A week had quietly slipped by since the start of the Academy. The rhythm of lessons was beginning to settle in: mornings filled with lectures on chakra theory and the flow of energy within the body, afternoons peppered with memorization of hand seals, history of the shinobi world, and general studies that prepared children for both the path of war and the path of life. For most students, it was a flood of new knowledge,exciting, confusing, and exhausting all at once.
Enji found the classes boring as he already knew all the things the instructors were teaching. As the classes droned on Enji was fiddling with a ball of clay, under his desk, changing its shape and hardness. Yasu had taught this method to improve his Earth chakra nature transformation.
"Earth isn't like water," Enji muttered under his breath, focusing. "It doesn't flow on its own."
His chakra pulsed steadily through his fingers, at first uneven, then smoothing into a controlled current. Slowly, the clay ball softened, shifting shape beneath his will. First it sagged into a flat disc, then bulged awkwardly into a cube, before finally reforming back into a sphere. This was more than practice,this was refinement of control, the difference between a crude wall and a perfected defense.
As the morning session finished and the instructor left, Enji found Itachi curiously peeking at his hand
"You've been watching me for a while, Itachi san."
"What are you doing, Enji san?"
"It's just training earth nature transformation" Enji replied casually.
"Enji san, have you already covered the academy curriculum?"
"Yeah, I have already read the books given by the academy. I also go to the clan library if I have time."
The Uchiha stepped forward, his dark eyes locked onto the clay ball.
"You're molding earth already. That isn't something first-years are even supposed to attempt." Itachi said, not hiding his surprise.
Enji gave a small, wry smile, letting the clay slip back into his pouch.
"The Academy pace is too slow. If I waited for their lessons, I'd waste years."
Itachi's nodded at those words, as though they mirrored his own thoughts. He sat beside Enji, silent for a moment, before speaking again.
"Most of them can barely feel their chakra yet. But you… you're already ahead."
"So are you," Enji said simply. He met Itachi's eyes, unflinching. "I've seen how you move in class. The speed at which you perform the handseals. You don't belong at the same level as the rest."
Itachi smiled. It wasn't pride or arrogance,it was the quiet recognition of finding someone who understood the loneliness of being far ahead of their peers.
Itachi stood up, brushing his clothes.
"Then… train with me. If you're as far along as you say, it would be wasteful not to push ourselves further."
Enji rose to his feet as well, the corners of his mouth tugging upward into a rare, genuine grin. "I was thinking the same thing."
"Enji san ,I am training at ground 36, if you are free in the evening , we can train together and even have a spar."
" Sure, I'll be there in the evening " Enji readily accepted the invitation.
Afternoon lessons followed: scrolls unrolled to show the chakra pathways, instructors pacing at the front while explaining the importance of hand seals, history recited in dry tones about the founding clans of Konoha.
When the classes were over, a stream of chattering children spilled out of the Academy gates. Some ran to parents waiting with warm smiles, others lingered to play in the yard.
Enji slipped past it all, heading toward Training Ground 36 as planned.
When he arrived, Itachi was already there. The boy stood near a tree, posture perfectly upright, his small frame somehow dignified. In his hand, he held a shuriken, but he wasn't practicing. He was waiting.
"You came,Enji san" Itachi said softly, voice calm and polite.
Enji gave a small nod. "You asked me to. I don't turn down training."
Itachi's dark eyes lingered on him for a moment, then shifted toward the practice targets. With a smooth, almost effortless flick, he sent the shuriken spinning. It struck dead center, quivering in place.
Instead of looking back for approval, Itachi only said, "Your turn."
Enji pulled one from his pouch, feeling its weight settle in his palm. He narrowed his eyes, held the shuriken between his fingers, then let it fly. The weapon struck right beside Itachi's, the two shurikens lodged beside each other, at the dead center.
Itachi moved again,without a word, he plucked three between his fingers.
Itachi flicked his wrist. Three shuriken left his hand, fanning out midair, spinning with a sharp whirr before curving inward. Two buried themselves into two targets placesd closer to each other, the third ricocheted off one, bending its flight, before sinking clean into the practice target placed a bit farther off. All dead center.
Enji whistled low under his breath, though he quickly stifled it. 'So this is the difference between a genius and a regular student…'
Itachi turned to him, expression unchanged, voice level. "Your turn Enji san.Just try your best."
Enji reached for his own set of shuriken.
He'd practiced this - hours of repetition, with shuriken,pebbles, whatever he could fit in his small palm.
The shuriken flew. His first two matched Itachi's, sinking perfectly into the logs. The third clinked against one of his own, shifting its angle mid-spin, before slamming into the dead-center point of the middle target. The sound of shuriken hitting the previously embedded shuriken echoed across the training ground.
For the first time, Itachi's expression shifted,a blink, a slight widening of the eyes. Surprise, quiet and fleeting, but real.
Enji lowered his hand and exhaled slowly. "I can do it too," he said, voice steady.
Itachi straightened, hands folding loosely at his side. His presence was calm, almost serene, yet beneath it Enji could feel the battle intent.
"It's a tie, then the next step is to test each other directly."
Enji's found himself smiling, a spark of excitement flaring behind his composed eyes. "A spar, then."
Itachi gave a single nod, the decision sealed with quiet finality.
The cicadas droned louder as the two boys stepped into the open field, the fading sun painting their shadows long against the dirt. No more words were needed. They had measured each other's skill, and now came the truer test.