THE UCHIHA ASCENSION

Today, after Kiyo Uchiha got up, he completed his daily exercise routine but chose not to read after breakfast.

Instead, after making the necessary preparations, he headed to the Uchiha Clan's private training ground, located in the forested area behind the clan compound—a place where generations of Uchiha had honed their skills.

With only four months left before the start of the Konoha Ninja Academy, today marked the beginning of the Uchiha Clan's pre-academy training for six-year-old children.

As one of the four noble clans of Konoha, the Uchiha initiated their training one to two months earlier than most other shinobi clans.

This wasn't just about refining chakra ahead of time—it was about laying a solid foundation in ninjutsu, taijutsu, and shurikenjutsu, areas in which the Uchiha excelled.

But such rigorous preparation came at a price—one that only a clan as wealthy as the Uchiha could afford.

The training involved daily physical conditioning, weapons practice, and medicinal baths infused with specialized herbs to strengthen the body and enhance chakra circulation. These baths weren't as potent as those used by prodigies like Uchiha Fugaku in their private training, but even the standard formula cost around 5,000 ryō per session.

For comparison, the monthly living stipend Kiyo received from both the Konoha village fund for war orphans and the Uchiha clan support system amounted to only 8,000 ryō—barely enough to cover food, essential supplies, and occasional scroll purchases.

Despite his frugality, Kiyo had saved just 200,000 ryō over four years.

However, the clan's training program would last for three months—90 days. At 5,000 ryō per day, the total cost for medicinal baths alone would amount to 450,000 ryō, more than twice what Kiyo had managed to save.

And that wasn't even counting the weapon costs, food expenses, and payments for the elite instructors—expenses that brought the clan's total investment per training cycle to over 20 million ryō.

This level of spending was impossible for smaller clans like the Inuzuka or Aburame, let alone civilian-born ninjas, who could only dream of such early advantages.

As Kiyo walked toward the training grounds, he couldn't help but marvel at the influence and wealth of the Uchiha.

When he arrived, he saw that a large group of his peers had already gathered.

There were still thirty minutes before the training session officially began, so Kiyo took his time walking over.

Unlike the other children, who were laughing and playing together, Kiyo declined their invitations to join in.

He wasn't being antisocial—he simply found playing tag or throwing pebbles around to be far too childish.

His mature demeanor wasn't unusual in the shinobi world. Given that he had lost both parents four years ago during an A-rank mission, it was expected that he would be more serious than his peers.

No one questioned it.

As the appointed time approached, two elite Uchiha instructors arrived—both clad in dark blue clan uniforms, adorned with the signature red-and-white Uchiha fan emblem on their backs, and wearing Konoha forehead protectors.

One of them, a tall and authoritative-looking man, stepped forward.

"Line up," he ordered, before conducting a quick headcount.

Then, in a firm but measured tone, he introduced himself.

"I am Uchiha Takashi, a Jōnin of the Hidden Leaf. For the next three months, I will be responsible for your chakra refinement and shurikenjutsu training."

Takashi then gestured toward his colleague, a slightly shorter but more muscular shinobi.

"This is Uchiha Nobu, a Tokubetsu Jōnin, who will be focusing on your taijutsu and endurance training."

Unlike Takashi, who maintained a formal demeanor, Nobu smirked at the assembled children.

"Alright, brats, no need for boring introductions. We're here to turn you into real Uchiha shinobi, so let's get straight to work."

The first lesson of the day was chakra refinement.

Suppressing the murmurs of excitement, Takashi began his lecture.

"As shinobi, your strength is determined by chakra. The more chakra you possess, the more jutsu you can use—and the more powerful they become."

He paused, letting that sink in before continuing.

"The first step to becoming a ninja is learning to refine chakra. This means extracting and balancing the two fundamental energies that make up chakra: physical energy, which comes from your body, and spiritual energy, which comes from your mind."

Takashi's lesson wasn't just a dry lecture—he engaged the children, asking them questions to ensure they understood.

While many struggled to grasp the concept at first, his patient explanations slowly brought clarity.

Teaching chakra control was difficult—even experienced Chūnin instructors at the Ninja Academy struggled with it. But Takashi, a seasoned Jōnin, had a knack for making complex concepts accessible.

After confirming that the children understood, he moved on.

"Now that you understand the theory, it's time to attempt your first chakra refinement."

The children buzzed with anticipation as Takashi guided them through the meditative breathing exercises needed to sense and manipulate their chakra for the first time.

But chakra training was just the beginning.

Once the initial chakra refinement session concluded, Takashi handed the lesson over to Nobu.

"Tomorrow, we begin shurikenjutsu. But for today, Nobu will introduce you to the fundamentals of taijutsu."

At the mention of taijutsu training, a few children groaned in dismay, while others pumped their fists in excitement.

Nobu's smirk widened.

"I don't care if you like it or not," he said, exuding an intimidating presence. "In three months, all of you will be faster, stronger, and more durable than any civilian-born Academy student."

Taijutsu wasn't something that could be mastered overnight. It required relentless training—something Nobu was determined to drill into them.

"The core of taijutsu is physical strength and combat experience. That means daily physical conditioning and sparring drills."

He glanced at the group before delivering the first assignment.

"For today, we start with endurance. Each of you will run 20 laps around the training ground."

A few children nodded—until they realized the actual size of the Uchiha training ground.

Unlike the smaller Academy training fields, the Uchiha Clan's private training ground was massive, covering several kilometers in length.

One lap was roughly 5 kilometers.

Twenty laps meant running 100 kilometers in a single day.

The realization hit them like a ton of bricks.

Some of the more calculative children did the math in their heads and felt pure despair.

"A hundred kilometers… are they insane?"

Unfortunately for them, Nobu wasn't joking.

The moment he barked "Start running!," the children had no choice but to obey.

Some recklessly sprinted ahead, trying to get an early lead. Others paced themselves more cautiously.

Kiyo, however, ran with controlled efficiency, maintaining 70-80% of his top speed to conserve stamina.

His calculated approach paid off. Within a few laps, the early sprinters began slowing down, while he remained consistent.

From the sidelines, Takashi silently observed, nodding in approval.

"He's sharp. He understands endurance training better than most kids his age."

As Kiyo pushed himself beyond his limits, he knew that the real reward wouldn't come from the run itself—but from the Uchiha clan's medicinal bath afterward.

For the next three months, he planned to push his body harder than ever—knowing that this was his best chance to surpass his peers before entering the Academy.

And he wouldn't waste it.