There are places in this world that are remembered because of their wars.
There are places remembered because of their rulers.
And then there are places remembered because of the people who lived there.
For me…
That place was the Village of Sakura.
My home.
The first place I ever knew.
The Village of Sakura was located within the Land of Light, a beautiful nation surrounded by enormous mountains and enormous forests.
But what made our village different from anywhere else were the Sakura trees.
They were everywhere.
Huge Sakura trees surrounded the village, their branches stretching over rooftops and streets.
During spring, pink petals constantly drifted through the air, carried by the wind and covering the roads like a blanket.
The village was beautiful.
Wooden houses lined the streets alongside shops, training grounds, shrines, temples, and small restaurants.
At the center of the village stood the palace.
It was one of the largest structures in Sakura.
Its white walls reflected the sunlight while golden rooftops rose above the Sakura trees.
It was where the village's leaders lived and where important decisions concerning the Land of Light were made.
But there was something else throughout the village that always caught my attention.
The statues.
Massive stone statues of legendary shinobi stood throughout Sakura.
They were the Grandmasters.
Shinobi who had reached levels of strength that most people could only dream of.
Their names had become legends.
Their accomplishments had been passed down from generation to generation.
Children in the village grew up hearing stories about them.
I was no different.
Whenever I walked past those statues, I would stop and stare.
I wondered what it felt like to become someone worthy of having a statue built in their honor.
Back then, I didn't understand what being a shinobi truly meant.
I only knew that everyone respected the Grandmasters.
Everyone admired them.
Everyone wanted to become like them.
And I wanted to become one too.
My name is Inochi Yasuke.
At the time, I was only a child.
I had brown skin, messy black hair that formed a wild Afro, and eyes that looked almost like flames.
My eyes were one of the first things people noticed about me.
Sometimes people would stare.
Sometimes they would whisper.
Sometimes they would ask me where I got them.
I never knew what to tell them.
Because I didn't know either.
The only thing I knew was that something strange had happened the last time I saw my father.
I still remember it.
A flash.
That's all I remember.
A flash of light appeared within my eyes.
It was so bright that everything around me disappeared.
Then…
Nothing.
I blacked out.
When I woke up, my father was gone.
I didn't understand what happened.
I didn't know where he went.
And for a long time, I didn't even know if I would ever see him again.
After that day, my life changed.
I was taken in by Shukumei Hotoke, my father's closest friend.
He became my adopted father.
His wife, Hamari Iyashi, became my adopted mother.
And their daughter, Miyuki Iyashi, became my little sister.
We weren't related by blood.
But that never mattered to me.
Miyuki was my sister.
Shukumei was my father.
Hamari was my mother.
They were my family.
They gave me a home when I needed one.
And for a while, life felt normal.
But there was always one thing I couldn't forget.
My father.
That flash of light.
The moment I blacked out.
The questions that were left behind.
I didn't understand what happened that day.
Not yet.
But I knew that one day…
I would find out.
MY FIRST DAY
The sun had barely risen over the Village of Sakura when I woke up.
I sat on the edge of my bed and stared at myself in the mirror.
My hair was everywhere.
I tried pushing my Afro down.
It immediately bounced back up.
I sighed.
Inochi: "Whatever."
I grabbed my things and got ready.
Today was my first official day training for the life of a shinobi.
I'd already been training at the dojo for years, just like many of the other children in the village.
But today felt different.
Today wasn't just another day of training.
Today was the beginning of something new.
I walked downstairs.
Hamari was already awake.
She looked over at me.
Hamari: "You're up early."
Inochi: "It's my first day."
She smiled.
Hamari: "I know."
Miyuki was nearby, still half asleep.
She looked at me.
Miyuki: "You're really going?"
Inochi: "Yeah."
She rubbed her eyes.
Miyuki: "Don't get hurt."
I smiled.
Inochi: "I won't."
Hamari walked over and straightened my clothes.
Hamari: "Just remember what we've taught you."
