Shizune Katō 

Konohagakure Academy

Tuesday, 8:26 AM 

SHIZUNE KATŌ

As Shizune waited for her class to start, she flipped open the medical textbook Lady Tsunade had given her the day before yesterday. 

It was not just any medical textbook—it was one she had written by literal hand, so Shizune treated it accordingly—as a treasure to cherish till the end of time. 

The classroom was simmering with this morning's boredom and last night's gossip. Shizune, as always, tuned it all out and buried herself in her reading. 

It was a tried-and-true strategy, one that helped her maintain the top academic ranking year after year. That focus had allowed her to skip a grade in the first place. 

Sure, she wasn't winning any awards for taijutsu or physical training—her strength was her brain, and she played to it. 

Shizune was well aware that she was in a class full of clan kids. Kids whose bloodline, per page twenty-three of Bloodlines and Legacy, provided them with "a myriad of advantages clanless children did not have." 

So, yeah, she didn't have a problem with her current placement. Shizune was content in forging her own path as a medical-nin—someone like Lady Tsunade. 

She untucked her pencil from atop her ear and copied the first line from the book on a stay piece of paper: A medic-nin must prioritize the living over the dying; do not waste time where none remains. 

The bluntness of the sentence gave her pause, but being the first line, it must be that important. 

"Good morning, class." 

The voice from the front of the room broke her focus. 

Shizune lifted her dark eyes from the page, along with the rest of the students. Their teacher, Michio-sensei, waited for the chatter to quiet before continuing. 

"I have an announcement to make," he said as he stood behind the podium. His posture was perfect, and his glasses were as thick as usual. "Today, we have two new students joining us." 

A ripple of murmurs scuttled through the classroom. Shizune cocked an eyebrow but said nothing, waiting for more like the good little student she was. 

"They recently took a grade advancement test," Michio-sensei continued, "and have been approved to skip ahead. They may be younger than you all, but I expect you to welcome them warmly. Understood?" 

The murmurs stilled. Everyone naturally understood the implications of a 'grade advancement test.' 

Whoever was about to join their class was talented. 

"Hai, sensei." Most of the class echoed, though there were a few troublemakers who remained silent or rolled their eyes. 

"Good." His smile didn't reach his eyes as he shifted his gaze from the gang of mischiefs towards the door. "Boys, you may enter." 

The door slid open, and two boys stepped inside. Both were small—waist-high to the teacher. 

One had blond hair, pale like washed linen in soft daylight; the other's was black, darker than a starless night. They walked in as if their being there was as normal as breathing. 

"This is Shisui Uchiha and Satoshi Yamanaka," Michio-sensei introduced. "From today onward, they'll be your classmates." 

The silence was deafening at first. Then, the room erupted in whispers and gasps. 

Their surprise and sudden outburst made sense. She was sure her classmates weren't expecting the two new students to be kids half their age. She sure as heck didn't. 

Shizune frowned, eyes flicking between the two boys. She met Satoshi over the weekend while working at the hospital, but she never expected him to advance to her class. 

They were tasked to work together, but conversation didn't stray from tasks at hand, so she didn't get a chance to get a good read on him. 

Before Michio-sensei could scold the class for their outburst, a sharp yelp and a heavy thud cut through the room. 

All eyes turned to the sound. Shizune's landed on a boy sprawled ungracefully on the floor beside his desk. 

By the sound of that dense thud, his head had to have hit the ground pretty hard. 

"Kiburi," Michio-sensei called; irritation and an iota of concern mixed between his words. "Are you okay?" 

The room was silent, save for the faint sound of Kiburi's shaky breathing. 

No one moved or even batted an eye—Shizune suspected most of her classmates couldn't care less about him. Kiburi, after all, was the class bully and the leader of the Wannabe Warlords. 

She'd rate him a two out of ten. Maybe a three on his best day. 

Kiburi's fingers twitched against the floor, and after a beat, his hands scrambled as he propped himself up. 

But instead of climbing back into his chair, Kiburi gripped the edge of his desk, his knuckles white, and slowly peeked—yes, peeked over the top. 

