The classroom was larger than expected as we filed in and found our seats, with mine, of course, being next to Minato. If luck had it to meet early in the morning, I wasn't going to waste the chance of a lifetime. Looking around, all the same faces were there, everyone who took the entry tests, some of them looking a bit sleepy, some prepared for the coming lessons, while some looked at me with... anger? What the hell is your problem? What the hell did I do? Of course, it was Arai, the other Uchiha besides me... Eh. Who cares. I have neither the time nor the mind to get into some weird beefing, especially since the Head Instructor arrived perfectly on time, sliding the door open with a loud thud.
Even his footsteps carried a military-style beat, but they were a bit off-rhythm, confirming I was right. He was injured in the Second Shinobi World War. But my actual questions were more than that, and I couldn't ask them to anyone... Ugh. One issue with decades-long series is that they tend to accumulate plot holes. And inconsistencies... Yet here I am, living in one of them. Hopefully, whatever timeline I was dropped into won't just change on me, telling me that the war wasn't really over, this and that character changing ages on me, or something else... Haaaah. I need a history lesson to properly catch up on where I really am... Timeline-wise, that is. To my surprise, I almost exclaimed because Shinno-sensei wrote a simple sentence on the blackboard before turning towards us.
"History of Konoha."
I felt the back of my neck straighten instinctively. I was asking for it... and here it is. Does he have the skills to read minds? I hope not.
"Listen well," He turned, his arms folded before his chest, "Because this is one of the most important lessons a shinobi must remember. To understand what you protect," he said, "you must first understand how it was built."
With that, without looking, he drew a long line across the board, a timeline, simple but clean. Thank you! I wanted to say, but held it back, my eyes fixed on what he was writing.
"Before this village," he began, "the world was full of bloody chaos. The great clans occupying the land fought endlessly for both coin and the pride of their clans. No matter where we look, it is the same... Dozens, if not hundreds, of such clans existed once, employed by the warring lords and, by sheer happenstance, constantly fighting and eradicating each other. So much so that some clans became so good at eliminating their competition that they were constantly getting pitted against each other. If someone hired one of them, then it was a given that their rivals would step up on the opposite side. Here, in our Land of Fire, two such clans fought for centuries, no matter the battlefield... The Senju and Uchiha. The strongest of them all."
"..." Several kids leaned forward, including Arai Uchiha, who puffed his chest slightly. I tried not to roll my eyes, only catching Minato's gaze, who was also looking at me. In the end, I just shrugged, making him smile, as we kept listening, without interrupting.
"Two men rose to prominence in those days," Shinno continued, "and they grew tired of burying their brothers. One of them was Hashirama Senju, the head of the Senju clan, while the other was named Madara Uchiha, the leader of the Uchiha clan. Forgoing centuries of bloodshed, they decided that their clans would work together, instead of killing each other, until they would both suffer and may face the sad truth: getting wiped out by a third party... So... They built a village where children could grow without fear, where strength served unity rather than the greed of some lord of a faraway land. That village, our village, became the Hidden Leaf. Became our home... our Konoha."
He paused then, letting us all chew through his words, drawing up the timeline of the establishment of the village. On the other hand, I was almost raising my hand to add some details, which he obviously skipped over... Huh. I wonder... how much of that is common knowledge? I guess not all of it, especially not about the bloody affairs between the two clans, Madara's brother, the facts about Eternal Mangekyō Sharingans... so on and so on... And if I start babbling, would I be held responsible within the clan? Most likely. Ugh... Okay, Renji, just shut up and listen. There's no need to get into trouble with some knowledge; I have no reason to know about it in the first place.
"The alliance of Senju and Uchiha ended centuries of blood feuds," he continued after a moment, "From their pact came the first Hokage, Lord Hashirama, whose dream became our law. The First Hokage believed peace was possible through trust," Shinno said, his voice betraying his reverence. "Sadly..." He turned serious, "Madara believed it required more control. Their disagreement nearly destroyed everything before it could begin. But even through tragedy, and the death of Madara, the Will of Fire endured, the belief that every generation protects the next. Seeing the peace the village has brought to the clans, more and more clans joined Konoha, making it even stronger, deterring others from laying their hands on ours, on our future! On our next generation. That is what we must always uphold," He turned to face us fully. "To protect that future, that next generation with everything we have."
For a moment, there was nothing but silence as he kept looking at us, one by one, reading our expressions, our eyes, and probably our thoughts. At least, it felt like that way...
"What is the Will of Fire?" he asked suddenly, watching us.
