The Elite Class gathered in their homeroom early the next morning. The air was thick with unspoken tension — yesterday's introductions had already set the stage.
Takuma, of course, was nowhere to be seen.
Karui leaned back in her chair, smirking. Her sharp eyes flicked toward Raizen.
"Hey, blind boy," she called loud enough for everyone to hear. "You're from one of Kumo's greatest clans, and you still got put down like a dog by a civilian. How's it feel knowing you're basically useless?"
Laughter rippled through the room. Tetsuo snorted, nearly dropping the kunai he was flipping. Reina laughed the loudest, her smirk sharp as a blade.
"You'll never catch me, Raizen," she sneered. "I'm a mountain you'll never climb. Even in death, you'll still be looking up at me."
The chuckles echoed.
Raizen looked away, jaw tight, nails digging into his palm. Ignore it. Ignore it.
Reina noticed and leaned forward, her voice dripping with venom.
"Don't clench your fist at the desk. If you're that angry, fight someone your own size."
More snickers. Raizen wished, just for a fleeting moment, that he'd been thrown into the general class instead of being stuck with these five jackals.
The door slid open.
Genshiro Takuma shuffled in, posture slouched, cigarette smoke trailing faintly from his hair. He yawned, scratching the back of his head.
"Morning. Or whatever."
The laughter died instantly.
Without another word, Takuma dropped a heavy stack of books onto the desk with a thud that echoed across the room.
"Come grab one. Don't drool on it."
One by one, the students collected their copies. Raizen scanned the covers — Language. Math. Science. History. Physics. Biology.
His eyes widened. At six years old?
He flipped through quickly and exhaled in relief. Basics. Only the fundamentals. Nothing compared to what he'd already studied in his previous life. This'll be easy. Almost too easy.
Reina groaned, glaring at the pages like they were enemy shinobi. Karui flipped through impatiently. Omoi started muttering about how much time it would take to memorize everything. Samui sat silently, already writing notes. Tetsuo closed the book with a grunt, uninterested.
Takuma leaned against the chalkboard, half-lidded eyes scanning them.
"Don't whine. This is the bare minimum you need to not die stupid. You'll learn it or you'll fail. Simple."
⸻
Chakra Control Training
Later that day, Takuma led them outside into the courtyard. The mountain air was cool, carrying the scent of wet stone.
"Alright," he said, voice flat. "Chakra control. Foundation of everything. If you can't do this, you can't do anything."
He pressed his palm to a tree and walked up its trunk casually, standing sideways before stepping back down with a yawn.
"Stick your chakra to your feet. Walk. Don't fall on your face. Try not to embarrass me."
The six lined up.
Karui went first, fiery as always. She shot up the tree two steps before her chakra flared unevenly. She slipped and landed hard on her back with a growl.
Takuma didn't even look up from picking at his nails. "All fire, no balance. You think the tree cares how angry you are? Try again."
Omoi took careful, deliberate steps. He managed a few feet higher than Karui before his chakra sputtered. He jumped back before he could fall.
Takuma snorted. "Too much thinking. You're measuring every grain of bark instead of moving. Trust yourself, kid, or you'll overanalyze your way into a grave."
Samui went next, silent and precise. Her chakra flow was smooth, steady — she walked up to the first branch, paused, then descended without a single slip.
Takuma raised a brow. "Controlled. Cold. Reliable. Don't confuse control for strength, though. One day you'll need more than balance."
Tetsuo slapped his foot onto the trunk, forcing chakra out like a hammer. The bark cracked under his foot, but he only managed a few shaky steps before he toppled sideways.
Takuma sighed. "Strength's fine. But trees don't care about brute force. Keep that up, and you'll be kissing dirt every time you try."
Reina darted forward confidently. Her steps were light, sharp, almost graceful — but halfway up, her chakra surged too strong, blowing chunks of bark off the tree and sending her tumbling. She landed hard, scowling.
Takuma chuckled lazily. "Sharp, fast, dangerous. But you show off too much. You'll get yourself killed just to prove a point."
Finally, Raizen stepped forward. He took a steady breath — root, breathe, control — and planted his foot against the trunk. His chakra held firm. Step after step, he rose higher, steady as Samui. He stopped just beneath the first branch, then walked down calmly.
Takuma's half-lidded eyes flicked open just a little. "Not bad. Power and control. But your left side leaks chakra as badly as your punches. Fix it."
Karui scowled. Reina crossed her arms. Tetsuo muttered something under his breath.
At the end of the exercise, only Samui and Raizen had managed to walk cleanly. Omoi was close, steadying his flow, but the others still struggled.
Takuma clapped once, startling them. "Congrats. Half of you can't even walk on a tree. Elite indeed." His grin was lazy, but his words stung.
