[Konoha, Land of Fire]

[April 3, 3 bNb]

The Shinobi Academy, the pride and joy of Konohagakure, the Village Hidden in the Leaves. It sits at the heart of the village, the base of the Hokage tower. Within its proximity, there exists the Shinobi Standby Station and the Mission Assignment Station. The academy itself is quite large, consisting of a building that seems to be around 5 floors high and surrounded by multiple training grounds.

Striding past the nervous children and their parents with my father, I try my best to contain my excitement. We got a few funny looks due to my likeness to Cloud Shinobi, but that ultimately boils down to curiosity. This represents the start of my shinobi career, or at least the precursor to that start. The past year has seen me with multiple improvements. I now had enough knowledge stuffed in my brain to compete with Iruka, a now 2nd year academy student. Physically, I would win about 8 out of every 10 of our spars despite him being older.

The reason? Skill, sheer taijutsu skill honed through hours upon hours of extra training even while he slacks off. 2 months ago, I was deemed to have a high enough level within the general [Leaf-Style Taijutsu] to not warrant further instruction. As such, my kenjutsu training began. However, since my mother is a mere civilian-born genin, she only possesses the standard [Leaf-Style Kenjutsu].

By virtue of chakra, I have an above-average amount compared to most other 5-year-olds due to my constant practice of the [Leaf Sticking Exercise]. I can now cover my entire body in leaves and keep them stuck there for a notable amount of time and my instruction in the [Surface Adhesion Technique] was set to begin this week.

Genius, prodigy, try hard; those are the titles my family has seen bestowed on me. But of course, I do not think of myself as such. I spend every waking moment trying to learn something new or improve upon what I already know. Even now, as I stride towards the front doors of the academy, I am training. Constantly gauging the amount of chakra present within the individuals around me.

[Chakra Sensing] seems to be a side effect of my presence within this body. Based on the way my parents describe it, true sensors are rare. Most shinobi have techniques to keep track of their environment, but very few are actually able to sense the chakra present within others around them. I am one of those few. My effective range is currently only 10 meters, but that is a far cry from the 3-meter range I possessed just 8 months ago.

My individual musings are interrupted by a Chunin telling everyone to head to the auditorium. My father takes my arm and leads me there. The children are made to sit on the floor while the parents stand in the back. That is when I feel it.

Oppressive, suffocating, warm, inviting, and DANGEROUS. This is the most amount of chakra I have ever felt from a single person. It's at least 5….no, 10 ten times as much chakra as my father, a chunin, possesses and my father, in turn, possesses 5 times as much chakra as the average genin. The average genin, using my mother as a benchmark, possesses a chakra reserve that is roughly at least thrice mine. Meaning, this person has a chakra reserve that is at least equal to 150 times my current capacity!

This…this is the level I must attain. The level of the current God of Shinobi, an S-Rank shinobi, the Professor, a man who has mastered every single technique the leaf village has to offer. The level of the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, an individual commonly touted as the world's strongest shinobi.

As he enters, the room perks up, the children smile, and the adults immediately dip into a bow. The first thing I take notice of is his height, he stands at around 5 feet and 4 inches, shorter than both of my parents, but leagues more deadly.

"Now now, there's no need for such formalities here, this is a proud time after all." He says with a gentle smile, and the room immediately releases its tension. As he reaches the center of the room, the monologue begins, and I can't help but maintain a toothy smile. After all, it's not every day that you meet your heroes and despite his shortcomings, Hiruzen remained one of my favorite characters in the series.

"When I was your age, the academy did not exist, and it wasn't until I was 6 years old that the village was even built. My early life was difficult, and life was not as stable as it is now. However, that changed with the realization of a dream. The dream of Gods among men. The dream of the First Hokage and his best friend, Madara Uchiha. The realization of that dream? The construction of this very village, one where children below a certain age could grow up in security. One where children would not be forced to fight a battle for which they did not know the start.

It was from the realization of this dream that the Will of Fire was born. The will to fight and protect the most important element of our nation, its people. The pact that allows our shinobi to continue to fight even when it seems that all hope is lost. The will to protect our most vulnerable assets and the future of our great nation and village. And even in death, the passage of this will onto the next generation so that they themselves can become the torchbearers. So that they themselves can stoke the eternal flame, and when that flame is fully harnessed and their own internal lights are dim, they can pass that flame on to those below them.

