Konoha, Year 45
Shisui went to wake his younger brother so they could go to school together."Ryuken, come on, get up. We don't have much time left. Besides, today's my graduation exam — my application for early graduation got approved."
Ryuken sleepily opened his eyes and inwardly wanted to keep sleeping when he thought: I might not feel like it, but there is a war. A year ago, Sunagakure lost their Third Kazekage and blamed Konoha for his murder. The class that graduates this year together with Shisui is the same as Kakashi's, including Obito Uchiha among them.
Ryuken stood up, and for a brief moment, a cold glint flickered in his eyes. Shisui caught it and quickly said,"You don't need to be angry. Let's just eat breakfast and get going."
Ryuken ignored his brother's words, as he often did, and sank into thought:Obito… right now he's still just a fool, but he'll become the reason for the Uchiha massacre. The Uchiha wouldn't have been placed under house arrest if the Nine-Tails attack hadn't happened. Still, I need to be careful not to change too much — if the story shifts too far, I could lose my advantage.
He ate breakfast with Shisui and, for once, went to the academy in person.Now eight years old, he had already mastered most of the basic jutsu. At first, he hadn't known how to continue training, but after demonstrating some of his techniques to Fugaku, he had been granted access to the Uchiha clan's basic scrolls on fire, lightning, and water release.
After several years of training, he had absorbed everything essential. His only remaining problem was his Sharingan — it hadn't evolved despite regular use, remaining stuck at two tomoe. The likely reason was his lack of emotional triggers; the Sharingan only evolves through deep sorrow or life-and-death combat.
When Ryuken arrived at the classroom, he took a seat at the back, wearing his usual bored, sleepy expression. Shortly after, Hayato-sensei entered and announced,"Today is the annual exam. If you fail, you'll repeat the year. If you pass, you'll move on. But before we begin, there's one matter to address — Ryuken Uchiha, come to the front."
Ryuken looked surprised but obeyed. Before he could ask anything, Hayato-sensei continued,"Your application for early graduation has been approved. Go to the examination hall for the graduation candidates — your name should be on the list."
Without giving him a chance to speak, the teacher dismissed him and sent him out of the classroom.
Standing in the hallway before the closed door, Ryuken frowned, irritated.Is this a mistake or intentional? I never applied for early graduation. Damn it — did they discover my strength? But I was careful not to be watched. How could they…
Then it hit him.
The Third Hokage — he has that crystal ball jutsu that lets him observe things. I was too careless. But if he noticed me, why hasn't he confronted me? Does he suspect something? No… if he truly saw me as a threat, he wouldn't let me graduate early alongside Shisui. Maybe he just values our talent. And the fact that we're the grandsons of Kagami Uchiha — his former colleague and Tobirama's student — probably played a big role, Ryuken thought.
When he entered the examination room, he immediately spotted familiar faces: Might Guy, Obito, Rin — and even Shisui.
Shisui's eyes widened when he saw his brother. What's Ryuken doing here? Only graduation candidates are supposed to be in this room… don't tell me—
He quickly walked over, concern written all over his face."Ryuken, I thought you planned to graduate after the sixth year. What are you doing here?"
Ryuken gave him a helpless look."It's… a bit complicated. I'll explain later."
Before he could say more, one of the examiners entered and spoke loudly,"The exam will be divided into two parts. The first part is a demonstration of the three basic jutsu taught at the academy. The second part will be a sparring match between participants. Winning or losing doesn't matter — we just want to see your abilities."