I nodded.
Inochi: "I will."
Miyuki looked at me.
Miyuki: "Are you nervous?"
I paused.
Inochi: "Maybe a little."
She smiled.
Miyuki: "You'll be fine."
I smiled back.
Then I walked outside.
The morning air was cool.
Pink Sakura petals drifted through the streets.
The village was beginning to wake up.
Shinobi walked through the streets wearing their headbands.
Some were returning from missions.
Others were preparing to leave.
Children ran between the buildings.
The temples were beginning to fill with people.
I looked up at the massive statues of the Grandmasters.
For some reason…
I felt like they were watching me.
Maybe it was just my imagination.
I turned toward the dojo.
I took a deep breath.
Then I started walking.
I didn't know it yet…
But that morning would become the beginning of everything.
THE DOJO
After walking through several streets, I finally reached the dojo.
The building was enormous.
Its wooden walls were darkened by years of rain, sunlight, and training.
Large beams supported the roof, and several Sakura trees surrounded the building, their branches hanging over the entrance.
The dojo had a large training yard outside.
Wooden posts were scattered across the field.
Training dummies stood in rows.
Targets hung from trees.
There were marks in the dirt from countless sparring matches.
Even before I entered, I could hear the sounds.
THWACK.
A wooden sword hitting a training post.
BOOM.
Someone falling onto the ground.
Voices shouting.
Children laughing.
Instructors yelling.
The dojo was never quiet.
And honestly…
I liked it that way.
When I stepped through the entrance, the familiar smell of wood, sweat, training equipment, and incense filled the air.
The inside of the dojo was even bigger than it looked from outside.
The floor was made of polished wooden boards.
Long wooden pillars held up the ceiling.
Training weapons were mounted against the walls.
There were racks filled with wooden swords, practice kunai, staffs, and other training equipment.
At the far end of the room was a large shrine dedicated to the Grandmasters of the Land of Light.
Their names were written on wooden plaques.
The entire room seemed to carry their history.
Every time I came here, I felt like I was stepping into the past.
This was where generations of shinobi had trained.
People who had gone on to become legends.
And one day…
I wanted my name remembered too.
Not because I wanted people to worship me.
Not because I wanted a statue.
I wanted to become the Grandmaster of Light.
That was my dream.
My father had been the Grandmaster of Light.
And I wanted to follow in his footsteps.
I wanted to become strong enough to protect people.
I wanted to finish whatever my father had started.
I wanted to make him proud.And there was another reason people treated me differently.
My father.
Everyone knew who I was.
Inochi Yasuke.
The son of the Grandmaster of Light.
I could feel people's eyes following me whenever I entered the dojo.
Some kids whispered.
Student 1: "That's him."
Student 2: "The Grandmaster's son."
Student 3: "I heard his father was incredible."
Student 4: "Look at his eyes."
Student 5: "He already looks cool."
Sometimes people talked about me like I was something more than a kid.
Like I had already accomplished something.
But I hadn't.
I was just Inochi.
A kid whose father was gone.
A kid who still didn't understand what had happened to him.
A kid who was trying to become strong enough to fill the shadow his father had left behind.
I didn't think I was special.
But everyone else seemed to.
And that was when I saw them.
The three people who would become my teammates.
I had known them for years.
We had trained together.
Competed against each other.
Argued.
Laughed.
Got into trouble.
But that day would be different.
Because for the first time…
We were going to become a team.
SHIN
The first person I noticed was Shin.
I heard him before I saw him.
Shin: "Inochi!"
I turned around.
A boy came running toward me with a huge grin across his face.
Shin had black hair tied into a ponytail that bounced behind him as he ran.
His eyes were green.
He wore a red jacket over black clothing, along with black pants and black shoes.
He looked like someone who was ready for battle.
Until he opened his mouth.
Shin: "You're late!"
I blinked.
Inochi: "I literally just got here."
Shin stopped.
He looked around.
