Kuro sat in the classroom, lazily resting his chin on his hand, absentmindedly listening to Sarutobi-sensei's explanation. He was trying to follow the teacher's words — after all, the final exam before graduating from the Academy was approaching — but his attention kept slipping away, pulling Nara back to thoughts about the events of the past few months.
In front of him sat Kushina, energetically whispering something to Mikoto, waving her hands and gleaming with excitement in her eyes. Unlike the first week after her transfer, when she had been teased and bullied, she now looked far more confident and even cheerful. Over time, Uzumaki had shown her fiery personality and repeatedly demonstrated that she could stand up for herself. And once the redhead became friends with Mikoto, the mockery stopped altogether — no one wanted to mess with the Uchiha princess.
As it later turned out, Kushina had settled in Mito Uzumaki's house, located in the Senju district, not far from Tsunade and Nawaki. Perhaps that was why the future Sannin so quickly began treating her like a younger sister. It was no surprise that when Kushina noticed Kuro heading off to train, she tried to tag along — and Tsunade, upon learning of their friendship, was completely on board with it.
Now, during training sessions, Nara not only had to endure the merciless blows of the Senju princess, but also listen to the constant arguments between Nawaki and Kushina. Individually, neither of them was a model of calm, but together they created a hurricane of chaos — and frequently tried to challenge Kuro to a duel.
At first, Nara tried to ignore it, but eventually he said that for every sparring match he won, they would have to pay for his lunch. After seeing how much food Kuro could put away, the two troublemakers quickly cooled off on the idea of competing with him.
"Nara!" Sarutobi's voice pulled the young man back to reality.
He blinked a couple of times, realizing that the teacher had asked him a question a few seconds ago — and he hadn't even caught what it was.
"Hm?" he looked calmly at the sensei.
"I asked for your opinion on defensive strategies for small settlements during wartime," Sarutobi repeated patiently.
Kuro rubbed his neck, glanced around the classroom, and noticed that Kushina and Mikoto were now also looking at him. He smirked and slowly replied:
"It all depends on the size of the enemy force and the available resources. War is always a game of information and logistics. Without them, any strategy collapses."
Sarutobi nodded approvingly.
"Good. But we must also remember that sometimes the decisive factor is the strength of the shinobi and their resolve. Especially in difficult times."
Those words sounded particularly grim. Kuro — and many in the class — had noticed changes in the atmosphere of the village. Conflicts along national borders were slowly but steadily escalating. Many of the children were beginning to realize that their time at the Academy was coming to an end, and what awaited them next was a constant struggle for survival.
After classes ended, Nara decided to go straight home. Thoughts of the impending war increasingly troubled his mind. He understood perfectly well that hiding his strength on the battlefield would be foolish — and could cost him his life. That meant it was time to at least partially reveal the truth, starting with those closest to him. Enzo Nara, his old man, was a smart and cautious person, and over the years Kuro had become certain he could trust him.
As usual, his grandfather was sitting in the courtyard, sipping tea and examining scrolls filled with reports. He immediately noticed his grandson approaching and raised an eyebrow.
"Rare to see you at this hour. You're usually either at the Academy or training. Did something happen?"
Kuro hesitated for a moment, considering how best to present the information. Then he sighed, slipped his hands into his pockets, and said calmly:
"Old man, there's something I need to show you. I think it concerns our clan."
Enzo narrowed his eyes, then nodded, inviting Kuro to follow him into a small, enclosed training yard. Once they were alone, the old man crossed his arms and looked at his grandson intently.
"Speak."
Kuro formed a hand sign, and his shadow began to expand, taking on bizarre shapes. The first to emerge were the Divine Dogs — Yuki and Yami stood proudly beside their summoner. Next came the massive figure of Gama, followed by a whole swarm of rabbits.
Enzo watched the spectacle with an expression that mixed shock, astonishment, confusion, and deep contemplation. His eyes narrowed as the shadows performed a brief demonstration of their abilities, then merged back into the ground, vanishing as quickly as they had appeared.
