Kuroha woke up with a headache sharp enough to qualify as a crime. She sat up and immediately knew her chakra felt wrong – thin, stretched, like a thread pulled too far.
Still, habit was habit.
She formed the Shadow Clone seal.
Poof.
A clone appeared – wobbled – then sagged like an undercooked noodle.
"…Seriously?"
The clone blinked at her, looked offended by its own existence, and vanished into smoke.
She groaned into her hands: Right. Lightning training yesterday – Maybe five hours straightwith shadow clones was excessive.
[Yesterday afternoon]
The backyard was littered with evidence of her experiments: a bowl of water swirling unevenly, a pile of rock crumbs, a sheet of sliced leaves, charcoal that still smouldered faintly.
Miyuki walked outside, took one look, and pinched the bridge of her nose.
"Kuroha. Why are you doing all five elemental affinity exercises at once?"
Kuroha wiped sweat from her chin. "…Efficiency?"
"That's called chaos," Miyuki corrected, stepping closer. "Show me."
Kuroha listed them off: "Lightning goes really well," she said. "Wind is decent. Fire is… fire. Water hates me. Earth hates me more."
Miyuki stared at the bowl of water, which at that moment stopped swirling and sloshed in defeat.
"…Accurate assessment," she agreed dryly.
Then she held out a sheet of chakra paper. "Test your nature properly nether the less."
Kuroha took it, channelled chakra–and the paper crumpled sharply, folding in jagged ridges.
Miyuki nodded once. "As expected, Lightning is your primary element."
Miyuki crossed her arms. "Lightning favours people with chakra precision. It's not my strongest nature, but I can teach you a few basics."
She formed a seal. A small, tight sphere of crackling blue light appeared in her palm, vibrating intensely.
"Lightning Release: Lightning Ball," Miyuki said. "Lightweight, fast, easy to scale. Watch the chakra layering."
Kuroha leaned forward, analysing every shift in her mother's hand.
"Your turn," Miyuki said.
Kuroha inhaled and focused.
Chakra brightened in her palm – then burst into crackling static forming something similar to a sphere before dissipating in all direction even scorching a tiny patch in the dirt. "…That was awful," she said flatly.
"It was a first try and better than what most would be able to do after their tenth" Miyuki answered. Calm down."
Kuroha scowled quietly.
"Your affinity is undeniable" Miyuki added, smirking a little, "Lightning will come naturally. If you don't overdo it and kill yourself first."
Kuroha had, at the time, dismissed that warning.
"Why did I not do as mother said, I am such an idiot" I grumble bitterly, as I drag myself to class like someone walking to their own execution – because it definitely is! They want to kill me I tell you. Otherwise, there is no reason to make academy so boring.
The instructor was energetically discussing pre-war diplomatic breakdowns:
"…and as you know, tensions escalated due to territorial disputes with Kumogakure, ultimately leading to the Third Great Ninja—"
When the bell finally rang, she nearly shouted "freedom" but settled for an internal scream: FINALLY.
Break time meant training time. Well—light training time.
My normal training in the middle of the playground would definitely send the wrong message.
So, I found a secluded corner of the yard and began form work for the Body Flicker.
I blurred forward. Decent. Not perfect.
Again.
"You know, most people take breaks during break time."
My head snapped toward the voice, instinct flaring – and there I saw a boy leaning against a nearby tree, posture relaxed, armes crossed loosely head like he'd been watching her for a while.
Uchiha Shisui.
Two years older. A prodigy. The final straw for Itachi's decision.
He gave her a small, polite smile—not cocky, not intrusive, just… curious.
"Sorry," he added. "Didn't mean to startle you. I just noticed you practicing Body Flicker."
I composed herself, breathing once. "It's fine."
He stepped closer, studying the lingering chakra in the air with the calm precision of someone who understood exactly what he was looking at.
"You're pretty dedicated," he said. "Most first-years don't try this until much later."
"You make it sound like a flaw," I muttered.
"It isn't," Shisui replied, voice gentler than his grin. "Just uncommon."
He tilted his head slightly, eyes sharpening—not judgmental, just perceptive.
"You're Miyuki-san's kid, right? Saw you at the last clan meeting."
Kuroha blinked. "I didn't see you."
"That's the goal," Shisui said lightly. "Staying unseen makes leaving early much easier."
Shisui moved to her side, keeping a respectful distance. "May I?"
I nodded.
He tapped a spot just behind her shoulder. "When you Flicker, don't focus only on your feet. Your whole body has to commit. If the chakra pools too low, the technique drags."
I inhaled, reset her posture, and tried again – blur – clean, smooth, nearly sharp.
Shisui exhaled softly, impressed but not dramatic. "Wow. You really pick things up fast."
A tiny smile tugged at my mouth. "Finally someone close to my age who can keep up."
Shisui smirked, but it was a warm expression. "Then we'll get along."
They started walking back toward the building.
After a moment, Shisui asked: "So… what do you think of the new Hokage?"
I blinked. "Minato-sama?"
"Mm." His tone was carefully neutral. Curious, not pushing.
I answered honestly. "He seems… brilliant. And too kind for his own good."
Shisui huffed a quiet laugh. "That's what I thought."
Then his expression shifted – thoughtful, faintly serious.
"Peace under a man like him might actually work," he said quietly. "But the village… moves slowly. Some people aren't ready for change."
He didn't elaborate. Didn't need to.
And just like that, the bell rang, pulling them back into the monotony of Academy life.
[Later that day]
Her parents were both working late. She was starving and really exhausted.
Ichiraku was close. Perfect.
She stepped inside – and froze.
At the counter sat two figures no one could mistake:
Blonde hair like sunlight.
Red hair like a living flame.
She immediately pivoted to leave.
Kushina turned. "Hey—hey! Don't run off! Old man Teuchi'll kill me if I scare off customers!"
Kuroha stopped like a trapped animal. "…I can come back later."
"Nope," Kushina said cheerfully, patting the stool next to her.
"Sit. Eat. Relax. I promise we don't bite."