Shizun's eyebrow raised. She'd never seen Kiburi peek at anything. 

He was the type to glare, to stare someone down until they folded under the weight of his deep-set eyes. But now he looked like a scared child playing hide-and-seek. 

There was another abrupt yelp and then a weighty thud.  

"Kibiuri!" Michio-sensei shouted, rushing over to the fallen boy. He knelt beside him and pressed two fingers to Kiburi's neck to check his pulse. 

The rest of the class stayed frozen, their shocked gazes pinging between Kiburi, the teacher, and the two new students, who, weirdly enough, were the calmest of the bunch. 

Shizune's eyes trailed back and forth as she began cataloging the series of events. 

Kiburi was an Uchiha "prodigy," and his reflexes were literally cat-like. There was no way someone like him would just fall out of his seat randomly. 

His hands had started to tremble first, followed by a shudder running up his arms. His pupils had rolled back right before his head hit the— 

"Shizune!" Michio-sensei's voice cut through her thoughts, startling her slightly. They locked gazes. "Go to the infirmary and fetch Gakari-san. Quickly." 

She blinked, momentarily caught off guard by the request. Why me? She thought. But then again, she was one of the most responsible people in the room. 

"Hai, sensei." 

She stood, carefully tucking her book under her arm—Shizune didn't need to justify her priorities to anyone—and weaved through the rows of desks towards the front of the classroom, her shoes tapping lightly against the floor. 

As she passed the new students, she glanced at them—but only briefly enough to see the corner of Satoshi's lip upturn ever so slightly. 

Still, as she crossed the threshold, she could have sworn one of the two whisper something under their breath. 

Something that sounded almost like: "—roach." 

<><> 

It didn't take long for Shizune to return with the nurse, who quickly examined Kiburi and confirmed what most of the class had already suspected: He had passed out. 

After a brief assessment, the nurse escorted Kiburi to the infirmary, leaving the rest of the students to their day. 

Kiburi's condition was irrelevant to Shizune. 

It wasn't her being mean; it was just a fact. She was glad he wasn't in class to ruin the atmosphere like usual. The room felt lighter without his constant tyrannical behavior. 

She had no complaints and would happily welcome any future absences from him, impromptu or otherwise. 

But it was still weird. Kiburi reacted that way after the two new students walked into the class… Why? 

"Good to see you again, Shizune-chan. Mind if we sit here?" A voice above her said, interrupting her thoughts. 

Shizune glanced up to see a slate-eyed boy looking at her with a bright smile. Beside him stood the Uchiha, who gave a polite nod. 

"Same here." Shizune marked the page in her book and closed it softly. "Help yourself." 

The kind Uchiha introduced himself as they took seats beside her. Shizune noticed a few curious students stealing glances their way. It was understandable. 

Satoshi and Shisui had an air of mysterious calm about them; if she were their age—not that she was much older—she would probably feel nervous about being in a class full of students twice her age. 

But she supposed, perhaps, their confidence came from the talent that let them skip five grades. 

"We met only a few days ago, and now you're in the same class as me." Shizune tucked an annoying stray strand of hair behind her ear. 

She'd been so caught up in her studies that she let her hair grow longer than usual. It typically fell right to her collar, but now it ran a couple of inches past that. 

"If I didn't know any better, I would have thought you were following me." 

Surprisingly, Satoshi chuckled and responded without missing a beat. "Maybe I am. Maybe I'm not," he said. "Would you like it if I was?" 

Her mouth opened in shock. That wasn't what she meant at all! 

But then she heard Shisui cough beside him, and Satoshi's lips curled wider. 

"I'm just kidding, Shizune-chan," he said, his eyes flicking to the book nestled in her. "Is that a medical textbook?" 

Shizune was still a bit shaken from the sudden abrupt shift in conversation but responded according. "Mh-hm. Lady Tsunade gave it to me over the weekend to read." 

She couldn't resist adding that last bit. Anyone would be proud to know that one of Konoha's three Sanins—the woman known to be the best medical-nin across all the villages—had gifted her a handwritten book. 