Now, children, you are all here to become the next holders of that eternal flame. So, I charge you today to give your all to harnessing your own internal flames and in turn, brightening the Will of Fire for your successors. As of now, you are all students of the Konohagakure Shinobi Academy, and I expect great things from each and every one of you.

Study well, and train hard. If the body is strong, sharpen the mind. If the mind is strong, sculpt the body. Maintain that balance and internalize these words as I now pass on to you, the hopes and dreams of our great village. I now pass onto you, THE WILL OF FIRE!"

The auditorium erupts into cheers of excitement as Lord Hokage takes his leave. I have never been one to buy into propaganda, but I have never had a speech affect me so strongly. Filled with the energy from his charge and a new benchmark or what I will achieve, I can't help but feel ready for what the academy will bring.

We are then led to our individual classrooms. I am first in the line of students to enter the room, quickly taking a seat front and center, not wanting to miss a single lesson. Students continue to filter in, and I take notice of the clans present within my class. Two Akimichis, a Nara, a Kurama, three Aburames, a Hyuga, and two Uch-….is that who I think it is?

I take a gander at Shisui Uchiha marching up the steps before claiming a seat at the back right corner of the classroom. This year will be interesting for sure. After waiting for everyone to get settled in their seats, our instructor began to speak.

"My name is Matsu Akado and barring any changes, I will be your instructor for the rest of your time here at the academy. This is my first year teaching so we will grow and learn together as I try to mold you all into ideal shinobi. Now, let's start with introductions. You there, start us off with your name, likes, dislikes, and goals for the future."

"My name is Shisui Uchiha, I like running, my family, and making friends. I dislike people who are mean to others and my dreams are to become a true shinobi like my grandfather and my father and to protect the peace of our great village."

Such a striking statement despite his soft voice, it seems that even at 4 years old, Shisui was truly a great person. Introduction then continue from there. "Tajima Uchiha…Chorizo Akimichi…Chobe Akimichi…Senku Nara…Hiro Kurama…Kyoka Hyuga…Shiro Aburame…"

It was now my turn to go, and I stood up, giving Instructor Matsu a smirk. "My name is Ichiro Shishigami. My interests are reading, training, and playing with my cousin. I dislike the recovery period after training, and bullies who pick on others. In the future, I will become the next God of Shinobi!"

My statement earned a few laughs but ultimately, it was not too out of the ordinary as many students stated being Hokage as their goal. After introductions wrapped up, we went through the syllabus and class schedule for the rest of the year. There was a bell that sounded shortly after, signifying the start of lunchtime.

Instructor Matsu dismissed us, and I went outside with my lunch only to see Shisui and Tajima sitting on a log with their food. As I walk over, Tajima turns his face up in disgust. "Hey, Shisui and Tajima, right? I'm Ichiro, nice to meet you guys." Shisui cranes his head towards me with a smile and before he can respond, Tajima says, "Why would we ever want to sit with the likes of you?"

I was taken aback for a second. Sure, I knew Uchiha were arrogant pricks, but I half expected a kid sitting with Shisui wouldn't be that kind of Uchiha. The other Uchiha boy was able to get his response out saying, "Tajima, that's no way to treat a classmate, you should apologize. Ichiro, was it? Nice to meet you, I hope we can become friends."

Frustrated, Tajima scowled "Why would I apologize? We are of the Uchiha clan, you should carry yourself with more pride, he's not even from a clan." Before storming off.

"I'm sorry about him, some of our clan members tend to be like that but don't worry, I'll get him to calm down."

I then respond, "It's fine, you can't control the actions of others, only your own. There will always be times when people will oppose you for reasons beyond your control. I have learned to accept that."

"You are wise, Ichiro. I think we should definitely be friends."

I ended up spending almost my entire lunch break speaking to Shisui before some of the other kids came over, urging us to play ninja with them. We obliged of course and had a blast doing so.

Upon our return to the classroom, we are instructed that it is now time for some physical activity. We end up on a square plot of land containing wooden logs, old, worn-out wing chun dummies, targets for throwing practice, and a dug-out patch of dirt within the center, presumably used for taijutsu spars. Every piece of equipment here seems as though it has gone through a lot, but they remain functional regardless.

