Uchiha Shuri

On a clear morning, Diejian and the other members of the first class of the Ninja Academy held their graduation ceremony.

The children who had passed the graduation exam and finally earned the rank of Genin held the Konohagakure Forehead Protectors they had been given, lost in their thoughts.

Diejian didn't even glance at his new Forehead Protector. He simply tied the old, battered one around his forehead, trembling with excitement at the moment his long-held wish came true.

Overcome with excitement, Diejian let out a cheer, leaped out of the classroom window, and raised his fist toward Hashirama's Face Rock.

A tear glistened at the corner of his eye.

A stretch of time that had felt both long and short.

He had struggled with his own twisted nature, been saved by Hashirama, Ina, and his friends, and made it this far.

Though Hashirama hadn't lived to see him wearing his Forehead Protector, and Diejian hadn't been able to repay his kindness, he had grown.

He resolved to carry himself with pride as a shinobi of Konohagakure and face the rest of his life with his head held high.

He swore to repay Hashirama's kindness by living that way.

By making the name "Senju Diejian" live on in future generations, he would prove that Hashirama had been right to entrust him with his will and dreams.

Then—Diejian remembered the secret he had never told anyone, the secret that belonged to him alone.

The memories of Diejian's Previous Life, suppressed by Hashirama's words, had been gradually but surely returning since Hashirama's death.

Diejian had no desire to revisit those fragmentary memories, each one like a nagging itch, but comparing them with his present values had given him some ideas.

So he planned to trace his origins once he had enough influence—when he became a Jonin or took the position of head of the Senju Clan.

At the same time, he wanted to explore a new path as a "Senju."

Though he sometimes suffered from the sense that "I'm not myself," Diejian now knew he had reliable companions by his side.

He gazed at Hashirama's Face Rock and silently thought, Watch me.

Lost in a dream left unfinished and overwhelmed with emotion, Diejian would probably have stayed there thinking about Hashirama forever if no one stopped him.

Ina slapped him on the back and called, "Congratulations!"

The crack rang out loud and clear.

"Ow, ow!" Diejian said, turning around.

"Oh..."

"S-so, how do I look?"

Ina had put her Forehead Protector on like a headband, and her cheeks were faintly flushed.

Diejian wasn't the sort of man who would coldly dismiss her with a casual "You look pretty average."

Far from it. Seeing Ina with her hair down instead of in her usual ponytail felt so novel that he honestly voiced his admiration.

"It suits you."

The two of them complimented each other, and sure enough, they looked as though they'd keep chatting forever if no one interrupted them.

Just then, Yaeha and Chouya, oblivious to the mood, joined in.

"Shoo, shoo," Diejian said, waving Chouya away as he clung to him, though a smile played on his lips.

While everyone was making a racket around Sakumo, the room buzzing with excitement, Tobirama appeared at the classroom door.

"You lot, get back to your seats!"

The low, commanding voice rang out from the classroom, and the usual uproar vanished.

The children rushed back to their seats in unison.

The teacher in charge let his shoulders sag, thinking, If only they were half this quick-witted during lessons.

Unlike the other children, who froze under the stern Tobirama's intimidating presence, Diejian was surprised that Tobirama hadn't used the Flying Thunder God Technique to teleport there this time.

In Diejian's mind, Tobirama and making an entrance with the Flying Thunder God Technique had become inseparable.

The children all looked uneasy at the appearance of the village's highest authority.

Aside from Diejian, only Sakumo seemed as composed as usual, but even he couldn't hide his surprise.

Still, the Academy had been established at Tobirama's suggestion, and he was the one in charge.

It was only natural that he would come in person to see the first class graduate.

To break the tense atmosphere, Diejian straightened up in his seat and raised his hand.

"Hey, old man, what's up?"

"Call me Lord Second. And use polite language."

Tobirama's response to Diejian's question was a correction of his form of address.

Diejian seemed satisfied with their familiar exchange. He briefly replied, "Yes, sir," and settled back into his seat.

Tobirama pulled himself together and began his speech.

It was an address and words of congratulation befitting a leader.

Diejian only took in about half of it, but the other children seemed to be listening intently, afraid they might miss a single word.

When his long speech ended, Tobirama got down to business.

To be specific, he first divided the children into groups of three.

On top of the basic three-person team they had used until now, a senior shinobi would be assigned as their Jonin instructor, making each team a group of four.

