If he had the choice, Byakuya had always wanted nothing more than to live out his life quietly, without attracting attention.
If he had to explain it, anything that might turn him into a topic of conversation, being the youngest graduate, graduating early, anything that would make people remember his name, was exactly the kind of thing he never wanted and sincerely hoped would never happen.
And yet, whenever Byakuya let himself think something that unnecessary, the things he wanted least always seemed to arrive right on cue, as if they had been waiting for him all along.
Like today.
It had started like any other day. He was deep in a deserted stretch of forest, completely focused on practicing precise chakra control while casting jutsu.
"So it's you, Kuroshiro Byakuya."
He had not sensed anyone approaching at all, and yet a voice suddenly spoke right beside him.
The man walked toward him with an easy smile and a calm expression. It was a face Byakuya saw at least two or three times every day.
On the monument, anyway.
"Lord Third Hokage."
"You do seem to know who I am."
How could he not?
More than that, the man standing before him was nothing like the old grandfather with age spots from the original story. He looked far younger than Byakuya had imagined, with a crushing presence that radiated from him so strongly it was honestly shocking.
People always said that truly powerful men could never fully hide their aura, even if they tried.
The instant Byakuya met the Third's eyes, cold sweat ran down his back. He swallowed dryly before he even realized he was doing it.
What he could not understand was why the Hokage himself had come in person for someone like him, just a student who was only a little better than the rest of his class.
"I know quite a bit about you as well. That is why I came myself."
"Ah... yes, sir."
"Graduating early, hm? Truth be told, it is not all that unusual."
The Third spoke mildly, but his sharp gaze made it feel as though he could see straight through every thought in Byakuya's head.
"But when it comes to exceptional cases, the usual methods are not enough to test their ability, are they?"
What kind of logic was that supposed to be?
Byakuya was still trying to make sense of it when the Third Hokage, wearing the hat marked with the character for fire, slowly removed it and stepped back until there was some distance between them.
A bad feeling. That was the only thought left in Byakuya's mind.
"Let us begin."
Begin what, exactly?
While Byakuya stood there stunned and flustered, the Third, who had just been in front of him a moment ago saying they would begin, vanished instantly from sight.
Right side.
Almost on instinct, he swung his kunai to the right. In the next instant, he saw the Third leaping back after having rushed straight at him.
What was that just now?
Calling it instinct felt off. It was more like a voice in his head had shouted at him to look right.
Even crazier was the fact that his body had responded instantly, simply because of that warning.
To anyone watching, it must have looked as though Byakuya had perfectly read the Third's move and prepared his defense ahead of time.
"Well now... that is a surprise."
Damn it. He definitely took it that way.
Having withdrawn, the Third stroked his chin with clear interest, obviously far more intrigued by Byakuya now than before.
Even if he had not been moving at full speed, that still was not the kind of speed a Ninja Academy student should have been able to follow.
That reaction time is on par with a jōnin...
The Third gave him an extremely high assessment, then disappeared again with an amused look on his face.
By contrast, Byakuya felt like he was fighting for his life.
He did not know whether the Hokage had started getting serious, but the pressure from his attacks was far more intense than at the beginning, so fierce that Byakuya could barely breathe under it.
"You are short, so your upper defense has openings. A long blade would suit you better, or some other longer weapon that could make up for that weakness."
"Ghk!"
Even if Byakuya could predict where the Hokage would attack, he could not keep up with the speed.
The Third lightly tapped the top of his head with a teasing sort of ease as he spoke.
Byakuya finally managed to create some distance and hurriedly began forming hand seals for a jutsu, but the Hokage closed in on him instantly and brushed his hands apart with a casual touch, cutting off the seals at once.
"Too slow. Faster."
This guy...!
It was the first time anyone had ever interrupted Byakuya in the middle of forming seals.
The sudden disruption threw him off balance, and in that instant, the Hokage's kick came hard at the opening in his defense.
At this point, he had no choice but to go all in.
Using his small frame to his advantage, Byakuya sprang upward and narrowly dodged the incoming kick. Then he grabbed the Hokage's ankle, yanked hard, and raised his kunai, driving it straight toward his throat.
Bang!
Byakuya had been certain the strike would land cleanly, that blood would spray from the man's neck.
Instead, to his utter shock, the Hokage's body burst apart in midair and vanished.
"The Shadow Clone Jutsu..."
"That is correct."
The Hokage stepped out from behind a tree just as calmly as he had when they first met. The hat on his head had never been removed at all.
Which meant that from the very beginning, the one fighting Byakuya had only been a shadow clone.
"Hm... did someone train you in taijutsu?"
"...No."
Byakuya had a good idea why he was asking.
His movements were too smooth, too controlled. They did not look like the movements of someone who had never been properly trained.
Honestly, even Byakuya found it hard to believe himself.
But he could not exactly say that, so he made up his mind to fully commit to the role of a naturally gifted prodigy.
It was not as though he had any better excuse.
"Your talent truly is remarkable."
"...I know."
Byakuya decided to lean all the way into it and shamelessly brazen it out.
I'm a genius. I'm a genius.
He repeated it over and over in his head like self-hypnosis, then lifted his gaze and met the Hokage's knowing smile head-on.
Uneasy.
Panicking.
"I have a feeling we will be seeing each other again very soon. Ah, would you look at the time. It seems I interrupted your training. That was not a problem, was it?"
"No, sir."
"Good. Then I will be on my way."
Unlike the way he had arrived, he left at a leisurely pace, strolling deeper into the forest as though he had all the time in the world.
Byakuya's eyes stayed fixed on his back long after he was gone.
No matter how he looked at it, that had basically been an early graduation test.
And that was only part of the problem. The real trouble was that, against his will, he had now ended up on the Hokage's radar as a "genius."
"Did I just make a huge mistake...?"
And not just any mistake.
An enormous one.
One he could never take back.