The Chosen Children

With the rules for the selection announced, the atmosphere at the Ninja Academy changed completely. The lazy mood of before was gone, and the training grounds were now filled with energetic Reserve Ninjas.

After the day's lessons ended, Rikusei and Naori tidied their desks and put their notes away before leaving the classroom together and heading toward the Uchiha Clan Grounds.

Not many people were walking home alongside them. Most had chosen to stay at school a little longer. The training facilities in the clan grounds might have been better equipped than the school's, but there were few companions to train with.

The rain had stopped, and the clouds had turned from dark to white, surging freely across the sky like waves.

They walked over the slightly muddy ground, the air feeling especially clear.

Naori pouted as she fretted over what had happened to her short sword, wondering if it had been changed somehow or stolen by someone.

Her anxious, indecisive look made Rikusei chuckle. He took her by the wrist and steered her around puddles reflecting the sky. It wouldn't do to get mud all over her fair calves.

Her glossy hair fell naturally over her black top, gleaming with a striking purple sheen in the evening sun. Coming back to herself, Naori softly thanked Rikusei.

Thoughtful as ever, Rikusei smiled and suggested they could just go see the forge themselves.

"Really?"

Clutching the loose strands of hair on her chest with her pale hand, Naori looked at him with shining eyes, asking in disbelief.

"Of course."

Rikusei gazed at her eager eyes and spoke softly, his voice like a spell that slipped through every crack and tickled at her heart.

"Wait a second."

"Huh!"

"This way! Southwest."

Rikusei hurriedly took her wrist and corrected their direction. They walked into the sunset along a path through Konoha's fields, passing lush green grass beaded with raindrops and thriving shrubs as they made their way toward their destination.

The sun gradually sank behind the treetops. Looking up, they could see a workshop sending up plumes of smoke. The clanging of hammers rang out without pause, startling birds in the woods into flapping away in waves.

After they passed through a narrow path in the forest, the view opened up before them. An old man with a white beard sat with his eyes closed beneath a parasol outside the workshop, leisurely enjoying the dusk. On the table beside him lay a pipe polished to a faint gleam.

Before Rikusei could say anything, the old man heard their footsteps and used the Body Flicker Technique to appear in front of Naori, studying her closely.

Naori blinked in confusion at the old man, who was barely taller than she was. His gaze was clear, with a hint of nostalgia in it, and she looked back at him curiously.

"You're here for the short sword, aren't you? I also know you're from the Uchiha Clan." Kohei, the old man with the white beard, put his pipe back in his mouth and stared intently at her beautiful purple hair. He slowly exhaled a cloud of smoke, then astonishingly identified them before continuing, "Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Kohei, head of the Artisan Ninja clan."

"Uchiha Rikusei."

"Uchiha Naori."

"How did you know why we came, old man?" Rikusei asked in surprise, studying the white-bearded man.

Kohei looked at the two little Gunbai with satisfaction and motioned for them to follow. "I saw this rare, beautiful purple hair in the Uchiha Clan Grounds thirty years ago."

The workshop on the left was filled with all kinds of ninja tools that had already been forged.

"Has your mother decided to stop being a ninja?" Kohei asked kindly. When the girl nodded, regret flickered in his eyes. He went to the rack, picked up the short sword, and ran his hand over its scabbard. "It's been so many years, but the short sword has been kept in excellent condition. You took good care of it. I've reforged it."

With the short sword back in her hands, Naori's bright eyes looked especially earnest. She fastened it carefully to her waist and thanked the old man.

"Thank the fact that you love your blade."

Kohei puffed out smoke and stroked his beard with a chuckle. To see a ninja tool he had forged again after all these years brought back so many memories.

The instant Tobirama had brought him the short sword, he had recognized it. Who wouldn't recognize the children they had forged with their own hands?

Only the scabbard and hilt had grown somewhat dull with age. The snow-white blade remained exactly as it had been, unchanged.

Excited to meet the child of an old acquaintance, Kohei took them on a tour of the workshop. They were amazed by how seamlessly the various nature transformations worked together, and only reluctantly left when dusk fell.

Moonlight shimmered on the rippling stream beneath the starry sky, while fireflies in the distance glowed like little green lights among the trees.

The girl softly recounted the history of the short sword at her waist, her gentle, nostalgic voice lingering in Rikusei's ears. They walked along the path, trampling weeds and stepping through damp earth. Cool dew slid down their ankles and into their shoes. Though the dusk was deepening, Naori wasn't afraid at all. With him by her side, she felt completely at ease.

The few days set aside for the preliminary selection flew by. The restless atmosphere in the village and at the school returned to its usual calm, and everyone eagerly awaited the final list.

Rikusei and Naori, already chosen in advance, were waiting in the classroom early. They couldn't be late; they had to arrive early.

As it happened, their classroom had been chosen as the meeting place, so they didn't have to go anywhere.

As time passed, the classroom gradually filled up.

Rikusei silently counted the people. There were twenty in all, just enough to make one class, and more than half were from their own class.

As expected, the Uchiha Clan had the most, with five members in total.

Besides Rikusei and Naori, the other three were Kagami, Naka, and Baru.

From what Kagami had told him, Rai hadn't wanted to travel far, so he had given up. When he returned to the clan, it seemed his parents had hung him up and given him a brutal beating.

There was no need to mention Danzo, En, Koharu, and Torifu—they were Tobirama's favorite students. Farther down, Hiruzen sat shamelessly close to his girlfriend. What was more surprising, though, was that one of the seats among the Hyuga Clan members belonged to someone from the Main Family.

A nepo baby.

Oblivious to the fact that he was a nepo baby himself, Rikusei labeled someone else one.

Once everyone had arrived, Tobirama entered in civilian clothes and stood at the lectern, looking with satisfaction at the students he had personally selected.

Aside from the core members of each clan, everyone else had been chosen based on their grades. There hadn't been any cheating, and he had no interest in cheating. He beckoned and called out, "Rikusei, come here."

Rising from his seat, Rikusei obediently walked up to the lectern, wondering, Could he be making me give an acceptance speech first?

It turned out he was overthinking it.

As if by magic, Tobirama produced a thick stack of papers from beneath the lectern. Smiling warmly, he handed them to Rikusei to distribute to everyone.

After the papers had been handed out, Tobirama began explaining the instructions in detail. Gripping a piece of chalk in his strong fingers, he wrote the rules on the blackboard.

No matter what happened, they had to stay close to the teacher. He would use the Flying Thunder God Technique to protect everyone. And they weren't to shriek just because they saw ninjutsu clash.

Most importantly, they couldn't bring snacks!

He circled and underlined the words "No snacks!" over and over with chalk.

His crimson eyes fixed on them with a serious gaze. Whenever his glance passed over someone, they sat up straight as though a chill had run down their spine, not daring to breathe too loudly. Tobirama clapped his hands and said with satisfaction, "Let me repeat: this is not Natsuhi's field trip!"