Three days had passed since Team 11's formation, and the reality of genin life had settled into a routine that felt both mundane and surreal.
The morning sun cast long shadows as Indra pulled weeds from an elderly woman's garden - their third D-rank mission of the day.
Beside him, Hayate worked with uncharacteristic silence and across the garden, Sayaka worked as she had her elegant hands now dirt-stained, but her posture still remained impeccable.
None of them had spoken much since that night in the village. The shared experience had created an unspoken bond - not friendship, exactly, but a mutual understanding that set them apart from their peers.
Yua lounged on a tree branch above them, seemingly absorbed in watching clouds drift across the blue sky.
To casual observers, she appeared negligent in her duties, but Indra had quickly learned that her apparent inattention was deceptive. Nothing escaped her notice.
"Hayate, you're missing the roots," she called without looking down. "Dig deeper."
The boy grunted in acknowledgment, driving his trowel more forcefully into the soil.
As they worked, the sound of approaching voices broke the relative quiet. Indra glanced up to see Team 7 walking along the path that bordered the garden, apparently returning from their own mission. Naruto's voice carried clearly across the distance.
"-can't believe we had to chase that stupid cat again! Why can't we get a real mission, Kakashi-sensei? Something with actual fighting!"
The silver-haired jōnin walking behind his team appeared to be engrossed in an orange book. "Maa, Naruto, D-rank missions build character."
"They build boredom is what they build," Naruto grumbled, then perked up as he spotted Indra. "Hey! Indra!"
The blond boy detoured from his path, jogging over to the garden fence with a wide grin. Sasuke and Sakura followed more sedately, while Kakashi trailed behind, his visible eye briefly flickering up to where Yua rested in the tree.
"You guys doing D-ranks too?" Naruto asked, leaning against the fence. "Man, they're so boring! We had to catch this demon cat for the third time this week, and then clean up trash from the river. Not exactly what I signed up for when I became a ninja, believe it!"
Indra straightened, wiping soil from his hands. "Hello, Naruto. Yes, we've been assigned similar tasks."
"And you're not going crazy from boredom?" Naruto's eyes widened in disbelief.
Before Indra could respond, Hayate spoke up, his voice carrying an edge that hadn't been present moments before. "Some of us understand what being a shinobi actually means, loudmouth."
Naruto bristled. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Sasuke, who had been silently observing, glanced between Hayate and Indra with a slight frown. "You're Chinen, right? From the other class."
Hayate's eyes narrowed at Sasuke. "Yeah, what of it, Uchiha?"
"Nothing," Sasuke replied coolly. "Just placing you."
Yua dropped from her branch, landing silently beside her team. "Hatake," she acknowledged with a nod. "Your kids seem energetic."
Kakashi finally looked up from his book. "Kamizuki. Yours seem... subdued."
Something passed between the two jōnin - an unspoken communication that Indra noted with interest. There was history there, likely from their ANBU days.
"I see your test was approved," Kakashi commented casually, though his eye sharpened slightly.
Yua's expression remained neutral. "The Hokage saw the merit in my methods."
"What test?" Naruto asked immediately, curiosity piqued. "Was it harder than Kakashi-sensei's bell test? We had to try to take these bells from him, but it was really about teamwork, and-"
"It's classified," Indra interrupted smoothly. "Each jōnin has their own evaluation methods."
Naruto's face scrunched in confusion. "Classified? But it's just a genin test."
"Some things aren't meant for discussion, Naruto," Kakashi said, his tone light but with an undercurrent of firmness that even the oblivious blond couldn't miss.
"But-"
"We should go," Kakashi continued, placing his book in his pouch. "We still need to report to the mission desk. Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura - let's move."
As Team 7 prepared to leave, Sakura hesitated, her curiosity evident. "Sensei, what kind of test did Team 11 have?"
Kakashi's eye curved in what appeared to be a smile beneath his mask. "The kind that shows the true nature of what being a shinobi is, Sakura."
With that cryptic response, he herded his team away, though not before exchanging one final glance with Yua. Once they were out of earshot, Yua turned back to her team.
"Finish up here. We have one more mission before we're done for the day."
The three genin returned to their weeding in silence, but Indra's mind was active.
The interaction between the two jōnin suggested that Kakashi was aware of Yua's unusual test - which meant it wasn't entirely outside the bounds of Konoha's practices, despite its brutality.
An hour later, they completed their final mission of the day - delivering supplies to various shops around the village.
As they left the mission desk, Yua led them to a secluded training ground bordered by a small stream.
The afternoon sun filtered through the leaves, casting dappled patterns on the grass.
"Sit," she commanded, dropping cross-legged onto the ground. When they had arranged themselves before her as she studied each of them.
"You've been quiet since our first night as a team," she observed. "Processing what you learned, I assume."
None of them responded immediately. Finally, Hayate broke the silence, his voice uncharacteristically subdued.
"Why make us do... that? Why not just tell us what being a shinobi really means?"
Yua leaned back, tilting her face toward the sky. "Because words are cheap, Chinen. I could have given you a lecture about the harsh realities of shinobi life, and you would have nodded and thought you understood. But you wouldn't have. Not really."
