Several weeks had passed since Hiro and Natsume had begun their time at the Academy. Hiro was settling into his new routine, spending four days each week attending csses, while using the remaining three days to train. Despite his initial excitement, he quickly found himself bored by the basic curriculum, already overprepared for most subjects. Shinji had warned both him and Natsume that the early years of the Academy were dull, and that they likely wouldn’t find the lessons engaging until the st two years, when sparring and practical combat training became the focus.

  Hiro now stood in the familiar clearing where he always trained. The morning air was crisp, and Kaya stood beside him, her outfit oddly crisp and her hair looking immacute. Hiro wasn't surprised when their guests arrived.

  Natsume entered first, skipping into the clearing with an excited grin, followed closely by her father, Shinji. Kaya waved at them, but the nervous energy radiating from her refused to settle.

  Then, in an instant, a blur shot into the clearing at an extreme speed, skidding to a halt. It was Sakumo Hatake, the White Fang of Konoha.

  Kaya turned to greet Sakumo, her tone polite but warm as she once again thanked him for taking the time to teach her son some combat tips. Sakumo rubbed the back of his head, visibly embarrassed by her gratitude. The two avoided eye contact after that, a tension lingering between them that did not go unnoticed.

  Shinji coughed, drawing everyone’s attention. “Kaya, did you bring the weapon Sakumo requested?”

  Kaya nodded, reaching down to pick up a small rolled-up piece of burp from the ground. She handed it over to Sakumo, who unrolled the package carefully. The moment his eyes nded on the contents, his brows lifted slightly in surprise.

  “Is something wrong?” Kaya asked, her voice tinged with confusion.

  Sakumo shook his head quickly. “Uh… no, there isn’t anything wrong. This is exactly what I mentioned, but the quality of this is really good.”

  Kaya rexed slightly before replying, “Oh… well, Hiro has some money saved up from foraging herbs nearby, so I figured this was a good use for some of it.”

  Sakumo gave her an approving nod before turning to Hiro and handing him the weapon. Hiro took it with curiosity, turning it over in his hands. The weapon was a short bde, its design unfamiliar to Hiro.

  “Why does the back of this knife have all of these weird shapes in it?” Hiro asked, puzzled.

  It wasn’t Sakumo who answered, but Shinji, his expression unusually serious. “That, Hiro, is a weapon that people like Sakumo and I hope to never see… A swordbreaker.”