Then looked at me.
Shin: "Yeah."
He nodded seriously.
Shin: "I have no idea what I'm talking about."
I stared at him.
Then laughed.
Inochi: "You're an idiot."
He put his hand over his heart.
Shin: "That's incredibly hurtful coming from the son of the Grandmaster."
I rolled my eyes.
Inochi: "Don't start."
Shin laughed.
That was Shin.
He was probably the smartest person our age in the dojo.
And somehow…
He was also the biggest idiot.
He could look at a training exercise once and immediately figure out the best strategy.
He could remember techniques after watching them only a few times.
He noticed little things other people didn't.
He understood how people moved.
He understood patterns.
He understood tactics.
But he almost never acted like the intelligent person he actually was.
He was goofy.
Loud.
Annoying.
And constantly joking.
If an instructor told us to remain silent, Shin would somehow find a way to whisper something that made everyone laugh.
If we were losing a sparring match, he'd make a joke.
If someone fell down, he'd probably laugh first and help them second.
But there was one thing everyone knew about Shin.
He could become serious.
He just hated doing it.
If the situation wasn't truly dangerous, Shin would probably make a joke about it.
But if someone was genuinely in danger…
His entire personality changed.
Shin: "You ready?"
Inochi: "For what?"
Shin: "Our glorious first day."
Inochi: "You don't even know what we're doing."
Shin: "Exactly."
He smiled.
Shin: "That's what makes it glorious."
I laughed.
Sometimes I wondered if Shin was ever going to grow up.
Probably not.
RINA
Then I noticed her.
Rina.
She stood a little farther away from us.
She was one of the most beautiful girls I'd ever seen.
Her brown hair was tied into a neat ponytail, and a pink ribbon was wrapped around it.
Her brown eyes were soft and warm.
She wore a beautiful pink kimono that matched the ribbon in her hair.
She always looked neat.
Unlike Shin.
Or me.
Or pretty much anyone else in the dojo.
But there was something else I noticed whenever she came near me.
She smelled really good.
I don't know what kind of perfume or flower scent she used.
Maybe it was something her family made.
But there was always this soft, sweet smell around her.
Like flowers after rain.
I didn't think much of it at the time.
I just thought it was nice.
Rina: "Hi, Inochi."
Her voice was quiet.
Inochi: "Hey, Rina."
She smiled.
Her cheeks became slightly pink.
Then she looked away.
I tilted my head.
Inochi: "Are you okay?"
Rina: "Y-Yeah."
She smiled nervously.
Rina: "I'm fine."
Shin looked between us.
Then he smiled.
I knew that look.
Inochi: "What?"
Shin: "Nothing."
Inochi: "Shin."
Shin: "Nothing!"
Rina's face turned even redder.
I looked at her.
Then at Shin.
Then back at her.
I didn't understand.
Rina had always been shy.
She was kind.
Gentle.
Patient.
She was the kind of person who would stop training just to help another student who had gotten hurt.
She was always encouraging people.
Always helping.
And she hated seeing people fight for no reason.
But there was something about the way she acted around me that I never really understood.
Whenever I spoke to her, she'd become nervous.
Whenever I complimented her, she'd look away.
Whenever I stood close to her, her face seemed to turn red.
I didn't know why.
Inochi: "You look nice today."
I smiled.
Rina: "Thanks."
Her face immediately turned red.
Shin covered his mouth, trying not to laugh.
I looked at him.
Inochi: "What?"
Shin: "Nothing."
Inochi: "Why do you keep saying that?"
Shin: "Because nothing is happening."
Rina lightly elbowed him.
Rina: "Shin!"
He laughed.
Shin: "Okay! Okay!"
I shook my head.
I had a feeling this was going to be a long day.
TORA
Then I heard someone speak from behind me.
Tora: "You three talk too much."
I turned.
Tora.
He was standing against one of the dojo's wooden pillars with his arms crossed.
Tora looked completely different from Shin.
