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"Kagaya!"
While walking through the streets, Kagaya was spotted by Sasuke, who ran toward him, brimming with excitement. "Kagaya, you're amazing! You graduated early and became a genin, just like Nii-san! How does it feel to be a genin? It must be great, right? After all, that's a real ninja!"
Looking at Sasuke's enthusiastic face, Kagaya realized Sasuke didn't know about his ordeal. It made sense—Sasuke was still sheltered under Itachi's protection, untouched by the harsher realities of the ninja world.
To Sasuke, ninjas were the bright, just heroes of a child's imagination. With a faint smile, Kagaya replied, "Of course, becoming a genin is pretty great."
He wouldn't shatter Sasuke's innocence. That fleeting innocence wouldn't last much longer, so he'd let it linger as long as possible.
Sasuke beamed. "I'm so jealous! You're an idol to a lot of kids at the academy now. Oh, and that Uzumaki Naruto—he says he's going to beat you! So arrogant. As if he could ever defeat you. Forget you, he can't even beat me!"
"Who's to say?" Kagaya replied.
"No way!" Sasuke insisted. "I don't know why you keep defending that guy, but to me, he's just a dead-last."
"Well, you're not wrong. He is a dead-last right now," Kagaya admitted.
Hearing Kagaya agree, Sasuke grinned triumphantly, then seemed to remember something, asking eagerly, "Hey, Kagaya, now that you're a genin, you must be super strong, right? Teach me some ninjutsu!"
Kagaya paused, then shook his head. "Sasuke, I've got something to do. Next time."
Sasuke pouted. "You're starting to sound like Nii-san."
Kagaya chuckled. "Ninjas are pretty busy, you know."
With that, he said goodbye to Sasuke and continued on.
He did have plans. Soon, he'd meet Shisui at the training ground. Lately, Shisui had been increasingly busy, with no time in the afternoons, so their training had shifted to evenings.
Kagaya wandered the streets a bit longer before heading to the all-too-familiar training ground.
When he arrived, Shisui was waiting, as always.
"You've been busy lately, Senior," Kagaya said.
"Are you still thinking about that incident?" Shisui asked, looking at Kagaya's calm eyes with a pang of sympathy.
Since the tragedy with Saito Daisuke and Suzuki Genji, Kagaya had changed. The childish spark he once had was nearly gone, replaced by a heavy calmness, a quiet maturity.
Every time Shisui saw this new Kagaya, his heart ached. This maturity was a virtue, but at what cost?
It was bought with two lives—a trade neither Shisui nor Kagaya would have chosen.
"I can't forget," Kagaya said flatly, his voice devoid of emotion. He knew anger was useless. He had to hold onto that memory, let it drive him to grow stronger—stronger!
The title of "genius" had once made him complacent, but Obito's appearance was a brutal reminder: in the ninja world, he was just an insignificant ant.
"Let's start training, Senior."
Shisui seemed about to say something, but Kagaya's firm tone cut him off. Shisui nodded. "Alright."
---
That night, back home, Uchiha Takayuki entered Kagaya's room. "You awakened the Sharingan?"
Kagaya nodded. "Yes, Father."
During his hospital stay, Takayuki and Yuko had visited often, but their conversations were limited to pleasantries, nothing serious.
Kagaya had expected that, once discharged, Takayuki would address this matter formally.
"You opened the Sharingan at seven. That's remarkable. But honestly, as your father, I didn't want you to awaken those eyes."
Takayuki's pupils turned red, revealing three-tomoe Sharingan. "Most Uchiha who survived the war have these eyes. But I know what it takes to earn them. If you want to cry, cry. I know bottling it up is painful."
Kagaya gave a faint smile. "No, Father, I'm fine."
Takayuki looked at him, seeing through the facade. "It doesn't hurt?"
Kagaya shook his head. "I've crossed over."
"Is that so? Good."
Takayuki stood and left the room.
Once the door closed, Kagaya sat motionless on the tatami.
Did it not hurt?
Tears streamed down his face.
How could it not hurt?
But in this era of Uchiha-Konoha tension, did Kagaya have time to wallow in pain? No. He had to act like a heartless machine, facing his comrades' deaths and moving forward without a care.
His time was running out.
The tears flowed harder. Perhaps only in these solitary moments could he grieve for them.
Outside, Takayuki lingered, hearing the faint sobs. He shook his head silently and walked away.
Back in the war, hadn't he been the same? Even when comrades died before his eyes, even when the pain of awakening the Sharingan overwhelmed him, could he stop to mourn? No. One pause, and an enemy ninja would slit his throat.
He could only weep in secret at night.
Back then, Takayuki fought on the battlefield between Konoha and enemy nations. Now, Kagaya was caught in the battlefield between Konoha and the Uchiha. Neither had the luxury to stop and cry.
---
The next day, Kakashi came to see Kagaya but was driven off by Takayuki's venomous words.
Kagaya, learning of this, said nothing. He left the house and headed silently to the training ground.
That was where he, Daisuke, and Genji had fought for the bells. He remembered.
When he arrived, Kakashi was waiting, as expected.
They saw each other instantly but stood in silence.
Finally, Kagaya spoke first. "Kakashi-sensei, why are you here?"
Kakashi's gaze dropped. "I don't deserve to be called your teacher."
Kagaya shook his head. "Kakashi-sensei, I don't think you came to talk about that."
Kakashi gave him a complicated look and handed him something. "This is for you."
It was a photo of their team after forming: Daisuke grinning goofily in the center, Genji smiling gently on the left, and Kagaya staring blankly at the camera on the right.
They hadn't had time to distribute it before the tragedy struck.
Kagaya froze, staring at it. After a long moment, he pushed it back to Kakashi. "Kakashi-sensei, keep this for now. I don't have the courage to face it yet. Not now."