C690 Spider-Man (Patreon)

Minato and Jiraiya ran through the village, following the ninja who had informed them of the situation. As they made their way to the Uchiha district, Minato explained, "Peter is a recent arrival here. He’s the one who defeated the Nine Tails for us..."

Jiraiya's eyes widened in surprise. "Defeated the Nine Tails? You didn’t seal it?"

Minato shook his head. "No, we didn’t have to. He’s incredibly powerful. I was going to—" Before he could finish, they arrived at their destination, a training ground in the Uchiha district.

They weren't the first or only ones to arrive either. Along the training ground walls, various ninja were perched, watching the spectacle inside. Most of them were Uchiha, but there were others as well.

Inside the training ground, Minato and Jiraiya saw Peter, dressed as if he was going to the beach, gracefully sidestepping and leaning to dodge the combined assault of two young Uchiha children. Minato recognized one of them as Fugaku and Mikoto’s eldest son, Itachi.

But what confused Minato and Jiraiya the most, besides the question of why they were fighting in the first place, was the giant crater that nearly took up the entirety of the training field.

Jiraiya frowned and asked, "What do you think caused that?"

Minato replied, "Probably Peter."

Jiraiya raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure? Because I don’t even think Tsunade could make a crater that big…"

Minato nodded, his expression serious. "I’m sure."

Seconds later, Fugaku Uchiha, Itachi’s father, arrived at the training ground, immediately greeting Minato and Jiraiya with respect, giving them a brief nod. "Lord Hokage, Jiraiya."

“Fugaku,” Minato returned the greeting. “I’m guessing you heard about this as well? Any ideas as to what’s going on?”

“No,” Fugaku replied, glancing over at the training field just in time to see his son, Itachi, take a sandaled foot to the face from Peter, sending him tumbling across the training ground.

But thankfully, to Fugaku's relief, Itachi managed to land on his feet and rushed back to back up Shisui, who was just backhanded across the face so hard that his whole body flipped sideways.

Fugaku, despite his usual stern demeanor, cringed in horror as he watched his son get kicked in the face. However, he managed to relax slightly as Itachi landed safely and continued the fight.

‘Thank god his mother isn’t here.’ He thought before muttering, "You’d think he’d go easy on them since they’re so young but…” As he spoke, Itachi was sent flying for a second time.

Minato nodded in agreement, then asked, "Would you like me to try to stop this?"

Fugaku seemed tempted, but ultimately shook his head. "No, my son doesn’t go around picking fights. Although I don’t know what’s happening exactly, there seems to be a purpose for this." He said, his eyes never leaving his son. “Let them continue…”

Jiraiya’s eyes widened as he noticed something. “I think I know what they’re doing…” he muttered.

“What?” Both Minato and Fugaku asked.

“It’s the bell test,” Jiraiya revealed, motioning to the bell dangling from Peter’s hip.

“Huh?!” Minato’s eyes widened. “But why would they do that? And how do they even know what the bell test is?”

“Umm, what’s the bell test?” Fugaku asked, curious and confused.

“Well…”

————

As Minato and Jiraiya explained Team 7’s traditional graduation test, Peter stood at the center of the training ground, the bell dangling from his hip. His stance was relaxed, almost casual, as he watched Itachi and Shisui regroup and prepare for their next move.

Itachi and Shisui exchanged a quick glance, their resolve evident. They knew that they didn’t have much time, as the sun was beginning to set. With a nod, they sprang into action.

Shisui led the charge, his movements fluid and precise. He flicked through a series of hand signs and launched a barrage of flaming shuriken at Peter, who dodged effortlessly, twisting and leaning to avoid each projectile.

Itachi followed up with a fireball jutsu, a massive orb of flame roaring toward Peter. With a quick leap, Peter avoided the fireball, landing lightly on his feet. He barely had time to register the attack before Shisui was upon him again, engaging him in close combat.

Shisui's fists flew at Peter with impressive speed, but Peter blocked and countered each strike with ease.

“Is this all you’ve got? I mean, for someone who wants to be my student, you’re pretty weak, huh?” Peter taunted, an infuriating smirk on his face.

With every word, Shisui's frustration became more and more evident. “Shut up!” He exclaimed, “I’m not weak, you’re just a monster!”

Then, with a determined, and slightly frustrated look, Shisui activated his sharingan, revealing a fully developed three-tomoe sharingan.

The crowd gasped in shock and admiration, as unlocking their clans fabled eyes at such a young age was behind impressive.

Even Fugaku, who was watching intently, couldn't hide his surprise, as Shisui hadn’t reported the awakening of his Sharingan to him or anyone else in the clan.

With his sharingan activated, Shisui's movements became even more precise. He weaved through Peter's defenses, aiming for the bell. Peter smirked, impressed by the young Uchiha's skill, but still, he evaded every attempt.

Itachi, watching closely, both tired and battered, but unwilling to give up. He had to support Shisui. He joined the fray, using clone jutsu to create multiple copies of himself. The clones surrounded Peter, attacking from all sides.

