After hearing the name Yatagarasu, the raven cried out loudly—
a proud, echoing caw that resounded like a declaration of existence.
Akira and Yatagarasu locked eyes.
Their connection deepened instantly, and both felt a sudden rush of shared exhilaration.
A new wave of black feathers burst outward, swirling around them in a dark vortex.
---
Kakashi blinked rapidly.
"...Again? Why is everything with Akira always a feather tornado?"
He genuinely couldn't tell whether he understood the phenomenon or not—
but it always involved black feathers.
But then Akira's chakra shifted again.
Kakashi's eyes widened.
"Wait—that's… sage mode?!"
The air shook with natural energy.
He knew exactly what sage mode was.
Minato-sensei had trained in it.
Jiraiya-sama had mastered it.
But this—
This wasn't the sage mode of Myōboku, Ryūchi Cave, or Shikkotsu Forest.
A sage mode outside the Three Holy Lands?
Impossible.
Unbelievable.
Yet Akira was doing exactly that.
Kakashi felt a sting of envy.
If he had sage mode, even his Mangekyō Sharingan would become many times stronger.
He could take down Kage-level enemies with ease.
And yes—he can use Mangekyō Sharingan now.
Because Akira had revealed everything to him over the years.
The truth about Obito.
How Obito killed Minato and Kushina.
And the moment he learned it—Kakashi awakened the dormant Mangekyō.
He was technically Kage level…
but only for a few moments.
One, maybe two Mangekyō attacks before collapsing.
---
The storm of black feathers finally dissipated.
And a transformed Akira stepped forward.
His face and body looked mostly the same—
except for one breathtaking change:
Behind him spread a pair of enormous raven wings, made of pure chakra and shadow.
The sight alone was awe-inspiring.
Akira felt the power flooding through him.
Excited, he slapped his cheeks, crouched slightly—
—and soared straight into the sky, bursting upward with a triumphant laugh.
Yahahahahhahhaa
Flying.
Flying!
Every man dreams of flying, and Akira immediately fell in love with it.
This sage mode was superior to all the holy lands.
They could not fly.
He could.
---
After a few minutes in the air, Akira began experimenting with his new powers.
1. Sage-Style Ninjutsu
All his ninjutsu immediately transformed into sage-enhanced versions.
Their power multiplied many times.
2. Wing Slash
With a powerful flap of his wings—
invisible blades of wind shot outward, slicing trees in half.
Akira blinked.
"…This feels like a Pokémon move.
But I love it."
3. Feather Storm
He flapped again, sharper this time.
Black feathers shot out like kunai—
piercing trees and rocks like they were made of tofu.
4. Yatagarasu's Flame
Akira raised his hand.
Black fire condensed around it, forming a flaming claw—
raw, destructive, dangerous.
He swung it once, the flame roaring like a beast.
By the time he finished experimenting, Akira felt pleasantly exhausted and descended back to the ground.
He cancelled sage mode, and Yatagarasu reappeared beside him.
Oddly, the raven seemed even more excited than Akira—
probably because this was its first evolution, while Akira had experienced many growth spurts already.
The raven's bloodline had transformed from an ordinary creature…
to something ancient and mighty.
---
Akira landed beside Kakashi and walked toward him.
"Kakashi-senpai," he said with a smile,
"let's return. Oh—and I forgot to mention Chronarch wants a meeting tomorrow morning."
Kakashi blinked.
"Meeting?"
"Yes. I'll attend on his behalf.
The attendees should be Tsunade-sama, Jiraiya-sama, You, Itachi-nee-sama, Patriach Fugaku, Might Guy… and me."
Kakashi froze.
All of these were legendary figures.
Elite Jōnin to Kage-level monsters.
He didn't understand why Chronarch included them—
but he didn't argue.
They began walking toward Konoha.
Yatagarasu flew beside Katsuyu, both engaged in a conversation Akira couldn't hear.
Katsuyu seemed fascinated by the raven's evolution and the mysterious feather that transformed them both.
She felt the world growing stranger—and more interesting.
By afternoon, Akira and the group finally returned to Konoha.
Akira, who had skipped halfway school, didn't bother explaining anything and simply went to school.
Kakashi went directly to Tsunade to report everything that had occurred.
---
By the time Akira finally reached the academy, Iruka-sensei had already finished his long, dramatic speech.
The classroom was buzzing—full of nervous whispers, excited shouts, and students vibrating with anticipation.
Team announcements were almost over.
Akira entered quietly and slipped into his seat.
