Kazuki and the other kids dragged their bodies across the dirt, legs trembling, arms sore, breathing shallow. They were sunburnt, sweat-soaked, and physically crushed after hours of relentless drills.
Some could barely walk straight.
Even Kazuki, whose soul had once survived the slow decay of emotional torment, felt his new body reaching its limits.
So when they passed through a narrow trail between trees and emerged into a clearing — their vision met something completely unexpected:
A banquet.
Dozens of low tables arranged in a square, steam rising from carefully prepared dishes: grilled fish, rice bowls, vegetable soup, pickled radishes, egg omelets, and large trays of plum-filled sweets, sugar-coated dango, and mochi so soft it seemed to melt under the wind.
The children froze in confusion.
The three kunoichi — who had just spent hours turning their tiny bones into jelly — now stood at the front, smiling gently. The kind of smile you'd expect from a doting older sister… or a fox about to bite.
The braided one clapped her hands."You've done well," she said sweetly. "You're exhausted, aching, half-broken. That means your chakra is finally awake."
"But," she continued, "before we try sensing it, you need to refuel. Your body must be full of energy again. Eat as much as you want. Every dish is chakra-enriched and made for your first awakening."
Kazuki blinked.He squinted suspiciously at the nearest tray of dango."Was this... what Ren meant by the last part? A feast?"
The other children didn't question it. They dove into the food with the wild desperation of wolves. Even the non-orphan Uchiha kids dropped their pride and grabbed chopsticks like it was a warzone.
Obito plopped down beside Kazuki with a grin. "You just know there's a catch, right?""There's always a catch," Kazuki muttered.From the other side, Azula was already dual-wielding rice balls. "Shhh. If there's a catch, we'll deal with it after dessert."
They ate. Grilled fish, sweet rice dumplings, spicy miso soup. Kazuki couldn't help but notice the kunoichi sitting at their own table, sipping tea and watching them like scientists observing lab rats.
The braided one occasionally made eye contact with Kazuki and smiled just a little too sweetly.He narrowed his eyes.They're up to something.
By the time the children finished devouring everything on the table — sweets included — they were full, relaxed, and even laughing.Bad sign.
Then the kunoichi stood."And now," said the braid-haired devil with the voice of a goddess, "the last part."
Every orphan froze.Even Obito, with a red bean bun halfway in his mouth, paused mid-bite. That one sentence cut through the sugar haze like a kunai to the gut.
"Oh no," Kazuki muttered."Told you there'd be a catch," Obito whispered.Azula shrugged. "Maybe they just want us to do the dishes?"
After the feast, the children were told to strip down to towels and follow the instructors to the bathing facility — a wide, stone-walled bathhouse tucked between trees, with smoke rising from the far side and the scent of herbs clinging to the steam.
"Final phase of the day," said the braid-haired instructor. "Hot soak with chakra herbs. It helps you become aware of your inner flow. You'll sense chakra for the first time—if you're open and disciplined enough."
Kazuki walked inside the bathhouse with a mix of cautious optimism and suspicion.
That optimism lasted exactly three seconds.
Then he saw the bath.
No. Not a bath.
A cauldron.
The pool of water was boiling. Not just hot — rolling, seething, bubbling like soup left on a demon's stove. And it wasn't clear either — it was purple. Deep, royal purple with hints of green and red that shimmered ominously under the steam.
It looked like potion. Or poison. Or something that dissolved bodies.
Kazuki stared.
Obito leaned closer and whispered, "We're gonna die. This is it. They're making ninja stew."Azula, squinting at the bath, said, "No… if it was ninja stew, they'd add carrots. This is… ninja poison."
One of the kunoichi chuckled — chuckled — like they were watching kittens play."Don't worry," said the side-bun kunoichi. "It's just herbs."
Just herbs, she said.Just boiling purple liquid herbs, she said.Just shut up and get in, she didn't say but clearly meant.
Kazuki took a cautious step back.
The braided one appeared behind him like a specter of death and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.
He flinched.
"Having second thoughts, little crow?" she asked sweetly.Kazuki nodded very slowly."That's natural," she continued, her smile still gentle. "I like children boiled, after all."
Azula snorted. "Called it. We are the stew."
Before Kazuki could scream, run, or summon a legal guardian, the kunoichi tossed him bodily into the tub with the grace of an Olympic judoka.
The second Kazuki's skin hit the water, he saw God.
Not literally. But he would not have been surprised if some higher being popped out of the ceiling and said, "Yeah, this is the end."
The pain was immediate and everywhere.
His skin felt like it was on fire. His bones vibrated. His nerves sang a discordant anthem of betrayal. It wasn't just heat — it was electric, like being stung by a thousand chakra-charged hornets.
He screamed.
From the edge, Obito called, "Kazuki, if you survive, tell my grandma I died bravely!"Azula added, "Tell her I died prettier than everyone else!"
"NOW," shouted the braid-haired kunoichi above the steam, "SIT CROSS-LEGGED!""BREATHE!""FEEL YOUR CHAKRA!"
Kazuki, still hallucinating his past life, curled his legs under him, closed his eyes, and muttered, "This clan is insane."
But he did as she said.Because somehow, the pain grounded him.Because somehow, his brain said: Yes, this is the right level of crazy. You're an Uchiha now.
So he focused.
Breathing slow, shallow, labored.
And somewhere beneath the agony, past the thudding of his heart, past the electric stings and the boiling torment…
He felt something.
A hum.A thread.A current, warm and coiled, pulsing deep in his gut and flowing outward to his limbs — flickering behind his eyes, coiling around his spine.
His chakra.
It was faint, but it was there.
And for the first time in either of his lives, Kazuki felt something that wasn't pain, or numbness, or sorrow.
It was power.
His.