Year Six of Konoha's Founding
Kenichi Sato's Age: 10
Early August – Five Days Before the Early Graduation Exam
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The training grounds were beginning to change.
The same faces, the same voices, the same teachers… but silence lingered between words, between footsteps.
Kenichi noticed everyone was more focused now, more tense. It was as if the announcement of the exam had awakened another side in his classmates—something that had remained hidden when they were just children.
Now, no one was slacking off.
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In one corner of the training field, Dai stood kicking the air in an odd rhythm. He repeated a specific move—falling, getting back up, and trying again.
Kenichi approached him and asked, "New technique?"
"Kind of... I decided to choose one strike and make it the strongest I've got."
Kenichi smiled and said quietly, "Smart idea… but don't forget your defense."
Dai laughed, then sat down, panting:
"I don't have time to learn everything… but one good hit, at the right moment, might be all I need."
---
Inside the academy, the instructors gathered to discuss student placement for the upcoming evaluations.
One teacher said, "We've got more than forty students… and we need to pick just six."
Another replied, "Strength alone shouldn't be the standard. Some have outstanding strategic instincts."
The head instructor paused at a certain file.
> "Kenichi Sato… His theoretical scores are excellent, and his analysis of opponent techniques is exceptional. He also developed a sensory technique that doesn't exist in our curriculum."
Another teacher smiled faintly:
"He's definitely talented… Maybe we should help him refine that technique even further."
The head instructor nodded:
"If we invest in his potential, we might get one of the best sensory-type ninjas of his generation."
---
In the backyard of the Sato household, Kenichi stood before a row of small wooden stakes he had planted in the ground as targets.
He was running a new test of the sensory wave technique—but with a slight modification: infusing it with Water Chakra.
The more chakra he poured in, the farther the wave expanded, allowing him to pinpoint targets with greater accuracy.
> "Water-based sensory technique… I've never seen it in the anime, but it makes sense."
Then he stopped and walked over to a small notebook he had kept since childhood. He opened to a specific page with a sketch—a small circle branching out into lines.
> "This is just the first prototype."
---
As night approached, Haru walked in carrying a wooden sword and smiled:
"Onii-chan! Let's play ninja!"
He looked at her, then laughed and said,
"Come on. But this time, it's going to be a training game."
He set up a wooden target for her and explained how to aim, guiding her step by step.
She giggled as she tried to hit the target, then said:
"I'm gonna be a strong ninja like you!"
Kenichi looked into her eyes and said,
"Stronger… if you train hard enough."
---
The next day, a list of provisional teams for the preliminary exams was posted.
Students crowded around the board, eyes scanning the names.
Kenichi, Kagami, and Dai—on the same team.
Kenichi glanced at the list, then at Dai, and smiled calmly.
Dai couldn't contain himself. He jumped in joy, then stopped abruptly and swallowed hard:
"But… Kenichi, Kagami… you two are the best. I have to keep up…"
He lowered his head briefly before smiling again:
"I won't be the weak link. I swear!"
> "Looks like time… just started moving faster."
---
Far away from the village, at the Valley of the End…
The water still flowed gently, but the echoes of battle had not yet faded.
Madara Uchiha's body lay stretched out on the rocky ledge, his blood staining the very stone they once stood upon.
Hashirama, kneeling beside his old friend and rival, was breathing heavily. He stared at him for a long moment, as if struggling to believe it.
> "Did I win… or lose a friend for the second time?"
"It's over… Madara."
Footsteps approached from behind.
Hashirama didn't turn.
"You were watching… weren't you, Tobirama?"
His brother's voice came quietly,
"I couldn't stop myself. I wasn't sure you'd come back alive."
Tobirama stepped forward and supported his brother before he collapsed. Then he moved to Madara's body and stood before it in long silence.
> "He's a threat even in death. We can't leave him here."
He opened a special sealing scroll and sealed the corpse with swift hand signs.
Muttering under his breath:
> "We'll need this body… not now, but one day."
He looked up at the gray sky.
> "The battle may be over… but caution never ends."