The morning lessons dragged on, chalk scratching against the board while Daiki-sensei droned about geography of the Five Nations. Indra's chin nearly touched the desk until the sound of the bell jolted him awake.
"Lunch break!" Noboru cheered, digging into his bag like a starving wolf.
Minato laughed, pulling out his own bento wrapped neatly in pale blue cloth. Then both of them turned as Indra carefully placed his bundle on the desk.
The cloth was embroidered with the Uchiha fan. Indra untied it with deliberate care, almost ceremoniously. When he lifted the lid, the faint aroma of grilled fish and soy sauce wafted out.
Noboru leaned closer, eyes wide. "Woah… you made that yourself?"
Indra nodded, trying to sound casual. "Yeah. Brother's at war again, so… I have to handle food properly." He picked up a piece of tamagoyaki and popped it into his mouth with a satisfied hum.
Minato's brows lifted. "You even rolled egg? That's not easy."
"Wasn't that hard," Indra muttered, though his ears tinged pink.
Noboru smirked, chopsticks hovering. "Sooo… are you gonna share, or should I just steal when you're not looking?"
Indra glared, chopsticks poised like a weapon. "Touch my bento and perish."
Noboru laughed but leaned back, raising his hands in surrender. "Fine, fine! You're scary when food's involved."
Still, Indra sighed and placed one rice ball on Noboru's box and a slice of tamagoyaki on Minato's. "Here. Just don't beg like stray dogs every time."
Minato smiled warmly, taking the piece with gratitude. "Thanks, Indra. It's really good."
Noboru stuffed the rice ball in his mouth immediately, cheeks bulging. "Mmm! You'd make a better cook than half the shops in Konoha!"
Indra couldn't stop the small grin that crept onto his face. For a while, the three ate together in a bubble of laughter, the noise of the classroom fading into the background.
...
POV Shift — Renji
The sharp smell of blood and mud lingered thick in the air. Renji crouched behind a half-crushed wall, the distant clash of kunai ringing like constant thunder. Smoke drifted across the scarred earth where bodies—enemy and ally alike—were scattered in cruel silence.
A messenger hawk passed overhead, a fleeting shadow in the gray sky. Renji tore open the rough cloth pouch at his side and pulled out his "meal."
Cold, hard rice compacted into a ball. Nothing more.
He bit into it, the grains dry and sticking to his throat. No broth, no seasoning, no warmth. Just sustenance.
Renji chewed slowly, forcing himself to swallow, but his mind wandered—he imagined Indra's small hands rolling tamagoyaki clumsily, the scent of grilled fish, maybe even his little brother humming happily in the kitchen.
The contrast stung.
His fingers tightened around the rice ball until it cracked apart in his hand. He sighed, wiping the crumbs onto his flak jacket, eyes narrowing at the battlefield horizon.
"I have to survive. For him. If I don't, he'll be alone."
A shout rang out in the distance, calling his squad forward. Renji stood, brushing the dirt from his clothes, eyes steeling with determination. He pushed the last bite of cold rice into his mouth and leapt from cover, his Sharingan flickering to life.
Renji sprinted toward the call of his team, breath sharp against the cold wind. His sandals skidded to a halt as he spotted Nawaki already waiting ahead.
And there—like a shadow in the mist—stood Orochimaru, arms crossed, his golden eyes gleaming.
"A-rank mission for you two," Orochimaru ordered, his voice calm but edged with steel. "Retrieve the bodies of our fallen comrades to the north. Go."
"Hai!"
Without hesitation, Nawaki and Renji vanished into the trees, their flickering forms darting through the battlefield's chaos. Smoke and screams filled the distance, and before long, they arrived at the edge of a cliff. Below them, Iwa-nin clashed with their allies, kunai flashing in the dim light.
The ground rumbled. A sinister sound filled the air.
Boom!
The cliffside erupted with paper bombs. Fire and stone swallowed the battlefield in waves.
"Mangekyō!" Renji roared, his vision twisting crimson.
From his chakra, a colossal ribcage of bone erupted outward, arms wrapping around both him and Nawaki. The Susano'o blazed with eerie light, shielding them from the storm.
The explosions battered against the construct, shattering it piece by piece until the bone armor crumbled away. Steam and smoke filled Renji's lungs as the last layer of protection dissolved. He staggered, chest heaving.
Nawaki's eyes widened. "Renji… that was—"
"Susano'o…" Renji whispered, his voice hoarse.
But before relief could settle, another paper bomb slipped past the rubble—detonating directly behind him.
"Renji!!" Nawaki's scream tore the air.
The blast hurled Renji across the broken cliffside, his body slamming against a jagged trunk. Wood pierced through him with a sickening crunch. Blood spilled, soaking his chest.
"Ahhh!" His scream was raw, guttural.
Nawaki rushed forward, knees hitting the dirt as clutched onto the tree branch that pierced Renji. "No… Renji, please! Stay with me!" He slapped his teammate's cheeks, desperate to keep his eyes open.
Renji coughed, blood staining his lips. His vision blurred, but he managed a weak smile. "Nawaki… my foolish brother… Indra. Take care of him for me."
"No!" Nawaki shouted, tears streaming freely down his face. "You'll do it yourself! I'll get a medic, I'll—"
Renji shook his head, his neck falling limp against Nawaki's arm. His voice came in a rasp, almost a whisper. "My Mangekyō… take it. Give it to him."
"Stop saying that! You'll live!" Nawaki's voice cracked as he tried to lift the trunk, but it wouldn't budge. His chakra flared desperately, useless against the immovable weight of death.
Renji knew better, if he would live or not, and he...truly was on the edge of life and death.
Renji's head slumped. The light in his eyes dimmed.
"Renji…? Renji!!" Nawaki's scream echoed through the cliff, raw and broken. His hands trembled violently as he pressed them against Renji's face.
'take care of my foolish brother...indra, nawaki'
'give my eyes...to my brother's
"I—I'll take this. For Indra."
With shaking fingers, Nawaki removed Renji's eyes, sealing them carefully in a glass vial. His tears dripped onto the container as he clutched it to his chest.
"I promise, Renji. I'll protect him… I'll protect Indra just like you did."
The battlefield raged on around him, but Nawaki could only kneel there, clutching both grief and promise.
The weight of war was nothing compared to a dying friends promise...
---
Training grounds.
Bright laughter rang out beneath the the trees.
Indra sat cross-legged with Minato and Noboru, sunlight dappling across his face as he grinned. Their chakras flickered faintly as they practiced molding it through their bodies.
Noboru struggled, sweat beading on his brow. Minato's aura glowed more steadily, coating him in a faint light.
Indra frowned, focusing hard. His chakra flowed smoothly—until it reached his abdomen. There, it collapsed into nothing, like a black hole swallowing everything whole.
He pressed his stomach, frustration tightening his jaw. Why does it vanish here? Every time… gone. Yet after sleep, it recovers again. What is this?
He glanced at his friends. Even Noboru was managing better. A sigh escaped him.
'Since I came into this world… it feels like my chakra is fading. Piece by piece. Still… after sleeping it recovers itself back...'
Unaware that, at that very moment, far from the academy, the promise that would change his life had already been forged in blood.
...
My boy Renji died...sniff!
★Still reading? Why not drop a few POWERRRR stones...?★