Amber leaves spiraled through the air, caught in a brisk wind that whispered through the canopy. The forest, cloaked in twilight stirred as two figures leapt from branch to branch.
Uchiha Shinichi, just eight years old, moved with quiet precision. His raven-black hair, brushed with a faint blue sheen, hung in tousled layers around his neck like ink-stained feathers. He wore a deep navy jacket padded for winter, trimmed with white fur, the Uchiha crest stitched proudly on his back.
Beside him, Hatake Sakumo kept pace. His spiky silver hair shimmered like frost in the fading light, and his cobalt winter jacket with silver fur trim glinting like frost, bore the Hatake clan symbol etched on both shoulders.
Sakumo had recently begun sending a shadow clone to attend the Academy – just like Shinichi.
For the past month, they had trained together.
Mostly, Shinichi taught him.
"So, what's the plan today?" Sakumo asked, his breath visible in the chill. "More Taijutsu, kenjutsu, and shuriken drills?"
Shinichi didn't answer immediately. He was pondering.
He had observed Sakumo's swordsmanship. Hatake-style kenjutsu was deceptively simple with no flourished or wasted motion. Just eight fundamental slashes: two vertical, two horizontal, four diagonal. Multiplied across six directions – front, back, left, right, above, and below.
Total of forty-eight slashes.
Once mastered, they flowed into an endless rhythm with both offense and defense intertwined. The strikes were deceptively languid, but bore the weight of intent that pressured the opponent's instincts, disrupting their rhythm, and dragging their reactions into hesitation.
'A solid foundation. No gaps. No excess. That's what makes it lethal. And if this kenjutsu can incorporate elemental release…'
"Sakumo," Shinichi said, "do you know your elemental affinity?"
"Oh! I have wind and lightning affinity."
"Have you mastered nature transformation and shape manipulation?"
"No. Not yet."
"Then let's start there."
Shinichi raised his hand.
Chakra bloomed at his fingertips – fire, wind, lightning, earth, and water. Five distinct hues flickered like miniature lanterns.
Sakumo stared in awe.
"For lightning, Shinichi explained, "collide chakra at high speed to create sparks. If that fails, try vibrating your chakra, like a tuning fork. That generates lightning too."
Shinichi demonstrated as his hand once covered in chakra crackled into a jagged filament of lightning dancing around his hand.
"For wind, capture the ambient air and rotate part of your chakra against a stationary flow, like grinding a blade on a whetstone. This is the key to wind's cutting power. Sharpen that flow."
This time, Shinichi's chakra started to sharpen and create a high-pitched whistling noise.
"Once you sense the elemental shift, memorize it and practice it. That's nature transformation."
Sakumo nodded and began to mold his chakra.
Shinichi watched for a moment, then turned to his own training.
***
Sakumo sat cross-legged on a flat stone.
He steadied his breath and recalled Shinichi's words.
[For wind, capture the ambient air and rotate it or grind it like a blade on a whetstone.]
He closed his eyes, extended his hands, and molded chakra.
He visualized a blade against a whetstone. One chakra stream remained still, while the other rotated in a fast, tight, circular motion.
Sakumo felt resistance and friction began to build.
Then –
Whooosh!
A sharp breeze whipped around his palm, slicing a nearby leaf.
The leaf drifted to the ground.
He picked it up. Its edges were nicked.
'Interesting….'
A spark of insight ignited in his mind.
He tried again.
This time, he placed a fresh leaf between his hand and rotated his chakra.
The wind like chakra blades formed and dispersed rapidly.
Scratches began to form on the leaves.
'No. it's too scattered.'
He concentrated harder.
whoosh.
The leaf split perfectly in half.
He then picked up a pebble from the ground.
Moments later–
Crack
The pebble successfully split in half.
'So this is wind chakra…'
---
Next, he turned to lightning.
He focused on collision.
Two streams of chakra, one from each hand, met in his palm.
Sparks flicked, then fizzled away.
He tried again.
This time, he vibrated the chakra in rapid oscillations, like a tuning fork.
