A year passes surprisingly fast when you have people worth protecting.
Yuji was now seven years old.
His three-tomoe Sharingan had matured considerably. During the past year, he had mastered an A-Rank Sharingan Genjutsu—the Demonic Illusion: Binding Pillars Technique. Even many adult shinobi struggled to perform it effectively.
Class 1-A had become Class 2-A.
The members, however, hadn’t changed.
Shikobu was still the undisputed King of Naps. Rumor said he could fall asleep before his teacher finished saying, "Open your textbooks."
Chojiro had somehow ripped another shirt.
"...It’s muscle. Not fat," he insisted proudly.
Nobody believed him.
Not even the tailor.
His weight had increased by almost twenty kilograms.
Ayaka’s Byakugan could now see nearly eight hundred meters away.
Unfortunately...
Whenever Yuji walked past her...
"...Eh?"
"...Why is everything blurry all of a sudden?"
The Hyuga heir had no explanation.
Her cousin certainly had a few suspicious guesses.
Tsuki, the strict class representative, had secretly hung a banner above her desk that read:
"UCHIHA: STRONGEST OF OUR GENERATION!"
Whenever Kishimoto-sensei removed it...
Another one mysteriously appeared the next morning.
Nobody ever found the culprit.
...Although everyone knew exactly who it was.
Hana, now ranked second in the class, had secretly joined mempelajari medis..
"Why ninja medis?" Chojiro asked one afternoon.
"So I can save people..."
She smiled shyly.
"...and become someone like Lady Tsunade."
Chojiro nodded dramatically.
"I support your dream."
"...As long as you promise to heal me after Tsuki beats me up."
"That’s a very realistic concern."
Life settled into a peaceful routine.
Every afternoon after class, the six friends gathered at Training Ground Seven.
They sparred until sunset.
Argued over taijutsu.
Practiced shuriken throws.
Compared who had learned the coolest jutsu.
Then they headed to dango stand.
Chojiro usually ordered enough food for an entire squad.
"You’re eating my allowance again."
"It builds character."
"It builds debt."
Sometimes they talked about the future.
Who would graduate first.
Who would become a Jonin first.
Who would accidentally blow up a training field first.
Everyone silently looked at Yuji.
"...Why are you all looking at me?"
"Just a feeling."
"...Fair."
For a while...
Life almost felt normal.
Sometimes they even forgot they were living in the world of shinobi.
Then...
The rumors began.
There was no official announcement.
Only whispers.
"Hey... did you hear? My brother came home after midnight. His unit was mobilized."
"My dad hasn’t been home for three days."
"They said something happened near the Land of Wind."
"Sunagakure is accusing Konoha of murdering the Third Kazekage..."
The atmosphere inside the Academy changed overnight.
When Kishimoto-sensei entered the classroom...
He looked five years older.
No smile.
No jokes.
No casual greeting.
"Combat training will be extended by one hour."
His voice was unusually short.
"And..."
"No student is allowed outside after five in the evening."
The classroom immediately erupted.
"Sensei! What’s happening?!" Tsuki asked.
Kishimoto remained silent for several long seconds before sighing.
"...Ask your parents."
"I am not allowed to discuss it here."
That answer frightened everyone far more than any announcement could have.
Walking home...
Konoha no longer looked the same.
Weapon shops had long lines.
Medical stores had nearly empty shelves.
People spoke in whispers.
Even the air felt heavier.
At the Uchiha residence...
Sagato was already waiting.
His green flak jacket was only half fastened.
"Yuji."
His voice carried none of its usual warmth.
"Sit."
That same night...
Inside the Hokage Building.
Hiruzen Sarutobi quietly extinguished his pipe.
Before him stood Danzo, Homura, Koharu, Fugaku Uchiha, Hiashi Hyuga, every active Jonin captain, and the heads of Konoha’s major clans.
"Sunagakure has officially accused us," Hiruzen began.
"The Third Kazekage has disappeared."
"They found no evidence at the scene."
"But they have sealed their borders and begun mobilizing troops throughout the Land of Wind."
"Damn those Sand fools," Fugaku growled.
"Making accusations without a shred of proof."
Danzo’s voice remained cold.
"Whether it’s a trap or not changes nothing."
"The result is the same."
"War is approaching."
Hiashi studied the map.
"If Kumogakure or Iwagakure joins them..."
"We won’t have enough manpower."
Silence filled the room.
Hiruzen stared at the enormous map spread across the table.
Red markers surrounded the Land of Fire.
"Then we deploy our strongest."
"Jiraiya to the west."
"Orochimaru to the north."
"We hold every border."
He paused.
The room became even heavier.
"And..."
"If our active forces become insufficient..."