Instructor Matsu then begins, "Indicate by a show of hands many of you have had shinobi training before." At his statement, the hands of myself, the ten clan kids, and four other shinobi-born children immediately shot up. The remaining 17 students all kept their hands lowered.

At this, Tajima scoffs, "Figures, they probably couldn't tell a kunai from a shuriken if they hit them in the face." His "joke" earns him a chuckle from the Hyuga girl, Kyoka, and a glare from Instructor Matsu.

I point a finger at him and with an unamused voice say, "You know Tajima, you're quite arrogant for someone who is currently at the same place in life as the rest of us. If you were so much better than us, then you would already be a genin, no?"

He immediately looks angered but before he can respond, Instructor Matsu cuts him off with an "Alright students, that's enough. Save the fighting for when we start taijutsu spars next week. This week is all about the basics so line up and follow my movements regardless of whether you have been trained or not."

As he goes through the forms, I follow intently, executing each kata flawlessly. I take note of Shisui, Tajima, Kyoka, and both Akimichis doing the same. Everybody else executes them with varying degrees of success, earning them corrections from Instructor Matsu. The session continues for 2 hours before we are made to run laps and then head back to the classroom for debriefing.

Instructor Matsu is surprisingly thorough, sending each student home with notes on what exactly to improve. Those who performed perfectly were told to practice until the movements became instinctual. School ends and I mark the first day of the academy as a success.

While leaving the building, I feel a tug on the back of my shirt. I remained unalarmed though, as I could tell by the chakra that it was Shisui. "Yo," I say while turning to face him. He requests that we train together as we both seem to be dedicated students and he enjoyed our talk at lunch. I oblige, of course, after all, it's not every day that you get to train with a future legendary shinobi.

Even though I now consider him a friend, I also intend to milk this opportunity dry. This might just be another of my leg-ups in this world. I follow him to the Uchiha compound, making chit-chat along the way.

"Let's start with a spar, we have to see where we are in terms of relative strength." 'Spoken like a true Uchiha,' I thought, despite the fact that I would have said the same thing. I give him a slight nod and our eyes lock, blue staring into black, a grin of determination on my face. Let's see just how far I have come with just a year of training.

He rockets toward me in a remarkable burst of speed for a 4-year-old. 'Fast,' I thought, as expected of Shisui of the Body Flicker. A textbook right hook comes screaming towards the left side of my face. I narrowly avoid it with a dramatic lean back as my right leg snaps out, hoping to catch him in the stomach while he's overextended. He uses his open left palm to direct my leg upwards, pushing me off balance.

I recover with a jump back, and he repeats my action, our eyes once again locked. "Great reflexes," he says, once again breaking out in a sprint. This time, I do the same and meet him head-on. Our bodies are then intertwined in a beautiful dance, neither of us able to land a hit. I elect to dodge and deflect, not exactly sure of his strength.

This continues for a moment before he grams my left arm while the right is overextended and delivers a decisive blow to my solar plexus, knocking the wind out of me and causing me to double over in pain, ending our first-ever sparring match. I can tell we're at a similar level at this point, with me just slightly slower.

As he helps me up, he states, "You're used to fighting someone slightly larger. I can tell with the way you dodge, it's too dramatic. You need not lean that far when fighting me as my limbs are smaller. Try to keep those wasted movements to a minimum." His advice is solid and makes perfect sense as up until this point, the only person I have had an actual spar with is Iruka, who is 2 years older than me.

We go on to spend the rest of the evening practicing our skills and having a great time. Shisui gives me some tips on shurikenjutsu and I, with my sensing, help him with chakra control. I found it strange that the whole time I was at his house, there was not a single adult present, but I made no mention of it.

It is nightfall by the time I get home. As I open the door, I call out, "Father, I'm home!" However, no response was issued. I searched the kitchen, backyard, and living room without avail. It wasn't until I approached his bedroom door that I heard a sound. It sounded like…squeaking?

I had an entirely wrong idea in my head as I opened the door to see him sitting on the edge of his bed sobbing with a picture frame in hand. He looks at me and barely manages to croak out, "My son, she's gone," the last word barely even a whisper.

My world is SHATTERED.