The Academy auditorium had never felt this full.
It wasn't even exam day yet, but the entire building carried the same tension — like a string pulled taut across the village.
Ethan could feel it the moment he stepped inside.
Students clustered in tight groups, murmuring, whispering, comparing techniques they'd mastered or thought they'd mastered. Even the air felt dense, as if chakra itself was circulating just under the skin of every nervous pre-genin.
Naruto practically tackled him the second he walked through the sliding doors.
"ETHAAAN! YOU'RE NOT GONNA BELIEVE THIS!"
Ethan blinked. "…Probably not. What happened?"
Naruto puffed up his chest.
Then deflated.
Then puffed up again.
"Sasuke challenged me."
Ethan silently counted to three.
There it was — the inevitable escalation.
"What kind of challenge?" Ethan asked.
Naruto threw both arms into the air. "A CONTROL CHALLENGE! Like the thing YOU taught us! Movement-based!"
Across the room, Sasuke pretended not to stare at them.
He failed.
Ethan exhaled and rubbed his temples.
Of course the universe would throw this into the week before the academy-wide skill assessment. Of course. Fate had a sense of humor.
Iruka entered the hall then, clipboard under his arm, voice warm but firm.
"Alright everyone! Today's lesson: pre-exam refinement. That means chakra control, technique form, and—"
"AND A CHALLENGE!" Naruto shouted.
Iruka stopped mid-step.
His eyebrow twitched.
"…Naruto, please don't tell me you and Sasuke are planning another—"
"It's supervised," Sasuke cut in, cool and unimpressed. "We're demonstrating."
Iruka pinched the bridge of his nose.
Ethan slowly raised a hand. "I'll oversee it."
Iruka's shoulders dropped in visible relief.
"Yes. Good. Perfect. You three have… balanced each other out recently."
Three dozen students turned in their seats, buzzing with gossip.
Ethan stepped between Naruto and Sasuke, lowering his voice.
"This isn't a fight. It's practice. You hear me?"
Naruto grinned.
Sasuke smirked.
Both nodded.
They were absolutely planning to show off.
---
The Demonstration Begins
The outdoor training yard stretched before them, warm sunlight glinting off chalk lines and wooden dummies. Ethan stood front and center, palms relaxed behind his back — the unofficial referee of the loudest rivalry in the academy.
Naruto inhaled deeply.
Sasuke rolled his shoulders like a miniature jonin.
"Movement Chakra Control," Ethan reminded them. "Not power. Not speed. Precision."
A few students snickered.
Even fewer dared to stand too close.
Naruto stepped up first.
He focused — brows tight, fingers curled — and chakra rose around him like an uneven flame.
Ethan felt the pull of devotion behind it.
The will of someone who desperately wanted to be better.
Then Naruto burst forward.
Wild footwork.
Imperfect, jittery strides.
But controlled.
He kicked off the ground, spun, slid under a low wooden beam, and leapt over a crate — chakra boosting each movement in messy, bright pulses.
He landed with a wobble, but he landed.
The yard burst into cheers.
Naruto's grin was pure sunlight.
Ethan gave him a nod. "Better. Much better."
Sasuke stepped forward then, hands sliding into his pockets.
No theatrics.
Just confidence.
His chakra didn't flare.
It tightened.
Invisible. Controlled. Honed to a thread.
He moved with a fluidity that made half the class gasp — silent, sharp, every footstep tapping into the ground with folded chakra, launching him in crisp arcs.
Spin.
Land.
Kick-off.
Pivot mid-air.
And then — a perfect three-point landing.
Naruto leaned toward Ethan.
"Okay… that was cool."
Ethan clapped once — loud enough to silence the field.
"Good. Both of you. You're improving faster than any academy students I've seen."
Sasuke's expression remained composed, but his ears turned slightly pink.
Naruto puffed up like a proud fox kit.
But the moment felt… fragile.
Something in the air shifted.
A stillness.
A warning.
Ethan sensed chakra signatures flickering at the edge of the yard — ANBU, masked, watching the students. Monitoring the chakra bursts. Keeping track of Naruto's growth. Watching everything.
Ethan stood a little closer to Naruto without announcing it.
The boy never noticed.
Sasuke did.
He frowned, almost imperceptibly.
But the moment passed.
And the academy returned to its chatter.
---
The Panel Reacts
A soft vibration pulsed under Ethan's skin.
A whisper from the system:
---
[NODE WARNING — EMOTIONAL CONVERGENCE DETECTED]
Naruto Uzumaki:
• Reliance → Increasing
• Admiration → High
• Early Bond Signature forming
Sasuke Uchiha:
• Rivalry → Elevated
• Respect → Emerging
• Observation Pattern → Persistent
Deviation Risk:
Moderate but acceptable if guided.
Recommendation:
Strengthen individual growth paths separately.
Maintain balance.
Prevent attachment bias.
---
Ethan let out a slow, hidden breath.
The Panel wasn't wrong.
Naruto and Sasuke were growing quickly — too quickly.
Faster because of him.
Faster because they trusted him.
And that trust needed careful handling.
He couldn't replace Iruka.
He couldn't replace Kakashi.
He couldn't replace their destinies.
But he could stabilize them.
Support them.
Guide them without leading.
And right now?
That meant putting them to work.
---
"Both of you — again."
Naruto blinked. "Eh?! Already?!"
Sasuke's lips twitched. "Try to keep up this time."
Naruto bristled. "I WILL!"
Ethan stepped back, arms crossing calmly.
His voice cut across the yard like a guiding wind.
"Reset your stances. Focus your chakra. We're doing ten more rounds."
A collective groan rose from both boys.
But they moved.
Side-by-side.
Rivals.
Allies.
Future pillars of the world.
Ethan exhaled slowly.
This was exactly where he needed to be.
Exactly what he needed to do.
Stabilize.
Balance.
Guide.
The Naruto Node thrummed as if approving the flow of fate.
Ethan's path was clear.
And he stepped fully into it.