"This…" — for the first time, the old man's voice was no longer calm, tension was clearly audible in it. — "This isn't just a clan technique. It's something else."
Kuro nodded.
"It seems like an evolution of it. I always felt that our shadow manipulation was too limited and primitive. So I studied many books about our clan and tried to create something new."
The old man remained silent for a long time, then slowly sighed and rubbed his forehead with his right hand.
"Kuro… do you understand what this could mean? Such power… For the first time in history, our technique has reached a new level. There won't be a unified opinion within the clan about this. Some may see it as a threat, others as an opportunity."
Kuro shrugged indifferently.
"I understand. But there's no point in hiding it any longer. Something bad is clearly brewing in the world. If I have to protect myself and my comrades, I'll use everything I have."
Enzo looked at him for a few seconds, then slowly nodded.
"You're right. But be careful, Kuro. Such power is not only an advantage — it's also a burden that must be carried wisely."
The younger Nara smirked.
"Well, Grandpa, you're the philosopher in the family. I just don't want to die stupidly."
The old man snorted briefly, then clapped his grandson on the shoulder.
"Fine. From now on, we'll train together. You must learn to fully control this new technique. Besides, soon we'll have to show your ability to the clan head."
"You sure?"
"Don't worry. Even though I'm not exactly fond of Shikuma, he definitely won't be your enemy. I'm sure that once he sees your progress, he'll protect you with everything he's got. There's one more important question… do you think other clan members could learn something similar?"
"I don't know. Honestly, I'm not doing anything supernatural. I just channel chakra into the shadow, impose my will on it, and only after feeling the shadow's response do I express it through a seal," Kuro began explaining, inventing the algorithm of the technique on the fly.
Soon, Enzo himself made several attempts to reproduce what he had seen, under his grandson's careful guidance — without realizing just how impossible what he was trying to do actually was.
"Maybe it just takes more time," the old man muttered, retreating into his thoughts.
"Or talent," Kuro added jokingly, dodging a fist flying at him instantly.
"Brat!"
The following weeks, Kuro spent in intense training with Enzo. Although his grandfather proved incapable of recreating the Ten Shadows technique, that didn't stop him from being a valuable mentor — helping his grandson refine chakra control and develop strategies for using the new ability in combat.
However, the day of the exam soon arrived.
The morning was sunny, but tension hung in the air. An unusual silence reigned in the classroom — even the noisiest students weren't exchanging jabs today. Everyone understood that their future as shinobi depended on this day.
"Alright," Sarutobi-sensei's voice broke the silence. He stood by the board, holding a scroll in his hands. "Today is your graduation exam. It consists of four stages, and only by passing all of them will you receive your forehead protector and the rank of genin."
The students sat upright, listening attentively.
"The first stage is a written test," the sensei continued. "It covers everything you've studied over the past four years: shinobi history, tactical fundamentals, combat strategies, medicine, chakra control, and other important aspects."
Sheets of paper with assignments appeared on the desks. Kuro lazily reached for his, and at the sensei's command began filling in the answers. For him, it was a relatively easy task — he remembered the theory well and wrote the correct answers without much effort. The only distraction was Nawaki's nervous snorting to his right, as he clearly tried to recall at least something useful.
After about an hour, the sensei collected the papers, then led the children to the training field and announced the next stage.
"Now you will demonstrate your accuracy in throwing shuriken. Each of you will have ten attempts. I will evaluate not only accuracy, but also throwing technique."
The students stepped up to the training targets one by one. Kuro carefully observed the others. Minato threw his shuriken quickly and precisely — every projectile struck the exact center of the target. Kushina, though she slightly overdid the strength, also showed excellent results. Hiashi and Hizashi demonstrated flawless accuracy, as befitted members of the Hyuga clan. As for Mikoto, of course her result was excellent as well.
When it was Kuro's turn, he didn't hesitate. Taking the shuriken, he threw them all at once, using speed and precise calculation. All ten shuriken hit the center of the target. Without any extra emotion, he nodded and stepped aside, waiting for the start of the more interesting third stage.