Chương 128

***Shisui's pov Coming this late to the Senju compound was not the best idea. The Senju and the Uchiha have a history together, not a pleasant one, so I understood why the guard looked cautious and on edge the moment I revealed my name. I felt that asking to come in would only put him in a difficult position, so I decided to wait outside. After my talk with Kaen, I knew I needed to speak with Noa. He is without a doubt the strongest of the three, and not only that, he is extremely smart.

Yet for some reason, he chooses to hold back. He lets Sena take the lead, which is unusual for a shinobi with his kind of talent. Most prodigies I have seen either push to dominate or isolate themselves. Noa is different. He is eccentric, in his own way, and I found myself wondering if people ever thought the same of me. The thought made me chuckle, but I pushed it aside when I heard approaching footsteps. When I finally saw Noa up close, I remembered why he drew so much attention without trying.

His posture was loose, almost lazy, yet there was nothing unguarded about it. He carried himself like someone who had already measured the ground he walked on and found no reason to rush. His dark hair was untidy, as though he had run a hand through it instead of combing it, and his eyes carried a sharpness that contradicted the rest of his demeanor. They were watchful, weighing things quietly, but at the same time half-lidded as if nothing around him was urgent enough to warrant effort.

Most prodigies wore their strength like armor. Noa wore his like an afterthought. It was there in the way his muscles shifted when he moved, in the steadiness of his breath, but he did not brandish it. To someone inattentive, he might have looked ordinary. To me, it was obvious he was anything but.

"Hello, sensei," he said, his smirk pulling a little wider than before. To anyone unfamiliar with him, it would seem impolite, but that was simply his usual demeanor. It did not make him more pleasant, yet I was almost certain it was not born of mean intentions. If he dropped that faint edge of hostility in his body language, he would be far more popular. I sighed. My ANBU training made it impossible not to read him, and my thoughts drifted from my original purpose. This boy was very interesting.

He acted like a child in his stubbornness and demeanor, but his hard work told another story. His intelligence was remarkable, though not unbelievable when compared to children like Sena and Shizuru. What drew my attention most was that he chose to grow close to those two while keeping his distance from most others, aside from his friend Genta. What unsettled me was his cynicism. Children could be clever, but his manner felt older than his years.

It was as if he had already tasted fear and despair, as if he had lost faith in people. Most concerning of all was the impression that he had already faced death and carried its mark. Perhaps it was the lingering shadow of the Nine-Tails' attack on the village. I shook my head, trying to refocus, and Noa noticed. He chuckled.

"Sensei, do you need to sit down, or should I get you a drink?" I smiled back and shook my head.

"There is no need to trouble yourself. I am sorry to come so late." He glanced around before replying.

"It is not that late, to be honest, but thank you for being considerate, sensei. What did you want to talk to me about?" I heard the faint shifting of two bodies behind the gate, most likely the compound guard and someone else. I sighed inwardly, wishing for privacy, but I understood their caution at my late visit. They had every right to be wary, yet I believed they were far enough away not to hear my words clearly. If I wanted Noa to hear me fully, I could not waste words or hide behind vagueness.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

"Teams are rarely put together by chance," I said, keeping my voice measured.

"The Hokage does not simply pick names out of a scroll and hope for the best." Noa tilted his head, that familiar smirk tugging back onto his lips.

"So what are you really saying, sensei? That I was chosen on purpose?" A quiet laugh escaped me, catching the edge of his playfulness.

"You can look at it that way if you like, but that is not the point. Sena brings steadiness, a balance that grounds the team. Kaen carries both fire and the weight of his clan's name, and that strength is not something chosen lightly." His eyes narrowed slightly, amusement flashing beneath them.

"And me? Where do I fit into this perfect picture?" I studied him for a moment. He thought he was teasing, but I could see the curiosity under his mask.

"You were not placed beside them to follow, or to compete. Sometimes the one least eager to lead ends up shaping the team the most. Even when you stay silent, others move differently around you." He gave a short exhale, halfway between a laugh and a scoff.

"So I was picked to babysit?" I smiled faintly.

"Call it what you like. But the Hokage does not make choices without purpose. You were placed with them for a reason. Sena brings balance, Kaen burns bright, and you… you change how they move. Together, you form a combination that can do more than pass tests." Noa's smirk softened, his voice carrying a trace of doubt.

"So, I am really the piece that makes the puzzle work?" Then, almost as quickly, the familiar smirk returned.

"Doesn't sound like me." But even as he turned his gaze aside, feigning boredom, I caught it. The flicker of recognition told me my words had reached him. I watched him in silence for a moment, then drew a careful breath before I spoke again.

"You see, strength on a team is not just about how well you fight. It is also about what you represent. And that brings me to something heavier." I paused, then went on.

"The Uchiha are not in the best place right now. You know the stories. The Nine-Tails' attack only sharpened old wounds. The village looks at us with suspicion, and my clan looks back with resentment. Pride keeps us standing, but sometimes pride builds walls higher than we realize." Noa tilted his head slightly, his eyes sharper now. He was truly listening.

"I cannot erase that history," I continued.

"What I can do is change the way we are seen now. If we serve well, if we succeed in missions that matter, if we protect this village without hesitation, then suspicion loses its voice. That is what I want. To raise the Uchiha name by proving, not by speaking." I allowed the moment to hang before I went on.

"But strength is not only about how you fight. It is also about what your presence means to others. Together, this team can do more than pass tests. You can show the village what happens when they unite." Noa's smirk faded almost entirely, replaced with something more thoughtful. For once, I sensed genuine and unguarded curiosity. It felt as though he was weighing the idea of challenging fate itself. I let the silence breathe before I answered, steady and even.

"You deserve a teacher who will not let you hold back. That is my promise to you, Noa. I will give everything I can to guide you, to test you, and to shape you into the shinobi you are meant to become. I will not pretend this is only for you. The Hokage entrusted me with this team because he believes our success can prove something greater than missions alone. My duty is to meet that expectation. But my hope is that one day you will see what I am striving for, and understand why I push as hard as I do.

If you can see that for yourself, then I will have done more than teach you. I will have given you a purpose worth carrying." His eyes went wide, as if he had not expected me to say that. I could almost feel the heat rising from him, his thoughts clashing at incredible speeds. For some reason it seemed as though he was staring into a future I could not see, weighing something critical. It felt like he knew something I did not. I wanted to ask, but I kept silent, watching the shifting expressions cross his face.

Then he suddenly blinked and looked at me, his expression tight from the weight of his thoughts. His voice wavered, stripped of its usual guard.

"How exactly would we achieve that?" It was the first time I sensed genuine curiosity from him, clear and unmasked. I answered calmly, the words steady and deliberate.

"I need you to try and get along with Kaen. It may seem small, but that is where everything begins."