Chapter 5 –Beginning of Training
Konoha, Year 41
It had been three years since Yami's birth, and the last year brought many significant developments.
The first major event was Danzo's deployment to the Rain Country frontlines as the commanding officer. True to his dark, ruthless, and arrogant nature, and driven by greed for fame and political ambition, Danzo began pushing his forces with reckless abandon. His objective was clear — gain enough merit to be considered for the Hokage position after Hiruzen Sarutobi.
At first, his brutal strategies yielded some success. But over time, discontent began to grow among the Konoha forces. His disregard for casualties and unethical tactics bred resentment. To silence critics and salvage his reputation, Danzo made a bold and controversial decision — he chose to directly engage Hanzo the Salamander, despite fierce opposition from several advisors, including Orochimaru.
The resulting battle was a disaster.
Danzo, in his arrogance, confronted Hanzo head-on, but his forces were annihilated. Danzo himself was nearly killed. His right arm and left leg were severely mangled, and his right eye was permanently damaged. Just before Hanzo could deliver the final blow, the legendary trio — Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru — arrived in time to save him.
The fight saw tremendous casualties. Hanzo had used the poisonous gas from his salamander summon extensively, which was particularly lethal in group combat.
After this humiliating defeat, Danzo received treatment from Tsunade. Though she managed to save his arm and hand, his right eye was beyond help, and the limb was no longer combat-capable. Shortly after, Danzo was sent back to Konoha, and Orochimaru was appointed as the new commander of the Rain front, where multiple villages — Iwagakure, Sunagakure, Konoha, and Amegakure — were locked in chaotic war.
Not long after, Kato Dan, a respected Konoha ninja, was killed on a reconnaissance mission near Amegakure. According to official reports, his team was caught off guard while he was using his Spirit Transformation Jutsu to gather intelligence. Hanzo and his elite team attacked at that precise moment. Due to the nature of the Spirit Transformation Jutsu, Kato Dan was defenseless and unable to fight back immediately. His entire team was slaughtered.
By the time Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru reached the location, Hanzo had already vanished — and Kato Dan lay dead. Tsunade was devastated by his death.
Yami couldn't help but suspect foul play. The timing was too precise. The Spirit Transformation Jutsu was an S-rank technique — a closely guarded village secret. How did Hanzo know Kato Dan would be vulnerable at that very moment?
To Yami, the answer was obvious: Danzo had once again leaked classified intel. His motives? To eliminate Kato Dan, a potential contender for Tsunade's favor and influence, thereby weakening any future challenge to his dream of becoming Hokage.
It was yet another of Danzo's schemes, as usual bypassing Hiruzen's orders and acting to secure his own rise — while Hiruzen, bound by indecision and favoritism, allowed it as this was also favorable to him.
Yami knew what would follow. Tsunade would eventually leave the village, grief-stricken. Jiraiya would remain in the Rain Country, ostensibly to continue the intel gathering, but in reality, to begin training three children — Nagato, Konan, and Yahiko — and search for his child of destiny. And Orochimaru would begin his descent into darkness, drawn in by the ugliness of war.
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Uchiha Compound — Setsuna Uchiha's Residence
In the Uchiha training ground, three-year-old Yami stood calmly. Before him, his grandfather Setsuna wore a stern expression.
"Yami," he said firmly, "from today, I'll begin your official ninja training. I'll also teach you the true history and power of the Uchiha clan. I expect you to learn everything I show you."
Yami nodded silently. "Yes."
Setsuna pulled out a scroll and handed it to him. "Start with this. Read it and remember everything."
Yami glanced at the scroll. In less than a second, his eyes swept over the entire contents. He nodded again, having already memorized it as he was already given basic hand seals and language knowledge.
Setsuna raised an eyebrow in suspicion, but said nothing. "Good. That scroll contains the Uchiha clan's chakra extraction technique. Every clan has its own method, but ours is especially refined — precise and powerful."
Yami nodded again in acknowledgment.
"Now, I'll show you how to extract chakra. Pay close attention and try it yourself."
Setsuna began demonstrating the breathing and mental control technique. In his experience, even geniuses took 20–30 minutes to extract chakra for the first time. Average children with Jonin or Chunin level potential often took 1 or 2 hours.
But to his shock, mere seconds after the demonstration, a ripple of chakra surged around Yami. He had done it flawlessly on his first attempt.
Even more surprising — his chakra reserves were already comparable to a newly graduated genin. In fact, they rivaled or exceeded those of some children from the Senju clan, known for their vitality.
Yami found the process simple. His [All of Existence] skill with [All of Creation] had analyzed chakra extraction from observing nearby clan members over time. His chakra was already dense, and his control was superb.
Setsuna quickly masked his astonishment and said, "Impressive. You already have good chakra reserves and control. But remember, chakra alone means nothing unless you can convert it into strength."
He handed Yami a thin slip of paper. "This is chakra paper. It will reveal your elemental affinities. Flow your chakra into it."
Yami did as instructed. The paper reacted — one half caught fire, and the other crumbled.
Setsuna's eyes lit up. "Fire and lightning — excellent. Both are dominant affinities in the Uchiha clan. You'll find many jutsus aligned with them. Here, take this."
He handed Yami another scroll. The title read:
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique."
It was a C-rank fire jutsu, commonly taught to Uchiha elites. Initially, Setsuna had planned to give Yami a simpler D-rank version, but after witnessing his natural talent, he decided Yami was ready.
"This jutsu has six hand seals," Setsuna explained. "Watch carefully."
He performed the technique slowly. After completing the seals, his chest expanded, and he released a massive spinning fireball — nearly five meters wide — which hit the nearby training pond and exploded into steam.
Turning to Yami, he said, "Now you try."
Yami nodded and formed the hand seals in under two seconds. He could've gone faster but didn't want to raise suspicion. As he gathered chakra in his throat, he subconsciously infused it with solar radiation through [Evolution Singularity].
Then he exhaled — a 2-meter spinning fireball shot forth, searing the air and striking the pond, releasing a thick cloud of vapor.
Setsuna was stunned. This was a feat usually seen only in chunin. Most genin could barely form a 1-meter fireball. Chunin made 2–3 meter ones. And only jonin could control 5-meter projectiles.
Yet here was a three-year-old — with only genin-level chakra — casting a highly stable, intensely hot fireball with exceptional control and minimal wastage.
Yami, meanwhile, noted that the jutsu consumed nearly a quarter of his chakra. He immediately began thinking of improvements. His [Evolution Singularity] activated, and his smart atoms began optimizing his internal energy flow for maximum efficiency.
Setsuna, observing him closely, was deeply impressed and thought to himself:
"To perform a C-rank fire technique at this level, with his chakra reserves, and not show any fatigue… his chakra control must be near perfect. He has natural talent in chakra control."
Then, something deeper struck him.
"No… this is beyond natural talent. His gaze… his thinking… even his chakra feels unnatural. He's more than a prodigy."
"He might be the one who fulfills the Uchiha's true potential… the one who transcends our blood, our hatred, and our fate."
After that, Setsuna handed him additional scrolls containing low-level fire and lightning techniques. He sent Yami home, already devising a new training schedule to properly cultivate his monstrous talent.
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As Yami walked home, his mind raced.
How can I blend solar radiation more seamlessly into my fire-style jutsus? How can I enhance fire intensity without altering visual signs that would raise suspicion? I need to learn stealthy enhancement…
In his heart, he knew this was only the beginning. His path was not that of an ordinary ninja — it was the beginning of something much, much greater.
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