"Oh, really," Satoshi's lips tilted in intrigue. "Can I take a look at it?" 

Shizune faltered for a moment. 

While Lady Tsunade hadn't specifically said she couldn't let others read it, the idea of handing over something so personal to someone she'd only just met gave her pause. 

"I'm… sorry, but no." 

Satoshi locked eyes with her. He was eerily unreadable. "Okay. No worries." 

Then, without another word, he turned and began chatting with the Uchiha beside him. 

Okay… weird.  

"Alright, class." Their teacher began, now standing at the podium at the front of the room, eyes lingering towards her area for a beat longer than normal. 

"If you encounter an enemy stronger than you during a mission and your escape route is compromised, what strategy would you employ to ensure mission success and survival?" 

Shizune's hand shot up immediately. 

Michio-sensei gave her a nod. "Go ahead, Shizune-chan." 

"I'd focus on creating distance by using the environment to slow them down," Shizune started confidently. "Such as leading them into rough terrain or narrow spaces where their strength is harder to utilize." 

"What is your goal for doing that?" He asked, clearly approving of her response. 

Shizune answered without pause. "To outmaneuver them rather than confront them directly." 

"Good answer," he said. "Anyone else?" 

Surprisingly, a hand went up a couple of seats beside her. 

It seemed Michio-sensei wasn't expecting Shisui to answer the question, either. 

"Shisui, yes." He motioned with his hand. "Please." 

The boy's onyx-colored eyes held steady as he responded. 

"If I'm up against someone stronger, I'd take a moment to analyze their movements and the terrain, looking for anything I can use to my advantage. Engaging directly wouldn't be smart, so I'd create some distance, find a defensible spot, and rethink my strategy." 

The entire class, including Shizune, was in complete silence as Shisui finished his answer. The only person who looked unsurprised was Satoshi. 

Michio-sensei blinked as he took it all in, then after a brief pause, he said, "Um, yes—very good answer." 

Shizune had to agree. That was a good answer. 

<><> 

The school day quickly moved from survival training to field tactics, to cultural and diplomatic studies, and now, sparing. Yippie. 

If she had it her way, she would stay inside and devour every bit of medical knowledge she could get her hands on. But alas, life wasn't that kind. 

"Katō-san, do you like fighting?" 

Lost in thought, Shizune shifted her gaze from the treasure in her hands to the voice beside her. 

Standing under the sprawling tree, its leaves painted in a myriad of colors, were Shisui and Satoshi. 

Shisui was attempting—and failing—to perform a pencil trick with his fingers, while Satoshi stood with his hands tucked neatly behind his back, eyes closed to the world around him. 

"My first name is fine, Shisui-kun" Shizune replied, her eyes following the pencil's uneven movements in Shisui's grasp. "Why do you ask?" 

Shisui kept his focus on the pencil as it jittered across his fingers, clearly being moved by something other than his fingers. 

"Just curious," he said simply. 

Shizune paused to consider the question. 

It wasn't something she'd been asked before. If she was honest with herself, she'd never really thought about it. Fighting was part of being a kunoichi, so it was just… something she did. 

Her late uncle, Dan Katō, had been her first idol. 

She loved everything about him: how strong and steadfast he was, how he'd give her piggyback rides after missions, even though he must have been exhausted and riddled with injuries. How he always brought her a souvenir from every mission and told her stories about his travels until she fell asleep in his embrace. 

He was the reason she had decided to become a kunoichi. She wanted to be just like him—strong, compassionate, someone others could look up to and depend on. 

But then, out of the blue, he died. 

Her pillar shattered, leaving her lost and broken. 

It took countless tears and many sleepless nights, but a revelation finally stuck: Shizune would become a medical-nin, one that would rival Lady Tsunade, so no one would feel the hopelessness she felt the day he died. 

Was it a lofty goal? Yes. Naive? Also yes. But one she felt passionate about, so she would do her best to achieve it. 

Shizune gave Shisui an honest response. "Not really." 

The pencil in Shisui's hand stilled. He looked up at her, and a beat of silence passed between them before he muttered, "I see." 