A faint crackle danced across his fingertips.
'I can feel it.. but it's not stable.'
He fine-tuned the oscillations, slowing the rhythm to a hum, then accelerating it into a frenzied buzz, chasing the elusive resonance of lightning.
Suddenly–
Zzzzztt!
A thin arc of lightning snapped between his fingers, crackling with raw energy like a serpent of storm light.
Sakumo's eyes widened.
'That's it. That's the Sensation Shinichi described.'
He held the charge for a few seconds before letting it dissipate
His hands tingled.
But he smiled.
***
As the sun dipped below the horizon, the two packed their gear.
"How's your progress?" Shinichi asked.
"Oh! Thanks to you, I've already grasped wind nature transformation! And I think I'm close with lightning too. It's just an inch away."
Shinichi smiled.
"You're a genius, Sakumo."
Sakumo gave a wry smile.
'If I'm a genius… then what are you, Shinichi? Monster? God?'
Shinichi's gaze softened.
He saw in Sakumo a reflection of his own journey; his climb from war orphan to Grandmaster in his past life.
Unlike Shinichi, who carried memories and knowledge from another world, Sakumo was building his strength from scratch
And yet–
He was rising fast.
"I saw you practicing with the leaf and pebble earlier," Shinichi said. "That was impressive. How did you think of that?"
Sakumo smiled.
"Actually… I learned it from you."
"?"
Shinichi tilted his head.
"I remembered the games you created in the Academy. From walking on sand, to mud, to water. I just applied the same logic."
Shinichi laughed as he took his step.
"Your adaptability is remarkable. You truly are the brightest star among the sea of stars."
Sakumo shook his head helplessly.
And followed Shinichi home.
***
That night, Sakumo entered his room through the window.
His shadow clone glanced nervously at him–
Then dispelled.
"!"
Sakumo turned sharply.
Hatake Tagayachi stood in the corner, leaning against the wall beside the window.
Sakumo hadn't sensed his chakra signature until now.
"F– father."
Tagayachi approached silently.
*Sakumo's name is derived from sakumotsu (作物: agricultural product) and Kakashi (案山子) means scarecrow. So I made Sakumo's father's name Tagayachi (農地: farm land).
Tagayachi was Hatake clan's veteran shinobi and the youngest elder of the clan. He had a spiky silver hair and a signature jagged scar across his left brow.
Since Sakumo's mother passed after his birth, Tagayachi had tried his best to raise Sakumo with care. But the duty often kept him away.
To Sakumo, he was strict, indifferent, and always serious.
Sakumo braced himself, eyes squeezed shut, anticipating the cold sting of reprimand
Instead–
A hand touched his head, followed by a light pat and a gentle ruffle.
Sakumo slowly opened his eyes in confusion.
"Father?"
Tagayachi's lips curled in to smile awkwardly, as if his face had forgotten how to express warmth.
"So... You've been training while sending your shadow clone to the Academy?"
"uhh... yes?"
"With Uchiha Shinichi?"
Sakumo nodded.
"..."
Tagayachi folded his arms and closed his eyes.
'Uchiha...'
The Uchiha had long been a topic of interest and concern within Konoha and the Hatake clan.
Even before Sosuke's inauguration and Konoha's founding, Hatake was seen as pro-Uchiha. They weren't allies and they weren't exactly neutral either, but they were close enough to spark rumors.
Their proximity had bred misunderstanding.
Senju elders had even issued subtle warnings after Sosuke's inauguration ceremony.
'The Uchiha-Senju war has evolved into political warfare. Is it wise to let Sakumo train with the Uchiha prodigy?'
Tagayachi opened his eyes and met Sakumo's gaze.
"Uchiha Shinichi... Are you satisfied training with him?"
Sakumo nodded carefully.
"Yes. My skills and strength have improved exponentially. His ideas and training methods are highly advanced and enlightening."
"I see..." Tagayachi nodded.
"Then continue training hard."
He turned and left.
Sakumo stood in silence.
"That's it?..."