The midday sun beat down on the Ninja Academy courtyard, making the air thick with heat.
Raizen Uchiha stood among the new genin, waiting.
The crowd was smaller than at graduation—only the graduates now, scattered in loose groups, their voices a low murmur.
A few steps away, Riku stood with his arms crossed, fingers tapping against his elbow. Raizen kept his hands still in his pockets, his forehead protector catching the light as he watched the platform ahead.
Hiroki-sensei stepped forward, a stack of scrolls tucked under his arm. His graying hair shimmered in the sun as he spoke, his rough voice cutting through the chatter.
"Quiet down. Team assignments—listen up, I'm only saying this once."
He unrolled the first scroll and read, "Team Seven: Riku Uchiha, Kenta Hyūga, Mari Inuzuka. Sensei—Fugaku Uchiha."
A wave of whispers spread through the group. Raizen glanced at Riku, who straightened, a smirk creeping onto his face.
Fugaku Uchiha was well-known—a young jonin with a sharp mind and little patience. Raizen had seen him before, giving orders at the compound gates, his stance firm and unshaken. Riku's team gathered—Kenta, a quiet boy with pale Hyūga eyes, and Mari, a wiry girl with wild hair and an eager grin. A strong team. Riku would fit right in.
Hiroki continued, listing names and clans—Aburame, Sarutobi, and the expected Ino-Shika-Cho trio landing on Team Eight. The list shrank. Raizen waited. Then, Hiroki's voice rang out again.
"Team Nine: Raizen Uchiha, Yumi Inuzuka, Kenji Hyūga. Sensei—Kuroda Senju."
Raizen's breath caught for a second. A Senju. He didn't know Kuroda—had never heard his name mentioned around the compound or training grounds—but the clan itself meant something.
The Uchiha and Senju had a long history, their rivalry shaping Konoha's foundation. He scanned the crowd and spotted his new teammates moving toward him.
Yumi Inuzuka was lean and sharp-eyed, her dark hair tied back, a small gray pup trotting at her heels. Kenji Hyūga stood beside her, taller than Kenta, his pale eyes calm but piercing. Raizen gave them a small nod. Yumi returned it with a quick grin, Kenji with a slight dip of his head.
"Meet your sensei tomorrow," Hiroki said, rolling up the scroll. "Dawn, training ground three. Don't be late."
With that, the courtyard broke into movement. Teams gathered, their voices rising in conversation.
Riku caught Raizen's eye and gave a casual salute before turning back to his team. Raizen ignored it, his mind stuck on one thought. Kuroda Senju.
As the sun climbed higher, he left the courtyard, weaving through Konoha's busy streets.
The village carried on as usual—vendors calling out prices, shinobi moving across rooftops—but something about it felt different. Tense.
He remembered hearing Toren mention it once—Kumo scouts spotted near the border, Iwa growing restless. The war wasn't here yet, but it was close.
When he reached the Uchiha compound, the quiet was familiar. The lanterns were unlit in the daylight, the pathways mostly empty except for a few kids playing between houses.
Raizen cut through the garden, stepping over dry weeds. He paused by the old well, his eyes drifting to the spot where he had seen the ash that morning. The ground was clean now, swept away by the wind, but the memory stuck with him. A faint mark, almost like a word, gone too fast to understand.
He crouched and ran his fingers over the dirt. Nothing. Just dry earth.
"Raizen."
The voice was rough and familiar. He stood up as Toren stepped onto the porch. His father's cloak was covered in dust, his face lined with exhaustion, a kunai pouch still strapped to his hip. He had been gone for three days—probably a patrol mission—and looked it.
"Graduated, huh," Toren said.
Raizen nodded. "Yesterday."
Toren's eyes flicked to the headband before he asked, "Your team?"
"Nine. Our sensei is a Senju—Kuroda."
For a brief moment, something dark crossed Toren's face. "A Senju," he muttered. He didn't say anything else. Instead, he turned and stepped inside, the door sliding shut behind him.
Raizen stayed where he was, the silence feeling heavier now. He glanced once more at the ground, then followed his father inside. But the thought of the ash lingered in his mind, like something just out of reach.