"Shisui-san and Shizune-chan." Michio-sensei's voice rang out from center field. "You're up." 

Shizune's eyes widened, not expecting to have to go up against Shisui. Well, at least she'd get a front-row seat to witness the boy's talent. How lucky of her. 

She glanced down at the book in her hands, then at Satoshi, whose eyes were now wide open. 

"I can hold it for you," he offered. 

She just about shivered from the giddiness in his voice. "You can't read it." 

Satoshi raised his hand in a mock salute. "As you wish, madam." 

She eyed him warily as she handed over the book. The moment it was in his grasp, he instantly flipped it open. 

"What—!" She lunged for it, but Satoshi quickly jumped back and shut the book. His laughs cut off her momentum. 

"I'm just joking," he said with a shooing motion. "Go on. I won't read it. Promise." 

She was taken aback by how fast this little boy had scurried, but Shisui's hand on her arm refocused her. 

Shizune shot Satoshi one last stern you better not look before heading to the field. 

"Same rules apply," Michio-sensei began, his gaze shifting between the two who now stood meters apart. 

The sparring ring was a dirt field with a circle drawn around its circumference, marking the boundary. 

"This is a taijutsu spar only, so weapons and jutsu are prohibited." 

Both Shisui and Shizune nodded. 

"If one of you is to leave the ring, you lose. Any questions?" 

They had none, so they performed the seal of confrontation, and their teacher began the countdown. 

"Three…" 

Shisui crouched low to the ground, his weight balanced on the center of his feet. Shizune guessed he'd start defensively—waiting for her move. That was fine by her. 

"Two…" 

Lifting her arms into the traditional Konoha taijutsu stance she had practiced countless times, Shizune took a deep breath and shifted one foot slightly forward. 

She didn't know much about Shisui, but if there was one thing she knew about the Uchiha, it was that they excelled at just about everything. 

She couldn't let her guard down. 

"One…" 

Shizune decided to close the distance, but planned to maintain just enough space to use her reach to her advantage. 

Taijutsu wasn't her strong suit, but she had four more years of training than Shisui. She felt confident in her abilities. 

"Begin!" 

Shizune darted forward, but Shisui was no longer in front of her. One second, he was there, and the next— 

Shizune felt a sudden pressure across the front of her ankles, and oddly enough, the ground started rushing toward her face. 

It all happened so fast. 

One minute, she was upright, running towards Shisui. The next, her legs were swept from under her, and her arm was pinned behind her back, locking it in place. 

Before her head could make contact with the dirt, a firm grip on the back of her collar held her suspended just above the ground. 

"…Spar over. Shisui wins." 

Still horizontal, Shizune blinked in confusion. 

What. In. The. World?! She thought, but before she could process further, Shisui's words softly reached her ears. 

"Thank you for going easy on me, Shizune-chan," he said. 

If she could, she would have given him a side eye and told him that she did not, in fact, go easy on him. Heck, she didn't even see what happened. 

But she quelled her frustration and embarrassment and locked them in the depths of her soul. 

Shisui gently lowered her to the ground, and she dusted herself as she worked to regain her composure. 

"Oookay," Michio-sensei said, clearly taken aback by the outcome of the spar. 

Despite being a seasoned shinobi, even he seemed surprised, though he managed to hold it somewhat together. 

The surrounding students, however, erupted into a chorus of shock and disbelief. Shizune's embarrassment began to unshackle itself all over again. 

"Satoshi-san versus Kichirou-san," Michio-sensei announced. 

As Shisui and Shizune made their way back toward Satoshi, she noticed the look on his face—calm, as though he had already anticipated how her sparring match would end. 

"Good job, you both did great," he said, and Shizune scrunched her eyes slightly, trying to spot any sarcasm in his voice. Surprisingly, she found none, so she extended her hand for her book. 

"Are you sure you want to hold it?" Satoshi's eyes panned down to her hands. "You might get dirt on the cover." 

Ah. There it was. 

Before she could conjure up a clever retort, Satoshi smiled and handed it over. "Wish me luck." 

Shizune put the book to her chest, not knowing what it was about him that got under her skin so easily. 

