Naruto: Stormbreaker

Chapter 72: Chapter 72

”I can’t believe he awakened his Sharingan because of me,” I muttered while staring at Kaen’s unconscious body. He was still leaking chakra, and not the usual kind. It was heavy, dark, and thick with hatred. It felt like standing too close to a cursed object. But a few moments later, just as I kept watching, the stream stopped altogether.

I turned away and started walking toward the rest of the students. Daiken appeared between me and Kaen again. Of course, he did.

”Why does he always do that when I win?” I muttered under my breath. ”It’s like he thinks I might not check on them and instead just finish the job.”

I sighed. My body felt heavy. Everything hurt, and I was still shaking slightly. The mix of exhaustion from Stormdrive and the emotional blowback from whatever I had just witnessed was wrecking me.

As I got closer to the other students, I felt it. Not hesitation. Not discomfort.

Fear.

The clan kids were watching me, but the moment I returned their gaze, most of them looked away in a hurry. Some looked genuinely terrified, which was... a new one for me.

I turned to Shizuru. She had a complicated look on her face. Like she wanted to say something but couldn’t. Genta had the same expression, caught between concern and uncertainty.

Sena wasn’t like them. She spoke immediately.

”Noa, I forgot to tell you. My father wants to see you.”

I blinked at her, confused.

I narrowed my eyes a little, thinking, is this seriously the time to bring that up? But then I caught something. The moment she mentioned it, the other kids stopped looking away. They turned, watching with open surprise and curiosity. Some of them looked even more shocked than before, maybe even envious.

I glanced back at Sena, catching the briefest hint of her usual sharp smirk. She knew exactly what she was doing.

Good job, Sena. Way to switch the subject.

That did leave one question in my mind, though, who the hell was her father that just saying ”he wants to see me” turned everyone’s attention like that?

Daiken returned a moment later, his steps drawing every eye and silencing every whisper. He stood tall in front of the group, the air growing heavier as he spoke in a firm, serious tone.

”What you witnessed was shinobi resolve. The real kind.”

He swept his eyes across us, face unreadable.

”Being a shinobi isn’t glamorous. It’s the hardest job there is. You won’t always face simple bandits or low-level enemy ninja. Sometimes, you’ll face things you have no chance of beating. You’ll know you’ll lose before the fight even starts. But even then, you’ll have to move forward. You’ll have to choose, push through with every last ounce of strength, or die full of regret.”

He paused. Some students shrank back. Others stood straighter.

”If you don’t have the resolve to do what it takes... if you can’t take the pain, or the ugliness, or the losses, then walk away now. Because what you saw today isn’t even half as bad as what you’ll face during real missions.”

Some students recoiled, faces pale. Others clenched their fists with renewed focus, their determination burning even brighter than before. Daiken took note of every reaction. Then, without breaking stride, he called the next names for testing and turned away.

The rest of the students continued their tests. I stood there like a ghost, my thoughts spinning in a hundred directions.

Was what I did wrong? Am I really cut out for this world?

I knew I had resolve, but was it the right kind? Could I live with the parts of being a shinobi no one talked about? The hatred? The politics? The senseless death?

Kaen’s words had shaken something in me. And no matter how much I tried to shove it aside, it wasn’t going away.

I didn’t even notice Shizuru, Sena, or Genta take their turns. I was stuck, like I’d fallen into a deep, echoing well and couldn’t climb back out. By the time the last test ended, the sun had already dipped below the rooftops, and I still hadn’t found a single clear answer.

Meditate. Clear my mind. Dismantle this mess piece by piece. That was the last thought I managed before someone shook my shoulder.

I blinked like I’d just woken up in the wrong house. Shizuru stood in front of me, a little concerned. Genta looked worried too, and Sena was watching me silently.

I sighed and said, ”Sorry. I didn’t cheer you on.”

Genta smiled, doing his best to drag me out of it. ”Don’t worry about it. Honestly, I think I might outrank you this year.”

I gave him a tired smile.

Then Daiken’s voice cut through the courtyard like a bolt of thunder.

