THE UCHIHA ASCENSION

Thus, Uchiha Kiyo refused to enter the Uchiha orphanage, choosing instead to live independently with the financial aid provided by the Konoha Orphan Support Program and additional support from the Uchiha clan.

In the blink of an eye, four years had passed.

During this time, Uchiha Kiyo carefully crafted his public persona—one that was ordinary and unremarkable. He never stood out in training and ensured that his performance remained at an acceptable yet unexceptional level.

This was all part of the character he had designed for himself—an orphan devastated by his parents' deaths, who had become withdrawn and hesitant, even displaying a certain level of fear toward the dangers of the shinobi life. This fabricated fear would soon be showcased at the Ninja Academy, reinforcing his intended image.

Though he was no trained actor, Kiyo was confident in his ability to maintain his deception. After all, he wasn't truly pretending—there was a part of him that genuinely feared the dangers of the Naruto world. But he would never admit that to himself.

Over these years, Kiyo had also pieced together the timeline he was in.

It was now Konoha Year 28—after the First Great Ninja War but before the start of the Second. This was a crucial period of relative peace, an ideal time for him to grow stronger without the immediate threat of large-scale conflict looming over him.

At the very least, the Uchiha Massacre was still decades away, and if he played his cards right, he could graduate normally, hone his abilities for a few years, and prepare for the inevitable war.

With this in mind, Uchiha Kiyo meticulously planned his future.

Despite not refining chakra, he had not wasted a single day. Instead, he focused entirely on physical conditioning.

Yes, that's right—Kiyo had deliberately refrained from learning chakra manipulation.

This wasn't due to laziness. While ninja children in the Naruto world developed quickly, early chakra refinement could be dangerous if not done correctly.

Typically, children began training in chakra control at age six—the standard academy entry age—because their bodies could better handle it by then. This wasn't an arbitrary decision by the academy; refining chakra too early could cause permanent physical strain or chakra pathway damage.

Some clan children, like those from the Uchiha or Hyūga, began chakra training earlier due to access to specialized medicated baths, which strengthened their bodies and chakra pathways. However, these treatments were expensive, often reserved for clan prodigies or those from prestigious family branches.

As an orphaned Uchiha with no notable status, Kiyo had no access to such resources. Even within the Uchiha clan, only a handful of children received priority training. The majority, including him, had to wait until the clan's pre-academy training sessions—held three to six months before enrollment—where they would be taught by veteran Chūnin or Jōnin.

During these sessions, they would not only learn chakra refinement but also fundamental clan techniques, such as the Uchiha clan's signature shurikenjutsu.

This pre-academy training created a significant skill gap between clan and civilian students.

While academy students spent an entire semester struggling to refine chakra, clan children usually succeeded within a month under the personalized guidance of skilled instructors.

This difference in training efficiency meant that by the time the academy even began, clan children already had a six-month advantage over their civilian peers.

In the absence of chakra training, Kiyo dedicated himself to physical conditioning.

Using his knowledge of sports science and biology from his previous life, he optimized his workouts to push his body to its limits while avoiding injury.

Now, at six years old, Uchiha Kiyo could perform 100 push-ups in a single session and leap three to four meters in a standing jump—a testament to his physical progress.

Of course, training wasn't his only focus. With limited physical activity periods, Kiyo needed another way to occupy his time, and for someone with his academic background, the answer was obvious—studying.

The Uchiha clan, known for its strict hierarchy and wealth, maintained a private archive within the clan compound. Although the archive did not contain advanced ninjutsu or secret techniques, it housed a wealth of fundamental knowledge that proved invaluable to Kiyo.

Over the past four years, he had spent nearly half his time studying these scrolls, prioritizing medical knowledge.

Unlike modern medicine from his previous life, Naruto's world relied heavily on chakra-based healing. Medical ninjutsu followed principles completely different from conventional medical science, and Kiyo needed to understand these differences if he hoped to apply his previous expertise.

That's right—Uchiha Kiyo intended to learn medical ninjutsu.

As the saying went, "A ninja who cannot heal himself is not a true ninja." Self-sufficiency was key to survival. Additionally, his long-term plans involved research—much like Orochimaru—where medical ninjutsu would be indispensable for experimentation and advanced studies.

Beyond medical knowledge, Kiyo devoted himself to studying sealing techniques.

The Uchiha, originating from the Warring States era and dating back to the time of the Sage of Six Paths, had a vast historical archive. While not as proficient in sealing techniques as the Uzumaki clan, the Uchiha still had a solid foundation in the field. For a beginner like Kiyo, these scrolls provided a critical starting point.

It was no secret that the most powerful techniques in the Naruto world weren't ninjutsu, taijutsu, or even sage arts—sealing techniques reigned supreme.

Sealing techniques had the highest priority in the entire combat system.

If evidence was needed, one only had to look at Kaguya Ōtsutsuki—the literal progenitor of chakra—who was sealed away for a thousand years rather than killed.

Or consider Minato Namikaze's Flying Thunder God technique, which was based on advanced sealing formulas. Without an in-depth understanding of sealing, the Fourth Hokage could never have mastered the technique that made him one of the fastest ninja in history.

Recognizing this, Uchiha Kiyo ensured that sealing techniques became one of his academic priorities.

With his natural aptitude for learning, Kiyo absorbed far more than just medical and sealing knowledge.

While medical and sealing studies dominated his focus, he also familiarized himself with general ninja theory and foundational combat strategies.

By the end of these four years, Uchiha Kiyo had built a solid base—not only physically but intellectually—preparing himself for the challenges ahead.