"Don't pay him any mind," Shisui said, pencil back out, doing its weird little giggly dance on his hand. "He likes to play around sometimes." 

"…Uh-huh." was all she said as Satoshi teetered his way toward Kichirou Hyuga with wobbly steps. "Who do you think is gonna win?" 

Shisui didn't even glance up from his hand. "Satoshi." 

Shizune blinked at his instant reply. 

His matter-of-fact tone was as if Satoshi's victory had been etched into stone since the beginning of time. 

"Are you sure?" Shizune's lips pressed into a thin line, her gaze flicking between Satoshi and his unsteady feet. "I know you're new, but Kichirou is known to have the best taijutsu in the class." 

Shisui hummed, letting the wind and the whispers of surrounding students fill the silence between them. 

And finally, he said, "I'm sure." 

"Why?" Shizune's brow furrowed. 

"You'll see," Shisui replied, leaving it at that. 

The teacher gave the same rundown to the two. 

Kichirou stood a little more than a whole foot taller than Satoshi, who was dressed not in regular garbs but in an ornate kimono and geta. 

He appeared to be off-put by how his eyes furrowed in disdain at Satoshi's attire. 

Kichirou, on the other hand, was wearing shorts and a long-sleeved shirt. A white cloth was tied across the top of his forehead as a silent message. 

Michio-sensei began his countdown, and Kichirou lowered his body into the signature Hyuga taijutsu stance—the Gentle Fist—not bothering to activate his clan's pride. 

Shizune had the displeasure of facing it once or twice before, and every time she thought about it, it brought back a slew of painful memories. 

Kichirou was known as the class's taijutsu genius—the moniker fit. Branch member or not, he was a Hyuga, after all. 

He preferred to end his fights as quickly as possible, so this should be a short spar. 

Satoshi, on the other hand… stood with his hands to his side, weight unevenly distributed across his stance, as though he had never practiced taijutsu in his life before. 

Kichirou's brows deepened at Satoshi's posture, but once Michio-sensei said, "Begin," he shot forward, full steam ahead, his extended palm aimed squarely at Satoshi's chest. 

If it landed, it would feel like a boulder had slammed into him. She knew that feeling all too well. 

Instead of blocking, Satoshi stumbled backward, his face scrunching slightly in what might have been mild surprise. 

His geta clacked awkwardly against the ground, his arms flailing slightly to maintain balance. 

Shizune had a sinking feeling this spar was going to play out exactly as she imagined. She could only hope it ended quickly—and painlessly. 

Still, Satoshi had dodged the first blow. 

Kichirou didn't look pleased.

 Taking a swift step forward, he lifted his hand to strike Satoshi's off-balance shoulder. Once again, Satoshi swayed and stumbled to the side, narrowly avoiding another one of Kichirou's strikes. 

His expression briefly flickered with what might have been embarrassment before his geta clattered loudly as he corrected his footing. 

Judging by the chatter among the students, they weren't impressed with their new classmate. 

It wasn't looking good for Satoshi. He had gotten lucky twice—now thrice—as he dodged yet another hit by stumbling backward, nearly stepping out of bounds. 

Kichirou loomed over him—visibly irritated—like an executioner about to deliver judgment. 

Kichirou's palm plummeted towards Satoshi, whose frown briefly upticked into a smirk. 

At the last possible moment, Satoshi ducked low, his geta scraping against the dirt. With a fluid motion, he stepped forward, reached out, and grabbed Kichirou's shirt. 

In one swift move—almost too quick for Shizune to process—Satoshi hoisted him up, then over, and hurled him out of the ring. 

The air was still, broken only by the rustling leaves, the faint chirp of crickets, and Kichirou's cough. 

"Um…" 

Michio-sensei hesitated, his eyes darting from Satoshi, who stood upright dusting dirt from the sleeve of his kimono, and Kichirou, sprawled on his back outside the ring, looking as if all he knew about the world was nothing but a lie. 

"The spar is over. Satoshi… wins." 

"Like I said," Shisui muttered with a small sigh, barely audible over the murmurs of the stunned students. "He likes to play around sometimes."