There was no question-and-answer session. Tobirama continued his explanation without pause.

He announced that he would read out the team rosters, then took out a document.

He said that they should gather in groups of three in the order he called their names, then wait for their assigned Jonin.

Diejian was brimming with anticipation.

With Ina, Sakumo, and himself, they had the same three-person group that always spent time together.

He didn't bother hiding his excitement, thinking that even as Genin, things would still be fun.

Seeing Diejian's grin, Tobirama sneered to himself.

"Team 3. Akimichi Choya, Nara Rushika, and... Yamanaka Ina."

"What?"

Diejian was the one who reacted.

He'd been sure they would be put together, which made the announcement all the more surprising.

Ina, on the other hand, accepted it with a look that said, "It can't be helped." Perhaps she'd expected it, because she didn't look disappointed.

That made sense.

Even before Konohagakure was founded, the Yamanaka Clan had a history of forming an alliance with two other clans.

Those were the Nara and Akimichi Clans, to which Rushika and Choya belonged.

Proud of their long-standing alliance, the Yamanaka, Nara, and Akimichi Clans had developed a joint technique and survived the era of war.

Tobirama valued efficiency. It was only natural that, rather than forcibly splitting them up, he would prioritize strengthening the team members who could already work well together.

He certainly wasn't trying to tease his arrogant student.

"Sorry about that."

Ina tilted her head, pressed her palms together, and gave him a mischievous wink. It seemed she'd expected this decision all along.

"Aw, man..."

Diejian made no effort to hide his disappointment, his raised torso sinking back into his seat.

"Team 6. Hatake Sakumo, Senju Diejian, and... Uchiha Shuri."

"What?"

Diejian reacted again.

And he wasn't the only one.

Ina and Sakumo reacted too.

"Can we swap Sakumo and Ina?"

"Hey! You!"

Diejian was the first to speak.

Sakumo, sitting beside him, rapped him on the head with some force, while Ina hit the back of his head with an eraser.

Their reactions were only natural.

They thought Diejian had objected because the other person was an "Uchiha."

Though they were mistaken, Diejian couldn't just ignore how it had sounded.

Uchiha Shuri was a member of the first class, the same year as Diejian and the others. Just as her name suggested, she was a girl from the Uchiha Clan.

The long history of conflict between the Senju of the Forest and the Uchiha was common knowledge in Konohagakure.

Why deliberately put two people together when it might lead to a dispute?

The children all stared wide-eyed.

Tobirama offered no explanation for the question on their minds. He only said, "That's all."

After telling the children to wait for their Jonin instructors, Tobirama offered a few brief words of encouragement and left.

The sliding door rattled shut, and the classroom immediately erupted into noise.

"Are you okay?" Choya asked anxiously, shaking Diejian by the shoulder after Sakumo had knocked him down.

Ina rushed over too and used the Medical Ninjutsu Mito had taught her.

Restored by Ina's treatment, Diejian sprang to his feet and immediately left the classroom to chase after Tobirama.

"Hey, old man!"

"Call me Lord Second!"

Diejian caught up with Tobirama as he walked down the corridor and pestered him relentlessly.

He grumbled about the team assignments, asking why Sakumo could be on his team but Ina couldn't.

"Shut up!"

Tobirama silenced him with a sharp command, then lowered his voice and told him he was being selfish.

That was fair.

As Tobirama said, Diejian did tend to act spoiled by making things difficult for him.

Diejian seemed aware of Tobirama's criticism. For once, he lowered his head and honestly admitted, "Sorry."

Seeing that his student had grown enough to apologize when he was wrong, Tobirama placed a hand on Diejian's shoulder with a thump.

As mentioned, the team assignments had been made with the characteristics of the Yamanaka, Akimichi, and Nara Clans' techniques in mind. But there was more to it than that.

Tobirama had also considered the abilities of Diejian, Sakumo, and Ina—in other words, their academic performance.

Ina had ranked first in the academic subjects.

Sakumo had earned top marks in every subject: Taijutsu, ninjutsu, and academics.

Diejian had done well in ninjutsu and Taijutsu, though his academic grades were another matter.

Putting all three of them on the same team would clearly give it excessive firepower—that was the truth of the matter.

Diejian had no answer.

When he thought about it, Tobirama's decisions might seem cold, but most of them were reasonable. It made sense that he couldn't argue back.