Peter moved gracefully, dodging the clones' attacks, surprised to see that they were solid clones and not illusions. ‘These kids have some real skill, no wonder they were geniuses…’ He thought as he knocked the clones away with powerful strikes, but Itachi's real body stayed back, waiting for the right moment.

Itachi's eyes narrowed, focusing intently. When suddenly, unbeknownst to him, his vision sharpened, and his eyes began to glow a bright red. Although he didn’t realize it yet, his sharingan awakened, a single tomoe appearing in each eye.

‘He has one too?’ Peter raised a curious brow. ‘Or did he just unlock it?’

The crowd was stunned, murmurs of awe spreading among the onlookers. Fugaku's eyes widened with pride and astonishment as he saw his young son, who hadn’t even entered the academy yet, unlock the sharingan.

“Genius…” He muttered in shock. “My son is a genius…”

With renewed vigor, Itachi and Shisui coordinated their attacks. Shisui used his superior speed and sharingan to predict Peter's movements, while Itachi provided support with jutsu and clones. They were relentless, their teamwork seamless, but Peter continued to dodge and deflect their every move.

As the sun began to disappear over the horizon, casting long shadows across the training ground, the urgency of the situation spurred the boys on. They doubled their efforts, launching a final, desperate assault.

Peter smirked, the bell jingling at his hip. “Looks like you two are running out of time.” He taunted again, a mocking contemplative look on his face. “Maybe I’ll ask Mikoto and Kushina to help pick out the dresses you’ll wear when this is over?”

Ignoring Peter’s obvious attempt at flustering them, Shisui used a clone jutsu to create multiple copies of himself, each one attacking Peter from different angles.

At the same time, Itachi prepared a fireball jutsu, intending to use it as a distraction while Shisui's clones closed in, forcing Peter to engage them.

At the perfect moment, Itachi unleashed his fireball, the massive orb of flame hurtling toward Peter.

Seeing it coming a mile away, Peter dodged, but as he did, Shisui executed a replacement jutsu, switching places with the fireball itself.

And in the split second that he appeared, Shisui disappeared in a swirl of leaves, before reappearing beside Peter, reaching out for the bell.

Peter's hand reflexively shot out to block him, but suddenly, Itachi, appearing from behind, grabbed Peter's arm and pulled with all his might.

Seizing the opportunity, Shisui’s fingers closed around the bell just as the sun dipped below the horizon, its string snapping as he ripped it free.

Shisui collapsed onto the ground, exhausted but victorious, his hand held high, the bell displayed between his fingers. “We win!” He exclaimed.

Itachi, equally drained, dropped beside him, breathing heavily. “…”

The surrounding ninja erupted in cheers and applause, impressed by the boys' tenacity and teamwork. Even Peter couldn't help but smile, a hint of pride in his eyes. ‘I guess they didn’t call him Shisui of the Body Flicker for nothing…’

In the anime, Shisui earned the nickname ‘Shisui of the Body Flicker’ from his signature skill and unmatched mastery of the Body Flicker Technique, which he just used to snatch the bell.

As the onlookers celebrated, Shisui looked up at Peter, confusion mixing with triumph. "Did we...did we really do it? Did we make it in time?"

Peter nodded, his smile widening. "Yes, you did. Congratulations, you two. You've earned it."

Shisui and Itachi exchanged a look of pure joy and relief. They had done it. They had passed the test. And as a wave of relief rushed through them, both Uchiha boys slowly fell into unconsciousness, resting after a long fight.

————

Far away from the Leaf Village, deep inside a dark underground bunker-style base, Orochimaru stood in his lab. His snake-like visage loomed over his test subject, his student, Anko Mitarashi.

Orochimaru, with his pale, almost ghostly skin, yellow serpentine eyes, and long, black hair, exuded an aura of menace and twisted intelligence. His attire, a dark robe with a high collar, gave him a regal yet sinister appearance.

[Insert picture of Orochimaru here]

Anko, on the other hand, was a stark contrast to her mentor. She had wild, short brown hair and matching eyes, though they were currently closed as she slept. Her attire consisted of a mesh bodysuit covered by a tan overcoat and a short purple skirt, which gave her a rugged and battle-ready look.

[Insert picture of Anko here]

It had been months since Orochimaru betrayed the village and fled, but Anko had no idea. She had believed they were on a prolonged mission, a belief that was shattered only just last night.

Orochimaru had lost his cool, yelling at her and beating her for being so naive. In his fury, he revealed that he had betrayed the village and had taken her along for the ride, making her a traitor by proxy.

Anko's world crumbled in an instant. And ultimately, she refused to continue following Orochimaru any longer, but sadly, for her, he wasn't willing to let her go just yet.

After all, she is a valuable test subject, one he had been cultivating for years now.

As Orochimaru finished his work for the day, a new, ominous-looking seal appearing on his unconscious students neck, he couldn't help but glance to the side, where the source of his earlier rage was still present.

A holographic message box, visible only to him, floated in the air. The words within it were ominous, to say the least.

[Beware: Your world has been invaded! Death’s Candidate Detected | Threat level: 10/10]

His eyes narrowed, a mixture of curiosity and irritation flashed across his face. The implications of the message were vast and disturbing…

A/N: 1858 words :)