Year Six of Konoha's Founding
Kenichi Sato's Age: 10
End of July – One Day After the First Hokage's Departure
---
The morning was unusually bright. But within the heart of the academy, something felt different.
Kenichi sat in his usual corner of the courtyard, replaying the details of yesterday's training, when he felt the air shift. Ever since the First Hokage's departure, the village had been moving to a different rhythm—as if even the stone paths were anticipating something unspoken.
Suddenly, one of the instructors entered hastily, carrying a red scroll sealed with the Hokage's emblem. He unrolled it before everyone and began reading in a clear voice:
> "By order of the High Command, a special examination will be held for all academy students next week. This test will determine who qualifies for early graduation and admission into a specialized training program."
Murmurs spread across the rows. The shock was obvious, but Kenichi remained silent… his eyes merely scanning the scene, as though watching a painting he already knew the ending of.
---
"Does this... mean we'll have to fight?" Dai whispered beside him, eyes wide.
Kenichi replied without looking at him:
"It means the war is coming."
That uneasy pulse in his chest—the one that had woken him before dawn—was still there, echoing like the aftermath of a battle no one mentioned… yet he somehow remembered.
Before sunrise that day, he had a strange dream: two brothers standing on a cliff, one raising his hand in silence, the other shouting:
> "If you choose this path... there's no turning back."
Then, a flash… and shadows scattered across the surface of the water. He had awakened with sweat on his neck, but the memory remained clear.
---
After class, the instructors gathered the students in the training yard.
The head instructor spoke:
> "The exam will consist of three stages: physical, theoretical, and combat. The final selection will be based on overall performance."
"How many will pass?" one student asked.
The instructor paused, then said:
> "Only six."
A heavy silence followed. Six out of dozens?
Dai exhaled and muttered,
"If I make it… I'll run around the village ten times from joy. Or maybe cry first, then run!"
Then he turned to Kenichi, smiling:
"Will you train with me tonight?"
Kenichi answered quietly,
"Not this time. I have a different plan… and I need time alone."
He smiled faintly, but said no more. His mind was occupied. Since the announcement, he'd begun crafting mental scenarios. How to use the sensory wave? Could it be improved? Could he merge Water Breathing with chakra for a rapid strike?
But suddenly, he stopped.
Something deep inside told him: This is not the time for invention.
He must be among the six. There was no other option.
---
That evening, he was alone in the backyard. The grass was damp, and the air was filled with the scent of old rain.
He knelt down and began his breathing exercises—slowly—then suddenly opened his eyes and whispered:
> "This isn't just an academy anymore. This… is the first real test."
He looked up toward the sky… there were few stars, but they shone clearly.
He could feel the coldness of the earth beneath his knees, and a faint shiver in his limbs despite the still air.
As if the universe itself were testing the steadiness of his heart.
---
Far from the village's eyes, the First Hokage stood atop a damp rock overlooking a deep valley. The air there was thick with moisture… and something else—something like guilt.
He didn't need to turn when he heard the footsteps behind him.
He spoke softly:
"I came alone, Madara. Just like we used to… no hatred, no armies."
Madara replied in a voice like stone:
"But the children grew up, and Konoha became a trap for them."
Hashirama finally turned to him.
"I wanted you to build it with me."
"And I wanted you to understand me. But you chose to be a saint in a world that doesn't tolerate saints."
For a moment, Hashirama felt that the past itself had returned to stand between them—more than the present ever could. But he said:
"If I lose you today, it will be my greatest defeat. And if I kill you… it'll be the ending I never wanted."
He extended his hand—not to draw a blade, but as if offering one final chance.
But Madara simply activated his Sharingan and whispered:
> "Forget our names. Let the beasts speak."
Only then did Hashirama sheath his sorrow… and the ground began to quake.
As if the earth itself were watching to see… who would rise, and who would fall.