Last time on Naruto: The Fallen's Anguish
"Quiet down everybody." Iruka-Sensei said loudly.
Surprisingly for the first time in Iruka's career the children had actually listened to him and stopped talking.
"Alright kids so today...." Musashi filtered out his sensei's words and started to think about all the things that he had in his mind.
---
Musashi's thoughts were still a whirlwind, but Iruka's voice cut through the noise, demanding his attention.
"Musashi, I need you to come down here and demonstrate the Leaf Concentration Exercise for the class." Iruka said, his tone firm but not unkind.
Musashi blinked, snapping back to the present moment.
He had been lost in thought, replaying fragments of his dreams and the unsettling voice, but now, reality had returned with a sharp edge.
The Leaf Concentration Exercise was a basic yet important exercise for any aspiring shinobi, one of the core exercises that had to be mastered by the last year of the academy, as it would immensely help with a person's chakra cantrol.
The exercise was easy in hindsight, A person place a leaf on their forehead. They would have to use chakra as an adhesive to make sure it didn't fall to the ground and remained attached to their forehead.
However it wasn't as simple as simply putting your chakra onto the leaf. It required precise amounts of chakra between your forehead. It worked by putting equal amounts of chakra on both the leaf and your forehead.
The chakra would join the two objects togather and act as a glue. However if either one had more or less chakra the leaf would fall.
Musashi sighed, he felt tightness in his chest. He knew how to do it, of course, but his he wasn't sure if he could do it in that moment.
There was too much going on in his head for him to be able to concentrate, the nightmares, the voices, the strange visions. It was all too much for him.
But here, in front of his classmates, he had no choice but to perform.
Iruka raised an eyebrow as Musashi hesitated. "Not knowing how to do it is alright Musashi." Iruka remarked, his tone concerned at seeing the boy'sworried face.
"If you're struggling, you can always ask for help."
Musashi nodded, pushing aside the thoughts swirling in his mind.
He stood up and moved to the center of the classroom, where a small leaf lay on the wooden floor in front of him.
Musashi grabbed the leaf he exhaled slowly, gathering his chakra. He pushed the chakra outside of his head slowly and surely.
Musashi calmed his mind when he placed the leaf on his forehead, his fingers trembling slightly.
He focused, envisioning the flow of energy, trying to steady the rapid beat of his heart.
But as he pushed the chakra into the leaf, his focus wavered.
The ringing from his nightmare seemed to echo in the back of his mind, a maddening sound that twisted his concentration.
His hand faltered, and the chakra released with a flicker, not with the clean, precise amount required. Instead, it caused the leaf to fall down immediately.
Iruka sighed, rubbing his temple. "Musashi, this technique is basic at your level. If you want to become a shinobi, you'll need to do better than this."
Musashi's shoulders slumped, frustration creeping in. He could feel the pain in his head subsiding.
"Alright, Musashi, don't worry. Let's have someone else demonstrate it for the class. How about you, Shinto?"
Shinto Lee, the boy who had recently been talking about the Uchiha being wiped out stepped forward.
He was your average student just like Musashi. However unlike Musashi he didn't have anything hat were affecting his mind.
Shinto flashed a smile, his hands already forming the necessary hand signs. "Sure thing, Iruka-sensei. I'll show everyone how it's done."
With a confident step forward, Shinto faced the leaf on the floor. He took a deep breath, and grabbed the leaf in his hand, slowly plcing it on his forehead.
Shinto channeled his chakra into his head with precision, and he immediately let go off the leaf. The leaf contrary to what gravity would want stayed attached to Shinto's forehead for a few seconds before the boy let if fall.
Some of his friends cheered him, impressed by his ease. Musashi couldn't help but feel a pang of frustration.
Shinto stood tall, turning to Musashi with a smile. "It's all about control, man. Keep at it, though. You'll get there."
Iruka nodded, offering Musashi a reassuring look. "Exactly, Musashi. Don't let one failure throw you off. You need to focus your mind. Control is key. You need to be calm when you use your chakra."
Musashi glanced at the cleanly-cut leaf on the floor, and sighed.
As the class continued their practice, Musashi's mind briefly wandered back to his strange dreams and the unsettling presence he had felt earlier.
The nightmares, the cryptic voice, the ominous red eyes they felt closer now than ever before. It was as if he was being pulled toward something, something he didn't fully understand.
And yet, for the first time, Musashi felt the weight of that responsibility the burden that came with the strange feeling of being part of something far bigger than himself.
His hand clenched into a fist. He wasn't going to run from this.
Whatever this was, whatever he was becoming, he was going to face it.
---
"Next Up, Kai Mikazage vs Musashi." Iruka declared.
The two boys walked up to the ground.
This time it would be a much fairer fight for Musashi than the previous one.
He stared at the brown haired boy who gave him a grin.
He was an above-average student with his Nīnjutsu being particularly good.
However this was a Taījutsu spar and Musashi was confident that his Taījutsu was better than the other boys.
"Seal of Concentration." Iruka ordered.
The two boys held a Ram seal and waited for their sensei to start the fight.
Musashi felt the surroundings dissapear and he put his complete focus on the boy infront of him.
Previously his fight with Shiro ended within a second but this time he wouldn't go down so easily.
"Begin!"
The two boys lunged at eachother. Musashi used his forearm to block Kai's punch. He weaved a follow up jab.
Kai jumped backwards to try and create space but Musashi followed him and kneed him in the gut.
