Mitsuro hurried back toward the orphanage, his steps quick and uneven. His breath came short, his heartbeat pounding so hard it almost hurt. The closer he got, the clearer the children's voices became—high, restless cries carrying through the air. By the time the old building came into view, a weary smile had already crept onto his lips.
Six kids were scattered in the shade of the trees, trying in their own clumsy ways to escape the blistering noon sun. Daiki and Hikari were half-heartedly arranging a pile of sticks, clearly bored out of their minds. Hiroshi and Tenma wrestled in the dust beneath a tree, while Yuko sat on a bench rocking her baby brother, Inabi, who slept soundly in her arms. And then there was Shiro, sitting apart from the others, staring at them with that strange, nervous intensity that always set him apart.
The first to spot Mitsuro was Daiki.
"Sensei! Finally, you're back!" he shouted, jumping to his feet. "You were gone forever!"
Still catching his breath, Mitsuro forced a smile. "Sorry about that. Had a bit of trouble." He lifted the small bundle in his hands. "But I managed to find this—milk powder for Inabi. We'd better get it to him quick."
Yuko's face lit up as she hurried over to take the package. "Thank you, Sensei!"
Mitsuro carefully took Inabi from her arms and glanced around at the rest. His voice turned firm. "Alright, everyone. Playtime's over. It's time for the big game. We don't have much time left."
The children's eyes immediately brightened at the words big game. Hiroshi and Tenma abandoned their scuffle and ran to crowd around him.
"The big game? You mean… we're finally leaving?" Hiroshi asked, wide-eyed.
"Yes. But before we do, you all need to listen carefully." Mitsuro lowered his voice, his expression hardening. "This isn't like any of the games you've played before. You'll need to stay completely silent, and you'll follow every instruction I give without question. The most important rule is this: never, ever ask why."
For a moment, no one spoke. Then Shiro, who had been quiet until now, said in a small but steady voice, "So… how exactly are we supposed to escape?"
Daiki frowned. "Yeah, if we're sneaking out of the clan grounds, how do we make sure nobody catches us?"
Mitsuro hesitated, his gaze flicking from Shiro to Daiki. There was something sharp in their eyes—too sharp for children their age. "Come with me. You'll see soon enough."
His tone told them this was no game, not really. They fell silent, sensing the weight of it.
Together they slipped into the woods behind the orphanage, following the narrow path that led toward a shallow river.
Suddenly Shiro spoke up again. "We shouldn't go that way. There are three Anbu waiting in ambush by the water."
Mitsuro froze, staring at him. Three Anbu? How could Shiro possibly know that? And how did a child like him even recognize the word Anbu? This boy… there was something very wrong about him.
But this wasn't the time to press him. Mitsuro swallowed his questions and nodded. "Alright. Then we'll take another path."
As they turned, Hiroshi piped up, his voice tight with both excitement and fear. "Sensei… where are we going?
Mitsuro said, "Across the river… the place I sometimes asked you to patrol, the one no one's supposed to go near."
Tenma jumped in excitedly. "You mean your hideout? We found it ourselves! You've got a little cave over there!"
Hiroshi quickly clapped a hand over Tenma's mouth. "Sensei, we didn't mean to snoop… we were just curious."
Mitsuro shot them a sidelong glance and smirked. "I know exactly what you're up to behind my back. No point trying to hide it, you little weasels."
A little later, they were standing before the entrance of a small cave—just as Tenma and Hiroshi had revealed. Mitsuro gave a nod for everyone to go inside. Daiki and Hikari stepped forward hesitantly, but Shiro seemed to know the way already; he didn't hesitate for a second and walked straight in. The cave was cramped, barely big enough to squeeze them all in shoulder to shoulder.
Hikari muttered, grumbling, "Sensei, why'd you bring us here? We can't even fit."
Mitsuro gave a calm smile, pressing his palm against the wall. "True… if this were an ordinary cave. But it's not."
He bit the tip of his finger and smeared a drop of blood on the stone. The wall trembled, then slowly slid aside.
The children's eyes went wide. Behind the wall, a staircase of stone spiraled down into the earth.
Mitsuro lit a small torch. "Follow me." Without hesitation, he stepped inside, and the children, mouths agape, hurried after him.
Before long, they reached another door. This one opened easily. Beyond it lay a chamber about twelve meters across, stacked with crates, bottles of water, ration tablets, and even a separate space set aside for a toilet and a bath.
Hiroshi gasped in disbelief. "Sensei! You're incredible! You've had a hidden room like this all along?"
Mitsuro squared his shoulders with pride. "That's right… so, what do you think?"
Tenma practically bounced on his heels. "It's awesome! So cool!"
Daiki sat down on a bench, his tone more serious. "So… now what?"
Mitsuro's confident smile returned. "Remember when I told you I was leaving the village? Well, this is the plan. We can't just run off in the middle of the day. I might be a skilled ninja, but you're not ready yet. It would only take half a day before they realize you're missing, and then the whole clan would be out searching. We'd all be caught."
The children lowered their heads, ashamed.
In a softer voice, Mitsuro continued, "But… I didn't want to go without you. You're not just my students—you're my family. And you don't abandon family."
Tears welled up in their eyes. Several of them whispered at once, "Sensei…"
Mitsuro waved a hand. "Enough, enough. Let me finish. Here's the plan: we'll stay in this cave for a while—two, maybe three months… maybe a bit longer. Long enough for everyone to give up searching. Then, we slip quietly out of the village."
He went over to a shelf and pulled out some notebooks and papers.
"These are your new identities. Starting today, you'll practice until you know your names and backstories by heart. With these, a few months from now, we'll stroll right past the guards and walk out of here."
Daiki's voice rose, heavy with protest:
" But Sensei! I want to become a ninja! I thought this escape was just for a couple of days... I don't want to leave the village!"
Hiroshi immediately backed him up:
" He's right, Sensei! If we leave the village, how am I ever supposed to become Hokage?"
Mitsuro looked at the two of them in silence, calm and steady, as if the answer had been waiting on his lips all along. Then he gave a faint smile.
" We're not leaving forever. Just for a little while. I promise, when we come back, you'll have experiences none of your peers could even dream of. Then everyone will see you for what you truly are: real ninjas. Think about it… even this hiding shows how well you can blend into the shadows. That's what being a ninja means."
The kids quieted down a little.
" Really?"
" Really."
" Really really?"
" Really really! Don't you trust me?"
None of them could answer. Their faces wavered somewhere between doubt and hope.
Daiki muttered again under his breath:
" But… staying away so long without permission… what if they don't let us come back?"
Mitsuro chuckled.
" You know Lady Tsunade?"
The kids all answered at once:
" No!"
" Strange… she's one of the most legendary ninjas our village has ever known—the strongest kunoichi ever born. And right now, she's outside the village. No permission, nothing. Do you think if she decided to return, anyone would dare stand in her way?"
Hikaru spoke hesitantly:
" Because… she's strong?"
" Exactly. Because she's strong. So you need to become strong too—so strong no one would ever dare stop you from coming back."
Excitement lit up in their eyes. Together, they cried:
" Okay, Sensei! Whatever you say!"
Mitsuro let out a quiet sigh of relief. His smile deepened; he thought he had managed to calm them. But right then, a strange chill seized his throat. Something wasn't right. His eyes swept over the children: one, two, three, four… five. Or rather—five and a half.
His brows knitted together. He spun around sharply.
" Kids… where's Shiro?"
A heavy silence fell. The only sound was the slow drip of water from the cave's ceiling echoing like a drum.
Mitsuro raised the torch higher, shadows twisting across the walls.
Two hours. Just two hours until the Uchiha massacre.