Summer, Year 56 of Konoha's Calendar.
Star City, Star Ninja Academy Training Ground.
The dirt had been repeatedly compacted by countless footprints, with newly erected wooden target posts standing at the edges.
Three figures were engaged in basic Taijutsu sparring under the morning sunlight, sweat glistening on their foreheads.
"Too slow, Shunji!" A crisp female voice rang out with undeniable sternness.
Natsuhi, her red hair swaying, moved as agilely as a leopard, effortlessly deflecting Morishita Shunji's full-force kunai thrust.
With a flick of her wrist, a subtle yet precise force traveled through the kunai.
Shunji grunted as his arm instantly went numb, nearly dropping his weapon. He staggered back several steps before barely regaining his balance.
Tall and sturdy, with thick eyebrows tightly knit, his face bore the stubborn defiance typical of youth. Breathing heavily, his eyes locked onto the training kunai in Natsuhi's hand, which seemed to weigh a thousand pounds.
"Fire Style: Blazing Flame Technique!" Murakashi Hazuki, standing at the edge of the training ground, formed hand seals and exhaled a fierce burst of flames from her mouth.
Slender with short light brown hair fluttering slightly in the morning breeze, her keen senses as a Sensor Ninja made her exceptionally alert.
Natsuhi swiftly sidestepped to the left, evading the Blazing Flame Technique while simultaneously blocking with her training kunai.
Clang!
A crisp metallic sound rang out as another kunai, aimed from an unexpected angle, was firmly parried.
The one holding this kunai is none other than Yakushi Kabuto.
Or rather, in Star City, he went by the name 'Kumamoto Kabuto'.
Dressed in the Land of Stars' standard dark blue Ninja Uniform, he wore a Hoshinin's forehead protector on his left arm, symbolizing his identity.
Behind his glasses, his eyes appeared gentle and harmless, his face wearing just the right amount of focus and a hint of 'frustration' at having his attack easily countered.
He quickly withdrew, his movements clean and precise, without the slightest hesitation.
"Good coordination." Natsuhi said, lowering her guard as she nodded approvingly at her three subordinates.
"Kabuto's timing for the ambush was perfect, and Hazuki's interference was timely. Shunji, strength isn't everything… you need to learn control and redirection." Her voice wasn't loud, but it carried clearly to each of them.
"Remember, you're a team. Trust your comrades' judgment as you would trust your own limbs. Training ends here. Pack your gear, have breakfast, and assemble at the academy gates at 9 a.m. sharp for the mission briefing."
"Yes, Natsuhi-sensei!" The three replied in unison, their voices brimming with the excitement and slight nervousness of young Ninjas about to embark on a mission.
9 a.m. sharp, at the gates of Star City's Ninja Academy.
The four members of Team Natsuhi arrived right on time.
Natsuhi had changed into a dark gray combat outfit suitable for mobility, layered with a Hoshinin's flak jacket, her expression calm.
Standing before her were three fresh Genin.
"C-Rank mission." Natsuhi said, her voice steady as she unfolded a scroll.
"Escort of logistical supplies to Star City's Seventh Prison Block."
"Mission details: Escort the logistics team in transporting this week's prisoner rations to the Seventh Prison Block's warehouse, oversee the handover and inventory, and assist with distribution."
"Route: Depart from the western city logistics warehouse, proceed via Central Avenue and Guard Route Three, and arrive at the northern Seventh Prison Block."
"Estimated duration: Three hours. Mission priority: Ensure the safety of the supplies and maintain order. Understood?"
"Understood!" Kabuto, Shunji, and Hazuki replied in unison once more.
For them, this mission was already routine.
As part of the first batch of six outstanding graduates, they had undergone rigorous daily training throughout their year at the Star Ninja Academy before standing out among their peers.
Kabuto still remembered the names of the top graduates from the first batch. The first-ranked, Kaguya Kimimaro, and the second-ranked, Yuki Haku, were overwhelmingly powerful… Kabuto even suspected they might already possess Jonin-level strength.
And the third place was a girl named Yukimi, said to be from a Ninja Clan and rumored to possess a unique Kekkei Genkai.
In comparison, their squad consisted entirely of orphans native to the Land of Stars.
However, in Kabuto's eyes, though these two orphaned children had only just reached Genin-level and mastered a few basic Ninjutsu, completing preliminary Ninja Training within a year of study was no small feat.
Beyond talent, it required countless hours of sweat and effort.
In the half-month since graduating from the ninja academy, C-Rank missions like logistical support, merchant convoy escorts, clearing out small bandit hideouts, and driving away beasts harassing villages had formed the foundation of their Ninja careers.
Dull, safe, yet steadily accumulating experience and the village's trust.
Two ox-drawn carts from the logistics team were already waiting, piled high with thick sacks of grain, dried vegetables, and a small amount of cured meat.
Natsuhi made a hand signal, and the team immediately dispersed into a diamond-shaped escort formation.
Kabuto and Hazuki took positions on the left and right flanks of the carts, Shunji brought up the rear, while Natsuhi walked at the front, her sharp gaze scanning the bustling crowds and buildings lining the street.
The wheels rumbled monotonously over the smooth stone pavement.
The streets of Star City were broad and lively, filled with people in all kinds of attire hurrying about. The shouts of street vendors, the clanging of craftsmen at work, and the steady footsteps of patrol teams intertwined, forming the vibrant pulse unique to this newly risen city.
Kabuto walked on the right side of the cart, his steps steady, his gaze behind his glasses casually sweeping over the street scene.
'Guard Route Three had two new hidden sentry posts… one atop the ramen shop by the street and another behind the window of the izakaya across the way.'
'The shift intervals for the Central Avenue patrol teams had shortened by five minutes compared to last week. Faint vibrations from large-scale construction echoed from the northern part of the city. Combined with the rumors I'd heard days earlier, it was likely new defensive structures being built.'
He was like a masterful actor, perfectly playing the role of 'Kumamoto Kabuto'… an orphan from a border town in the Land of Bears, fortunate enough to be taken in by the Star Ninja Academy, and through hard work and a slight talent for Medical Ninjutsu, graduating early as an 'outstanding' Genin.
Humble, diligent, friendly to his comrades, respectful to his teachers, and harboring simple gratitude toward the Land of Stars and its mysterious Shura-sama.
Every expression, every response, even every precisely measured performance during missions, was carefully calculated and polished.
He knew who he truly was.
He is Yakushi Kabuto, a spy from Konoha's Root, a nail deeply embedded in the heart of the Land of Stars by Danzo.
He gathered intelligence, assessing the military potential, political structure, economic lifelines, and elite Ninjas' information of the Land of Stars.
Especially regarding that elusive and unfathomably powerful Shura, as well as the rumored elite of the Uchiha Clan.
He recorded Natsuhi's combat style and weaknesses, noted the vulnerabilities in Shunji's reckless personality, and analyzed the range and precision of Hazuki's sensory abilities.
Like a patient hunter, he used the bait of 'Kumamoto Kabuto' to carefully weave his own threads of information across the vast web of Star City.
And the ultimate goal of all this was for the one warm figure in his memories that had never faded… Yakushi Nono.
His orphanage director, his only family, the sole light in the darkness of his childhood.
His… mother.