"..." In silence, a few hands hesitated to go up, but then Sayuri Yamanaka blurted it out, "It's… um… loyalty to Konoha?"
"Close," Shinno-sensei said. "But not quite. Listen," He picked up a candle from the corner desk, struck a match, and lit it. "The Will of Fire," he said, holding the candle up, "is the spark that binds us together. Everyone! No matter which clan you are from! It is the truth that we are one family that is shared amongst us all. We are all of Konoha. As such, the flame passes from teacher to student, parent to child, soldier to soldier. So long as this light endures, the Leaf will never fall." He said seriously, placing the candle right before us, "The village comes first, because it is our home and the home of our future. And... The world will test you," he added softly. "Enemies, war, loss, it will come, that is just how life is... It is inevitable. But if you protect this flame, no matter where... in your comrades, in yourselves, in your friends, lovers, or families... you'll protect the village, too. That is the Will of Fire... Because it is not enough to have it yourself, you must help your sisters and brothers to hold onto it... No matter how strong the wind is."
The room stayed silent as we watched. I have to give it to him, the Head Instructor had a way with words... Glancing to my right, even Minato looked spellbound, his pencil unmoving halfway through a note, only listening and watching the candle.
"After Konoha was established," Shinno-sensei straightened, going back to the blackboard, "Our first Hokage built the dream, but he couldn't live long enough to see it flourish. After his death, his brother, the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, gave it a firm structure, building on what came before him. It was thus how the Uchiha Clan became the peackeepers of the village, tasked to ensure that we remain united, that we hold the peace just as much within the village as in the Land of Fire."
Yeah, sure... I know more about that, but... Remember, Renji, just... shut up and listen.
"But then, tragedy struck." The Head Instructor continued, drawing a mark on the timeline, "The First Shinobi World War, where he sacrificed his life, saving not only many, but our current leader, his student, The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi. He was one who protected the village's flame, protected you! You see," He drew up another mark, "You were born after the last great war," he explained, "The Second Shinobi War cost thousands upon thousands of lives, many of them from this very village... Many friends and lovers were never to return here... But our flame held out... This must be understood, children. You must remember... that peace never comes free. It is achieved through the sacrifice of many." With that, his chalk marked a scarred valley on the map next to the blackboard, "Villages rise and fall. There are many that no longer exist, yet ours stands because of the sacrifice of its people." Then, he looked at us, eyes suddenly turning a bit softer. "My leg," he said, tapping the stiff one. "I left it behind on the border. And I would make that trade if asked for it, or even do more for the peace you were born into. I just hope when the time comes that you must do the same, you will be strong enough to see it that way... for our future."
I started to understand why this was the first lesson we would listen to. Even without looking, I could tell that no one breathed, and even Arai stopped fiddling with his pencil or trying to look impressive. This was what you needed if you wanted to raise a loyal generation, huh? Haaaah... I wanted to clap... because it was working!
"That's all for now." He put down the chalk, looking at us, bringing us out of our sudden stupor, and to my surprise, time had flown by like nothing. It was over? Already? "After lunch," He continued, "You will gather in the courtyard for drills. Until then, dismissed."
The tension burst apart the moment he stepped outside, allowing us to move as we liked once again. Most of us immediately spilled into the courtyard, including me, too, as I sat on the steps with Minato. For a long time, I was just looking out of my head, until he nudged me, already finishing half his lunch that was neatly arranged in perfect order, no matter how much he stabbed into it with his chopsticks. Mine looked like a food fight in a box because I was barely paying attention while eating, which made a mess of it.
"Is something wrong, Renjiro?" He glanced at me, noticing how silent I became. "You didn't like the lecture?"
"I did," I said quickly, blinking my thoughts out of my eyes. "It was… stirring. Just, y'know, very official...? That's not the good word... I mean..."
"Hm?" He raised an eyebrow. "You think he left something out?"
"I think he told it how he believes it," I tried, not wanting to say I knew more than probably the current Hokage does. That would be a bit... insane, but it could be the truth. "What I mean is that's not always the same thing."
"I see..." Minato nodded slowly, thoughtful of my words, taking a few bites before speaking again. "Maybe. But belief can make people strong. I see no issues with that."
"True, me neither." I poked at my rice. "Just hope it doesn't make them blind, though. Both things are good: believing in the right thing and questioning ourselves. Blindness, towards both directions, though... I mean... Believing everything or questioning everything can both lead to... bad things. Like protecting someone who experiments on children, in the name of strengthening and protecting the village."
"Honestly," He smiled faintly, shaking his head. "You really do talk like an adult sometimes."
