The chill of early autumn crept through the trees of Konoha like an unspoken promise. Leaves tinged with amber and gold whispered overhead as the academy bell rang, signaling the start of another day. The children poured into the school courtyard, jostling, laughing, and whispering conspiratorially. Somewhere among them, a trio moved differently.
Renji, his dark-blue eyes half-lidded with calm and observation, moved with unhurried grace. Beside him, Naruto bounded with infectious energy, oblivious to the weight Renji sometimes carried behind his eyes. And trailing slightly, Hinata clutched the strap of her satchel with both hands, her eyes flickering to Renji's back more often than she meant them to.
"Field Assignment"
"Class, today you'll be working in field teams," Iruka announced. "You'll simulate a basic retrieval mission outside the village walls. Each group will retrieve one of these scrolls hidden in the Training Grounds and return without being caught by one of the instructors patrolling the area."
Gasps and muttering followed, a mix of excitement and nerves. Iruka silenced them with a clap.
"Team assignments are posted. Dismissed!"
Renji didn't move right away. His gaze was fixed on the window, looking past his own reflection to the Training Grounds he already knew by heart. Memories not his own whispered beneath his skin—strategies, angles, what it meant to stay hidden, to strike unseen. He didn't know where those skills came from. Not yet. But they pulsed through him like instinct.
Naruto's voice broke his thoughts.
"Renji! Hinata! We're on the same team!" he grinned, holding up the assignment sheet like a trophy.
"Into the Field"
Team 6, as they were labeled, moved into the thick underbrush near the base of the cliff at Training Ground Seven. The mission was simple: retrieve a scroll from a marked tree, avoid detection, return. But to Renji, it wasn't just an exercise—it was a dance.
"Naruto, be bait," Renji said quietly.
"Wha—why me?!"
"Because you're the loudest."
Hinata giggled softly, the sound like the chime of a small bell. She looked between the two boys and nodded.
"I'll go high," she murmured, pointing at a tree branch. "Keep lookout."
Renji's plan unfolded with startling efficiency. Naruto dashed around deliberately making noise while Iruka and Mizuki were drawn toward him. Renji moved in the opposite direction, ducking into the shadows of the trees. He didn't dash—he flowed. A predator not in haste, but in sync with every leaf and footfall.
He reached the tree marked with a white strip of cloth. The scroll was there, tied high. Without hesitation, he jumped—higher than an Academy student should. Almost too high.
Landing with the scroll in hand, he paused. That jump. Not normal.
Not yours.
That same internal voice. It came more frequently now.
"Caught… or Not?"
They regrouped at the return point, scroll in hand. Mizuki emerged from the woods, smirking.
"Well done, Team 6… too well done." He narrowed his eyes at Renji. "Where'd you learn to move like that, boy?"
Renji didn't answer. Naruto stepped up instead, nose wrinkling. "Why do you care, huh?"
"Just curious," Mizuki muttered. "Keep your eyes on this one, Iruka."
Iruka looked at Renji but said nothing.
"The Quiet Moment"
Later that evening, Renji sat under the same tree where the scroll had been tied. The sky bled into shades of orange and pink. He was alone until he heard soft footsteps.
"I saw you," Hinata said quietly, emerging from behind the brush.
Renji raised a brow.
"When you jumped. That wasn't normal," she said. Her voice wasn't accusatory—just observant, and a little breathless.
Renji looked up at the canopy. "Yeah… I know."
Hinata sat beside him, legs tucked under her. "I won't tell anyone. But… who are you, really?"
He looked at her, long and unreadable. Then, a half-smile.
"I'm still figuring that out."
She blushed, lowering her gaze.
"But whoever I am," he added, "I like sitting beside you."
END OF CHAPTER 10