3 Academy

Shun kept his head buried, his jaw clenched tight. Miyuki braced herself for an explosion of anger, a torrent of accusations. But instead, a choked laugh escaped his lips. It was a bitter sound, laced with pain and a strange sense of resignation.

"So, it's my fault," he rasped, his voice barely a whisper. "My parents are dead because of me. They must have been cursed to have a son like me."

He lifted his head, his dark eyes shimmering with unshed tears. But when Miyuki met his gaze, her breath hitched. Shock contorted her features. She stumbled back, a single word escaping her lips in a strangled whisper, "Sh-Sharingan?"

It hadn't crossed her mind that this revelation, this brutal truth, would awaken their coveted bloodline so abruptly. The Sharingan, the Uchiha's pride and joy, demanded a certain level of emotional turmoil to awaken. She didn't think that he was experiencing such turmoil.

Panic flickered across her face, but it was quickly replaced by a surge of protectiveness. With a soft murmur, she enveloped him in a hug, her arms a fragile shield against the storm. "Shun, no," she whispered, her voice thick with concern. "It wasn't your fault. It was just… an awful situation."

Just then, Mikoto skipped back into the room, her usual cheerfulness dimmed by the tense atmosphere. Her eyes darted between Shun and Miyuki, a frown marring her youthful features. "Mama? Why are you hugging Shun?" she asked, a hint of jealousy peeking through.

Before Miyuki could answer, Mikoto's frown was replaced by a playful grin. "No fair! I wanna hug Shun too!" she chirped, launching herself at him in a playful tackle.

The sudden contact, the warmth of Mikoto's presence, shattered the fragile hold Shun had on his emotions. The crimson glow in his eyes faded, replaced by the familiar black. He turned to face Mikoto, a small smile gracing his lips.

Seeing her bright, innocent smile, a flicker of hope rekindled within him. He wasn't alone. He had Mikoto, Aunt Miyuki, Uncle Kansuke. Maybe all wasn't lost.

He knew that he couldn't find fault in Aunt Miyuki for killing his father if he was the one who attacked her. Relief washed over Miyuki. She gently released him from her embrace, watching as the two children resumed their playful banter. A chuckle escaped her lips, despite the heavy weight that still burdened her heart.

"Alright you two, time for the Academy," she announced, her voice regaining its usual cheer.

The ruthless reality of war had forced a brutal adaptation. Five-year-olds were sent to hone their skills, preparing them for the battlefield that awaited them as soon as they graduated. Skills and power were the only currencies that held value on the battlefield. Age was irrelevant.

Miyuki and Kansuke understood this harsh truth all too well. But with the whispers of peace talks gaining momentum, they saw little harm in the children starting their training early. After all, the sooner they began, the sooner they could become skilled enough to navigate the perilous world that awaited them.

With newfound resolve, the three of them embarked on the walk towards Konoha Academy, a journey not just towards knowledge, but towards a future shrouded in uncertainty. The war may be nearing its end, but the battles to come were far from over.

~~

There were many parents who had come to escort their children for the first day of their academy. There were children from many different clans, the Hyuuga Clan, Inuzuka Clan, Yamanaka Clan, Nara Clan, Akimichi Clan, Ino Clan, Aburame Clan and Uchiha Clan. There were also the war orphans as well as the children of civilians.

As this was the war time and the village needed ninjas quickly, the graduation exam was quite simple to perform. It was ruthless for the children but for the village to survive, it was necessary.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, the God of Shinobi, the Third Hokage was standing on a stage as he glanced over at the number of students that have decided to take admission into the academy.

He coughed up a few times as he gathered everyone's attention to himself, his loud voice could be heard by every person standing in front of him, "Ehem… I am happy to see a greater number of students taking admission in the Konoha Academy. I hope to see you become reputed ninjas who can protect the village and also carry on the 'Will of Fire'."

All the parents started to clap as they heard his words, the children didn't understand much but they followed their parents as they also started to clap. The third Hokage seemed satisfied as he heard the clapping sounds and got down from the stage, he went towards his office.

Shun smiled a little as he was finally going to start training to be a real ninja, he stepped inside the Academy as the teachers entered the class and introduced themselves one by one.

The first one was the theory teacher, he started teaching them the basics of the Energy with which they used their Jutsus or techniques. Chakra, it was basically the combination of Yin and Yang energies, the Yang Chakra being the Physical Manifestation while the Yin Chakra was Spiritual Manifestation of Chakra.

Shun intently listened to their explanation and theories of Chakra, he didn't know why but he found these theories, these explanations truly interesting. After the Theory Classes, it was the practical Class, the teacher asked them to pick up Kunais and Shurikens and start throwing it towards their targets.

The teachers did show them how it is done, Shun observed their movements very carefully as he waited for his turn to come. He saw many other students mimicking the teacher and their weapon wouldn't even reach the Target.

There was one boy who did hit the targets, but his aim was too bad, his name was Fugaku Uchiha, one of the most talented boys among the Uchihas. Shun looked down towards his hands and noticed some bruises on his hands, some cuts, and other things.

Shun deduced that Fugaku must have practiced this Kunai throwing and Shuriken throwing many times before even joining the Academy. He felt an urge to start training as he didn't want to be behind someone. He wanted to be the top student in the academy.

Soon enough, it was his turn to throw the Kunai and Shuriken, only the boys from Uchiha Clan knew him, he was someone who was hailed as a prodigy in the Uchiha Clan. He started speaking when he was 3 months old and in another 3 months, he was able to speak proficiently.

And he started to walk in 7 months and was able to walk proficiently in a year. This was the reason why the Uchihas considered him a prodigy, if word got out that he unlocked his Sharingan at the age of 5 Years old then he would be called out by Clan Head and be groomed into becoming the next Clan head.

He still didn't know that he had unlocked the Sharingan, besides, he didn't know how to use his chakra at this moment. He let out a long breath as he stared at the targets in front of him, his eyes remained focused completely on the target in front of him, ignoring the rest of the world.

There were only 2 things in this world for him, his weapon and the target, the dummy in front of him. He remembered the way the teacher had thrown the Kunai and Shuriken at the Dummy and started thinking about it 'Many students imitated the Teacher and failed to deliver their Kunai and Shuriken at the target while Fugaku didn't imitate the teacher and was able to strike the target with his weapons.'

'So, the problem must be because of the difference in physical capabilities, they are more comfortable with that pose due to their practice as well as their physical capabilities. Now, all I have to do is throw this kunai and Shuriken with as much strength as possible without worrying about my posture. Atleast, I would be able to strike the target.'