The weeks that followed felt repetitive—by design. Life at the academy followed a rigid structure that lulled most of the students into a rhythm. Arrive before the first bell. Morning drills. Classroom lectures. Lunch. Chakra control. Sparring. Theory. End of day.
But Akio was learning that within repetition, there were patterns. And in patterns, there was power.
Each movement, every stumble, every outburst in class told a story. Most students didn't realize it, but Akio could see them forming. A growing bond here. A quiet jealousy there. Gaps in training. Weak spots in chakra discipline. Everything that would matter later on a battlefield was quietly unfolding in a classroom.
He studied it all.
MorningAkio arrived early, as usual.
He preferred the quiet before the rest of the class stormed in. His shoes tapped lightly against the wood as he stepped through the empty hallways. The light filtered through the windows just right during that hour—no harsh glares, just a golden glaze across the floor.
He took his usual seat by the window and removed his black mask, tucking it into his custom shirt pocket. His white hair reflected faintly against the glass.
Outside, he saw Konoha waking up. Vendors opening stalls. Children weaving through alleys. A shinobi team jumping across rooftops.
And in the reflection—his violet eyes. Normal for now. But beneath them, something waited. Dormant. Patient.
A boy a few seats over was drawing with chalk on the desk. Akio glanced, then looked away. He didn't speak unless spoken to first.
The door burst open.
"AKIO!"
Naruto.
As always.
"Morning," Naruto said, tossing himself into the seat beside him with enough energy to knock his chair slightly off balance. "You won't believe it—I almost got banned from Ichiraku for asking for 'Ramen King Discount'."
"You made that up."
"It should be real!"
Akio didn't reply, but the side of his lip twitched upward. Just slightly.
Chakra PracticeToday's chakra control lesson was simple: leaf balancing while standing on one foot. A classic, boring exercise—unless you knew how to use it.
Akio focused on his breath. Even. Calm. His left foot pressed lightly into the mat as his right hovered in the air, knee bent. A fresh green leaf floated above his palm, held perfectly in place.
Iruka moved down the line, offering occasional corrections.
He reached Naruto and flinched.
"Too much chakra! You're cooking the leaf!"
Naruto blinked. "That's a thing?"
Akio glanced over. The leaf above Naruto's palm had turned brown and crumbled. Smoke rose from his fingertips.
Iruka sighed.
"You have to feel the chakra, Naruto. Don't just throw it out like it's a shuriken."
Akio rotated the leaf slowly above his hand, subtly shifting the chakra pressure until it spun in place. He didn't do it to show off—he did it to understand. How little chakra could he use and still succeed?
He looked up.
Sasuke was doing the same thing. Except with his eyes closed.
Their gazes met once, briefly.
No challenge. Just acknowledgment.
They were both watching.
LunchNaruto had a habit of dragging Akio with him during lunch—even if Akio never officially agreed to go.
"Come on, come on! You always just sit there and eat alone!"
"I'm fine with that."
"But I'm not! I mean—uh… you're smart. And I eat fast. Together we're like… a complete ninja."
"That makes no sense."
"Exactly."
Somehow, that logic worked.
Akio found himself seated under a tree in the academy yard, eating cold rice balls while Naruto devoured instant ramen. Choji was nearby with a full bento box. Shikamaru napped with his head against the trunk.
Ino wasn't far either. Akio noticed she glanced his way when she thought he wasn't looking.
Not that he cared. He didn't. Right?
He returned to his notebook, writing quietly while Naruto chattered away about pranks, missions he wished he had, and how boring Sasuke was.
Eventually, the others drifted off.
"You don't talk much about your clan," Naruto said suddenly.
Akio looked up. "Neither do you."
"…Yeah."
The air shifted. Briefly.
Naruto changed the subject two seconds later. But Akio remembered that beat of silence more than the entire conversation.
⚔️ Sparring ClassThis time, Akio was paired with Sasuke.
Iruka-sensei looked between the two of them, slightly uneasy. "No lethal moves. No chakra surges beyond what we practiced. Got it?"
They nodded once.
The others backed up.
Sasuke moved first—precise and clean, like someone who had drilled the same patterns a hundred times. Akio sidestepped the first strike, dipped under the second, and retaliated with a soft elbow that brushed Sasuke's ribs but didn't hit with force.
Sasuke didn't flinch.
Their spar played out in silence. No shouting. No wasted energy. Just footwork, breathing, reading each other's rhythm. Akio wasn't trying to win. He was testing Sasuke's control. His intent.
Sasuke understood.
After three minutes, Iruka called it. "Good. That's enough."
Neither spoke as they stepped back.
But as they passed each other, Sasuke murmured, "You hide your speed."
"And you hide your anger."
Neither of them smiled.
But something passed between them—like gravity beginning to shift.
That Evening – Tengetsu CompoundAkio returned home, passing through the eastern gate, where two young clan children were sweeping the walkway. Both had white hair, like him. One boy, one girl—no older than six.
They looked up and smiled.
"Akio-niisan!"
He stopped. "Are you training today?"
They nodded in unison. "Riku-sensei's making us do jump rolls!"
"Don't break your necks."
They giggled and ran off.
Akio's expression didn't change much, but something in his eyes softened. He remembered what Hiroshi had told him a few weeks ago—not everyone would survive what was coming.
He didn't want to believe it. But the feeling in the air had changed.
Training Grounds – Private Compound AreaHe changed into training clothes, rewrapped his arms in chakra gauze, and dropped into a stance.
It wasn't just a fight. It was a routine.
He ran through fifty repetitions of silent movement—dodging, shifting, disarming invisible enemies. Then thirty more of unarmed counter drills. Then the slow kata his grandfather had taught him, meant to stabilize chakra flow in both hands simultaneously.
He still hadn't activated the Uchūgan.
Not since the day of his birth.
It was common for the dojutsu to awaken around four. Akio had felt it flicker once, like a dream behind his eyes. But never fully. Not yet.
He didn't mind.
He wanted to earn it.
Nightfall – RooftopAkio sat on the roof of the compound, wrapped in a light cloak, sketching the village skyline in a notebook. Not for art. For memory.
The rooftops. The trees. The shadows.
All of it mattered.
Behind him, Hiroshi approached quietly.
"You're adjusting."
Akio nodded. "Trying."
Hiroshi sat beside him, his old joints cracking as he lowered himself. "You're not like the others."
Akio blinked. "Because I observe more?"
"No. Because you remember more."
Akio didn't answer.
After a long silence, Hiroshi added, "You don't have to be the strongest. You just have to be ready when it matters."
"…When will that be?"
Hiroshi looked toward the horizon.
"When the world realizes what we still carry."
[End of Chapter 7]