Whoosh!
The shuriken sliced through the air, landing precisely on its target.
As the rest of the students left for the day, only Uchiha Sasuke remained behind at the academy, practicing his shuriken-throwing alone.
He frowned as he glanced at a shuriken that had strayed slightly from the bullseye.
Ever since Haruno Sakura had taken first place in physical training, he hadn't been able to reclaim it. Technically, he was now the top student since Sakura no longer participated in shuriken competitions. The title naturally belonged to him now.
Thinking of his father's calm gaze, Sasuke longed to hear those words:
"You are worthy of being my son."
Whoosh!
Another shuriken flew, this time hitting the target's red center dead-on.
"It looks like it might rain," murmured Haruno Sakura.
She had given herself a rare day off from her usual routines. After school, she neither studied nor trained; she simply wanted to enjoy the evening breeze on the roof, counting stars. But as she looked up at the darkening sky, her plans quickly faded.
The cool night wind blew through her pink hair.
"Sakura, it's going to rain! Come down quickly!" called Meiko Haruno from inside.
"Got it!" Sakura responded, just as her nose caught a faint whiff of blood on the breeze.
Her body was a smaller version of the sixteen-year-old Ninja Sakura's, but with her keen skills in medical ninjutsu, she recognized the scent immediately.
Even though the smell was faint, almost imperceptible, Sakura could detect it. Her gaze turned in the direction of the Uchiha clan's territory.
Located at the edge of Konoha, the Uchiha clan's land was quite far from her own. To smell blood from that distance... the number of people lost must be staggering.
"Still, it's none of my business," Sakura told herself. "I don't have time to worry about that right now."
When she finally returned to her room, rain had already begun to pour down outside. Seeing that the raindrops were drifting into her room through the window, Sakura locked it tightly.
Though she almost never had to listen to Iruka-sensei's lectures anymore, he still expected her to attend the Ninja Academy daily, except on weekends.
The next day, Konoha's air was unusually fresh after the rain, and Sakura prepared to head to the academy as usual.
As she stepped outside, she noticed something was off. There were fewer people on the streets, and she occasionally spotted shinobi hurrying by. Glancing around, she even caught a glimpse of an Anbu member disappearing in the distance.
They all seemed to be heading toward the village's outskirts. Sakura understood immediately.
The Uchiha clan had been annihilated.
The Uchiha Itachi she had only met once had finally taken action. What an arrogant person, she thought, dealing with his problems by destroying those who caused them, as though he was clearing a puzzle game with high stakes.
Shrugging off her thoughts, Sakura made her way to the academy, her mind turning to her upcoming exams for the fifth grade.
Over the past year, Sakura had felt the Yin Seal on her forehead absorbing chakra at an accelerating rate. As her chakra gradually increased, so did the excess chakra stored in the seal. She felt confident it would form within five years.
In this time, she not only needed to become a fully-fledged ninja but also had to figure out a way to master the Yin Seal. This would be no easy task.
"Morning, Ino," Sakura greeted upon entering the classroom, spotting Ino standing by the door as if she'd been waiting.
"Sakura!" Ino's face fell slightly.
"Oh, am I disappointing you that much?" Sakura teased.
"No, no, not at all," Ino replied, shaking her head like a rattle. Then, after checking to make sure no one else was around, she leaned close to Sakura's ear and whispered, "Sakura, stay away from the Uchiha territory for the next couple of days."
"A lot of people have died there."
The warm breath of her friend in her ear made Sakura feel a bit ticklish. She waved her hand, appearing unconcerned. "Yeah, got it."
Ino stared at her in surprise. "Wait, you're not even a little shocked?"
Feigning surprise, Sakura tilted her head, finally widening her eyes in a mock gasp. "Wow! So scary~~"
Ino pouted at her friend's poor acting. "So fake."
"No, really, I was scared," Sakura said, her emerald green eyes trying hard to convey sincerity.
Ino sighed. "Yeah, right. You just like messing with me."
Sakura chuckled, giving Ino's hair a gentle ruffle before heading to her seat. She already knew who Ino had been waiting for: the last remaining Uchiha.
As Iruka entered the classroom, Ino hurried back to her seat.
Clearing his throat, Iruka said, "Due to certain events, Sasuke won't be attending for the time being. Please refrain from mentioning him for the next couple of days."
Iruka's light touch on the topic was enough; everyone understood. Those who pressed down too hard met resistance, but a light touch would let it pass.
The other students fell into silence, many already having heard rumors from their families.
Sakura ignored the reactions around her, pulling out a book titled The Will of Fire of the Third Hokage. After three promotions, she knew well that understanding the so-called Will of Fire was more emphasized in exams than actual training courses.
However, after years of schooling, she found the subject increasingly pointless.