawaki was Tsunade's younger brother and had inherited the strong vitality of the Senju—descendants of the Sage of Six Paths' body.
Although Tatsumi's chakra level was sufficient for now, no shinobi ever complained about having too much chakra.
Tatsumi definitely didn't want to end up like Hatake Kakashi or Maito Gai—powerhouses who could only fight at full strength for short bursts before burning out.
He envied those born with enormous chakra, like the First Hokage—Senju Hashirama—or Naruto Uzumaki, who inherited both the Uzumaki vitality and half of Kurama's chakra.
Calling Hashirama a "walking Tailed Beast" wasn't an exaggeration.
Thankfully, Tatsumi had the Ninja System. As long as he earned enough points, he could continuously invest them to boost his chakra and other stats.
In his past life, Tatsumi wasn't an athlete—more of a brainiac with noodle arms.
But now, reborn into the Naruto world with dreams of becoming a shinobi, he pushed himself daily with intense physical training.
He created imaginary enemies in his head—future threats like the Akatsuki, rogue ninja, or even Madara himself. Whenever he slacked off, he reminded himself: "If I'm weak, I'll die."
Through this constant drive, he quietly became one of the most physically capable students in the Academy, though he kept it well-hidden.
Every shinobi needs a trump card, after all.
What truly made Tatsumi stand out, though, was his spiritual energy. After all, a 5-year-old with the soul of a grown man had a clear edge in mental fortitude.
Maybe it was the strength of his soul, or maybe this body had a natural aptitude, but even before awakening the Sharingan, Tatsumi was already talented in Genjutsu.
And why not? He was fated to have a son like Shisui, a Genjutsu prodigy. Genetically speaking, his illusion talent had to be impressive.
…Though thinking of it like that felt a bit awkward.
Tatsumi trained daily with consistent routines: running, rope-jumping, leapfrogging, push-ups, sit-ups, log striking. Simple exercises, but reliable point generators.
And just like that, a year passed.
Uchiha Tatsumi advanced to the second grade—top of his class.
At the moment, he lay slumped over his desk, staring at his System Panel:
---
Host: Uchiha Tatsumi
Affiliation: Land of Fire
Age: 6
Overall Rating: Dominant among Academy students
Chakra: Level 3 (0/2000)
Taijutsu: Level 5 (0/6000)
Shurikenjutsu: Level 4 (0/4000)
Hand Seals: Level 3 (0/2000)
Ninjutsu: Level 3 (0/2000)
Genjutsu: Level 4 (0/4000)
Wind Release: Level 2 (0/1000)
Fire Release: Level 3 (0/2000)
Lightning Release: Level 2 (0/1000)
Water Release: Level 0 (0/100)
Earth Release: Level 0 (0/100)
Yang Release: Level 0 (0/100)
Yin Release: Level 0 (0/100)
Available Ninja Points: 600
---
Compared to last year, his stats had improved significantly. His taijutsu had finally reached "Genin-level," and his highest-rated skills were Shurikenjutsu and Genjutsu.
No surprise—his Genjutsu talent was off the charts.
He'd also begun distributing points into elemental affinities. Born with Wind, Fire, and Lightning natures, he prioritized those.
All of this progress came from farming points off his classmates. A part of him felt guilty. The Uchiha kids in his grade now avoided him like the plague.
He was already a childhood nightmare for most of the class.
At that moment, a mental conversation played out in his head—a familiar internal monologue:
"Give me a chance."
"I didn't have a choice before, but now I want to be a good person."
"Then go tell the System and see if it'll let you be a good person."
"That would be suicide."
"Sorry, I was forced."
"...Who knows?"
"..."
---
"Chen, you've been down lately…"
During the break, Mikoto noticed Tatsumi slumped over his desk. He wasn't on the rooftop reading like usual or deep into a scroll. He looked listless.
"…I'm about to become a cross-dressing young lady. Don't mind me."
"…What?" Mikoto blinked, clearly confused.
Tatsumi just waved her off.
They shared a desk, so Mikoto leaned in with concern. But Tatsumi wordlessly patted her on the head.
"Really, Tatsumi…" she muttered, but let him keep patting her head.
"Chen, are you okay? Did something happen?"
"Want to spar between classes?" came a gentle voice.
Tatsumi looked up to see a familiar smiling face—Minato Namikaze had plopped down in the seat in front of him.
"You want to fight?" Minato repeated.
"No thanks," Tatsumi replied immediately. There were no more points to farm from Minato.
Minato didn't seem disappointed.
"Oh right—did you hear?" he added excitedly. "We're not having class with Teacher Nishimura later. Apparently, the Third Hokage is sending over one of his own disciples to teach us. Some big-shot Jonin."
"A disciple of the Third Hokage?" Tatsumi blinked, thinking back. Then it hit him.
It had to be them—the future legends of the ninja world.
Oh wait, wrong phrasing. Not the porn-reading, gambling-addicted, morally questionable trio…
Ahem. The legendary Sannin of Konoha.
Jiraiya, the pervy sage who wrote Make-Out Paradise.
Tsunade, the gambling princess of the Senju.
Orochimaru, the mad scientist and future child-abductor.
"Yeah," Minato nodded. "They just got back from a mission and are free, so the Hokage is sending them to the Academy for a while."
Maybe the Third had started to sense that the world was heading toward instability. Was this a way to scout promising talent in advance?
Tatsumi narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.
Future Fourth Hokage Minato looked thrilled. Unlike Tatsumi or Mikoto, Minato had no clan connections. He didn't have access to advanced ninjutsu outside of the basic Academy curriculum.
So at this point, Tatsumi—already training in taijutsu, ninjutsu, and genjutsu—was miles ahead of him in practical power.