Naruto: Legacy of the Uchugan Dojutsu

Morning mist clung low to the grass as the academy training grounds slowly came alive. The usual hum of sparring and chatter had yet to build, giving the field an unusual sense of calm. Akio stood beneath a crooked tree near the perimeter, his posture relaxed but alert. He didn't fidget. He didn't pace. He simply watched.

The soft light caught in his eyes—star-shaped and faintly glowing. The 1-Star Uchūgan was always visible now, though only when he fed chakra into it did its abilities truly activate.

He inhaled slowly, then began the process.

A small pulse of chakra traveled to his eyes. His vision bloomed open. The chakra colors and emotions of life around him surfaced like brushstrokes on an invisible canvas. A bright yellow-orange blob in the distance was unmistakably Naruto. The boy practically radiated raw emotion.

Akio's gaze followed him without moving his head.

Naruto had climbed onto the roof of the academy shed, arms crossed dramatically. "Listen up, you non-believers!" he shouted to no one in particular. "One day, I'm gonna be Hokage! Believe it!"

Iruka hadn't even shown up yet.

Akio muttered, "He does this every morning..."

A soft voice beside him added, "Yeah, he really does." Ino had approached quietly, arms folded. "I think he thinks the roof gives him more authority."

Akio considered that. "Maybe."

Ino watched him for a moment. "You're using your eye, aren't you?"

Akio nodded faintly.

"What's it doing right now?"

He paused, hesitant. Then answered truthfully: "Naruto looks like a bonfire."

She blinked. "What?"

"Emotionally. He's... loud."

Ino let out a laugh. "That's actually kinda perfect."

Soon after, Iruka arrived and called everyone to line up. Sparring drills were scheduled for the morning, and students were already pairing off for matchups. Akio fell into line without fuss, standing a few spots down from Sasuke, who gave him a short glance but said nothing. Their rivalry hadn't flared up again since the last mock exam, but the tension was always there—just under the surface.

Iruka clapped his hands. "Alright, class. Today we're testing your reaction time and coordination. We'll rotate teams. You win by forcing a surrender, ring-out, or disabling your opponent's ability to continue. No serious injuries."

He glanced at his clipboard. "First match—Team One: Akio, Ino, and Shikamaru. You'll be against Team Two: Kiba, Hinata, and Choji."

Shikamaru groaned the second his name was called. "Man... why me?"

Ino rolled her eyes. "Because we can't have three lazy people on the same team."

Akio was already stepping onto the field.

Kiba cracked his knuckles across from them. "Hope you're ready. Akio, your teleporting trick won't save you if I catch your scent!"

Akio blinked. "...Then I won't let you."

Kiba growled. "What's that supposed to mean?!"

"Exactly what I said."

Shikamaru muttered, "Why do I get stuck between two loudmouths and a brick wall?"

Ino pointed at him. "Hey! Who are you calling a loudmouth?"

Shikamaru gave her a tired look. "It's self-explanatory."

When the signal to start came, Akio didn't move immediately. He channeled chakra to his eyes again. Vision sharpened. Chakra flickered across the field. He could see the emotional haze around Hinata—nervous, shy, hesitant. Kiba pulsed with confidence and adrenaline. Choji's energy was steady but slightly guarded.

He blinked—once, vanishing with a small gust of displaced air. His reappearance behind Choji was clean but not perfectly timed. A half-second of delay left him exposed. He didn't attack—he stepped forward, baiting a reaction.

Choji startled and swung instinctively. Akio Blinked again, backpedaling to a better angle. He didn't mind not landing a hit—this was practice. And this was control.

"You're still slow," he muttered under his breath.

On the other side, Ino kept pressure on Hinata while Shikamaru half-heartedly tangled Kiba with shadow possession. Akio timed his next Blink mid-rotation. This time he reappeared at Hinata's flank and gave her a single, two-finger tap on the shoulder. She jumped, startled. Then turned, prepared to counter—but he was already gone again.

Kiba shouted from across the field, "Hey! Stop disappearing, you cheat!"

"I'm not cheating," Akio said flatly, reappearing near the edge. "I'm practicing."

Iruka called the match after several minutes. "Victory to Team One."

Ino dusted off her sleeves. "Not bad."

Shikamaru yawned. "Could've gone faster."

Akio glanced at his fingers. The timing between each Blink was narrowing. Still more than a full second, but the strain was easier now.