Even Hashirama had been unable to sway Tobirama. Diejian stood no chance.

Still, no one was perfect.

That applied even to Tobirama.

Even Tobirama, who seemed flawless, had a weakness.

It was the fire burning within him.

Though he appeared cold, Tobirama possessed a passionate soul, and sometimes that passion led him to go too far.

When that happened, Hashirama was the only one who could stop Tobirama from getting carried away.

But Hashirama was no longer alive, so there was no changing Tobirama's decision.

Just putting Sakumo and Diejian together could already be considered a generous compromise on Tobirama's part.

"Diejian. Didn't you say you wanted to swap Uchiha Shuri for Yamanaka Ina?"

At Tobirama's words, Diejian's face twisted into a sulky expression.

"I'm not that desperate."

Of course he wasn't.

There probably weren't many people who would tell a classmate they weren't close to, "There's someone else I'd rather team up with. Get lost."

At least, Diejian wasn't one of them.

Watching Diejian scratch his head and walk back, muttering, "Can't be helped," Tobirama silently saw him off.

"Ah, there you are, Diejian. We've been waiting for you."

Waiting for Diejian to return was a young man with naturally curly black hair and kind, drooping eyes.

It seemed that while Diejian had gone after Tobirama, the Jonin instructor for Team 6 had already arrived.

"About time," Sakumo said.

Diejian gave him a hearty apology. "Sorry, sorry."

Then there was Uchiha Shuri, sitting quietly in the classroom.

"This team looks like it'll be quite a handful," thought Kagami Uchiha, scratching his head in dismay.

Kagami Uchiha.

Just as his name suggested, he was a member of the Uchiha Clan. He was also a talented shinobi who had awakened the Sharingan, the clan's Kekkei Genkai, despite being so young.

—I want to fight for the village.

Kagami had displayed his talent from a young age. Later, during the war known as the First Shinobi World War, he had wanted to join the fighting of his own free will.

The fierce determination burning in Kagami's heart at the time had even convinced Hashirama, who had hesitated to let him fight because he was "still a child."

Moved by the young Kagami's fiery "Will of Fire," Hashirama had kept him by his side as a subordinate.

Though he never sent him directly into battle, Hashirama had thought, "This kid might have what it takes," and looked after him, passing on his own "Will of Fire."

Now, thanks to that connection, Kagami was one of the few "Uchiha" Tobirama trusted, and served as a close aide to the Second.

—I want you to take care of Diejian.

When Tobirama had summoned Kagami and suddenly said that, Kagami couldn't help but wonder, "What am I supposed to do?"

The boy was the grandson of the beloved First, and a direct descendant of "that" Senju Clan.

Was it really appropriate for him, an "Uchiha," to serve as their Jonin instructor?

Kagami felt troubled.

But Tobirama told him, "It's precisely because you're the kind of person who would feel this way that I want to entrust Diejian to you."

Faced with Tobirama's earnest manner and the unwavering resolve in his eyes, Kagami finally nodded.

Then, as he listened to Tobirama describe his grand vision, Kagami felt his heart stir for the first time in a long while.

—Now that the elder brother of the First had passed away, Diejian was the last Senju without prejudice against the Uchiha.

Tobirama's blunt statement startled Kagami.

It was tantamount to openly declaring that every Senju, including Tobirama himself, held some kind of prejudice against the Uchiha Clan.

At the same time, however, Kagami understood.

Though he had served as one of Tobirama's close aides for only a short time, he had learned to understand Tobirama's way of thinking.

It sprang from the confidence of a man who had always chosen the best course of action, and from his fierce conviction that his ideas would benefit Konohagakure. His brilliant mind could even treat himself as a pawn when necessary. Even Kagami, as a member of the Uchiha, couldn't help marveling that such a shinobi existed.

So, he thought, Tobirama wasn't trying to disparage the Uchiha. He was simply stating the facts.

Because of Madara's attack, the Uchiha's standing wasn't very good.

"You're right," Tobirama continued. "If left unchecked, the Uchiha's love, with no clear direction, could become dangerous—"

That was true.

It pained Kagami to say so as a member of the clan, but being one of them also meant there were things he could understand.

Even Kagami couldn't say for certain that there wouldn't be a second or third Madara.

For Kagami, who loved the village, that was unbearable.

So he agreed with Tobirama's idea of deliberately directing the "Uchiha's love" toward the "village."