She plucked a blade of grass, twirling it between her fingers. "Experience is the only true teacher. Now you know - in your bones, in your heart - what it means to take a life. That knowledge will shape every mission you undertake from this point forward."
"The Academy taught us that shinobi protect the village," Sayaka said softly, her first words since they'd begun their missions that morning. "That we serve as guardians."
"And that's true," Yua acknowledged. "But incomplete. The Academy gives you the public-facing version of what we are. The version that helps civilians sleep at night."
She tossed the blade of grass aside and fixed them with a penetrating stare. "Here's the reality: Konoha has approximately 800 genin, 150 chunin, and around 55 jōnin on active duty at any given time. We're a force of roughly 1,000 shinobi in a village of 15,000 people, surrounded by nations with similar or greater military strength."
Indra absorbed these numbers, mentally cataloging them. Such specific information was rarely shared with genin - that is, if they were true. Which he doubted. Another deception probably. Wouldn't put it past her.
"How does such a small force protect so many?" Yua continued. "Not through honorable combat or flashy jutsu displays. We do it through stealth, deception, and the willingness to do whatever is necessary - no matter how morally questionable."
She gestured toward the village visible in the distance. "Those D-rank missions you've been complaining about? They're not just busy work. They're integration training.
You learn the layout of the village, interact with civilians in different contexts, observe patterns and routines. Information that becomes critical during infiltration missions in enemy territory."
Hayate frowned. "So we're practicing to spy on people?"
"Among other things," Yua confirmed bluntly. "A shinobi who can blend seamlessly with civilians is far more valuable than one who can only throw kunai accurately.
The most effective assassinations happen when the target never sees you coming - when you've been the friendly shopkeeper or the unassuming servant for weeks beforehand."
"Is that why the Academy curriculum focuses so heavily on transformation techniques and stealth?" Indra asked, having already had his suspicions.
Yua nodded approvingly. "Exactly. The foundation of being a shinobi isn't combat - it's deception. The ability to be someone else, to hide in plain sight, to gather information without detection."
She reached into her pouch and withdrew three small scrolls, tossing one to each of them. "Basic chakra control exercises. I want you practicing these daily. The better your control, the more effectively you can suppress your chakra signature to avoid detection."
Indra unrolled his scroll, scanning the exercises briefly before tucking it away.
"What about the combat training?" Hayate asked. "The ninjutsu and taijutsu we learned?"
"Tools in your arsenal," Yua replied. "Important ones, certainly. But they're last resorts. If you're in open combat as a shinobi, something has already gone wrong with your mission."
She stood, brushing dirt from her pants. "Think about the samurai of the Land of Iron. They train exclusively for direct combat, and they're formidable on the battlefield.
One skilled samurai can match a genin or even a chunin in open combat. But they announce their presence, they follow codes of honor, they fight face-to-face."
Her expression hardened. "And that's why a single jōnin can assassinate their general in his sleep, poison their water supply, or sabotage their weapons before a battle even begins. We don't win through strength - we win through shadows."
The three genin absorbed this in silence. It was a stark contrast to the heroic tales they'd been raised on - stories of the legendary Sannin, the Yellow Flash, the White Fang. Those shinobi were portrayed as warriors, not assassins or spies.
"What about the Hokage?" Sayaka asked quietly. "The stories say the First and Second fought openly against their enemies."
"In times of all-out war, different rules apply," Yua conceded. "And yes, there are exceptional shinobi whose power allows them to engage enemies directly. But they're the exception, not the rule. And even they began as we all do - in the shadows."
She looked at each of them in turn. "The reality is that most of you will never become legendary figures. Most shinobi live and die in anonymity, completing missions that never enter the history books. Your greatest successes will be the ones no one ever knows about."
"That's... not very encouraging," Hayate muttered.
Yua's lips quirked in what might have been a smile. "It's not meant to be encouraging. It's meant to be true. And understanding that truth now will keep you alive longer."
She stretched, rolling her shoulders. "That's enough philosophy for today. Tomorrow we begin actual training. 06:00 hours, Training Ground 17. Don't be late."
As she turned to leave, Indra spoke up. "Sensei, what was your test like? When you were a genin?"
Yua paused, her back to them. For a moment, Indra thought she might ignore the question entirely.
"My sensei took my team to the border of the Land of Hot Water during a skirmish with Kumo," she finally said, her voice distant. "We were ordered to eliminate a forward scout team. Three chunin, all experienced. We succeeded, but only two of us returned to Konoha."
The implication hung in the air - her first mission had cost a teammate's life and was actually real combat.
"Different times, different methods," she added, glancing back at them. "But the lesson remains the same: being a shinobi means living with death - dealing it and facing it. The sooner you accept that, the better shinobi you'll become."
With that, she disappeared in a swirl of leaves, leaving the three genin alone in the clearing.
For several minutes, none of them spoke. Sayaka was the first to rise, gathering her things with the same quiet grace that characterized all her movements.
"I should go," she said simply.
Hayate stood as well, his usual antagonism toward Indra seemingly forgotten in the wake of their shared experience and Yua's sobering words. "Yeah, me too. Got to... think about some stuff."
