Two months slipped by ,in the steady rhythm of academy life. Each day began the same: morning lessons in chakra theory and control, trap setting, encrypting codes, analysing battle tactics; but the evening sessions had now changed to physical drills, obstacle courses and taijutsu sparring sessions under the watchful eyes of the instructors.
For most of the students, progress was visible but gradual. Stances became a little steadier, punches less wild, and chakra control just refined enough to keep leaves stuck to their foreheads.
But for Enji and Itachi… these sessions were redundant.
In taijutsu drills, their movements were sharper, cleaner, and far faster than the rest. When matched with classmates, neither broke a sweat.The gap between them and their peers widened every week, until the instructors had no choice but to pair them against each other.
And in those official spars, held in front of their classmates, they maintained restraint.
Both boys understood that there was no need to show the true extent of their abilities in a controlled academy exercise.
That's why, almost silently, an unspoken understanding had formed between them.
Every few days, after the academy ended and the sun dipped low, Enji and Itachi would make their way to Training Ground 36. The secluded space, surrounded by tall trees and hidden from the main streets, had become their private arena. There, no instructors interfered, no classmates watched,only the raw sound of fists meeting flesh, feet striking earth, and shuriken whistling through the air echoed.
Enji thrived in the intensity. His body, strengthened by the gruelling training ,had become taller, far sturdier than a boy his age should be. His strikes carried weight that could rattle even a seasoned chunin. His body , already a head taller than itachi was filled with explosive power.
Itachi, meanwhile, refined his precision to terrifying levels. If Enji was the boulder crashing forward, Itachi was the flowing stream, slipping past, redirecting, and returning force with almost surgical accuracy. His sharp mind dissected patterns in Enji's movements, always looking for that one flaw, that one overextension he could exploit.
Theirs was not just training,it was evolution. Each forced the other to grow beyond what the academy could offer.
In the Hokage's Office -
Two months into the academy year, reports began to pile on the Hokage's desk. Most were ordinary - updates about the progress of new students, notes on discipline, and routine paperwork about supplies and schedules.
But two names stood out, underlined more than once by the academy instructors.
Sarutobi Enji.
Uchiha Itachi.
The scroll detailed their performance in everything from academics to combat drills. Where other students stumbled through basic kata, these two had long surpassed the curriculum. Shurikenjutsu? Both boys had reached a level better than even some veteran ninjas. Chakra control? Near flawless. Taijutsu? Way beyond their peers.
What drew the instructors' attention most was how these two gravitated towards each other. It wasn't rivalry born of hostility,it was mutual sharpening, like blades grinding against each other to keep their edges honed.
Finally, the aged Hokage exhaled. "So… they've already outgrown the academy's rhythm."
There was a heaviness in his voice, but not of disappointment. It was something closer to satisfaction tempered with some caution.
He thought first of Itachi. The boy was quiet, contemplative, but with eyes that already carried the burden of seeing too much. Fugaku's son was a genius, no doubt, but Hiruzen worried about the weight the child placed upon himself. If left unchecked, that weight could be the last straw that broke the camel's back, especially for an Uchiha.
And then, Enji. A child of the Sarutobi bloodline, yet so different from the others. His progress was monstrous. It was a mixture of discipline, effort, a strange maturity uncommon for his age combined with great talent.
Two prodigies, walking side by side.
Hiruzen placed the scroll down and folded his hands. His gaze drifted toward the window, where the village stretched beneath the warm glow of evening lanterns.
Hiruzen set aside the pipe, pressed his hands into a seal, and summoned his crystal ball from a scroll. He placed it on his desk and used his secret jutsu- Telescope technique.
The mist inside swirled, as if searching for a particular chakra signature until the image showed training ground 36.
The crystal ball revealed their spar in perfect clarity. A straight punch from Enji, redirected smoothly by Itachi's parry. A counter-kick from Itachi, met with Enji's guarded block and a push that nearly toppled the Uchiha prodigy. Their exchanges flowed fast, one after the other, a flurry of strikes, redirections, sweeps, and counters.
The Hokage sat back slowly, watching until the boys finally broke apart, panting. Despite their exhaustion, neither looked defeated. Instead, there was a spark in their eyes,the spark of rivalry, of mutual recognition.
Hiruzen's thoughts drifted toward the village, to its fragile balance. Talents like these could become pillars,or threats - depending on how they were nurtured.
He shut his eyes briefly, memories flashing: Orochimaru's cold stare, Jiraiya's restless wanderings, Tsunade's grief. All 3 of them, geniuses he had personally taught,each able to hold their ground against a kage , but broken mentally by cruelty of fate.
When his eyes opened, the crystal ball still displayed the boys, now sitting under a tree and talking. Enji was gesturing something with a teasing expression, his larger frame relaxed despite the spar's bruises.For once, Itachi's guarded expression eased slightly, a slight blush creeping onto his face.
That, more than anything, stirred the old Hokage.
The reserved Uchiha prodigy had found a friend outside the clan.
"That boy, Enji… he carries a presence that steadies those near him."
Enji had the makings of a leader,always calm,unshaken and dependable. Itachi, meanwhile, moved in silence, always analysing ,observing ,thinking. Like a blade hidden deep in the shadows, waiting for the perfect timing.
Together, they could form a balance.
He folded his hands, thoughtful.
"Enji in the light… Itachi in the shadow. Perhaps together they will embody what the Will of Fire must be.
From Seeds, the Forest Yet to Be"
The decision formed in his mind. Watching from afar would no longer be enough.
Hiruzen leaned forward, dispelling the jutsu and packing away the crystal ball. He picked up his robes, fastened them with measured care, and stood. His old back straightened, his steps, with renewed purpose was directed towards the training ground 36.