Chapter 10: Whispers of the Future
The finality in the Hokage's tone was absolute. With a silent, respectful bow, Iruka turned and left the office, the heavy door clicking shut behind him. Alone once more, Sarutobi Hiruzen turned his chair to face the large window, his gaze sweeping over the vibrant tapestry of Konoha. His eyes, old and weary, eventually settled upon the stern, stone faces carved into the Hokage Mountain. He saw the legacy he was sworn to protect, and within it, the unpredictable spark of a boy named Kamikawa Hiraoka.
Time, as it always does, flowed onward. A month slipped by, marked not by dramatic events but by the subtle shifts of daily life. For Kamikawa Hiraoka, it was a period of… consolidation.
His bond with Hinata had deepened into something sweet and steady. Her shy smiles were now accompanied by a trusting warmth when he held her hand. And then there was Yamanaka Ino. Her initial boldness had been successfully channeled into a fierce, open affection. Hiraoka managed the delicate balance between them with a charm that felt effortless, ensuring both felt uniquely special in his presence.
Lying on his bed one night, bathed in the cool light of a full moon, Hiraoka allowed his mind to wander beyond the present. The future stretched out before him, a canvas of possibilities.
Who next? he mused, a strategic planner even in his fantasies. Tenten? Skilled, cheerful, reliable. A solid choice, but we're not in the same class yet. Haruno Sakura? He inwardly shuddered. Too much temper, too much drama. The return on investment seems low. Temari of the Sand? A fascinating prospect, but the distance is a logistical nightmare for now.
The list went on, a mental catalog of the kunoichi he'd encountered in his past life's knowledge. Shizune, with her quiet competence; even Hinata's younger sister, Hanabi, crossed his mind for a fleeting, ambitious moment. The sheer scale of his own aspirations was dizzying.
"Ugh, too many choices," he muttered to the ceiling, a wry grin on his face. "I'll just have to see who fate puts in my path." It was a convenient philosophy for a budding opportunist.
It was then that a more pressing thought jolted him. He sat up abruptly, his playful mood vanishing. "That's right. How could I forget?"
His gaze sharpened, focusing on a distant telephone pole silhouetted against the luminous moon. For a hallucinatory second, his mind's eye superimposed a figure upon it—a lithe, masked form clad in the armor of the ANBU. A tantō was strapped to its back, the blade seeming to gleam with a phantom wetness. As the figure turned, its eyes swirled into a bloody crimson, the tomoe within spinning and merging until they formed a chilling, tri-bladed pattern.
A Sharingan. The Mangekyo.
A cold tremor, entirely separate from the night's chill, ran down Hiraoka's spine. He blinked, and the vision was gone. The pole stood empty. But the foreknowledge it represented was a heavy weight. The Uchiha compound. It would happen tonight.
The next morning, the world had changed, though the sun rose the same as always. Hiraoka walked to the academy, the events of the night a silent scream only he could hear.
"Hiraoka-kun!"
The voices, one soft and one bright, pulled him from his thoughts. He turned to see Hinata and Ino approaching. He crafted a warm, easy smile for them, a mask of normalcy.
"Hinata, Ino. What a pleasant surprise to meet you both here."
He fell into step between them, naturally taking one of each of their hands. Ino, ever confident, laced her fingers with his after a moment's initial surprise. Hinata, however, flushed a deep scarlet, her eyes fixed firmly on the ground, her breathing a little too quick. The simple contact sent a jolt through her entire being, a reaction Hiraoka noted with a flicker of internal satisfaction.
In the classroom, he orchestrated their seating, arranging himself squarely between the two girls. He basked in the envious glances from the other boys and the admiring, wistful looks from the girls. It was a perfect picture of academy life.
The picture shattered when Uchiha Sasuke walked in.
Hiraoka's eyes, sharpened by his knowledge, saw the subtle cracks others missed. The arrogance was still there, but it was brittle, a facade over a deep-seated anxiety. There was a new tension in his shoulders, a restlessness in his eyes that hadn't been there before. The pressure from his family, the whispers of a coup, the weight of expectations—it was all there, simmering just beneath the surface. To everyone else, he was just the cool Uchiha prodigy. To Hiraoka, he was a tragedy waiting for its final act.
Kamikawa Hiraoka watched him for a long moment, then slowly turned back to his companions, his smile never slipping. But internally, his thoughts were cold and clear.
Soon. It will happen very soon.
#######
Do you guys perfer harem or solo female lead?
GIMME ALL YOUR STONES