Hiruzen Sarutobi sat at his desk, pipe in hand, a thin cloud of smoke drifting from his mouth as he stared down at the latest piece of paperwork.
A letter from his student, and now the commander of the Sunagakure war front.
After months of skirmishes and battles, the conflict had reached a standstill. Neither side could gain ground, yet casualties continued to mount. Jiraiya was requesting reinforcements.
Hiruzen hated war. Every name on a casualty list weighed heavily on him, every order to deploy more shinobi felt like a personal failure. But he could not allow Konoha to lose. With a heavy heart, he began selecting the names of shinobi he might very well be sending to their deaths.
I woke up to a poking sensation on my arm.
"Itachi," I muttered, eyes still half-closed.
"Niisan," he said eagerly, poking me again. "You promised you'd train me today. I will start the Academy soon!"
Itachi was five years old and bursting with energy far more than I had at that age. I sighed, then smiled despite myself.
"Fine. But I don't have much time," I said, sitting up. "I have to report to the Hokage Building today. I'll show you something, then leave you exercises to work on."
His eyes lit up instantly.
We walked out into the yard. I stopped near one of the trees and turned to face him.
"Alright, pay attention. Father already taught you the Leaf Exercise, right?" He nodded quickly. "Good. This is something you'll learn in the Academy, tree walking. You focus chakra at the soles of your feet and use it to stick to the surface. Like this."
I stepped onto the trunk and walked a few feet up before hopping back down.
"Whoa…" Itachi whispered.
"Your goal is to make it to the top without using your hands," I said. "Take your time. Control is more important than speed."
He nodded. "Okay, Niisan! I'll have it mastered before you get back!"
I laughed softly and ruffled his hair. "Don't push yourself too hard."
After changing, I headed out toward the Hokage Building.
On the way, I nearly ran straight into Shisui.
"Hey," he said with a grin. "Are you heading to the Hokage Building?"
"Morning," I replied. "Yeah. What about you?"
"Nope. Already got my assignment," he said, almost casually. "I'm being sent to the Mist front. I'll be gone for a while."
I hid my frown, but the unease settled in my chest. Shisui and I had spent years watching each other's backs in the field. Now he was being sent on his most dangerous mission yet and we wouldn't be fighting together.
"I'm surprised," I said carefully. "I thought we'd still be doing support missions because of our age."
Shisui shrugged, still smiling. "Young or not, we're chunin now. Guess the Hokage sees us as that instead of kids."
I forced a grin. "Well, I'm heading to the Hokage right now. Probably going to come back a legend, so don't feel too bad if you can't keep up."
He laughed. "Yeah, yeah. Just don't die before I get back."
"Same to you," I said, bumping fists with him. "Be careful out there. And watch out for the Seven Swordsmen."
"I always do."
We parted ways, and I continued toward the Hokage Building.
When I arrived, I stopped short.
Chunin and jonin filled the area, lined up and waiting. Some stood silently, others whispered among themselves but every single one of them looked ready.
That's when it truly sank in.
I was being sent to a war front too.
I'd expected it, at least logically but seeing it made my stomach twist, nerves flipping over themselves. This wasn't training. This was real.
The doors opened, and the Hokage stepped forward, robes shifting with the breeze. The murmurs died instantly.
"When I was younger," Hiruzen began, "I believed war was something that could be ended by strength alone."
He paused.
"I was wrong."
"War is not decided by a single battle, nor by a single hero. It is decided by the shinobi who endure. Who follow orders. Who protect their comrades."
"The front you are being sent to is at a standstill but that does not mean it is quiet. Lives are being lost without progress. Your presence there is meant to change that. Not through recklessness, but through discipline, teamwork, and resilience the pillars of our village."
"You are not being sent because you are expendable," he said firmly. "You are being sent because the village believes you are capable."
He looked over us
"To those leaving family behind, I will not insult you by saying this will be easy. I can only promise you this: your service will be remembered, and your sacrifices will not be in vain."
He straightened.
"Return alive."
Cheers erupted.
The knot in my stomach loosened. The fear didn't disappear but it no longer controlled me.
Looking around at my comrades, seeing them stand taller, hearing their voices rise together, I felt an unexpected calm settle over me.
I didn't recognize many faces. But these were the shinobi who would fight beside me. Bleed beside me. If it came to it, die beside me.
And I would do the same for them.
With renewed resolve, we set out for Jiraiya's camp.