The Academy was nothing like Haruki expected.
His father had taught him survival.
Observation.
Patience.
The Academy taught noise.
Dozens of children filled the classroom.
Conversations overlapped.
Arguments erupted.
Laughter echoed from every corner.
Haruki sat quietly near the window.
Watching.
Listening.
Learning.
The habit came naturally.
His father had spent years teaching him that the most valuable information often came from silence.
Most children didn't understand that.
They spoke constantly.
Boasted constantly.
Complained constantly.
Haruki found it exhausting.
The instructor entered precisely on time.
The room immediately quieted.
Mostly.
He was a broad-shouldered Kirigakure chūnin with short black hair and a scar running across his jaw.
His name was Daichi.
At least according to the introduction.
"Welcome to the Academy."
His voice filled the room.
"No matter where you came from, from today onward, you are students of Kirigakure."
A few children straightened proudly.
Others looked terrified.
Haruki felt neither.
Mostly curious.
Daichi continued.
"Some of you will become shinobi."
His gaze swept across the room.
"Most of you won't."
That immediately got everyone's attention.
Several children exchanged nervous looks.
The instructor smiled slightly.
It wasn't a comforting smile.
"Strength is earned."
The room remained silent.
"Talent helps."
His expression hardened.
"But effort decides who survives."
The word survive stood out.
Not succeed.
Not graduate.
Survive.
Very Kirigakure.
Haruki remembered the stories.
The Bloody Mist.
The brutal reputation.
Even here, it lingered beneath every lesson.
Introductions followed.
One by one, students stood.
Stated their names.
Their goals.
Their ambitions.
Most sounded similar.
"I want to be a shinobi."
"I want to be strong."
"I want to protect my family."
Then Haruki's turn arrived.
Slowly, he stood.
Dozens of eyes turned toward him.
He hated that.
"What is your name?"
"Haruki Mizuno."
Daichi nodded.
"And your goal?"
The question caught him off guard.
He hadn't considered it.
Not really.
For several moments, the room waited.
Finally he answered honestly.
"I don't want to be weak."
Silence followed.
A different kind of silence.
Several students blinked.
Daichi studied him carefully.
Then nodded once.
"Sit down."
Haruki obeyed.
The strange look in the instructor's eyes lingered.
The rivalry began during lunch.
Like most important events in childhood, it happened accidentally.
Haruki sat alone beneath a tree in the Academy courtyard.
A habit from the orphanage.
Eat quickly.
Avoid trouble.
Stay unnoticed.
Unfortunately, someone had other plans.
"You're the orphan."
Haruki looked up.
A boy stood over him.
Roughly his age.
Slightly taller.
Dark brown hair.
Confident posture.
Too confident.
Haruki immediately disliked him.
The boy crossed his arms.
"I've seen you at the orphanage district."
Haruki returned to eating.
The conversation could end now.
It didn't.
"My name is Ren."
No response.
Ren frowned.
"Are you ignoring me?"
"Maybe."
Several nearby students laughed.
Ren's face reddened.
Haruki immediately realized his mistake.
The boy cared what others thought.
A lot.
Which meant embarrassment would make him angry.
Sure enough—
"You think you're funny?"
Haruki sighed.
The lunch break had been going so well.
"I think I'm eating."
More laughter.
Ren's eye twitched.
Definitely angry now.
The boy stepped forward.
Haruki slowly stood.
Not because he wanted a fight.
Because his father had taught him something important.
Never stay seated when someone is looking for trouble.
The situation escalated instantly.
Neither boy threw a punch.
Yet.
But the tension was obvious.
Then another voice interrupted.
"Move."
Both boys turned.
A girl stood nearby.
Long black hair.
Sharp eyes.
Arms crossed.
She looked annoyed.
Not intimidated.
Annoyed.
"You two are blocking the path."
Ren blinked.
"We're talking."
"No."
The girl pointed.
"You're being stupid."
Several students snickered.
This time at Ren.
Haruki almost smiled.
Almost.
The girl's attention shifted toward him.
"You too."
The smile vanished.
Then she walked away.
Just like that.
Leaving both boys standing there.
Confused.
The argument completely forgotten.
The rivalry truly began during taijutsu practice.
Several days later.
Students lined up inside the training yard.
Daichi stood before them.
"Today's lesson is simple."
That statement alone made everyone nervous.
The instructor pointed toward a marked circle.
"Controlled sparring."
Groans immediately followed.
Daichi ignored them.
"You will learn by fighting."
That sounded exactly like something a Kirigakure instructor would say.
Pairs were assigned.
Students entered the circle.
Students lost.
Repeatedly.
Then Daichi called a name.
"Ren."
The boy stepped forward immediately.
Confident.
Eager.
A little too eager.
Then—
"Haruki."
The courtyard became noticeably quieter.
Both boys looked at each other.
Neither smiled.
Daichi noticed.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
The two students entered the circle.
The instructor raised a hand.
"Begin."
Ren attacked first.
Exactly as Haruki expected.
Fast.
Aggressive.
Predictable.
His father had taught him to watch people.
Patterns mattered.
Ren always rushed.
Always.
So Haruki sidestepped.
The punch missed.
A surprised sound escaped Ren.
Several students laughed.
Again.
That only made things worse.
Ren charged a second time.
Then a third.
Each attack missed.
Haruki wasn't stronger.
Wasn't faster.
He simply remained calm.
Eventually Ren overextended.
His foot slipped.
Haruki instinctively pushed.
Nothing more.
Nothing fancy.
Ren landed flat on his back.
The training yard erupted with laughter.
Daichi raised a hand.
"Enough."
Silence returned.
The instructor looked between both boys.
Then nodded.
"Winner. Haruki."
Ren's face burned red.
Humiliation.
Frustration.
Anger.
Haruki recognized all three.
Because he had felt them before.
At the orphanage.
After his parents died.
After every loss.
The difference was that Ren had experienced them publicly.
And people rarely forgot public embarrassment.
As the students dispersed, Ren paused beside him.
The boy's voice was low.
Determined.
"I'll beat you next time."
Haruki studied him for a moment.
Then gave the only honest answer.
"Maybe."
Ren glared.
Then walked away.
The rivalry had officially begun.
That evening, Haruki sat alone in the orphanage courtyard.
The compass rested in his hands.
The familiar weight comforted him.
For the first time since arriving in Kirigakure, he felt something close to normal.
A routine.
A purpose.
A path forward.
The Academy wasn't easy.
But he liked it.
Even the rivalry.
Especially the rivalry.
His father used to say that challenges revealed who people really were.
Haruki wondered what Ren would become.
The thought made him smile slightly.
As the evening grew darker, he tucked the compass away and headed inside.
Tomorrow would bring more lessons.
More training.
More challenges.
For now, that was enough.