A month later
Like every day before the sun came out, like all qualified ninjas of Konoha, Akashi had started his morning routine.
Wearing weighted gear, he was running around the estate.
He and his grandparents weren't comfortable with him being watched by Konoha or the Uchiha.
Konoha is a village full of ninjas expert in intelligence gathering.
By observing his morning routine, they could deduce his approximate level.
Running around, Akashi realized something 'I am already used to this weight.'
Contrary to what he had seen in the fanfic of his previous world, using weight for training is not a novel idea in the ninja world.
Akashi had long since used them, and the idea came from his grandfather. he even had notes of past users used to track detailing how to track his progress, what medicine he needed to use to lessen the strain, how to make sure that the weight didn't stunt the growth of the child, and more.
And yes, child, because in this world, in this profession, children rarely live to adulthood.
With his Uzumaki physique, medicine, and techniques, Akashi's progress was fast; he was able to switch to weights a little heavier.
"Next exercise," He said, without putting down his weight. He moved to push-ups, followed by pull-ups and different exercises.
When he was done with those exercises, the sun was well in the sky, and people could be heard going about their business.
After half an hour of meditation, Akashi woke up and walked toward the training ground where his grandfather Tetsuma was waiting.
"I am here, grandpa."
Akashi said, moving in front of the middle-aged man meditating in front of him, today he was sparring with him
As he opened his eyes, a heavy pressure fell on Akashi.
'It is always as threatening as the first time,' He thought as Tetsuma took position in front of him
The first time he felt that sharp aura, even devoid of killing intent, he found himself petrified by fear; even the Sharingan that he unconsciously activated didn't help him get out of that state.
It was the smack of a wooden sword on his head that knocked him out of his trance.
'Since then, things got better,' he thought, putting his wooden sword in front in fighting position.
"Are you ready?" Tetsuna asked, looking at Akashi
"Yes," He nodded
In an instant, Tetsuma appeared in front of Akashi and delivered a powerful slash
Clank
Using what he had learned, he managed to block the first overhead strike.
With a nod of appreciation, his grandfather as he swung his sword faster.
After blocking it, Akashi counterattacked.
His strikes were well made and perfectly standard.
Horizontal, vertical, or oblique slash, Akashi wasn't some overwhelming sword genius who could improvise strange moves on the fly, but his moves were steady.
He was able to parry and counterattack his grandfather.
The two figures, one small and one tall, moved all around the field with their weapons clashing.
The wooden weapons reinforced with metal produced metallic sounds as they clashed
As time went on, their moves became faster and faster.
Tetsuma took a small step back, and the sword of Akashi passed centimeters from his face.
He didn't blink as he moved through all the following attacks with the same ease and precision.
Akashi was constantly on the back foot, unable to land a clean strike, but his focus was complete.
Using the footwork that he was taught, he managed to barely avoid most attacks while barely deflecting the others.
"Ah' he shouted, delivering a powerful strike.
'That strike had the strength of a normal adult,' Tetsuma noted with surprise, 'The Uzumaki physique is indeed terrifying.'
He knew of the strength of the people of his clan, but seeing so much strength in a five-year-old was unsettling, even if that child was his grandson, but he didn't dwell on that.
"Very good, your footwork is better," he noted with satisfaction. "You've worked on it," Tetsuma praised,
For a second Akashi felt proud, but he quickly realized what would happen next.
Whoosh
As if to confirm his fears, Tetsuma's moves came faster, the sword fell harder, and in trickier angles.
"Damn it," he grunted as the sword struck his side
"Language," the old man reprimanded while moving even faster.
Akashi's field of vision seemed filled with ten swords at the same time.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh
Evaded and blocked what he could of the best of his abilities, but he still got hit many times.
Slowly and steadily, Akashi was pushed to the limit of his abilities, his eyes flickered, and he opened his Sharingan.
The dynamic vision of the one-tomoe Sharingan allowed him, for a second, to see his grandfather's moves, but it didn't do much.
Before he could rejoice, Tetsuma hamped up the rhythm, and he once again found himself retreating.