Indeed, if every clan member could love the village as Kagami did, then the village's leadership, Tobirama included, wouldn't need to be wary of the Uchiha Clan betraying them.

And the Uchiha Clan wouldn't have to keep feeling stifled.

It wasn't a bad thing.

In a sense, it was an extreme measure, almost like brainwashing. But Kagami loved the village, and he saw no other way.

"But—" Tobirama folded his arms.

He said that it would be ideal if the plan could be completed in his generation, but until his policies took effect, there was no guarantee a second or third Madara wouldn't appear.

Tobirama believed that, in addition to the policies he was considering, they also needed someone who could serve as a deterrent to the Uchiha.

That meant "Kagami Uchiha," "Senju Diejian," and "Uchiha Shuri."

Kagami, an outlier among the Uchiha whose love was directed much like the Senju's.

Diejian, a Senju who had once displayed obsessive love.

And "Uchiha Shuri," who had yet to awaken her Sharingan and was the same age as Diejian.

In short, he planned to use the values of Kagami—a member of the Uchiha who had inherited the Senju's ideals—to shape Diejian and Shuri.

Shuri especially was Kagami's younger sister, and there was a good chance she would grow up like her brother.

If she could also be brought together with Diejian... then even if Shuri had some problems, they could surely be corrected before she awakened the Sharingan, a crystallization of sorrow and hatred.

Tobirama had seen potential in Diejian, who had begun to show his true colors after Hashirama's death. Perhaps he had anticipated this all along. He thought of his late brother.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have chosen such a roundabout approach. He probably would have settled for isolating the Uchiha and keeping them away from politics.

Even so, this strategy was only a second or third layer of insurance. Tobirama never said outright that the essence of his Uchiha policy was to isolate the clan.

Not long after leaving the classroom, Diejian and the others were taken to a Training Ground in a corner of the village.

Kagami looked over the three of them standing in a row before a large log driven into the ground, then prompted them to introduce themselves.

First, he set an example by introducing himself.

Then Sakumo and Diejian gave a few innocuous introductions, such as "a student of Sasuke Sarutobi," "the previous generation's grandson," "my favorite food is peaches," and "I use a short sword."

Only "Uchiha Shuri" stood there in silence.

Her Uchiha-black hair was carefully groomed and glossy. The twin bunches tied on either side of her head—twin tails—looked so smooth and silky that one could almost imagine the strands slipping through one's fingers.

Watching the girl sway her twin tails without saying a word, clearly keeping herself apart from the others, Diejian couldn't just ignore her.

Ignoring Sakumo, who realized what he was about to do and tried to stop him, he spoke to the girl.

"Come to think of it, we haven't talked yet. I'm Senju Diejian. You might have some feelings about the Senju and Uchiha relationship, but I don't mind any of that. I look forward to working with you."

Diejian ignored Sakumo, who clutched his head and groaned, "Ah, no, this is bad." A sunny smile spread across his face as he held out his hand to Shuri.

The girl silently stared at his outstretched hand. Diejian wondered if she was shy.

A warm feeling welled up inside him.

Diejian had a similar side to himself, so he thought it wouldn't be right to force her to shake his hand.

He was just thinking, a little regretfully, that since they'd be working as a team from now on, they'd have plenty of chances to get closer, and was about to pull his hand back when a stinging pain struck him.

He widened his eyes and looked to the side, only to see his hand flying back beside his face.

What was that!?

Startled, Diejian turned back to Shuri—and met the gaze of her beautiful, pitch-black eyes, as captivating as a deep abyss.

Those eyes were so deep they seemed to swallow him whole, yet now they twisted as if she were looking at something filthy.

Why did he have to be looked at like that?

Diejian stood there, bewildered and unsure what to make of it. Then he noticed the staff in Shuri's hand.

She held it with practiced ease.

He deduced that she was a staff fighter, and had used it to knock his arm away just now.

Shuri stepped back to put some distance between herself and Diejian. She scraped a line into the ground with her staff, as if to say, "Don't come any closer," then swung it sideways, cutting through the air.

"I have no intention of getting close to the Senju."

"Ah..."

"So that's what this is about."

Diejian understood, and realized why the classroom had erupted when Tobirama told him he'd be on the same team as Shuri.

Meanwhile, Kagami clutched his head. "What am I supposed to do with this right from the start?"