Konoha's late afternoon sun filtered through the trees as Akio walked beside Saka through the clan compound. The hum of village life lingered in the background — shinobi moving along rooftops, civilians finishing their errands, a hawk cry cutting across the sky.
Neither of them spoke much. They rarely needed to.
The garden stones beneath their feet were warm. Saka's steps were even, deliberate. Like Akio, she wore her long-sleeved training top with minimal fuss, though her chakra threads were subtly reinforced — something Akio noticed only because of his eyes.
The stars glowed quietly in the center of both their pupils — soft, pale, and alive.
It wasn't something most people noticed unless they were close. But to those who knew what the Uchūgan meant, it was a mark that couldn't be hidden. Not with makeup. Not with masks. Not even in shadow.
And lately, Akio was beginning to feel the weight of it.
Clan Hall – Inner Training RoomThe central chamber of the Tengetsu Clan's dojo was larger than most realized. Built underground, it was sealed with chakra-sensitive wood and reinforced by runes that predated the Hidden Leaf's founding. This was where the clan's advanced training took place — not in combat, but in awareness.
Akio knelt on one of the stone platforms at the far end. Saka mirrored him across the training space.
Their instructor today was an older man named Iori — white-haired, sharp-eyed, and still wearing the glow of the 1-Star Uchūgan. His gaze, marked with twin glowing stars, swept across them both.
"You've both had the eyes for years," he said. "But you haven't trained them together. That ends today."
He tossed down a cloth bundle. It opened mid-air, revealing a dozen paper seals, a scattering of small metal pins, and two folded blindfolds.
"I've arranged the exercise room," Iori continued. "Chakra threads. Trip seals. Jamming talismans. You will enter together, identify the traps, and reach the far side in under two minutes. No talking."
Akio and Saka both nodded.
Training Exercise RoomThe moment the door slid shut behind them, Akio's Uchūgan began working passively.
The star in his eye pulsed — not with light, but with comprehension. The 360-degree vision filled in the corners of his peripheral view instantly. Colors shifted slightly as chakra threads appeared in faint hues — emotion-tinted traps, reactive seals, and a flickering net of tripwires.
Saka moved to his left, synchronized without a word. Her Uchūgan was tuned similarly — though slightly faster at recognizing direction-based glyphs.
They stepped, ducked, pivoted.
Every time they moved, the eyes did half the work.
A paper seal lit with latent chakra and tried to activate — Akio flicked a stone at it, disabling the trigger. Saka slipped under a wire, disarming it by tapping two intersecting chakra threads and knotting them into neutral pressure.
By the time they reached the far wall, barely 90 seconds had passed.
Iori waited there, arms folded.
He looked between them — then gave a rare nod. "You're compatible," he said simply. "Train together often. The clan won't always be this stable."
Neither of them asked what he meant. They didn't need to.
Konoha Streets – EveningOutside the compound, Akio walked alone for once. His hands were in his pockets, and his mask was up. The shops along the main road were still open, but dimly lit.
A few people turned their heads when they saw the white hair, but Akio didn't meet their eyes. His own were slightly lowered, making it harder to see the glowing stars.
It wasn't shame.
It was exhaustion.
Being watched got tiring.
He passed Ichiraku and paused. Naruto was there, loudly recounting something to Iruka-sensei while gesturing with chopsticks. Akio didn't stop, but the corner of his mouth tugged slightly upward.
Across the street, he noticed Sasuke — alone, as usual. The other boy leaned against a lamppost, watching everything but pretending not to.
Their eyes met briefly.
Two boys. Both observant. Both quiet. Both alone.
Akio kept walking.
Tengetsu Compound – Late NightHe returned to the courtyard to find Saka still training. This time, she was practicing blindfolded — using only her 360-degree perception to move through the same trap room from earlier.
She brushed past each thread without touching it, her pace calm.
Akio watched from the doorway, arms crossed.
"You're good at that," he said after a moment.
"I know," she replied, pulling the blindfold off and turning toward him. Her Uchūgan eyes shimmered faintly in the lantern light. "You'd be better at deflecting projectiles, though. Your angle reading is sharper."
Akio stepped closer. "Maybe."
She hesitated.
Then said, "We're not the same, you and I. But I don't mind being compared to you."
That was the closest thing to a compliment he'd heard in a while.
He nodded once. "Same."
Elsewhere – Unknown LocationDeep in an underground cavern far from Konoha, a small group of cloaked figures stood around a pool of reflecting water.
The surface showed two glowing stars — one in each of two young eyes.
"They've both awakened," one figure murmured.
"The clan's bloodline is stabilizing again."
Another voice, older and colder, replied: "Then we'll have to move sooner. We only need one with the right temperament."
"Which one?"
The water rippled.
The stars stared back.
End of Chapter 15