Two years.
That's how long it had been since Kakashi's early graduation, Sakumo's funeral, and Kazuki's quiet promise to start playing by his own rules.
Two years of growing taller, faster, sharper.
Two years of watching the tension between the Great Villages coil tighter like a bowstring ready to snap.
The news came one crisp morning, delivered by a bored-looking instructor at the academy.
"The Hokage has decided that, due to the current border situation, all advanced students will graduate immediately. Team assignments will be announced at noon."
The class buzzed with a mix of excitement and dread.
Kazuki leaned back in his chair, twirling a pencil between his fingers. Well… there it is. The war hasn't even started yet, but we're apparently so desperate we're throwing kids into the meat grinder early. Charming.
Beside him, Azula had a grin that could probably set wood on fire. "Finally," she muttered. "About damn time they stopped wasting my talent in here."
Kazuki snorted. "You say that now. Give it a month and you'll be missing the comfy chairs."
She shot him a look. "Chairs don't make history, Kazuki."
"Neither does dying in your first mission," he said.
Their banter was interrupted by the noon bell. Instructors shuffled the students into the courtyard, where Hiruzen Sarutobi stood with his ever-present "kindly old man" expression. Kazuki barely listened as the Hokage launched into his Will of Fire speech again — something about unity, protecting comrades, and standing proud as the next generation of Konoha.
Save it for someone who doesn't know you helped bury Sakumo, Kazuki thought, folding his arms.
The list of teams was read out.
"Team Five: Uchiha Kazuki, Uchiha Azula, and Uzuki Yugao. Your instructor will be Special Jōnin Tsume Inuzuka."
Kazuki raised an eyebrow. He knew Tsume by reputation — ferocious in combat, loud, always accompanied by that beast of a dog, Kuromaru. But more importantly, she wasn't exactly known for… fondness toward the Uchiha.
Azula just whispered, "Oh, this is going to be fun."
They met their new instructor later that afternoon at Training Ground 12.
Tsume was leaning against a post, arms crossed, Kuromaru sitting at her side like a furry sentinel.
She looked them over, her eyes lingering just a bit longer on Kazuki and Azula. "Alright, pups. Name, skills, and chakra nature. Go."
Yugao stepped forward first. "Uzuki Yugao. I'm a sensory ninja, trained in kenjutsu. My chakra nature is wind, but I haven't learned any wind-style jutsu yet."
Tsume's face lit up. "Wind, huh? Mine too. I'll drill you on a few jutsu, see if you've got the guts to use 'em."
Her tone was warm — approving. Kazuki noticed.
Oh, this is going to be one of those situations.
His turn. He kept his voice casual. "Uchiha Kazuki. Good at taijutsu, genjutsu, and kenjutsu. No ninjutsu."
Tsume's eyes narrowed in mockery. "So… no ninjutsu? Guess the famous Uchiha fire isn't in every branch of the family tree. Next."
Azula stepped up, her voice sharp. "Uchiha Azula. Fire-style jutsu, taijutsu, and shurikenjutsu."
Tsume didn't comment — just hummed, as if already slotting them into boxes in her mind.
Then she smiled. The kind of smile Kazuki associated with predators. "Let's have a little spar to see where you're at."
It wasn't a spar. It was a massacre.
Tsume moved like a hurricane, Kuromaru right there with her. Yugao got off with a few scratches — a cut on the arm, a bruise on the shoulder.
Kazuki and Azula… not so lucky.
Kazuki's forearms stung from blocking blows that felt like they were trying to break bone. His ribs ached where Kuromaru had rammed into him.
Azula was breathing hard, one knee in the dirt, hair sticking to her face as she glared up at Tsume like she could set her on fire with sheer hatred.
Tsume didn't even glance at them. She turned to Yugao instead, voice calm, instructional. "You did well, but your guard drops on your left side when you swing upward. Work on that. And when you sense someone behind you, don't hesitate. Trust your instincts."
That's it? Kazuki thought, staring at her. We're over here tasting dirt and she's giving a coaching seminar to her favorite student?
After delivering a few more tips to Yugao, Tsume finally addressed them — if you could call it that.
"That's it for today. Missions start tomorrow. Meet me in front of the Hokage's office at nine sharp. And you two—" her gaze finally flicked to the bruised heap of Kazuki and Azula "—better learn how to take a hit. You're going to need it"
Then she left. Just like that. No offer to help them up, no acknowledgment they'd even fought. Kuromaru padded after her, and Kazuki swore the dog looked smug.
They lay there for a moment, side by side in the grass, both breathing hard.
Azula finally groaned, "I'm going to kill her."
"Ambitious," Kazuki said, wincing as he sat up. "I will roast that mutt first."
"Fine," she said, pushing herself upright. "Yes, kill him too. Equal opportunity vengeance."
He chuckled. But it wasn't all humor. The way Tsume had singled out Yugao, the way she'd looked at them — Kazuki knew the Uchiha weren't popular in the village. Danzo's rumors had been working their poison for years. But to take it out on kids? That wasn't just petty. That was personal.
She's strong. But once I analyse her patterns. I can beat her.
Yugao, awkward but clearly feeling guilty, offered to help them get back.
"I can take you to the Uchiha compound—"
"I'm fine," Kazuki cut in. His tone wasn't sharp, but it was final. "Azula?"
"I'll manage," she said through gritted teeth.
So they limped back together, Kazuki and Azula heading for the orphanage. The sun was setting, painting the rooftops in orange and red.
Azula broke the silence. "You saw the way she looked at us, right? Like we were just… expendable?"
