Over the next few weeks, the brothers settled into their new roles. They played their parts well—Himanshu as the brooding and talented Uchiha, and Divyansh as the loud and seemingly naive Uzumaki. They kept up appearances, knowing that they needed to fit into the world if they were to use their knowledge effectively.
Every night, after the village had gone to sleep, Himanshu and Divyansh would meet in secret to train. They pushed each other to their limits, using their knowledge of future events and jutsus to develop their skills. Himanshu worked on activating his Sharingan earlier than Sasuke originally did, while Divyansh focused on mastering his chakra control and learning to harness the Nine-Tails' power.
"I remember reading about the Shadow Clone Jutsu," Divyansh said one night as they trained in a secluded clearing in the forest. "If I can master that, I can accelerate my training. I can learn and experience multiple things at once."
Himanshu nodded, his eyes serious. "It's a good plan. I'll focus on the Fire Style jutsus and getting my Sharingan under control. We need to be prepared for the Chunin Exams and the danger that comes with them."
The brothers trained relentlessly, pushing their bodies and minds to the brink. They knew that in the Naruto world, power was everything. The strong survived, and the weak were left behind. They refused to be weak. They refused to let anyone control their fate.
One night, as they were taking a break, Divyansh looked at Himanshu with a serious expression. "We need to talk about Itachi."
Himanshu's eyes darkened, his jaw tightening. "I know. He's out there, watching. He'll come back to test me, to see if I'm strong enough to follow the path he wants me to take."
"We can't let him manipulate us," Divyansh said firmly. "We know his real motives, his real story. He's not our enemy, but he's not our ally either. We need to be ready for him."
Himanshu nodded, his resolve strengthening. "We will be. And when the time comes, we'll make our own choices. We won't let anyone dictate our path."