”Noa. Come to my office. Now.”

We walked in silence again until we reached his office. He opened the door, stepped inside, and waited for me to sit. I did, slumping into the chair without much energy to fake anything.

Daiken sat down across from me, his eyes locked on mine. I stayed quiet. I didn’t have it in me to talk, not yet.

Eventually, he spoke.

”You did incredible out there.”

I looked up, surprised. His voice wasn’t flat or formal. There was something real in it. His face held a rare smile, and not the polite kind. The proud kind. The kind of smile one strong shinobi gives another. Not an equal yet, but someone who might become one.

I chuckled quietly. ”Thanks.”

He leaned forward and clasped his hands together.

”I already know your level is far beyond the rest of the students. And I know you’re hiding more than you let on. But you’re still lacking when it comes to strategy and preparation.”

I coughed, caught off guard by how easily he called me out. I didn’t even get the chance to protest before he continued.

”You won’t have to keep doing that anymore. Starting next year, you’re not going to follow the same Academy track.”

I raised an eyebrow. ”What do you mean, sensei?”

”You’ll be pulled out of the standard curriculum. Instead, you’ll enter a specialized track. A private one.”

He raised his hand and began lowering his fingers one by one as he listed it out.

”You’ll have private lessons in most subjects from me directly. For areas I don’t specialize in, like fuinjutsu, you’ll be assigned elite instructors.”

Another finger lowered.

”Your studies will focus on combat, chakra control, and mastering your chakra nature. We’ll work on blending your chakra nature into ninjutsu, taijutsu, and kenjutsu. You’ll train your instincts, improve your decision-making, and push past your current limits so the mistakes you made in your fight with Kaen can be corrected.”

His voice was calm, but every word made my pulse pound louder.

”There won’t be exams. No grades. No ranking boards. Just one rule, if you’re ready, you graduate. If not, you don’t.”

I was halfway out of my chair with excitement before his serious expression slammed me right back into it.

”I received special permission from the Hokage to make this happen,” he said, tone dropping lower. ”And the village is watching closely. We are investing heavily in your development. Which means...”

He stared me down.

”I need you to stop hiding. No more secrets. No more holding back. I’ve extended my trust and the Hokage’s. You need to extend the same trust to us.”

My stomach twisted. My face probably showed all of it, excitement, hesitation, dread.

Daiken saw it, of course. He gave a slow, understanding nod.

”You don’t have to decide right now. And you don’t have to accept it at all. Take your time. Think it through. Come back to me when your resolve is whole again.”

I looked up, startled.

How did he know?

Before I could ask, he spoke again, calmly shifting the weight of the conversation.

”There’s one more thing you need to understand before you leave.”

I nodded.

”That boy, Kaen,” he said, ”he awakened his Sharingan during the fight. I don’t expect you to know what that means, so let me explain.”

I listened carefully.

”The Sharingan is a bloodline ability from the Uchiha clan. It manifests under deep emotional pressure, grief, trauma, sometimes rage. It’s extremely rare for a student this young to awaken it. And even more rare to awaken it during training.”

My eyes widened.

”He didn’t awaken it because of your technique or chakra,” Daiken continued. ”He awakened it because you shattered something in him. Something important. Whether that becomes a weakness or a strength is up to him. But make no mistake. It changed him.”

I swallowed, the guilt bubbling back.

Daiken stood slowly and walked to the window.

”I’m asking you not to mention it to anyone. Don’t tell Genta. Don’t tell Shizuru. And especially not Sena.”

”Why?” I asked quietly.

”Because it’ll change how the other students treat him. It’ll isolate him, or inflate him, or worse, turn him into a target. And he’s not ready for that.”

I nodded, slowly. ”Okay.”

Daiken looked over his shoulder. ”Good. Then get some rest. We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us.”

I stood, legs still heavy.

And just before I left, I turned to him one last time. ”Thanks.”

He gave the slightest nod as I left. I didn’t say anything else. I couldn’t. I just walked out with a storm in my chest and chaos in my head.