Iruka paused mid-sentence, looked at him and the raven on his shoulder, and exhaled with a helpless smile.
Everyone noticed Akira was late… on this of all days.
But strangely, no one said anything.
They were far more focused on:
Who will my teacher be?
Who are my teammates?
Will I pass the teacher's test?!
Akira leaned back in his chair.
He wasn't nervous in the slightest—he knew who his team already was.
---
Iruka continued calling out:
"Team 1… Team 3… Team 8… Team 9…"
Each time a team was announced, their assigned jōnin appeared outside the classroom, collected the students, and left.
The room slowly emptied until only four students remained:
Akira, Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke.
The "Legendary Problem Squad" lineup.
Naruto was drumming his fingers impatiently.
Sakura kept stealing glances at Sasuke.
Sasuke pretended not to care but occasionally eyed Akira and the new summoning beast Yagatarasu, as if sensing something different about him.
Akira simply rested his head on his arms.
He had been awake the entire night due to Yatagarasu's feather and the training afterward.
He was exhausted.
Iruka looked toward the door, waiting for Kakashi.
No one came.
He sighed.
"Well, your sensei will arrive in a few moments," he said, standing up.
"I'll be in the staff room. If you have any questions—or complaints—feel free to come find me."
He gave them one last sympathetic glance and left.
Akira didn't even try to stay awake anymore.
The second Iruka left, he let his eyes close.
Sleep… finally.
His breathing evened out within seconds.
Naruto stared at him.
"Seriously?! He fell asleep NOW?!
Even his bird is sleeping.
On the day we form our team?!"
Sakura frowned.
"Honestly… is he always like this?"
Sasuke didn't respond.
But he watched Akira and Yagatarasu for a long moment—
as if trying to understand him.
---
One and a half hours passed.
The classroom felt frozen in time—
except for Naruto, who had cycled through boredom, rage, hunger, and despair at least six times.
At last, the door slid open.
Iruka stepped inside with an expression that could only be described as pure sympathy.
He looked around:
Akira was dead asleep on his desk, unmoving like a corpse.
Naruto was annoying Sakura nonstop.
Sakura kept glancing dreamily at Sasuke.
Sasuke …
appeared awake, but his eyes hadn't blinked for ten minutes.
He had mastered the Uchiha "sleep with eyes open" technique.
Iruka sighed deeply and cleared his throat.
"Ahem. AHEM."
Everyone snapped to attention—
everyone except Akira, who didn't even twitch.
---
"Well," Iruka began, "your jōnin teacher has been assigned to an urgent mission, so he won't be coming today."
Naruto's jaw dropped.
Sakura's eye twitched.
Sasuke raised an eyebrow.
Iruka continued:
"So, here are your team arrangements:
Sasuke Uchiha
Naruto Uzumaki
Sakura Haruno
And…"
He glanced at the sleeping boy.
"Akira Uchiha will serve as a substitute team leader when necessary."
Sakura blinked.
Naruto tilted his head.
Sasuke narrowed his eyes a little—Akira, a leader?
Iruka pressed on:
"Your jōnin sensei will be Hatake Kakashi, the Copy Ninja."
That instantly changed the atmosphere.
Naruto exploded.
"THEN WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL US TWO HOURS AGO?!"
He pointed accusingly at the door.
"I've been WAITING! Two hours! TWO HOURS!"
Sasuke's irritation vanished the moment he heard Kakashi's name.
The Copy Ninja…
the wielder of a thousand jutsu…
a shinobi worthy of respect.
Sasuke simply nodded.
Sakura maintained a polite smile, but on the inside she was cursing Kakashi into thirteen different dimensions for making her wait.
Iruka continued:
"Kakashi will meet with the four of you day after tomorrow morning at 10 AM, Training Ground 4."
---
Iruka left.
Silence returned.
Sasuke stared at Akira for three seconds, then jabbed him on the forehead.
Akira jerked awake instantly.
"Huh? It's over?"
Naruto threw his hands up.
"YOU MISSED EVERYTHING!"
Akira rubbed his eyes and shrugged.
"If I don't know something, I'll just ask Kakashi-senpai tomorrow."
Naruto deflated.
Sakura groaned.
Sasuke turned away.
Yatagarasu flapped its wings once, as if mocking all of them.
And so…
Just like that…
The first day of Team 7 ended.
Naruto hated it.
Sakura hated it.
Sasuke pretended not to care.
And Kakashi?
He still hadn't shown up.
---