⸻
Transition to Sparring
Takuma yawned, stretching his arms.
"Alright. Enough hugging bark. Let's see how you punch each other in the face."
He pointed toward the sparring pits, where the ground was already scarred from years of use.
"Pairs. Short rounds. No weapons, no chakra. Just hands, feet, and what little brains you've got."
His gaze swept them with surgical precision.
"Karui, you're up first. Raizen, you too. Try not to bore me."
The class turned, hungry to see the rematch of pride and humiliation begin.
Raizen and Karui stepped into the sparring circle, the dirt floor scarred from years of fights.
Karui's grin was feral, teeth flashing as she bounced on her heels. "Ready to get dropped again, blind boy? Or are you gonna cry for your mommy this time?"
Snickers erupted from the sidelines. Reina added fuel with a smirk. "Careful, Karui. If you hit him too hard, he might finally see straight."
Raizen's jaw tightened, his fists curling. Anger burned in his single good eye. He wouldn't hold back — not against her. Not anymore.
The proctor signaled. "Begin."
Karui exploded forward, a blur of red hair and fury. Her leg whipped high, aiming for his head.
Raizen rooted himself. His forearm snapped up in a guard, absorbing the blow. Before she could retract, he seized her leg, lifted her clean off the ground, and slammed her into the dirt with a bone-rattling crash.
The breath left her in a gasp. Raizen loomed, fist cocked, and drove it down — but Karui twisted at the last second. His fist cracked into the earth beside her head, leaving a spiderweb fracture in the dirt.
Even Takuma's half-lidded eyes flicked open, a faint frown tugging his lips. That punch wasn't pulled… this brat would've killed her if it landed.
Karui rolled back to her feet, coughing, but her grin didn't falter. "What's the matter, Raizen? Gonna break the floor before you break me?"
Reina's voice cut in like a blade. "He's just proving he's all power and no aim. Pathetic."
Raizen's chest heaved. His anger spiked — his stance dropped. He stopped defending and lunged.
Karui ducked under his wild swing, burying a fist into his liver. Pain jolted through him. He staggered for just a second — but that second was enough.
She slid to his blind side, her fists a blur. Left hook to his jaw. A sharp jab to his ribs. An uppercut that snapped his head back. Raizen stumbled and fell hard onto his backside.
He growled, ready to rise, but a single word froze him.
"Stop."
Takuma's lazy drawl carried finality. His half-lidded eyes were sharper than steel. "Match is over."
Raizen glared at him, fury blazing. His body screamed that he could still fight, but Takuma's expression didn't waver. The moment you lost your temper, Karui already won.
Karui spat in the dirt near Raizen's hand. "Pathetic."
Tetsuo barked a laugh. Reina smirked, crossing her arms. The mocking cut deeper than Karui's fists ever could.
Raizen surged to his feet, anger burning hot enough to choke him. His fist rose — but Takuma was suddenly there, hand clamped around his wrist, grip firm.
"Sit down, kid," Takuma muttered. "Fight's done. Don't embarrass yourself more than you already have."
Raizen trembled, rage boiling. Slowly, he unclenched his hand.
⸻
Scene — Reina vs. Omoi
Next up was Reina against Omoi.
Reina entered the circle like a queen walking to her throne, smug confidence radiating from her. Omoi, meanwhile, muttered nervously under his breath. "Okay, don't overthink it, just keep your guard up, don't let her bait you, she's fast, but if she—"
"Begin."
Reina darted in immediately, her speed undeniable. Her strikes were sharp and fast, peppering Omoi's guard. He absorbed them well, adjusting with each step back, muttering counters to himself.
"You think too loud," Reina sneered, slamming a knee toward his gut. He blocked, but the force made him grunt. She pressed the attack, circling toward his blind side.
Omoi's eyes flicked, catching the pattern. He shifted suddenly, countering with a hook that barely grazed her cheek. Reina's smirk faltered for just a heartbeat.
The match devolved into sharp exchanges — Reina relentless, Omoi defensive, analyzing. Neither landed a decisive blow before Takuma called it.
"Draw." He yawned. "Reina, stop showing off. Omoi, stop narrating your own death."
Omoi flushed. Reina scowled, wiping a smear of blood from her lip.
⸻
Scene — Samui vs. Tetsuo
The final spar of the day was Samui and Tetsuo.
Tetsuo entered the ring with a grin, twirling his kunai before tossing it aside. "Finally. Someone worth breaking."
Samui didn't answer. She just stepped into her stance, calm, composed.
"Begin."
Tetsuo charged like a bull, fists swinging. Samui slipped aside, letting his momentum carry him past. He swung again, heavier, faster. She sidestepped, letting his fist crash into the dirt.
Her counter was a clean chop to the back of his neck. Not strong, but perfectly placed. He stumbled forward, eyes wide.
