The streets of Konoha felt different now. Three years had passed since I began training under Mira. Time had a funny way of moving when you were busy bending the world to your will—or at least trying to.
Mira hadn't let me idle once if it concerns Fuinjutsu. Every day was chakra drills, calligraphy exercises and I added elemental training, and physical conditioning. I could walk on trees like gravity was optional, skim water like it owed me something, and my chakra control? – Let's just say even Mira is impressed and that old man is impressed by Nothing!
The streets of Konoha looked… surprisingly normal. For a village halfway through a war.
I passed a small group of villagers clustered near the market, whispering as they passed a wooden signboard.
"Minato's leading the charge," one said, voice low but excited. "Konoha's winning, finally. Hopefully, it'll end soon."
A younger merchant nodded, tugging at the corner of his sleeve. "Iwagakure would've already been crushed if the other villages hadn't intervened. "But their eyes were not as bright as their words.
And yet… the atmosphere felt heavier than their words. My mind wandered back a few years ago, to a different Konoha.
Confident, bright-eyed, almost scary in its bravado. Everyone wore smiles like armour, fake or real, but it didn't matter. They believed in themselves, in Konoha, in the war. Some even seemed happy about it.
Now… not so much. Orphans ran through alleys, some with eyes older than their years. Adults shuffled past faces tight with worry and exhaustion, the masks thinner, the cracks showing. Confidence had been replaced by bitter survival.
I made my way toward the Academy. In just a few days, I would enroll, and I wanted to see the place before I officially became part of it. I half-expected some grand marble-and-wood palace of learning. Instead… rustic. Simple. Humble. Well, there is a war ongoing, so the lacking funding does make sense.
On my way back, I detoured. Ichiraku. Because some things deserved consistency. I slid onto a bench at the counter. "Two of my usual Teuchi." – He was already waited behind the ramen counter, giving me a smile.
"You're here again," he said, passing me a warm bowl. "I suppose training hasn't broken you yet."
"Obviously," I replied, picking up my chopsticks with a grin. "So do you have any news?" -
He lowered his voice. "Heard from a customer—won't be too long before the war ends. But… it'll take a bit longer than most think. Huge batch coming back soon, injured from the front. The line stabilized thanks to Minato. Only time will tell after that."
I nodded, slurping a bite of noodles, letting the warmth fill me.
"Thanks for the meal, but I should go back to training – keep the change" I said while already getting up to leave.