"Not all storms come to destroy. Some come to clear a path."
A Winter Blanket over Konoha
The Hidden Leaf was unrecognizable beneath its thick cover of snow.
Hustle turned to hush.
Children swapped kunai for snowballs, and for one fleeting week, the ninja village resembled a sleepy mountain town. Smoke curled from homes. Iruka wore two scarves.
But under the calm, something stirred.
Not in the sky.
In Renji.
Nightmares of a Past Life
The dream came again.
Fire.
So much fire.
A stone temple crumbling. A woman screaming in a language he didn't know — and yet, his heart ached for her.
Blood ran over the steps.
Renji stood frozen, not ten years old, watching his reflection in the blood.
His face — older, sharper. Not the boy he was now.
Someone behind him whispered: "Run."
And then, he woke up.
Morning Sparring at the Academy
"This is bull," Naruto growled, breath frosting in the cold air.
Iruka clapped his hands. "Midterm sparring evaluations! Pairs are drawn randomly. First up—"
Hinata vs. Sakura
The class buzzed. Renji's eyes narrowed, sensing Hinata tense beside him.
Sakura stepped forward, glancing at Sasuke. Typical.
Hinata walked onto the platform, head low.
Renji frowned.
The match began.
Hinata's Hidden Resolve
Sakura lunged — surprisingly fast.
But Hinata slipped under it with fluid grace, palm flicking Sakura's wrist aside. The clash was short but clean. Gentle Fist met brute instinct. Sakura was on the ground before she knew what hit her.
Stunned silence.
Even Sasuke blinked.
"Winner: Hinata Hyūga."
Hinata bowed politely and left the platform — cheeks flushed, but a small spark in her eyes.
Naruto whispered, "She's gotten way better…"
Renji smiled slightly. "She always was."
Renji vs. Kiba
Kiba grinned. "Hope you like teeth, pretty boy."
Renji exhaled. "Hope you like regret."
Kiba charged, Akamaru barking from the sidelines.
Fang Over Fang.
But Renji moved like smoke.
He danced around Kiba's cyclone, chakra pooling in his fingertips.
"Suiton: Mizubari."
Thin needles of water shimmered, freezing in midair as Renji launched them with perfect precision. They pierced the ground just ahead of Kiba — pinning his shadow in place without a single wound.
The proctors gasped.
"Winner: Renji."
Naruto blinked. "He froze his water technique mid-air?"
Hinata smiled faintly. "That's… very hard to do."
Sasuke finally glanced at Renji with interest. "…Hn."
After Sparring – Naruto's Snowball War
To celebrate, Iruka gave them an early dismissal.
Naruto had other plans.
"Let's settle this!" he shouted, dumping snow into Konohamaru's coat. "Snowball WAR!"
Soon, the field turned into a battlefield.
Shikamaru built trenches. Ino led ambushes. Choji turned into a human snowplow.
Renji joined reluctantly — until Naruto lobbed a slushball into his face.
Then all hell broke loose.
Hinata hit Naruto from behind, shyly hiding her laughter. Naruto pretended to die dramatically.
Renji laughed for real.
For the first time, he felt… young.
Human.
Secrets Beneath the Snow
That night, Renji stood outside under the stars.
Chakra flared in his palm, melting the snow.
His fingers moved instinctively — sealing hand signs he hadn't learned yet. From a past life?
"Why do I remember… this?" he muttered.
Suddenly, a rustle in the snow behind him.
"Practicing jutsu after hours?"
Renji turned — ANBU.
Not masked.
Kakashi Hatake.
"Just… trying to remember," Renji said carefully.
Kakashi tilted his head. "You're an odd kid. Sharp chakra control. Unusual water affinity. That spar earlier… you held back."
Renji said nothing.
Kakashi narrowed his eye behind the hitai-ate.
"Be careful, Renji. Konoha doesn't like secrets."
Elsewhere – Hyūga Main House
Hiashi watched Hinata's sparring match replayed via Byakugan memory.
He stood silently.
"She defeated Sakura Haruno cleanly," said a branch house aide.
Hiashi didn't answer.
But when he turned, his expression softened — the faintest flicker of pride.
"Prepare her for advanced training."
End of Chapter 5