His hair was gray.
It was spiky and wild, almost like it was permanently charged with energy.
His eyes were gray too.
Cold.
Focused.
His kimono was green and black, giving him a darker appearance than the rest of us.
He always looked like he was ready to fight somebody.
And honestly…
He usually was.
Tora was aggressive.
Competitive.
And obsessed with becoming stronger.
He wasn't interested in jokes.
He wasn't interested in wasting time.
And he definitely wasn't interested in being second best.
Especially to me.
But I didn't know why.
As far as I knew, Tora simply wanted to become stronger.
That's what I'd always assumed.
Maybe he wanted to become a great shinobi.
Maybe he wanted to become a Grandmaster one day.
I didn't know.
What I didn't know was that Tora was jealous of me.
Not because of anything I'd done to him.
But because of what I represented.
I was the son of the Grandmaster.
People already expected me to become special.
They looked at me differently.
They praised me before I'd even accomplished anything.
Tora pushed himself away from the pillar.
Tora: "Inochi."
Inochi: "Yeah?"
Tora: "You still haven't beaten me."
I smiled.
Inochi: "Not yet."
His eyes narrowed.
Tora: "Then today might be the day."
Shin immediately stepped between us.
Shin: "Oh, here we go."
Rina nervously stepped forward.
Rina: "Guys…"
Tora didn't look away from me.
Tora: "After training."
I nodded.
Inochi: "Fine."
He walked past me.
But as he passed, I could feel his eyes on me.
KOBA
Then the room became quiet.
A man stood near the center of the dojo.
His arms were crossed.
His expression was calm.
Koba.
He was going to be our squad leader.
Koba had brown spiky hair and sharp blue eyes.
He wore a dark blue kimono that fit tightly around his body, allowing him to move freely.
A sword rested at his side.
A headband was tied around his head, while another piece of cloth was wrapped around his waist.
He looked like a real shinobi.
The kind of person you immediately knew had experience.
His posture was straight.
His eyes were sharp.
And when he looked at you…
It felt like he could see everything.
Koba was serious.
At least, that's what most people thought.
But I'd already seen his goofy side before.
He could be surprisingly funny when he wanted to be.
The difference between him and Shin was that Koba knew when to stop joking.
Koba looked at me.
Koba: "You're late."
I stopped.
Inochi: "What?"
He stared at me.
Then smiled.
Koba: "I'm joking."
I sighed.
Inochi: "You got me."
He laughed.
Koba: "Come here."
I walked over.
Shin whispered behind me.
Shin: "He does that to everyone."
Koba looked at him.
Koba: "I heard that."
Shin immediately stood straight.
Shin: "I said nothing."
Koba shook his head.
Koba: "All four of you."
We looked at him.
He studied each of us.
Then he spoke.
Koba: "You've all trained together for years."
We nodded.
Koba: "You know each other's strengths."
He looked at Shin.
Koba: "You know each other's weaknesses."
Then Rina.
Koba: "You've seen each other grow."
Then Tora.
Koba: "You've competed against each other."
Finally, his eyes settled on me.
Koba: "But you've never worked together."
Nobody spoke.
Koba continued.
Koba: "That changes today."
Shin raised his hand.
Shin: "Does that mean…"
Koba nodded.
Koba: "You four are now an official squad."
There was silence.
Then
Shin: "YES!"
Shin jumped into the air.
Shin: "TEAM KOBA!"
Koba's expression immediately dropped.
Koba: "I didn't say you could name it."
Shin landed.
Shin: "Too late."
Rina giggled.
Tora rolled his eyes.
I smiled.
For years, the four of us had trained in the same dojo.
We knew each other's personalities.
We knew how each other fought.
We knew what annoyed each other.
We knew what made each other laugh.
But this was different.
We weren't just students anymore.
We were a team.
Team Koba.
OUR FIRST TRAINING
Koba walked toward the center of the dojo.
Koba: "Before we leave for your mission, we're going to train."