As the students broke off for a short break, Naruto made his way over, wiping sweat off his forehead from his own spar. "Man, your teleporting stuff is sick. Can you teach me that?"

"No."

Naruto pouted. "Why not?!"

"You'd teleport into a wall."

Naruto paused. "…Okay, yeah, maybe."

"Or a tree."

Naruto frowned deeper. "You're really killing the dream, man."

Akio shrugged. "It's for your safety."

From a few steps away, Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "He's not wrong. You can't even walk straight when you're tired."

Naruto pointed at him. "Hey! Shut it, Sasuke!"

Akio quietly picked up his water bottle and took a slow drink while the two bickered. The moment Naruto started shouting about who was cooler, Akio quietly stepped backward out of the frame of conversation. No one noticed until he was already gone.

Later that day, after classes ended, Akio made his way to the secluded forest training ground on the edge of the Tengetsu Clan's territory. The trees here grew in tall columns, bark pale like bleached bone. Moss lined the roots. He knelt down on a flat stone and channeled chakra to his eyes again.

Kaen appeared behind him a few minutes later, arms crossed, posture strict as ever.

"You've awakened it. Took you longer than expected," Kaen said bluntly.

Akio didn't look up. "It's active now."

Kaen walked a slow circle around him. "Show me. Blink. Target the mark behind you."

Akio rose to his feet. He focused. Pushed chakra gently toward his eyes. Then to his core. In one breath, he vanished—

—and reappeared four meters away, just slightly off-center from the wooden post.

He turned.

"Still off."

Kaen snorted. "Your chakra flow is too rigid. You're feeding the eye, but not trusting it. Don't wrestle for control—channel it. Let it move with you."

Akio didn't respond. He tried again.

This time, the Blink landed cleanly in front of the target. His heel slid slightly, but his stance held. He felt the difference. The moment before reappearing, there had been less hesitation.

Kaen's voice was softer this time. "Better."

They trained into the evening. Akio's muscles burned from repetition, but Kaen didn't let up.

"You'll keep pushing until it becomes instinct," Kaen said. "It's not a trick. It's not for showing off. In real combat, a misstep means death. The moment you think you're safe is the moment someone like Itachi drives a kunai into your back."

Akio nodded once. "I understand."

Kaen stared at him for a long second. Then tossed him a small pouch. "Food pills. You look pale."

"I always look pale."

Kaen smirked. "Fair."

Back in his room, Akio dropped onto the tatami floor and exhaled. The silence was familiar. Comfortable.

He reached for the food pills. Popped one into his mouth. It tasted like chalk rolled in bitterness.

He grimaced. "Disgusting."

Still, he chewed.

There was a knock on his door.

His aunt stepped in with a small bowl of rice and grilled fish. "I thought you'd forget again."

"I didn't."

"You took a food pill."

"…Counts."

She sighed, setting the tray down. "Eat properly. You're not a monk."

"I know."

She turned as she left. "And for heaven's sake, change your shirt. You've been wearing that same one for three days."

Akio looked down at his shirt. It was one of his favorites. Cool design. Subtle, but different enough from the usual academy uniform. He shrugged.

"It's efficient."

The next day at the academy, Iruka introduced a chakra control exercise. Students were assigned to walk vertically up the side of a training wall—without falling.

"I hate this one," Naruto groaned, staring up at the wall. "Last time I ended up eating dirt."

"You landed in a bush," Sasuke corrected.

"Same thing!"

Akio watched silently as each student gave it a try. Some stuck for a second, others barely made it two steps. When it was his turn, he stepped forward calmly, planted one foot against the wall, and began walking.

Three steps. Four. Five. Then halfway up the wall.

Then his chakra pulsed too hard—he slipped and fell.

He landed on his feet.

Iruka called out, "Not bad. You're overcompensating. Try again with less flow."

Akio dusted his palms. Naruto stared at him.

"That was still better than me…"

Akio shrugged. "Try using more control."

Naruto blinked. "I am controlling it!"

Akio paused. "…No, you're not."

Naruto groaned and slammed his forehead against the base of the wall. "This sucks…"

Akio glanced up at the wall. "Technically, it's gravity."

Naruto looked at him. "…Was that a joke?"

Akio tilted his head. "Yes."

Naruto blinked. Then cracked a grin. "Okay. I like this version of you."

Akio didn't reply, but his shoulders eased ever so slightly.

End of Chapter 21