Shisui

Konoha Year 45, spring.

Most of the cherry blossoms outside the Ninja Academy had bloomed. Whenever the wind blew, petals fell onto the shoulders of passersby and were trampled into the dirt by children's shoes. The school gates were crowded with parents picking up their children—today was the day of the graduation exam.

Baiye leaned against a tree across the street, arms folded. His green medical-nin vest stirred slightly in the spring breeze, and petals brushed past the black scabbard of the Tachi at his waist without leaving a mark.

He had arranged to switch shifts today and left the hospital early.

Hayate had said there was no need to pick him up, but he had kept glancing at Baiye over dinner last night, poking at his rice for ages without eating much.

What was on his mind was plain to see.

Baiye had decided long ago that he would come, but he had made no promises, saying only that he would see if he had time. Hayate was easily excitable, and Baiye couldn't let it affect his exam. If it affected his results, he would probably be down for days again.

A few parents nearby recognized Baiye and whispered among themselves. Ever since the title of "Strongest Chunin" had spread through the village, strangers' attitudes toward him had changed from "that pale young man" to "that pretty impressive young man."

Of the thousands of ninja in Konoha, only a rare few ever became Jonin. The title of Strongest Chunin placed him between Chunin and Jonin. Call him strong, and he still hadn't reached that level; call him weak, and he stood above every other Chunin. Who knew how many people envied him?

Over the past few months, Baiye's initial resistance had given way to numbness, and he had gradually come to accept it. By now, he could pay it no mind.

"Baiye."

Baiye looked to the side. A handsome, middle-aged Chunin with short purple hair was walking toward him.

"Uncle Uzuki."

Baiye straightened up and nodded in greeting.

The man was Yugao's father, their neighbor and a former teammate of Baiye's father. He had helped them a great deal after their father died.

Uzuki Yugao was in the same class as Hayate and was graduating today as well.

"Time really flies. Even Hayate and Yugao are old enough to graduate now, and then there's you, the 'Strongest Chunin'... If your father were still alive, who knows how happy he'd be."

"Please don't tease me, sir. 'Strongest Chunin' is just a title made up by people who don't know the full story."

"Haha, but your skill with Medical Ninjutsu really is famous throughout Konoha."

Baiye didn't argue further. As his fame grew, it was inevitable that he would attract more attention, and only natural that more people would learn what was special about his Medical Ninjutsu.

Uncle Uzuki chatted for a few more moments before someone else called him away. Baiye continued waiting for Hayate to come out.

Hayate still hadn't come out. Someone else emerged first.

It was an Uchiha graduate. He wore a dark, high-collared shirt bearing the Uchiha Clan's fan crest.

As he walked through the school gates, several students who had already come out instinctively made way for him. There was a composure about the boy beyond his years that made people unconsciously give him space.

Baiye recognized his soul fluctuations. He was the person Baiye had "met" once before at the Training Ground.

An Uchiha in the same year as Hayate.

Baiye had already guessed who he was: Shisui Uchiha.

Shisui stopped, his gaze passing over the crowd and settling on Baiye. Then he walked straight over.

"Gekkō-senpai."

Shisui stopped in front of him and bowed slightly. It was the formal courtesy a junior showed a senior, from a nine-year-old to a thirteen-year-old Chunin.

"Shisui Uchiha?"

"Yes. I didn't expect you to know me, senpai."

"You are the Uchiha genius in the same year as Hayate, after all."

"You flatter me, senpai."

"So you're here to...?"

"I wanted to apologize for what happened before."

Shisui raised his head, his black eyes looking straight at Baiye.

"When Hayate got into a conflict with those people, I arrived late and stepped in before I had time to understand what was going on. I only found out afterward that they'd said some very nasty things... about you, senpai." He paused. "What I did was unfair to Hayate."

Baiye looked at him in silence for two seconds.

The wording of the apology was precise: "stepped in before I had time to understand what was going on." Shisui hadn't shifted the blame or defended himself. He had simply stated a fact and taken responsibility for his part.

"Hayate did get beaten up."

Baiye's tone was flat, not as though he were demanding an answer.

Shisui nodded without replying. He knew Baiye had more to say.

"But ever since that day, he's been training much harder than before."

A faint smile flickered in Shisui's eyes. The atmosphere between them eased a little.

"Hayate's fundamentals are extremely solid," Shisui said, his tone earnest. "He uses the Three Body Technique better than many adults: the timing of his Clone Technique, the concealment of his Substitution Technique, and the imagination behind his Transformation Technique. I haven't seen many people at school who've built such a firm foundation."

He looked at Baiye, a certain judgment beyond his years in his gaze.

"What they teach at school alone isn't enough for that. I can tell whoever taught him placed a lot of importance on the basics."

Baiye didn't reply, but he didn't deny it either.

"If Hayate learns more Ninjutsu, he'll be much stronger than he is now," Shisui said. "Then it'd be hard to say who would win."

"Tell him that yourself." Baiye tilted his chin toward the school gates. "He'll be out any moment."

No sooner had he spoken than Hayate came running out of the school gates.

He wore the Ninja Academy's training uniform, and a Konoha Forehead Protector was already tied around his forehead, his bangs pushed up on top of his head.

The moment he saw Baiye, he started to rush over. Then he spotted Shisui beside him, and his steps faltered.

"Shisui?"

"Gekkō." Shisui turned to Hayate and repeated his earlier apology, making it briefer and phrasing it more like someone talking to a peer. "I was wrong to attack you without understanding what was going on. I'm sorry."

Hayate blinked. He looked at Shisui, then at Baiye, and scratched his head.

"It's fine." His tone was a little awkward, but he wasn't putting on a brave front. "You really are strong. I can't beat you."

"Your fundamentals are better than mine," Shisui said. "Once you've learned more Ninjutsu, the result won't be the same."

Hayate's eyes lit up.

"You don't have to make me feel better," he said, though the corners of his mouth twitched upward. "But next time we fight, I won't lose."

"I look forward to it."

The two exchanged a glance. The hostility was gone from Hayate's eyes, leaving a quiet understanding between them, each having acknowledged the other as a rival.

Baiye stood beside them, taking in every word of the two children's conversation.

Then his Reiatsu Detection was triggered.

Two people were walking straight toward them at a brisk pace, carrying an undisguised malice.

One soul was agitated, the other tense. They didn't seem to be coming over to say hello.

Baiye didn't move. He didn't even look in that direction. He simply lowered his hands from his arms and let them hang at his sides.

"Shisui Uchiha!"

A voice rang out from across the street.

Two Uchiha Chunin strode over. The one in front was a man of around twenty-five, with dark hair and the fan crest on the sleeve of his left arm. The one behind him was younger, probably in his early twenties, and kept his eyes fixed on Baiye.

The Konoha Military Police Force.

Baiye noticed that many parents instinctively took their children and moved aside when they saw the two men, while the two Uchiha took it as a matter of course.

He shook his head at Uncle Uzuki, who was looking their way, signaling that he didn't need to come over. A glance at Shisui showed that he looked surprised too.

The man in front first glanced at Shisui to make sure he was all right, then turned to Baiye.

"What are you doing here?"

His tone held an undisguised demand for an explanation.