Warm midday sunlight spilt into the room, illuminating the smoky remnants of Satoru's chakra paper as they danced lazily in the air. The scent of burnt parchment lingered for a second longer before the breeze carried it away.
Fire.
Satoru's brow twitched as he stared at his empty hand, momentarily frozen.
'Of course, it was fire. The most common chakra nature in all of Konoha.' The Uchiha practically came with it hardwired. Still, a small part of him had hoped for something a little more... exotic. Maybe lightning, or even earth. Something rarer, something that stood out. He sighed quietly and masked his disappointment behind a neutral expression.
'Tch. Figures,' he thought. 'I was hoping for something cool, but I got the default Konoha setting.'
But Satoru wasn't one to wallow. He folded his arms, eyes narrowing thoughtfully as he watched Ito and Ayano prepare their own chakra papers.
'It's not like I'm locked out of the other affinities. If Hiruzen could master all five basic nature transformations, then so can I. Especially with the Sharingan on my side…'
He exhaled, then smirked inwardly.
'Besides, it wouldn't be any fun if it were easy.'
Next to him, Ito clutched his chakra paper with both hands, brows furrowed in intense concentration.
"Sshhk!"
The paper in Ito's hand suddenly split, cleanly torn down the middle.
"Eh?" Ito blinked, surprised. "It ripped?"
"That means you have a wind affinity," Nono said calmly, stepping closer to inspect the result.
"Well done."
Ito looked down at the split paper, then up at her with an uncertain smile.
Satoru raised an eyebrow.
'Wind, huh? Not bad. Rarer than fire, that's for sure.'
Next was Ayano, who sat cross-legged with perfect posture. She closed her eyes briefly, then focused her chakra into the paper.
"Sshhhlick!"
A few seconds later, the paper dampened, curling slightly as it absorbed moisture from nowhere.
"Water affinity," Nono confirmed with a nod. "You have good control already, Ayano. I'm impressed."
Ayano blinked at the paper, then gave a small nod, her expression unreadable.
'Fire, wind, and water. That's a nice spread,' Satoru mused, glancing between his new training companions.
'We'd make a decent team, element-wise that is.'
He turned to Nono as she addressed the trio.
"You all did well," she said.
Her voice was calm, clipped, and professional, like always, but something in the way she looked at Satoru felt… slightly off. Was it his imagination, or had her eyes flickered briefly with disappointment when she saw his fire result?
'Was she hoping for something else?' he wondered. 'Maybe she expected me to have a more uncommon nature… or maybe she's just thinking politically. A fire-natured Uchiha in the making. Predictable, easy to categorise.'
He didn't like being predictable. It made it easier for others to plan around you.
Nono stepped forward, folding her hands behind her back as she began to speak again.
"Now that we've confirmed your chakra affinities, we can proceed to the next phase of training. Medical-nin are the backbone of any squad. The difference between survival and death on the battlefield often lies in their hands."
Her voice took on a slightly reverent tone, and her gaze momentarily drifted toward the small window, as if remembering something distant.
"The modern study and formalisation of Medical Ninjutsu was pioneered by Lady Tsunade of the Legendary Sannin," she continued. "Thanks to her, we now have structured methods to pass this knowledge on."
Satoru tilted his head, noting the shift in her demeanour. There was something deeper in Nono's voice; respect, almost awe. He filed that away for later.
"Medical Ninjutsu is vital," she said. "Not just in hospitals, but on the battlefield, where wounds must be healed in real time. A good medic-nin can save a comrade's life. A great one can save the entire team."
She turned back to them, her expression sharp.
"Your training will focus on three key skills. First: learning to concentrate your chakra into a single, precise point. Second: maintaining a steady and uninterrupted chakra flow. And third: practising chakra shaping, using that focused flow to manipulate the chakra into a usable technique."
Nono continued, voice crisp. "Medical Ninjutsu is not about force. It's not a sword, it's a scalpel. You have to understand that well."
Ito raised his hand, brow furrowed. "Um… what if we can't get it right? Like the shaping part?"
"A good question," Nono replied, giving him a small nod. "Most people struggle with chakra shaping in the beginning. That's normal. It takes patience and repetition. The key is understanding your chakra and listening to it. If your flow is unstable, you'll need to strengthen your control."
Ito looked down at his hands and nodded seriously.
Satoru crossed his arms and leaned slightly against the wall. 'So it's basically just chakra control,' he summarised to himself. 'That's perfect. More excuses to refine my precision without looking suspicious.'
He glanced at Nono. "Are we going to learn any actual ninjutsu during this training?"
"That depends," Nono replied, folding her arms. "If you pass the Academy test, you'll be officially enrolled in the shinobi program. Only then will you begin learning more advanced techniques, including Medical Ninjutsu applications in combat."
Ayano frowned slightly. "Academy test?"
Nono gave a curt nod. "The Academy was temporarily closed during the Third Shinobi War. But the Fourth Hokage has announced that it will reopen in three months. You'll all have a chance to take the entrance exam."
'Right… the war,' Satoru thought, eyes narrowing slightly. 'I forgot. The Academy took a hit during the chaos. So that means I've got three months to prep before I'm officially a student.'
Ito looked up again. "What happens if we don't pass?"
"You'll pass," Nono said, her voice firm. "All of you. Don't dwell on that possibility."
Ito nodded again, though his lips remained pressed in a thin line. He wasn't convinced, but he didn't press the matter.
Satoru exhaled quietly and scanned the room again. The afternoon sun had fully claimed the sky now, the golden light washing over the walls and casting long shadows. Dust motes danced lazily in the air. The faint scent of antiseptic herbs clung to the edges of the room—probably something Nono used in her medical work.
'Three months to prep,' he thought. 'Three months to get ahead before the Academy even begins. Chakra control, shaping, and maybe even a few original tricks if I'm careful. And with the Sharingan…'
He smirked faintly.
'I'll make sure I'm anything but average.'
Nono clapped her hands once, sharply.
"Alright. Now that you understand the basics, we'll begin your first chakra control lesson. Starting with the leaf exercise."
She moved toward the side of the room where a small wooden tray lay atop a low table. On it were three green leaves—still fresh and glistening faintly with morning dew, as if they'd been plucked only moments ago.
She handed one leaf to each of them.
"This is your first exercise. You will place the leaf on your forehead and focus on holding it there using only your chakra. No hands, no physical pressure. Only chakra flow. This will teach you to focus chakra into a single point—step one of your training."
Satoru took the leaf and stared at it for a moment. It was unassuming, simple. A mundane green leaf from an ordinary tree.
But in the shinobi world, even the simplest things could become weapons, tools, or lessons.
He pressed it to his forehead, took a breath, and began to focus.
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