Kai wasn't able to breathe for a second which gave enough time for Musashi to plant his right leg on the ground.
He rotated his hip and landed his left foot straight onto Kai's face knocking him on the ground.
Kai couldn't get any time to breathe as Musashi tried to knee him again. The boy moved back barley enough to dodge the knee.
He used his hands to push himself back up instantly and once again prepared his stance.
'He's going for the defensive.' Musashi thought noticing the change in stance.
Musashi slowly moved towards the boy and changed his stance to the Leaf Offense Stance # 2. It relied mainly on grappling. A perfect counter to Taījutsu which relied on counterattacks, similar to the one Kai was using right now.
Musashi stepped forward preparing for a knee takedown on the boy. He lunged to Kai's lower half, aiming for his left leg.
Unluckily for him Kai did a 270⁰ turn making Musashi miss his leg and open.
Kai took the oppertunity and kicked his stomach causing him to roll onto the ground.
Musashi got back up using the momentum of him rolling. He noticed Kai's foot right infront of his face.
He moved his head to the right and once again lunged towards Kai's leg.
Unluckily for Kai he could not dodge this nor was he able to kick downwards after already putting his leg in the air. He was simply not skilled enough to do what Shiro had done and had to pay the price for it.
Shiro grabbed the back of Kai's knee and pushed it upwards and away from him.
The boy with nothing wlse to balance on fell onto the ground, his other leg landed on Musashi but it was too.
Musashi put his hand over Kai's throat, it was meant to represent a Kunai and was done to show that in a real fight Musashi would have won.
"Winner: Musashi." Iruka said.
Musashi got up from kai and made his way back to the grass where he took a seat on the ground.
"Good fight but, Musashi I noticed that you changed you stance in accordance to Kai's normally that would be a good thing-" Kai looked at Iruka.
"However we are ninja, Kai fooled you and dodged the knee grab which led to you being opened and vulnerable. Try not to let you opponent decide the fight. Nonetheless you did a good job." Iruka finished explaining.
Musashi gave a nod and ignored the man giving a lecture to Kai as well.
---
Kai waited paiently for the bell to ring, it was currently history lecture. His teacher Akazawa Ryotaro, was in the midst of teaching the class about the third ninja war.
Ding!
The bell rang, signaling the end of the lesson. Students stood up and began to gather their things, eager to leave the academy and head home.
But just as everyone was about to head out the door, their history teacher, Akazawa Ryotaro, called out sharply, his voice cutting through the noise.
"Settle down, everyone," he said, his tone more serious than usual.
Musashi, confused, looked up from his desk and waited as the teacher addressed the class. Ryotaro's gaze was somber, and there was a heaviness in the air.
"Before you all leave, there's something important I need to tell you." Ryotaro said, his voice low. "The Headmaster has asked you all to gather at the Training Grounds. There's been an announcement, and I must insist that you all attend."
The class buzzed with murmurs of confusion. What could be so important that they couldn't leave the academy? Musashi shared a quick glance with Kai, both of them exchanging puzzled expressions.
"Everyone, line up," Ryotaro instructed, his expression serious. One by one, the students filed out of the classroom and into the hall, their curiosity mounting.
As they arrived at the Training Grounds, the group noticed that a few teachers were already gathered, but there was one figure standing at the forefront an older man with a solemn expression.
It was the Headmaster of the academy, his usual commanding presence softened by an air of sadness.
The students fell silent as he began to speak.
"Students." the Headmaster began, his voice deep and filled with a weight that made the air seem heavier.
"I wish I could bring better news. But as most of you have probably heard, there has been a tragedy in the village. The Uchiha clan has been wiped out. All but the youngest son, Sasuke Uchiha have been wiped out." His words hung in the air, and the students exchanged shocked glances.
"Such a loss is not only a personal tragedy for those who knew the Uchiha, but a tragedy for the entire village," the Headmaster continued, his voice trembling slightly with sorrow. "I know many of you have heard rumors, and the pain and confusion that comes with such an event is difficult to bear. But what we can do now is honor their memory and show respect."
There was a brief pause before the Headmaster continued. "As a result of this, the academy will be closed for the next week. You will have time off to process this loss. We ask that you use this time to reflect, and if you feel you are ready, you are invited to attend the Uchiha funeral. It will take place in the coming days, and it is important that we stand together as a village during this difficult time."
Musashi's heart skipped a beat, 'So the rumors were actually true?' His mind somewhat refured to believe it and he looked around to see the reactions of his peers.
Similar shock was on their face and some also had tears in their lies, likely from the fact that their friends were dead.
"We are a village built on unity," the Headmaster added. "And it is in moments like these that we must come together. I hope to see you all there, should you decide to attend."
With that, the Headmaster gave a brief nod and turned to walk away, leaving the students standing in a heavy silence.
Musashi stood still for a moment, absorbing the weight of what he had just heard. A massacre. The entire Uchiha clan. It felt unreal. He had always known the Uchihas were a powerful clan, but to think that they were now gone, wiped out... it was hard to wrap his mind around.
Kai was the first to break the silence. "This... this changes everything," he muttered, his voice barely above a whisper. "I can't believe it. The Uchihas... gone."
Similar voices of shock came from his other fellows, yet the truth remained and there was nothing he or anybody could do about it.
---
A quick chapter to start the first Arc officially. The prev two chapters and this one were just to start the story and give a little overview, Now that Arc 1 is started things are gonna get spicy.
Again, 50 powerstones for an extra chapter.
Or 10 reviews for an extra chapter..