"Quit dancing and fight me!" he roared, charging again.
Samui remained cold, precise. Every blow she dodged by inches, every counter landed where it hurt most — ribs, joints, solar plexus. Slowly, Tetsuo's movements slowed, his grin fading.
Finally, Samui swept his legs clean from under him and pressed a foot to his chest.
Takuma waved a hand. "Winner: Samui."
Tetsuo growled from the dirt. Samui simply brushed her hands off and walked away without a word.
⸻
The Elite Class stood battered, bruised, and humiliated in different ways. Rivalries simmered hotter than ever. Takuma gave them a long, tired look.
"You're all disasters," he muttered. "But at least you're interesting disasters."
The Academy courtyard was quiet by the time the last of the students left. Evening clouds rolled over the peaks, the air thick with the promise of another storm.
Takuma leaned against the railing outside the Elite Class homeroom, cigarette smoldering between his fingers. He looked every bit the picture of exhaustion — slouched shoulders, half-lidded eyes, smoke curling lazily upward.
But his mind was sharp as ever.
He exhaled a plume of smoke, muttering to himself. "Well… what a mess."
He ticked them off one by one.
Karui — fiery, reckless, pure aggression. Her speed was dangerous, but her temper made her predictable. "Kid fights like lightning with no thunder behind it. Burns bright, burns fast, burns out."
Omoi — thoughtful, deliberate, too much so. Every step was second-guessed, every strike calculated to death. "Smart enough to survive. Dumb enough to hesitate when it matters. He'll either be brilliant… or dead."
Samui — precise, balanced, always in control. Too in control. "Ice in her veins, steel in her form. Good now. But ice cracks when the pressure builds. Let's see if she bends before she breaks."
Tetsuo — brute strength, nothing more. Raw power with no finesse. "A hammer in a world that demands scalpels. If he doesn't learn, he'll be the first one buried."
Reina — sharp, arrogant, vicious. Fast enough to be dangerous, prideful enough to make enemies fast. "Kid fights like she's already Hokage. Arrogance eats shinobi alive. Still… she's got teeth."
Then his eyes lingered on the last one.
Raizen.
Takuma tapped ash off the end of his cigarette. "Strong. Too strong for his own good. Blind side leaks like a broken pipe, and he gets angry too easy. Lost to Reina. Lost to Karui. But… he's still standing."
He smirked faintly, more tired than amused.
"Power, will, and enough stubbornness to claw upward. The others mock him now, but if he learns to master that anger instead of letting it master him…" He trailed off, the thought left unfinished.
Takuma flicked the cigarette away, watching it burn out against the stone. He stretched, yawning, eyes drifting back toward the classroom.
"They're all disasters," he muttered, echoing his earlier words. "But maybe… interesting disasters."
He shoved his hands into his pockets and walked off into the storm.
The sun dipped low over Kumogakure's peaks by the time Raizen returned home. His body ached from bruises, his pride even more.
He shut himself in his room, sinking onto the floor with his back against the wall. His fists trembled.
First Reina. Now Karui. Both times, I lost because of my weakness.
His hand drifted to his left eye, the blind one. He pressed his palm against it, teeth grinding.
They all saw it. They all laughed. I can't hide it. I can't ignore it. Every fight, they'll hunt for it — and they'll find it.
He remembered Karui's mocking grin. Reina's smug laughter. Tetsuo's booming chuckle. Even Omoi's muttering and Samui's quiet stares. The whole class had watched him fall. Twice.
Raizen slammed his fist into the floor, wood cracking under the blow.
"Never again," he whispered. His voice was raw, shaking with fury.
The door creaked slightly, and Taro's calm voice slipped through. "Don't stew in it too long, young master. Anger burns fast. What you need is the kindling that never goes out."
Raizen didn't answer. He heard the footsteps retreat.
He forced himself upright, grabbing his notebook and flipping to a blank page. His brush scratched across the paper:
• Speed. Reaction time. I need both.
• Blind side awareness.
• Taijutsu precision, not anger.
• Sealwork every morning. Lightning every night.
He stared at the words, his chest heaving, and then added one more line at the bottom, darker, heavier than the rest:
"I will not be the weak link in the Elite Class."
Raizen closed the notebook, clutching it to his chest. His blind eye throbbed faintly, the pulse sharp and insistent. For a moment, he thought he felt something — not sight, but a strange awareness.
It vanished as quickly as it came.
Raizen lay down, staring at the ceiling, jaw tight. Tomorrow, the cycle would begin again. Training. Pain. Failure. Until he turned those failures into victories.
He whispered into the dark, his voice a vow.
"Six years. By the end of it, I won't just stand with them. I'll stand above them all."
Outside, thunder cracked across the mountains, echoing his promise.