"We are what they grow beyond."
— Yoda, Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi
☯ ──────── 忍 ──────── ☯
At the front, Iruka stood with his arms crossed, already losing patience..
"QUIET."
The single word cut through the noise.
The noise died down, though whispers still lingered.
The final-year students gathered at the center were more curious about the instructor, except for Sayuri and Hinata, who already knew who was coming today as an instructor.
Iruka cleared his throat and then spoke in a firm tone.
"As I was saying," he said. "From today onward, you'll have a new instructor assigned directly by Hokage-sama."
The mention of Hokage-sama personally assigning an instructor immediately grabbed everyone's attention.
Naruto practically vibrated with energy.
If the instructor was assigned by the Hokage, then he must be pretty strong, Naruto thought.
"He is a jonin," Iruka continued. "You will treat him with respect and learn as much as you can. Opportunities like this do not come often."
On the training ground, Sakura leaned toward Ino.
"Hey, Pig, do you know who that is?"
Ino answered, already irritated by the nickname.
"Forehead, I don't know. It's not like I ask my father to tell me everything."
…
Thud
The first thing they heard was the sound of footsteps coming through the door.
Thud
Each step echoed across the ground.
Thud
Thud
Then...
The door opened.
He stepped inside.
And the entire training ground went silent instantly.
Otis walked forward without any rush.
He wore a white wolf pelt draped over his left shoulder, the fur shifting slightly as he moved. Across his back rested a large circular shield, strapped there like a certain captain. At his right side hung his axe. It looked black in color, but the more the students looked at it, the more it seemed like it was eating the light itself, as if the color was black and not black at the same time. Its presence alone was enough to make several students stiffen.
Even though the axe looked a little rough in appearance, it also looked like it had seen plenty of use.
Thud
Thud
Thousands of students watched him in awe as the sound of his steps filled the silence.
By the time he reached the center of the elevated platform that served as a stage, an oppressive silence draped over the hall.
Even the breathing of the person standing next to you felt loud.
Otis reached the center of the platform, then he turned and then stopped.
He didn't speak immediately as he looked across the entire hall.
Rows upon rows of students were gathered here, all having different ages and different skills. But all of them shared the same future.
And yet…
Many student faces were very familiar to him. Some he even knew personally, while others were faces he had only ever seen on a screen.
Maybe someone was still sitting somewhere far away in another world, watching these stories unfold. Watching these same faces laugh, cry, fight, and grow.
Maybe I'm in their story this time.
To them, we are just moving images on a screen. Characters and moments that can be paused, replayed, or even skipped. Otis thought.
He could sense their chakra like faint pulses in the air.
This is real.
And then his mood became depressed as he thought that most of these kids weren't protected by plot or luck.
His gaze hardened slightly.
They're not characters here.
They're just kids. This cruel world turned children who should have been enjoying their early years into cold-blooded killers.
Kids who would be sent out into a world that didn't care about them.
Kids who would die if they weren't strong enough.
And I'm standing in the middle of it.
The thought settled deep inside his mind as he continued staring at all the students with his vacant gaze.
Every student was becoming nervous under that look.
He hadn't spoken a single word since arriving, and somehow it felt as though he was staring directly into their souls.
Naruto was fidgeting in place, barely able to stand still.
Sasuke remained silent.
Sayuri stood straight with her nonexistent chest pushed out and her arms crossed, standing as if she owned the entire space. A smirk rested on her face as she looked at Otis.
Hinata stood beside her, fingers pressed together. She looked as though she was trying to appear confident and strong, but she was still awkward in a crowd this large.
A boy with a lazy posture stood nearby, but his eyes told a different story, as if everything around him was already a drag.
Shikamaru
(Pic)
A girl with long blonde hair tied high shifted her weight impatiently, her expression caught somewhere between confidence and annoyance.
Ino.
(Pic)
Next to her stood a heavier boy, still chewing food even at this moment, completely unbothered by anything happening around him. A second later, the blonde girl snatched the packet from his hands and started eating it herself in annoyance.
Choji.
(Pic)
A boy stood with a restless energy, like he might start moving without warning, a smirk already forming as if trouble was just his natural state.
Kiba
(Pic)
Another boy almost blended into the background. Dark glasses hid his eyes, and his stillness was somehow more unsettling than noticeable.
Aburame Shino.
(Pic)
A girl stood with perfect posture, almost too perfect. Her expression was serious. If someone gave her a pair of glasses, she could easily pass as the teachers' favorite student, the kind who always ended up being the class monitor.
Sakura.
(Pic)
And hundreds, even thousands, of others.
(Pic)
Otis stood there, looking at them longer than he probably should have.
Even though he had already accepted it…There was still something surreal about it, standing here, in front of all of them
It still felt… strange
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