*Morning Breeze and Blazing Sun*
Today marked the annual Konoha Ninja Academy grade-level tournament, and the school had declared a holiday for this special occasion.
While not as grand as the multi-village Chunin Exams, the academy's tournament still packed the spectator stands to the brim. Among the crowd were students cheering for their friends and parents rooting for their kids.
But the real VIPs? The four elders seated prominently in the front row.
At the center sat the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi. To his left, Root leader Danzo Shimura. To his right, Strategic Advisor Homura Mitokado. And beside Homura, Koharu Utatane, sipping tea with an air of forced elegance.
These four held absolute power over Konoha—true apex figures of authority. Their presence at the tournament was meant to showcase the village leadership's commitment to nurturing the next generation of shinobi.
Naruto sat in the stands too, next to the perpetually lazy Shikamaru. Ino, with her golden ponytail, and Sakura, with her signature pink hair, occupied the seats to their left, separated by an empty spot.
"First up, contestants from Class 1-A!"
With the announcer's call, the tournament officially began.
The first-year participants were, well... literal children. Barely six months into the academy, their "battles" were about as threatening as a pillow fight.
Tiny fists flailing. Neck-pinching. Toe-stomping.
Danzo's eye twitched violently. "Sarutobi, this is the result of your so-called 'improved' academy curriculum?"
"Education is a gradual process," Hiruzen replied, utterly unfazed—even mildly entertained. "They must first master theory before practical combat."
"These brats wouldn't last one second against a real kunai!" Danzo hissed.
"They're children, Danzo," the Hokage said, side-eyeing him. "You're being impatient."
"The shinobi world could change in an instant. Who knows what threat looms tomorrow?" Danzo shot back, voice low. "Better they learn under my methods than die uselessly on the battlefield!"
"Perhaps I shouldn't have invited you," Hiruzen sighed.
"Tch. You've grown soft," Danzo muttered, lapsing into brooding silence.
Inside, however, his fury burned brighter than ever. To him, Hiruzen was no longer fit to be Hokage.
'If I led Konoha, even these academy brats would be battlefield-ready!'
"Danzo, your mindset is too extreme for peacetime," Homura interjected, adjusting his glasses. "Oppression breeds rebellion."
"Indeed, Danzo," Koharu added, setting her tea down. "What you do in Root is your business. But stay out of the light."
'Oh, so now you're all ganging up on me?' Danzo's glare at his old teammates could've melted steel. The air grew thick with tension.
"Next up, contestant!"
The announcer's voice broke the stalemate. Hiruzen cleared his throat. "Ah, the student Danzo and I have high hopes for."
All four elders turned their attention to the arena, where a white-robed boy with black-framed glasses stepped forward.
"My, what a refined young man," Koharu remarked approvingly. "I look forward to his performance."
"Refined? Ha!" Danzo scoffed. "This boy is born shinobi material—unlike those playing house in the lower grades."
In Danzo's eyes, his newest recruit was flawless—aside from being 'slightly' unhinged.
"Even you praise him?" Homura chuckled. "He must be exceptional. Who's his opponent?"
"Sasuke Uchiha," Hiruzen said.
Silence.
The Uchiha massacre… was their doing. Facing the clan's sole survivor was Awkward, to say the least.
"GO YUTO! KICK THAT PRISSY LOSER'S ASS!" Naruto's screech shattered the heavy atmosphere.
"SHUT UP, NARUTO!" Sakura roared back, despite the seat between them. "Have some decorum! And Sasuke-kun is not prissy!"
Naruto deflated like a punctured balloon, mumbling, "He's still gonna lose… Right, Shikamaru?"
"Who knows?" Shikamaru yawned.
'Not getting involved in this nonsense.'
"Hey, Yuto's carrying a sword today," Ino noted, eyeing the blade at his hip. "Since when does he know kenjutsu?"
"WHOA, REALLY?!" Naruto bounced back instantly. "Is that his new move? Like a samurai?!"
"Samurai are obsolete," Sakura sneered. "Where is Sasuke-kun, anyway? I bet he looks so cool—"
Her jaw dropped.
A boy in a full-body blue cat mascot suit strutted into the arena.
"THAT'S SASUKE?!" the entire Konoha 12 (minus one) gasped in unison.
"A… cat?!" Naruto wheezed, torn between horror and disbelief. 'Is this a psychological tactic? To throw Yuto off his game?!' His teeth ground audibly. "Damn you, teme!"
Up in the VIP section, the elders exchanged baffled glances.
"Sarutobi… is this a new "youth trend" now?" Homura asked, glasses fogging from confusion.
"Even if it is, it's hardly tournament-appropriate attire," Koharu frowned. "Perhaps it's a strategy?"
"I theorize it's protective gear," Danzo mused. "Sarutobi—what, precisely, is he protecting himself from?"
Hiruzen's brain short-circuited—until he recalled Iruka's bizarre incident report. His eye twitched.
"...Starburst Diarrhea?"