"If every front worsens..."
"The Academy will conduct an Emergency Graduation Examination."
Nobody objected.
Everyone remembered.
It had happened before.
Far away...
Inside the Uchiha home...
Sagato and Yumi looked quietly at their son.
"Sunagakure has accused us."
Sagato spoke honestly.
"That means war."
"That means shinobi will be deployed."
"And that means..."
He couldn’t finish.
Yuji understood.
"...Students who qualify may graduate early."
"Right, Father?"
Sagato clenched his jaw.
"...Yes."
Silence filled the room.
Even Yumi couldn’t say a word.
This wasn’t a family decision.
It was the village’s.
Finally...
Yuji asked softly,
"What do you want me to do?"
Sagato knelt before him.
Both hands rested firmly on Yuji’s shoulders.
"I only want one thing."
"Survive."
"You’ll almost certainly graduate early."
Yumi’s eyes had already begun to fill with tears.
"Yuji..."
"If you’re sent to the border..."
"Please..."
"Be careful."
"Mother..."
"Father..."
Sagato’s eyes had turned red.
Not from the Sharingan.
From fear.
The fear of a father.
"Promise me."
"This house must never become empty."
"Sayaka would be all alone."
Yuji met his father’s gaze.
Then nodded.
"I promise."
Sagato pulled him into a tight embrace.
It was the first hug Yuji had received from his father in over a year.
"...Good."
"My son."
That very night...
Sagato departed.
There was no ceremony.
No applause.
Before dawn, lines of Jonin quietly marched through Konoha’s gates.
Although he served in the Uchiha Military Police Force, the Uchiha Clan had ordered him to reinforce the Kirigakure border.
Their mission was simple:
Prevent the Hidden Mist from taking advantage of the coming war and invading the Land of Fire.
Three days later...
The rumors became reality.
The Hokage issued an internal directive.
Village Status: Alert Level Two.
Training intensified.
Food supplies were stockpiled.
The village prepared for war.
Class 2-A couldn’t ignore it anymore.
That evening...
The six friends gathered on the Academy rooftop.
The very same rooftop where they had laughed together a year ago.
"So..."
Chojiro stared at the untouched bag of chips beside him.
"...It really is war."
"My father said..."
Tsuki clenched her fists.
"...If things get worse, we’ll take the graduation exam next month."
"Damn those Sand idiots."
Ayaka quietly lowered her head.
"...I’m scared."
Hana hugged her medical textbook tightly.
"I..."
"I want to study harder."
"If people get hurt..."
"I want to help."
Everyone turned toward Yuji.
The strongest among them.
The calmest.
Yuji stood at the edge of the roof.
The night wind lifted his long black hair.
"A year ago..."
"I were punished for entering the Forest of Death, "Because those are the village’s rules and danger.""
He looked back at his friends.
His dark eyes were calm.
"And now..."
"They’re preparing to send children to dangerous’s war because there aren’t enough shinobi."
He slowly raised a kunai.
Moonlight reflected across its blade.
"We have two choices."
"We become genin at seven..."
"...and die."
"Or..."
His voice remained steady.
"We survive this war."
"No matter what."
Hana blinked.
"...How?"
Yuji gave the faint smile that only his closest friends understood.
Cold.
Calm.
Pure Uchiha.
"Your life is more important than any mission."
"We may become shinobi..."
"But we’re still children."
"No village would severely punish young Genin for choosing survival over meaningless sacrifice."
Shikobu yawned.
"...Sounds troublesome."
"...I like it."
Chojiro punched the air.
"That’s right!"
"For free barbecue—"
Everyone stared at him.
"...I mean..."
"...For survival."
Tsuki activated her single-tomoe Sharingan.
"An Uchiha never retreats."
She folded her arms.
"...But surviving isn’t retreating."
"So I agree."
Ayaka smiled gently.
"I agree too, Yuji-kun."
"My mission matters..."
"But so do the lives of my friends."
Although she belonged to the Hyuga branch family and carried the Caged Bird Seal...
She would rather trust the friends standing beside her than die because someone else ordered her to.
Hana nodded.
Her tears had disappeared.
"I’m with all of you."
"I want us..."
"...to come home together."
Six fists slowly met in the center.
One promise.
One team.
The only thing missing was a Yamanaka teammate to complete the classic Ino-Shika-Cho trio.
Chojiro sighed dramatically.
"What a shame."
"Now nobody can read what’s inside Shikobu’s sleepy brain."
"...It’s mostly naps," Shikobu replied without opening his eyes.
Laughter finally broke the heavy silence.
Below them...
Konoha prepared for war.
But on that rooftop...
Six children made a promise.
They would not become another number in the casualty reports.
They would survive.
Together.