Jun asked to learn the basics of Fuinjutsu for his birthday. His parents weren’t acquainted with anyone with expertise in the field. Therefore, they bought him several books not available in the library. Judging by the sharp look Hazuki had given Renzo when Jun made the request, and his father’s smug smile, he knew they had guessed where this new interest sprouted from.

Hazuki was pushing the kids towards the Uchihas, and Jun couldn’t discourage her. However, he wasn’t going to ignore the other half of his heritage. He loved his father and was proud of his origins. It didn’t matter what the Uchihas thought.

Fuinjutsu was complex. Jun understood why only a selected few mastered it. On the other hand, it was also fun. There were many applications with Fuinjutsu, storing weapons, chakra, or even Jutsus. You could create dimensional spaces and barriers. But, that was currently out of his reach. A basic application of Fuinjutsu was explosive tags. There were sheets of paper inscribed with a specific seal. When chakra is infused into it, the papers will explode after a period of time. They could be detonated remotely or by being ignited with fire.

Moreover, they started learning to use those tags at the Academy. Jun wanted to master how to produce them. It was a common ninja tool after all. His two friends thought it was a brilliant idea. Therefore, he involved them in the process. He shared his books and the knowledge he had acquired. They all grasped the concept quickly. They worked together, supporting each other. Jun wanted to add some variety to the explosive tags.

“What do you mean by that?” Iruka asked.

“We could put nails, shrapnel, and other sharp objects in it,” Yugao suggested.

Jun and Iruka both paused and turned to their friend.

“What? Isn’t it a good idea?”

Jun kept the idea in mind and also made a mental note not to underestimate Yugao’s mind.

“I was thinking more of making the explosion louder or with an intense flash to disorient people. Or maybe smoke tags, with smelly smoke for instance.

“Alright. But I also want to see if we can make my idea reality.”

That year, the Academy witnessed numerous explosions while the trio was conducting tests. Inventing the flash-bang and stun tags took them half a year. The shrapnel tag was considerably faster to make. It was enough to combine a basic storage seal with the trigger of a standard explosive tag. Easy peasy!

There were accidents during the process. Iruka burned his hands several times. Yugao accidentally blinded herself a few times. The explosive trio, which was now their nickname, didn’t spend all their time blowing things up. They also worked hard. They started fighting with real weapons. They were taught how to handle a multitude of weapons. Children belonging to a clan were given permission to use their clan Jusus.

Ise Hyuga did not hesitate. The full might of the Gentle fist was shown. The Naras used their Kagemane no Jutsu or Shadow Imitation Technique. The Yamanakas could possess their opponent. The Aburames called forth their army of insects. The kids with no clan had to work together to put up a fight against them.

The end of the school year was imminent. With no war on the horizon, Jun found himself looking forward to becoming a genin. He liked the Academy, but he had done his time. He wanted to travel, see new places and meet new people. He still had a realistic view of what being a ninja really meant. He knew he had been trained to be a soldier, a killer, an assassin, a spy. But that life was also full of adventure, power, camaraderie, and an opportunity to affect the world.

Jun, Yugao, and Iruka passed their classes. They would start the fourth year the following school year. They were curious to see the new genins of this term, so they went outside to observe the graduates. Jun surprisingly recognized several of them. There were two boys who he was sure would become the ‘eternal chunins’, Kotetsu Hagabe and Izumo Kamizuki. They were among the oldest and must have been twelve years old. There was also a boy wearing his headband like a bandana and had a sword strapped to his back. It was Hayate Gekko. Jun remembered the relationship between Hayate and Yugao in the storyline. But his friend hasn’t been acquainted with Hayate yet.

Jun wondered how their teams would be formed. Traditionally, three genins were placed under the tutelage of a Jonin. With the recent war, the village lost many shinobis. Many genins were promoted to chunins and reassigned elsewhere. There were many incomplete teams. Moreover, there was a lack of jonins. The ones available already had students. He wasn't sure how things would be like next year.

“It will be us soon,” Yugao said.

“Maybe we will be on the same team,” Iruka added.

“Not likely,” Jun said.

“Yeah? Why not?”

“I don’t think a sensei would want to deal with the explosive trio.” Jun joked.

They all laughed together.

Time passed. Jun continued to educate himself with books. His father went on a mission for several weeks, putting his ninjutsu training on hold. He had no choice but to practice alone. He had already mastered several D and C-ranks Raiton and Suiton Jutsus. He wanted to learn a B-rank technique. He knew it was a dangerous endeavor and didn't dare to try it without supervision.

The new school year began. Izumi’s class doubled in number with all the clans enrolling their kids. There were four little Uchihas in the mix… among them was a little boy named Itachi.

Jun almost choked on his tea when Izumi mentioned the name to him. It brought forth the knowledge of the massacre. Itachi was now six years old. Jun only had seven years left to protect himself and his family. It would be a challenging task. His sister wasn’t making things easier when she told him he liked the boy. Even though the young Itachi kept to himself and trained all the time, Izumi had fallen for him.

Jun hadn’t met Itachi yet. So the next few days, he would climb a tree that overlooked the students' yard and observe Itachi. The boy was serious, and he was gifted. He had sensed his presence almost immediately.

Iruka and Yugao found it funny. He had to explain why he was observing the young Uchiha. He told them his little sister liked him, so he had to make sure he was a good boy. They found it amusing. More memories came to Jun. Wasn’t there a girl who liked Itachi in the story? If his memories were accurate, her name was Izumi. Jun wondered if it was his little sister. Either way, he refused to let that happen.

Jun and Yugao were among the top students in their class. They were having specialized training now. Yugao was receiving Kenjutsu lessons. The students were evaluated for sensory abilities. Jun stood out with his ability to sense chakra with great precision. Ise Hyuga and Fujitaro Uchiha continued their rivalry.

Yugao taught Jun and Iruka some Kenjutsu techniques. Iruka showed them how to set up traps. Jun shared with them a few useful low-rank Jutsus. Routine set in. Days turned to weeks, weeks to months. Renzo returned from his mission and resumed training his son. Izumi continued seeing Itachi.

Summer came. Jun turned nine years old. He had three months left before the Kyubi assault on the village. He still had no idea how to save his family. Perhaps he should arrange for them to stay with people he knew for sure survive the ordeal. Yugao and Iruka survived. Maybe they could stay close to them. But Jun wasn’t confident things would go exactly like the storyline he knew. People who survived in his memories may die this time.

In his despair, he memorized the route to the various shelters. He would escort his family there when the alarm goes off. He was counting on his sensory ability to react fast. As soon as he senses the Nine-Tails’ chakra, he would take his family away to one of the shelters.

The summer ended. No one was aware of the calamity that was about to strike them. One day, Jun passed Kushina in the street. She was very pregnant. He felt a knot in his throat when he saw her happy smile. He knew her fate. But he said nothing.

As they got closer to the day of the attack, Jun got more anxious. He had trouble sleeping. His grades were affected by it. His parents noticed the change and were worried about him. He almost laughed at their face. They were concerned about grades when the most powerful tailed beast was about to go on a rampage in their village. Jun was scared. But he wouldn’t panic when the time came. He knew what was coming; he was mentally prepared for it. So he thought… But he was wrong, dead wrong.