Chapter 6 — The Board Is Set
The next morning at the Academy, the air buzzed faintly with leftover warmth from the early summer sun. The classrooms smelled of ink, paper, and the faint metallic tang of weapons oil from the training yard.
Iruka-sensei wasn't here yet — today's morning lessons were being handled by an older instructor named Ishikawa, a quiet man with lines around his eyes from years of squinting into wind and sunlight. He entered without a word, set a wooden board on the table, and began placing lacquered black and white tiles onto its surface.
The class stilled.
"Today," Ishikawa began, voice low but carrying, "we'll practice strategic thinking. This is a battlefield scenario. Your goal is simple: win."
He tapped the board. "The white pieces are your allies. The black pieces are the enemy. Movement rules are the same as shogi… but remember: this is not shogi. There are no points for honor here. Only victory."
He let the last word hang before stepping back.
---
Akira leaned forward in his seat, gold-flecked dark eyes narrowing. It was a trap scenario — the white forces were badly outnumbered, pinned in by a siege line. Most students would try to break through the nearest gap. Too obvious. Too bloody.
A few seats over, Kakashi was already studying the board, fingers tapping lightly on the desk.
The instructor handed each student a small diagram of the board to mark their moves. "You have ten minutes. Submit your plan to me when you're done."
---
Akira didn't rush. He counted the enemy positions, then the terrain markers — rivers, ridges, forest tiles. He could see the escape routes, but escape wasn't the win condition. Eliminate the enemy commander. That was the real goal.
Two moves to feint left. Three to draw the main enemy body forward. Sacrifice a pawn piece, then slip two cavalry behind the ridge, circle to the commander's blind side…
He smirked. That would do it.
---
A rustle to his right drew his attention. Kakashi was already writing down moves — but his path was different. Brutal, direct, efficient. He'd win in half the moves, but at the cost of heavy allied losses.
He's playing like a Hatake, Akira thought. Fast kill. Minimal sentiment.
Without meaning to, he quickened his own planning, tweaking the last few steps to shave off time.
---
When Ishikawa called for the plans, Kakashi and Akira both set theirs down at nearly the same moment. Ishikawa read Kakashi's first, grunted approval, then read Akira's… and his brow lifted slightly.
"Interesting," the instructor murmured, setting both papers aside. "Two paths. Both end in victory. One leaves you with five allies alive. The other… leaves you with all but one."
The class murmured.
Kakashi glanced sideways, just a flicker of movement. Akira caught it and didn't bother hiding his small, smug smile.
---
After Class
Students spilled into the courtyard, chattering about the day's lessons. Kakashi was already heading toward the gate when Akira fell into step beside him.
"You fight like a hammer," Akira said casually.
Kakashi didn't look at him. "And you fight like someone who's afraid to get his hands dirty."
Akira's grin widened. "Or someone who knows the pieces on the board aren't just pieces."
For the briefest moment, Kakashi's eye crinkled — the kind of micro-smile that wasn't meant to be noticed. Then he walked off without another word.
Akira watched him go, activating his Byakugan just long enough to see the faint, suppressed chakra signature on a nearby roof. Root was still watching. Always watching.
---