An hour later
"Damn," Akashi murmured
Having been beaten black and blue, he lay sprawled on the ground, barely able to move by himself.
"What do you have to hit so hard?" he asked, massaging his bruised body.
"Because you can take it," the old man responded with a smug grin, clearly pleased with his work.
"This is child abuse. I'm going to complain to the Hokage."
"Go ahead, maybe he will send Danzo to rescue you and get you into his root,"
"Ah," The thought of that made him twitch involuntarily.
"Please no,"
That reaction made Tetsuma laugh, even though he wasn't yet as gloomy as he would become in the future. Danzo was already an unlikable individual.
"Come on, let's get a shower before you go back to your studies."
Akashi knew that his grandfather didn't have a lot of time right now, since the war started, he spent most of his time in meetings and supervising deployment provisions and security.
Those training sessions and the occasional showers that they had together were all the time he could allocate for him, so he quite enjoyed those moments.
...
Afternoon
Akashi's room
"Since the war started, everyone has been extremely busy, the place seems even emptier than before," Akashi said, walking out of the bathroom toward his own room
"It's normal, young master, your grandfather is an elite jonin and an elder of his clan, he has responsibilities," Yaya said
"I know, I wasn't complaining." he understood the situation very well. "What about grandma? How is she doing?"
"The lady is doing well, she met the members of our clan."
"Are they well too?" Yaya's reminder made Akashi ask about those family members he had never met
The smile that she had made it clear that she knew he had probably forgotten about that branch of them, but she didn't expose it instead, she responded
"They are doing well, they greet you too."
"One of the reasons she went there is to help make the seals protecting and camouflaging the base. Once it is over, even Kage would have trouble finding the entrance of the base, even if they walk past it." Yaya said proudly
"We learn from what happened to Uzushiogakure, even those white you spoke of will not be able to get in.
Akashi nodded, the white she spoke about were the white zetsu, the plants of the ninja world capable of going everywhere undetected.
"I understand."
"But what about the other business?"
The business in question was about the distribution of explosive tags and other seals, all things that the Uzumaki were good at.
During one of his discussions with his grandmother, where she was complaining about wanting to make Konoha and the other great villages pay and the lack of money they would face in the future, Akashi gave an idea that some had already thought of.
Selling their tags in the black market.
One shouldn't underestimate the value of things like explosive tags, if used well, it can make the difference during a fight.
And of course its value would skyrocket during a war.
"Some clansmen had similar ideas before..."
"We establish contact with the right person, of course using a series of intermediaries and multiple measures of security. None of them will be able to reach us, not while the war lasts!"
"You don't have to worry, noone is currently more paranoiac than a man who just escaped death,"
"True," He nodded, understanding what she meant. With their experience their could think of things that would never cross his mind, no matter how imaginative he is.
"I am just a little nervous about what grandpa would think of it." What they were talking about were things that had been kept from his grandfather. After all, even though he didn't like the High Command, he was still a ninja of Konoha, and his clansmen and he would participate in the war at some point.
"Yes. It must be conflicting," Yaya acknowledged the dilemma. She herself had some appreciation for Tetsuma, but her clan came before everything. Akashi was in a more complex situation, he loved his grandfather and didn't want to lie to him.
"You are too young to be put in such a situation."
Akashi scoffed at that, as Yaya didn't know he was more mature than a kid
"Not long ago, kids my age were already going to war."
"This is no longer the warring state," Yaya countered
"I think it just took another name, but nothing really changed."
And she knew he was right.
"Good night, Yaya," Akashi said, entering his bedroom
"Good night, young master."
Akashi let himself fall on the bed, he was tired as every day, but instead of just sleeping.
He took a mirror, and as he lay on his side, he activated his Sharingan and looked at his own reflection.
"I worked hard on this one," he said and cast an illusion on himself.
In an instant, his eyes closed, and he fell asleep.
In real life, Akashi was sleeping with a mirror in front of him, but in his mind, Akashi found himself standing in a mirror image of his grandfather's estate.