Naruto: I'm Really Not an Evil Uchiha!

The next day.

At the Ninja Academy.

In the training field, twenty practice dummies were set up.

The dummies were quite worn out, clearly having been reused multiple times.

Today's session included a test to assess how quickly students could hit all twenty dummies using kunai.

The test was conducted one student at a time.

After the Chunin instructor gave the order, each student sprinted back and forth on the training field, giving it their all.

"Burn with the fire of youth!"

Most students were gasping for breath, while a few were visibly excited.

"Kakashi, let's have a competition! Clone techniques might not be my specialty, but today's test is all about kunai throwing and taijutsu, which I excel at!"

Might Guy wiggled his thick eyebrows, his yellow scarf around his neck fluttering with excitement.

"You go first."

Kakashi Hatake, with his tired, fish-like eyes, gestured for Might Guy to proceed.

Kakashi's gaze wandered toward Rin Nohara, noticing Obito Uchiha chattering incessantly beside her.

With a sigh, Kakashi walked over to Shimizu Uchiha, who stood silently nearby.

The surrounding classmates were too noisy, but this man seemed much quieter, Kakashi thought to himself.

"Kakashi, I'm waiting for you!"

Might Guy yelled about youth once again before rushing off to take his test.

The dummies weren't placed on flat ground—some were in trees, others across from half-open windows on the academy's third floor. Each one required a fair amount of running to reach.

"Why don't you graduate early?"

When the crowd nearby thinned out, Kakashi suddenly asked.

"Are you talking to me?"

Shimizu turned his head.

"You scored 90 points. That's more than enough to graduate early. Why don't you?"

"What's 90 points compared to a perfect score? I'll graduate when I can score full marks."

Shimizu shook his head.

There was no benefit to revealing his full strength too early. Why would he do that?

Shimizu only planned to show his abilities if doing so served a specific purpose.

For now, his outward performance in the academy was mid-to-upper level—strong enough to stand out but not enough to draw excessive attention.

This placement was deliberate.

If his abilities were too outstanding, he might attract the scrutiny of Danzo or the Third Hokage. They'd likely try to indoctrinate him with the "Will of Fire" and brainwash him into prioritizing the village above all else.

Shimizu had no interest in such complications.

It wasn't that he feared Danzo. As long as his talent was evident, the Uchiha clan would protect him. Danzo wouldn't dare openly oppose the Uchiha without allies inside the clan.

But unnecessary trouble was just that—unnecessary. Who knew what unforeseen problems might arise?

Being too weak, on the other hand, could be even more dangerous. Danzo might see him as expendable and secretly eliminate him, replacing him with a Root operative disguised as him.

The existence of Uchiha Kawahara, who had been secretly replaced by Danzo, was a chilling example.

Whenever Shimizu thought about that, a cold sweat ran down his back.

An impostor had infiltrated the Uchiha clan for so long without Fugaku, the clan leader, noticing.

Who could say if there weren't more spies like Kawahara hidden among them?

Thus, Shimizu aimed for a middle-ground position—not too extraordinary, yet still aligning with the Uchiha reputation for producing elites.

Danzo wouldn't bother targeting someone in this category; he'd go after those who faded into the background instead.

"Full marks, huh?"

Kakashi murmured.

He had come here intending to invite Shimizu to graduate early with him.

Kakashi was about to graduate soon, and if Shimizu graduated at the same time, there was a good chance they'd end up on the same team.

He had observed Shimizu and found him far more mature than his peers, with impressive skills to match.

Having Shimizu as a teammate would greatly improve their efficiency and success rate in missions.

Kakashi wanted to make his father proud again, restoring the honor of Konoha's White Fang.

The two continued chatting casually, but Shimizu politely declined Kakashi's invitation.

Graduating early was out of the question unless he reached the strength of a Jonin or higher.

"It's my turn. See you later."

Shimizu grabbed a kunai and headed toward the training field for his test.

The average student took five minutes to complete the test.

Finishing in under two minutes was considered a perfect score.

"This time, let's go for two and a half minutes."

Shimizu calculated the time, carefully controlling his performance.

After awakening his Sharingan yesterday, his physical capabilities had been improving steadily.

If he accidentally achieved a perfect score, it would attract unnecessary attention.

He mapped out a route in his mind. Since the dummies were placed at varying distances, planning his path would save significant time.

From the starting point, eight dummies could be hit immediately.

The remaining twelve required movement.

Shimizu simultaneously threw kunai at the eight closest dummies while darting off like an arrow. He followed the route he had visualized, navigating the training field with precision and speed.

Two minutes and twenty-seven seconds… Two minutes and twenty-nine seconds…

Shimizu stopped just as the timer hit two minutes and thirty seconds.

"Ninety points. As excellent as always. You and Kakashi are the best students I've ever taught."

The Chunin instructor smiled.

"Why is my score only 70?!"

Obito Uchiha wailed nearby, 70 points being one of his rare high scores.

"Shimizu, you must train a lot," Rin Nohara remarked. She rarely saw Shimizu play with others and assumed he spent most of his time training.

"Kakashi, you scored full marks again!"

After Kakashi finished his test, Might Guy rushed over.

"But next time, I'll win for sure! My speed is faster than yours; I just scored fewer points because my throws weren't as accurate."

A faint voice came from behind Kakashi's black mask.

"Okay."

"But I feel like Shimizu is really strong," Might Guy whispered.

Kakashi glanced at him, puzzled by the remark.

Might Guy explained, "Didn't you notice? Shimizu didn't even break a sweat."

Kakashi's pupils narrowed. He looked toward the corner where Shimizu stood, calm and unaffected, his expression unreadable.

Why was Shimizu hiding his strength?

Was he dissatisfied with Konoha?

Or did he have other concerns?

Frowning, Kakashi stared at Shimizu, as though trying to see through him.

"Kakashi, want to walk home together?"

Behind him, Rin Nohara approached with light steps.

Trailing her was Obito, who immediately joined in when he saw Rin talking to Kakashi.

"Rin, walk home with me! Don't we take the same route part of the way?"

Obito grinned foolishly, imagining himself walking home with Rin alone.

As they chatted, the school bell rang, and Kakashi noticed Shimizu had already disappeared.

The hallway near the bathrooms.

The boys' and girls' restrooms were on opposite sides, with the handwashing area outside in the middle.

"Might Guy, a ninja specializing in taijutsu…"

Shimizu shook his head and washed his face.

His body was strong now, and this test wasn't physically demanding.

He had unintentionally left a small clue about his true strength.

Thankfully, it wasn't a big issue since not many people noticed.

Even the Chunin instructor hadn't realized Shimizu was holding back, not even after his recent boost in strength from awakening his one-tomoe Sharingan.

"Shimizu Uchiha."

A crisp female voice called from behind him, clear and bold.

It was Kurenai Yuhi, with her red eyes and round cheeks, walking toward him.

"Do you know genjutsu?" she asked.