Daiki continued his lecture, droning on about history, mathematics, and strategy until the class was half-dozing. Finally, he snapped his book shut and stretched his arms with a lazy grin.
"Alright! Enough of this. Today we'll be doing a sparring match."
The room erupted into cheers. Daiki casually picked his ear, waiting a moment before raising his hand for silence. "Settle down. We'll go row by row—come outside." With that, he strolled out of the classroom, and the first row hurried after him.
Indra leaned back in his seat, exchanging a look with his friends.
"My body feels… tingly," Noboru whispered, his eyes burning with an uncharacteristic fire.
"Maybe you're just excited," Minato teased, smirking. "Finally a chance to defeat someone without being defeated yourself."
"Ha! Minato's right," Indra said with a grin. "Our taijutsu training will finally show results today!"
"You three really train together?" Kushina twisted in her seat, staring at them skeptically.
Noboru froze, avoiding her gaze. Minato chuckled, scratching the back of his head. "Yeah. So what? We're ninjas—we've got to show our resolve somehow."
"True ninja!" Noboru added, puffing his chest out—only to shrink back into his seat when Kushina glared at him.
She then turned her sharp eyes to Indra. "Don't get cocky. You've lost to me plenty of times. You'd better defeat someone from a clan and not just a civilian kid."
Mikoto, sitting nearby, covered her mouth to stifle a laugh.
Minato leaned toward Noboru and whispered, "I think Kushina already knows exactly how Indra will act."
"Mm." Noboru nodded quickly.
Indra smirked. "We'll see about that, Kushina." His eyes flicked over to Haruto, who stood and followed the first group outside.
"Wait, why is he sparring?" Indra muttered, frowning.
"No clue," Minato replied. "Maybe his parents arranged it?"
"His father is a jōnin, after all," Noboru added.
Indra scoffed inwardly. Special jōnin, not a real jōnin.
Their row began to move, and the three friends rose, following the line of students out into the training field.
The air buzzed with excitement as Daiki called out, "Rikuya Hoshino versus Toma Fujikawa!"
Two boys stepped nervously onto the platform. Their fight was clumsy—Rikuya stumbled from a poorly aimed kick, and Toma froze, unsure whether to press his advantage.
Indra's brows furrowed, and he muttered to his friends, "This is supposed to be taijutsu?"
"Indra," Minato chided softly, "don't be like that. Just because you're from a clan and have training doesn't mean everyone else has that chance."
"And your the only clan kid who talks to us civilians."
Noboru crossed his arms and smirked. "You're probably the only Uchiha who doesn't act like some emo kid."
The three of them burst into laughter. On the platform, the two sparring students paused mid-exchange, glaring at them, thinking they were being mocked.
"Minato! Noboru! Indra!" Daiki's cold glare silenced them instantly. "Behave yourselves."
Their chuckles died off in an instant, though Indra's lips twitched like he was holding it back.
The match ended quickly, and Daiki called the next names.
"Noboru Hayashi vs. Himari Endo!"
Noboru puffed his chest proudly as he strode up—until he saw his opponent. His jaw dropped.
"Wait—what?! I'm fighting a girl? This system is rigged!"
Himari narrowed her eyes. "Shut up and fight! I'm not as weak as you think."
"And I'm not as weak as you think!" Noboru shot back.
They bowed, sealed reconciliation, and then Himari charged. Noboru moved faster. One sharp hook to the jaw sent her flying clean off the platform. She crumpled on the ground, unconscious.
The whole yard went silent.
Noboru froze, staring at her limp body. His face drained of color. "Uh… she's not dead, right?"
Daiki crouched, checked her pulse, and waved dismissively. "Just unconscious. Winner—Hayashi Noboru!"
Noboru let out a shaky sigh of relief, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly as he returned to his friends.
Next came: "Minato Namikaze vs. Daichi Morita!"
The brown-haired boy introduced himself with a polite bow."i am Daichi Morita, next to meet you"
Minato blinked, surprised, then returned it"I'm Minato namikaze...nice to meet you too"
Their match began, but Indra could see immediately—Minato wasn't using his full speed. His movements were stiff, deliberate, cautious.
'He's holding back,' Indra thought. 'On purpose.'
When Daichi realized it too, he simply surrendered.
"Namikaze Minato wins!" Daiki announced, then turned a page on his clipboard. His eyes lit up as he read the next pair.
"Indra Uchiha vs. Kushina Uzumaki!"
Cheers erupted from the students. This was the fight everyone wanted to see.
Indra stepped onto the platform, lips tightening into a thin line. His eyes flicked to Haruto in the crowd, smug as always—but Daiki's voice cut through:
"As per Indra's previous reward, Haruto is barred from sparring today."
That wiped the smirk right off Haruto's face.
Indra smirked faintly… until he turned back to the platform.
Kushina stood there, cracking her knuckles. Her warm smile made the other kids cheer for her, but to Indra, it looked dangerous. Sinister.
"Ready for a beating, Indra?" she teased.
Sweat dripped down his temple. He remembered all the lumps she'd already given him. "Heh… you wish."
They sealed reconciliation. The moment their hands broke apart, Kushina blitzed forward.
A single kick sent Indra skidding to the edge of the platform. He staggered, barely catching his balance, eyes narrowing.
Indra gritted his teeth. What if I used Uchiha taijutsu? If I knocked her out… would she hate me? Would it ruin things between us?
I can't let Minato take her from me…
He dodged kushinas fist as he quickly steadied himself and reached the middle of the platform.
"Oh...gotten better at dodging I see" kushina admired as she again rushed towards Indra.
He was still hesitating when her fist smashed into his face.
Blood sprayed. His body hit the dirt hard, rolling across the ground.
"Kushina Uzumaki wins!" Daiki declared.
The crowd erupted in cheers. Kushina smirked and, for just a heartbeat, shot Mikoto a challenging glance.
Indra wiped the blood from his nose, dazed and humiliated—but before he could stand, a shadow fell beside Daiki. A shinobi leaned down and whispered something in his ear.
Daiki's face darkened. He turned to Indra, his voice softer than usual. "Indra… you're dismissed. Go home. Now." He put a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Quickly."
Indra blinked at him, confused. "Why? What's going on?"
"You'll know soon, kiddo…" Daiki's expression was heavy, his eyes carrying something Indra had never seen in them before. "Go."
Indra's heart clenched. A sick unease knotted in his chest as he bolted from the training grounds.
"Sensei!" Minato and Noboru rushed up to Daiki. "What happened to Indra?"
Daiki closed his eyes and exhaled deeply. "…His brother. Renji Uchiha. He's… dead."
---
The streets of Konoha were eerily quiet as Indra ran, his mind racing. ' Is nisan back? I'm gonna eat his cooking again! Nissan wait for me!'
A small, hopeful grin twitched onto his lips as he sprinted into the Uchiha compound.
But then he saw them.
Dozens of shinobi stood gathered outside his home, silent. Their eyes all turned to him as he stumbled forward.
Fugaku Uchiha stepped out from the crowd, his young face emotionless. His voice was steady, but cold.
"Indra Uchiha," he said. "Your brother, Renji Uchiha has died in the war."
The world stopped.
Indra's body froze where he stood. His breath hitched. His mind screamed—No. Not him. Not ni-san.
But the words echoed anyway, shattering everything inside him.
...
I was drunk writing this chapter...so don't mind.
★Still reading? Why not drop a few POWERRRR stones...?★
Enjoy the bonus chapter <3