Shin's smile disappeared.
Shin: "Wait."
Koba looked at him.
Koba: "What?"
Shin: "We have to train before the mission?"
Koba: "Yes."
Shin pointed toward himself.
Shin: "But I'm already naturally talented."
Koba stared at him.
Koba: "You're naturally annoying."
Shin put his hands on his hips.
Shin: "I'll take that as a compliment."
Koba sighed.
Koba: "Positions."
We all moved into the center of the dojo.
But inside, I felt something completely different.
I'm not that special.
I hadn't become a Grandmaster.
I hadn't protected anyone.
My father was the Grandmaster.
Not me.
I was just his son.
Koba suddenly threw a wooden kunai toward me.
I caught it.
Koba: "Your first exercise."
He pointed toward the targets.
Koba: "Three targets."
I looked.
Three wooden targets had been placed at different distances.
Koba: "Hit them."
Shin smiled.
Shin: "That's easy."
Koba looked at him.
Koba: "You didn't hear the rules."
Shin stopped smiling.
Koba continued.
Koba: "Each member will attack at the same time."
We looked at each other.
Koba: "You're not allowed to interfere with each other's attacks."
Tora smiled.
Tora: "Easy."
Rina nodded.
I tightened my grip on the wooden kunai.
Koba raised his hand.
Koba: "Three…"
We all lowered our stances.
Koba: "Two…"
I focused.
Koba: "One."
Koba: "GO!"
We moved.
Tora launched forward immediately.
Rina moved more carefully.
Shin…
Somehow threw his kunai backward.
I stared at him.
Inochi: "What are you doing?!"
Shin grinned.
Shin: "Trust me!"
The kunai bounced off a wooden post.
Then another.
Then another.
And finally...
THUNK!
It struck the target.
I blinked.
Shin smiled.
Shin: "See?"
Tora stared at him.
Tora: "You got lucky."
Shin shrugged.
Shin: "Luck is just intelligence wearing a disguise."
Tora: "That doesn't even make sense."
Shin: "It doesn't have to."
I laughed.
Rina released her kunai.
THUNK!
Perfect hit.
Tora's kunai followed.
THUNK!
Another perfect hit.
Then I threw mine.
THUNK!
All four targets had been hit.
Koba nodded.
Koba: "Good."
Shin smiled.
Shin: "That was amazing, right?"
Koba looked at him.
Koba: "Your technique was reckless."
Shin's smile disappeared.
Koba: "But effective."
His smile returned.
Shin: "I knew it!"
Koba shook his head.
We continued training.
We sparred.
We practiced formations.
We learned each other's movements.
And slowly…
Something began to change.
Rina started understanding when I moved.
Shin began predicting Tora's attacks.
Tora learned when to trust our positioning.
And I began realizing something.
Being strong alone wasn't enough.
A team had to move together.
For the first time, I started thinking about what it meant to fight alongside other people.
Not just beside them.
With them.
Koba suddenly walked toward us.
Koba: "Gather your equipment."
We all looked at him.
Shin blinked.
Shin: "Already?"
Koba nodded.
Koba: "Your training is over."
Tora: "Finally."
Rina grabbed her equipment.
Rina: "Where are we going?"
Koba looked toward the doorway.
Koba: "Your first mission."
Shin's eyes widened.
Shin: "Wait… our first mission is actually today?"
Koba nodded.
Koba: "Today is your first official day as a squad."
He paused.
I stood up.
My heart started beating faster.
A mission.
Our first mission.
I looked at my teammates.
Shin grinned.
Rina looked nervous.
Tora looked excited.
And me?
I was ready.
I didn't know what waited for us outside that dojo.
I didn't know what our first mission would bring.
I didn't know that the world beyond the Village of Sakura was much darker than I believed.
And I definitely didn't know how much my life was about to change.
All I knew was one thing.
This was the beginning.
The beginning of my life as a shinobi.
The beginning of Team Koba.