"Yeah," Kazuki said. "I also saw the way she moved. Heavy on the left leg. Kuromaru's first bite always comes from the right. She favors overhead strikes when she gets excited."
Azula glanced at him. "You were paying attention?"
"Of course," he said, smirking faintly. "Revenge is a dish best served well-researched."
Her smile matched his, sharp and cold. "Good. Because I'm not letting this slide."
By the time they reached the orphanage, Kuroha was waiting at the door.
Her eyes widened at the sight of them. "What in the hell happened to you two?"
"Team bonding," Kazuki said.
"More like team beatdown," Azula muttered.
Kuroha ushered them inside, her hands already glowing green as she started healing bruises. "Idiots. Some people think you teach by breaking bones. You know what that really teaches? How to hate your teacher."
Kazuki let out a slow breath as the pain dulled under her touch. "Don't worry. We're fine."
Physically, anyway.
Mentally? He and Azula were already planning.
Tsume POV
The moment Tsume saw her new team lineup, her jaw clenched so hard Kuromaru gave her a sideways glance.
She didn't need to know their names — she could tell just by one look. Pitch-black hair, eyes like onyx, skin pale as snow. Two Uchiha.
The universe really had a twisted sense of humor.
She still remembered that day in the Academy like it had happened yesterday. Kuromaru was smaller back then, all wiry muscle and boundless energy. They'd been paired up for a spar with an Uchiha boy — smug, quiet, that infuriating I'm-better-than-you glint in his eye. Kuromaru had been quick, but the Uchiha had been quicker. A feint, a flash of steel, and suddenly Kuromaru was howling, pawing at his bleeding eye.
The next day, the boy didn't even show his face. Instead, he had left a really expensive box of mochi on her desk, with the word sorry written in perfect, practiced calligraphy on the wrapping. No apology. Just sweets, as if that could erase the scar.
She never touched the damn mochi. But she'd kept the box — a reminder.
So no, she didn't care if these two new brats were the Second Coming of the Sage himself. They were still Uchiha, and Uchiha needed breaking in.
"Alright, pups," Tsume said now, arms crossed as she stared down her new charges. Her voice was clipped, commanding, meant to make rookies stand straighter. "Names, abilities, and chakra nature. Go."
Uzuki Yugao stepped forward first. Predictable. She had the eager-pup look in her eyes. "Uzuki Yugao. I'm a sensory ninja, trained in kenjutsu. My chakra nature is wind, but I don't know any wind jutsu yet."
Tsume nodded. Disciplined, respectful, and most importantly, not Uchiha."Wind, huh? Mine too. I'll drill you on a few jutsu, see if you've got the guts to use 'em."
She let her approval be obvious — for Yugao's benefit, and for the other two to notice exactly who was already ahead in her books.
Next came the boy — Uchiha Kazuki. No smug tilt to his eyes like the boy from her childhood, but there was a spark there. The kind of spark that got dangerous if you didn't stomp it early.
"Taijutsu, genjutsu, kenjutsu," he said lazily, like he was reading from a grocery list. "No ninjutsu."
Tsume raised an eyebrow, let her lips twist into a mocking smirk. "So… no ninjutsu? Guess the famous Uchiha fire isn't in every branch of the family tree. Next."
The girl — Uchiha Azula — didn't even blink at her tone. "Fire jutsu, taijutsu, shurikenjutsu."
Of course it's fire.
Tsume didn't bother replying. She just jerked her chin toward the training field. "Let's have a little spar to see where you're at."
It didn't take long. Kuromaru and she moved in perfect sync, their rhythm honed over years. Yugao got off with a couple scratches. The Uchiha pair? They took the kind of beating you remembered the next day in every aching muscle.
She stood over their bruised forms, Kuromaru panting happily at her side.
"Yugao," Tsume called, not even glancing at the groaning pair on the dirt, "You did well, but your guard drops on your left side when you swing upward. Work on that. And when you sense someone behind you, don't hesitate. Trust your instincts."
She spent the next five minutes pointing out Yugao's flaws, offering exact corrections and strategies. The Uchiha didn't get a single pointer.
When she was done, she clapped her hands once. "That's it for today. Missions start tomorrow. Meet me in front of the Hokage's office at nine sharp. And you two—" her gaze finally flicked to the bruised heap of Kazuki and Azula "—better learn how to take a hit. You're going to need it."
Then she turned, striding away with Kuromaru at her side. She could feel their eyes burning into her back, thick with resentment.
Good. Let them stew.
If they were smart, they'd understand what the rest of the world already knew — outside their compound walls, the Uchiha name didn't make you special. It made you a target either inside or outside village. And Tsume Inuzuka wasn't in the business of making life easier for her targets.
Author's note:
Guys what do you think of this cultural misunderstanding at first I planned to make Tsume dislike Uchiha just because of Danzo's rumors but that would be dumb of Tsume to do that so I added a personal grudge of Tsume and gave her a legitimate reason to dislike Uchiha.
And before you guys come to me saying that kill her she deserve this I said earlier if you are looking for a murder machine mc this place is not for you.
And I thought that it will be fun to resolve this misunderstanding as
From the Uchiha perspective, the boy who hurt Kuromaru did apologize sincerely. The Silent Apology Mochi tradition is deeply ingrained, so he believed he had done the right thing.
From Tsume's perspective, her partner (practically family) lost an eye, and instead of a heartfelt apology, the boy left a fancy box of sweets with "sorry" written on it — which to her felt like a cold, dismissive gesture.
That's a serious clash of values and communication. And won't you guys think it would be a waste that in Naruto mc didn't resolve some misunderstanding as most opponents are dealt by talk-no-jutsu in Naruto anime.
What do you guys think.