The first scream didn't come from the training grounds.
That's why no one reacted in time.
It echoed from the outer corridor — sharp, short, cut off too quickly — as someone realised too late that making noise was a mistake.
Tobi froze.
He had been mid-conversation with Iruka, half-listening, half-thinking about the way the seals had flickered the day before. The sound went straight through him, bypassing thought, hitting instinct.
Iruka felt it too.
"So… you heard that, right?" he asked, already standing.
Mizumi didn't wait. She was moving before either of them finished breathing. "That wasn't an accident."
Sumi appeared at the doorway, eyes wide but steady. "The barrier near the east wing just shifted."
That was enough.
They ran.
---
East Wing — Restricted Corridor
Students were spilling out into the open, confused, frightened, shouting over each other. Teachers were shouting back, trying to form lines, trying to restore order that no longer wanted to exist.
The corridor itself looked… wrong.
The air shimmered, bending inward like heat above stone. The protective engravings along the walls were dim, some completely dark — not broken, but suppressed.
A boy lay on the ground near the stairwell, clutching his arm, blood seeping between his fingers.
Tobi stopped breathing.
"This is real," Iruka whispered.
Before anyone could answer, the shimmer tore open.
Not explosively.
Deliberately.
A slit of black energy folded outward, like fabric being cut by something invisible. From it stepped a figure wrapped in a distorted cloak — no insignia, no academy markings, face hidden behind a fractured mask.
Then another.
Then a third.
No alarms rang.
That scared Mizumi more than anything else.
"They're inside the seal," she said. "On purpose."
---
The First Strike
The masked figure moved.
Too fast.
A wave of pressure slammed forward, knocking students off their feet like leaves. Walls cracked. Glass shattered. A teacher tried to raise a barrier — it folded instantly.
Tobi reacted without thinking.
He drew his sword.
The moment steel cleared the sheath, the air screamed.
Energy snapped into place around him, raw and uneven, but present. He stepped forward, blade raised — not attacking, just refusing to retreat.
The masked figure tilted its head.
"Oh," a distorted voice said. "You're early."
That was the moment Iruka snapped.
He slammed his hand into the ground, sigils erupting outward in a wide defensive arc. The force wasn't elegant — it shook, wavered — but it held long enough for students to scramble back.
Mizumi joined instantly, her technique precise, controlled, reinforcing Iruka's barrier like she'd trained for this exact moment.
Sumi stood behind them.
Not chanting.
Not moving.
Her eyes glowed faintly.
Tobi felt it — a pressure at his back, steadying him.
She's anchoring us.
---
Clash
The second masked attacker lunged.
Tobi met them halfway.
Steel collided with condensed energy, the impact ringing through his bones. He skidded back, boots carving lines into the stone, arms screaming — but he didn't fall.
The sword vibrated violently.
Not yet, he thought. Don't lose control.
The attacker struck again.
This time, Tobi countered.
Not a technique. Not a named move.
Just a raw swing filled with fear, resolve, and something sharp and ancient that answered him from deep inside.
The impact blew both of them apart.
The masked figure slammed into the wall, cracking stone.
Tobi dropped to one knee, gasping.
Iruka stared. "You— you just—"
"No time!" Mizumi shouted.
The third attacker raised a hand.
The seals screamed.
Something deep beneath the academy answered.
---
Interruption
Before the attack could land, a pulse ripped through the corridor — not from the invaders.
From the academy itself.
Old. Heavy. Furious.
The masked figures froze.
"…So they are awake," one muttered.
A voice thundered through the hall.
"All students — evacuate immediately!"
Teachers poured in, power flaring, formations snapping into place. The masked figures retreated smoothly, backing toward the tear in reality without panic.
The first one looked directly at Tobi.
"We'll see you again," it said. "Sooner than you think."
Then they were gone.
The corridor collapsed inward, seals burning out completely.
---
Aftermath
Smoke. Shattered stone. Blood on the floor.
Silence — the heavy, shaking kind.
Tobi couldn't stand.
Sumi knelt beside him, gripping his sleeve. "You didn't break."
"I almost did," he whispered.
Iruka stared at his own hands, trembling. "I actually… fought."
Mizumi closed her eyes. "This wasn't a test."
Above them, far beyond sight, the same two figures watched from the city skyline.
"The first move is done," one said.
"And he survived," the other replied.
The wind howled around Tokyo Tower.
Below, the academy bled.