Jun’s life radically changed since he had stood up to his grandparents and spoke his mind. Their relationship grew colder. They stopped harassing him to join the Police Department, but they became more demanding. They showed more interest in his grades at the Academy. When Jun celebrated his birthday a week later, they didn’t give him clothes or storybooks, but ninja gear.

Seichi even took the time to teach him the Katon, Great Fireball Jutsu. He told Jun that learning this technique was a rite of passage for the Uchiha clan. One started to become respected once they mastered the Jutsu. Jun took it as a sign that his grandparents were taking him seriously now. He respectfully listened to Seichi’s instructions and succeeded in doing the Jutsu on his second attempt.

Somehow, what happened over that dinner spread like wildfire throughout the district. It was rare for an Uchiha child to go against parents or grandparents. All Uchihas were aware of Jun’s attitude. Some adults approached him to reprimand him. A few others encouraged him to stay true to himself.

His mother’s attitude also changed. She stopped being more passive when people questioned her career choice and the fact that she did not remarry. Now, she didn’t hesitate to tell them to mind their own business. Izumi was also affected by it. She looked at her big brother with newfound respect. She didn’t think it possible to go against their grandparents until Jun did. Izumi was amazed. She spent more time with her brother. They trained and talked more. She opened up about her future, her life as a kunoichi, and the pressure of being a daughter of the Uchiha clan. It was the first time they engaged in such a deep conversation.

There wasn’t much about Izumi in the Naruto story, except that she was close to Itachi. Jun wanted her to go after dreams instead of following the status quo. His sister was now receptive to the message, and June was happy about it.

The most significant change in Jun’s life came several days later. A boy his age came to introduce himself. He was waiting at the exit of the Academy.

“Hi! I don’t know if you remember me; we were in the same class when we enrolled in the Academy. I am Shisui, Shisui Uchiha.”

Jun stared at the clan prodigy. He was among the youngest students to graduate from the Academy. Shisui had the same age as Jun, but he was already at least a chunin. Jun was surprised because the teenager had never spoken to him before.

A second passed, then another. Shisui's beaming smile remained. Iruka pretended to crack his knuckles menacingly, taking a step forward.

“Is he bothering you, Jun?”

Iruka had no chance of defeating Shisui, but the friendship gesture touched Jun. He knew he could count on his friend in time of need. Jun shook his head.

“It’s alright. I’m fine. See you later, Iruka.”

Iruka glared suspiciously at the Uchiha before leaving. Jun waited for him to be a bit far away before turning to his interlocutor. He crossed his arms.

“I remember you. Why are you here? Did someone send you?”

Shisui pretended to be hurt by Jun’s words.

“Is it weird that I want to spend time with my cousin?”

“Definitely. You aren’t going to fool me with that.”

Shisui laughed.

“Ah, you got me. Your grandmother sent me. I’m one of the few Uchihas who aren’t in the Police. She wants me to spend some time with you. She hopes I’d be a positive influence.”

Damn you, old hag.

Jun squinted angrily.

“Why did you come clean about it?”

“She never said it was a secret. And honestly, I am curious to know you. I did not want to start off with a lie.”

“I’m not interested in knowing you,” Jun replied.

Shisui didn’t give up.

“We could train together. I’m a jonin; I could teach you a few things. How many Katon Jutsus do you know?”

Jun hesitated. He was tempted. He solely knew the Great Fireball Technique. Most of his Jutsus were Raiton and Suiton which he learned from his father. With his Uchiha bloodline, he possessed a natural affinity with Fire. It would be stupid not to add some Katon techniques to his arsenal. Moreover, it had been a while since he had trained with someone considerably stronger than him.

Moreover, wasn’t Shisui also gifted with the Shunshin no Jutsu? He wanted to master that technique. The Academy had merely taught them the basics.

“Alright. But you also need to answer my questions.” Jun said.

Shisui was happy to comply and gave him some answers. He had been a jonin a few weeks ago. And it was true, they were cousins. Their grandmothers were sisters. It was how he knew Nao. He mentioned that his specialty was Genjutsu, but he was also proficient in other areas, Ninjutsu included. He agreed to teach him the Body Flicker Technique and some shurikens techniques.

Jun didn’t want to get attached to Shisui. He knew the teenager would die in less than seven years. But he couldn’t reject the offer. After a few weeks of hanging out with him, Jun realized it was too late to turn back. Shisui was a decent person. He was always smiling and optimistic. And above all, he was incredibly kind. He was different from the other Uchihas he knew.

Jun spent time with Iruka at the Academy and joined Shisui sometimes after class to train. The Uchiha had to go on missions frequently, so they couldn’t meet often. He also trained other people. Jun guessed one of them was probably Itachi. Iruka was still wary of the Uchiha, but Shisui’s easy-going personality made him lower his guard little by little.

His newfound cousin was an excellent sparring partner. He possessed a keen eye for detail, was patient, and was an overall competent teacher. He taught Jun a few C-rank Katon Jutsus, to begin with. Once he displayed his ability to learn fast, Shisui got excited and taught him higher-level techniques. The jonin also showed him some interesting shurikens and kunai techniques. Jun originally thought the Sharingan was necessary to master those, but he was wrong. Most of them just required good dexterity.

Shisui always answered his questions. Jun found out he valued honestly a lot. But Jun was careful about his interrogations. He never brought up the Mangekyo Sharingan. He focused on getting information about the organization of the village, the police, and the relationship among the various clans.

He did ask about the Sharingan, though. He believed it wouldn’t be suspicious. They were both Uchihas. It was natural to be curious about the Dojutsu. Jun made sure to phrase his questions in a way that wasn’t giving away he already possessed it. Shisui told him that when an Uchiha underwent a powerful emotional ordeal involving a person precious to them, a special form of chakra is released, affecting their optic nerves and transforming the eyes into Sharingan. Because of that, the Sharingan was also known as the ‘eye that reflects the heart.’

At first, there was only one tomoe on each eye. The more the eyes were trained, the more tomoe they had until they developed three on each eye. Shisui even gave him a list of exercises the Uchiha practiced to improve their special eyes. There were mostly speed reading tests, observation games, shuriken exercises… nothing too farfetched.

They also practiced Taijutsu. Even though Jun preferred Ninjutsu, he never said no to a good hand-to-hand combat. The Academy no longer had challenging opponents for him. Fujitaro couldn’t be considered an opponent anymore. Apparently, he was mad about it. When his rival Ise Hyuga graduated, he thought he would become the best in the class. He never expected another challenger to appear out of nowhere and outshine him. Jun could felt some hatred from the young Uchiha.

Therefore, he would deliver a good beating whenever he faced Fujitaro. He wanted to beat that hatred out of him. But the young Uchiha started to insult him. He called him ‘half-Uchiha’ and even said some nasty things about his father’s side of the family. That made Jun angry. Anything related to his father was a sensitive topic. He also realized that most Uchihas didn’t see him as part of the clan. He only received the surname but wasn’t really accepted.

Even though he wanted to maintain his distance from the clan in order to not be associated with the massacre, he was a bit jealous. He envied other Uchiha children. The clan was a big family that made you feel special… only if you are fully accepted in it.

It was a pity he couldn’t save them from their fate. What would they think if they knew their extinction would come from the hands of one of their own? It was something Jun often asked himself.