As they prepared to part ways, Hayate hesitated, then turned to Indra. "Hey, Uchiha. The person you... you know. Was it... hard?"
Indra considered the question carefully. "Yes and no. The act itself was technically simple. The decision was the difficult part."
Hayate nodded slowly. "Yeah. I just... I picked some old drunk passed out in an alley. Figured no one would miss him much. But I keep seeing his face when I try to sleep."
"It gets easier," Sayaka said softly, surprising them both. "That's what I'm afraid of."
With that cryptic statement, she turned and walked away, her slender figure soon disappearing among the trees.
Hayate shook his head. "She creeps me out sometimes. Like she's not really here, you know?"
"We all cope differently," Indra replied neutrally.
"I guess," Hayate agreed, then awkwardly extended his hand. "Look, I've been a jerk. It's just... I worked my ass off to get here, and then they pair me with some clan prodigy who's got special eyes and probably never had to try a day in his life."
Indra accepted the handshake, deciding not to correct Hayate's assumptions about his upbringing. They weren't close enough for him to spill his life story. "We're teammates now. Whatever came before doesn't matter."
Hayate nodded, seeming relieved. "Right. See you tomorrow then."
As Hayate departed, Indra remained in the clearing, contemplating Yua's words and the path that lay ahead.
The stark reality she had presented was not so different from what he had already intuited about this world from his previous life's memories.
But hearing it stated so bluntly, from someone who had lived it, gave it a weight that mere knowledge couldn't convey.
The sun was beginning to set as Indra finally made his way back to the Uchiha compound. The streets were quiet, most villagers already returned home for the evening.
As he approached the compound gates, he noticed Sasuke waiting for him, leaning against the wall with arms crossed.
"How was your day?" Sasuke asked as Indra drew near, the question awkward and stilted, as if he were unused to such casual conversation.
"Informative," Indra replied. "Yours?"
"Naruto complained about D-ranks the entire time," Sasuke said with a hint of exasperation. "Sakura agreed with everything I said, and Kakashi read his book."
They walked together through the empty streets of the compound, their footsteps echoing in the silence. The awkwardness that had characterized their initial interactions had begun to fade, replaced by a tentative coexistence.
"Your jōnin-sensei," Sasuke said after a while. "She seems... intense."
"She's former ANBU," Indra replied. "I think most of them are."
Sasuke nodded. "Kakashi too, apparently. He didn't say it but I reasoned it. Though you wouldn't know it easily from how he acts."
They reached Sasuke's house - the main family residence that they now shared.
It was far too large for just two people, but Sasuke had insisted that Indra stay there rather than in one of the smaller homes.
"I've prepared dinner," Sasuke said as they removed their sandals at the entrance. "Nothing special, just rice and fish."
The gesture was unexpectedly touching. Despite his aloof exterior, Sasuke was making an effort to establish some semblance of familial connection.
"Tomorrow I start real training with my team," Indra said, breaking the comfortable silence.
Sasuke nodded. "Kakashi says he'll begin teaching us tree-walking soon. Basic chakra control."
"Yua-sensei gave us scrolls for similar exercises."
Another silence fell, but it was less awkward than before.
As they finished their meal and cleaned up, Indra found himself appreciating this unexpected development - having someone to return to, a place that felt more like home than his small apartment ever had.
Later, as he prepared for bed in the room Sasuke had designated as his, Indra caught sight of his reflection in the window. His eyes - now known to be Uchiha eyes - stared back at him, holding secrets that no one else in this world could possibly understand.
He poured chakra into them and they turned, the left into the fully matured Sharingan and the right into the Rinnegan.
He gazed upon himself, upon the soft glow each gave in the dark.
"The strongest," he whispered to himself, an affirmation of his purpose. But for the first time he uttered them outloud and the words felt slightly hollow, as if they might not be enough on their own.
Intellectually he knew he was strong - had the potential to be the strongest. With the Rinnegan had the control over life and death, the forces that hold the world together, the power that could form literal moons, and yet...
Yet he felt... weak.
He knew why. What point was of strength if he couldn't with it have what he wanted?
A tool. That is what a Shinobi is.
Tools. That is what the weak were to the strong.
But he isn't a tool. He refuses to be anyone's tool.
Not Konoha's. Not the Fire Daimayo's. Not the Hokage's. Not Yua's. No one's.
The Strongest.
The Strongest to be free.
That is what he must be.
Those were his last thoughts as his eyes receded to back to black and he went to bed, letting sleep take him.
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(Author note: Hello everyone! Hope you all enjoyed the chapter!
So, do tell me how you found the definition of a Shinobi. I honestly agree with Zabuza that this is truly how a Shinobi is seen behind the curtains.
Tools, weapons of mass destruction. This is how I will keep implementing Shinobi in this fic, of course they will have their humanity, not that they aren't humans, but how Shinobi are seen by the upper echelons and how they are treated, since I don't want to eventually have the nobility like the Fire Daimayo and the like have more presence.
I actually already started last chapter, do tell me if you realised it.
Well, I hope to see you all later,
Bye!)