"I am an adult," I grunted. "Otherwise, would they let a kid learn how to throw shurikens at targets?" Then I smirked as I added, "Plus, I'm just ahead of my time."
"You are smarter than you look."
"Whoa, whoa!" I gasped, actually gasped, because that was such a good comeback! So he isn't just a calm prodigy, huh? Ahaha, good, I can work with that! "Hey," I played as if I was hurt, "I can be smart, okay? Sometimes. You should be happy when I am smort. Smart. Damn it."
In answer, he just chuckled again, clearly loosened up compared to how he was yesterday when I approached him before the opening of the Academy. While we ate, the courtyard had also been transformed. By the time we finished, it was time to start training. Chalk lines marked the sparring circles that had been set up, and wooden dummies lined one wall where we could hone our throwing skills.
"Come on, children!" Akira Tenma-sensei arrived, standing in the center with his sleeves rolled up and his headband on his arm. "Form up! Rows of two! What? Deaf?" he clapped, seeing us being a bit slower than he would like, so we scrambled into lines, watching as he paced between us, arms behind his back. "You've all read about combat before entering the Academy," he began, "Maybe you were even taught some tricks by your parents. Well, now you'll remember what it feels like to move for real. We start with a basic stance to move some muscles!" He dropped low into a textbook defensive pose, standing before us, his feet shoulder-width apart, knees bent, fists raised. "Balance is everything, children! Without it, even the strongest chakra is wasted. One cannot exist without the other. If your chakra is high, but your body can't sustain it? You die. If your body is great, but you have no chakra to use? You die." While listening to him, we mirrored his movements, taking in his harsh but true words. A few kids wobbled immediately, though, one even fell, and I heard a chuckle, probably coming from Arai, but Akira-sensei didn't laugh. "Better to fall now than in battle," he said, raising his voice before helping the girl up, who, if I recalled right, was named... Emi. I think. "Again."
The exercises themselves weren't anything complicated, and honestly? I think I was getting bored. There was not much to do, only an hour of drills, stepping, blocking, and striking the air. It was fundamental taijutsu techniques in which I had already received basic training, thanks to my Dad. Still, the rhythm was a bit faster, and when my muscles finally began burning, I loved every second of it. It meant I was improving. The actual fun part was that I'd spent years watching animated fights, yet now I was living in one, doing it frame by frame.
"Not bad, Uchiha," Akira said once, adjusting my elbow. "Your father's been teaching you."
"Yes, sir," I answered honestly.
"Good. But don't rely on your blood too much, or you will get lazy. Always rely on the work you put in equally as much!"
"Um!" I grinned. "Yes, sir!"
When the basic training was over, to my surprise, instead of rest or pause, pair assignments came next.
"Come on! Form pairs! We'll end with light sparring. I will watch over you, and the main reason for this is to test what your body can remember, not to gain victory over your opponent. Understood?" Akira-sensei said, and I was about to ask Minato, because I indeed wanted to spar with him, see the real deal up close and personal... But Sensei had a different idea, "Uchiha Renjiro, Uchiha Arai. Let's see how the clan handles itself, come!"
Of course... Ugh. Pitting Uchiha against Uchiha, huh? Geez... Are we some kind of showcase?
"Hmph," Arai smirked as we stepped into the ring. "Guess they want to see which of us deserves the name, huh?"
"Sure, sure," I shrugged. "Or maybe they just like symmetry."
"..." He bristled at my nonchalant answer, "You think you're funny?"
"Sometimes," I said lightly, "Most of the times, I know I am."
Of course, going tit for tat with Arai was not a hard thing to do, and I could tell he was already angry beyond reason. Good... Angry opponents screw up more easily. Plus, as I guessed, we now had a crowd watching... Except Minato. He stood in the next circle, stretching quietly but watching us out of the corner of his eye. Heh... show off.
"Children," Akira raised his hand. "Bow."
Without going against the customs, I obeyed and bent my back. Just then...
"Heh," Arai's voice dropped just loud enough for me to hear. "Your dad's just a second-rate enforcer... Can't even reach three tomoe in his Sharingan. Yet you dare strutting around?"
"Hm?" I straightened slowly, but my voice was audibly colder, "That's supposed to mean something?"
"Means you are just a second-rate Uchiha. Don't think we are equal..."
"I don't think that... at all. Trust me." I sighed, getting into the basic stance, "You done talking, or do you need a podium to spew a bit more nonsense?"
"You!" he flushed, grinding his teeth, "We'll see who's still smiling after this!"
"Ready?" Akira's hand cut the air, stopping further retorts, "Begin!"