Uzumaki Mito rose immediately, offering Uchiha Soren no chance to add another word. With crisp authority she began dispatching orders to every major clan in the village — a dozen messengers sprinting out from the Hokage Tower like scattered embers.
Princess Kaori, still seated at the desk with a brush in hand, stared at her husband.
He had grown terrifyingly fast — this young man who once murmured shyly into her hair was now a force whose every step shook nations.
Her heart fluttered.
She lifted the sleeve of her robe to her cheek, seeking comfort, but remembered:
Today was the one-day rotation.
Juno was with Uchiha Zhili.
Kaori bit her lip.
When the office emptied, Soren crossed the room without a sound.
He wrapped his arms around his wife from behind, chin brushing her hair.
"Kaori… are you afraid?"
"…No."
A beat.
"Just a little out of place."
"Like we live in different worlds?"
The princess nudged him like a timid kitten, cheeks blooming pink. She curled into the warm chest she had slept against nearly every night these past days.
Her blood-red eyes lifted, soft and resolute.
"I want to step into your world, darling.
If that world is built on schemes or slaughter…
then I'll stand behind you."
Soren paused.
Her eyes held no fear.
Only devotion.
A genuine smile tugged the corner of his mouth.
"Then when we go to Lightning Country…
I'll bring you a big cat as a present."
Her eyes sparkled.
"Will it be as cute as Juno?"
"I've never seen one. But probably not — Juno is the cutest in the world."
Kaori puffed up happily. She'd been feeding Juno so much that Zhili complained the cat was becoming round enough to roll downhill.
"You're adorable right now," Soren murmured — and grabbed her waist.
Kaori squeaked, face blazing.
"Darling—! It's daytime! And Zhili will be home soon—!"
"It's not the first time."
"But it always takes too long!"
Her protest was small and helpless, and he leaned in—
—but then the shadow clone's memories rushed into his mind.
His expression shifted instantly into Hokage seriousness.
"Kaori."
His tone turned cool.
"This is the Hokage's office. Be serious."
"Eek!"
Kaori straightened so fast she nearly toppled out of her seat. She puffed her cheeks like a scolded kitten, gathered her brush, and resumed writing reports with exaggerated dignity.
Soren smirked behind his teacup.
Thunderous footsteps raced toward the door.
"Hokage-dono! I've brought your students!"
Uzumaki Minako entered with five small figures trailing behind her.
Four of them looked nervous.
One — Tsunade — looked unimpressed.
Soren dismissed the guards with a nod.
"Not here. Up to the roof."
— — —
On the roof, all of Konoha stretched beneath them: rooftops gleaming under the sun, flags fluttering, children laughing in distant streets.
The five stood in line:
Orochimaru — pale, poised, eyes sharp with hunger
• Jiraiya — loud, restless, already bouncing on his feet
• Tsunade — bold, confident, hands in fists
• Beruho — small, timid, hair like pale straw
• Kato Dan — calm, silver-haired, gaze steady
These children would shape the future… if they survived it.
Soren folded his arms.
"Tomorrow, you become the first class of the High Division.
I am your instructor.
Call me Teacher Soren."
Jiraiya groaned loudly.
"Teacher Soren, I already have a headband. Do I still have to go to school? I wanna go on missions!"
Tsunade jumped in immediately.
"Yeah! No one before us had to join the High Division. What's the point?"
Soren didn't answer them.
He turned to Orochimaru.
"Orochimaru. What do you want?"
A long silence.
Then the pale boy lifted his chin.
"The High Division teaches advanced techniques.
And… Teacher Soren wants us to grow stronger."
He hesitated.
"Teacher Soren… can the Sharingan overcome death?"
The wind stilled.
Four students stared.
Soren answered slowly.
"'Overcome death', hm…?"
A hidden gleam sparked in his Mangekyō.
"When the time comes — and when you earn my approval — I'll give you a gift.
The rest is yours to discover."
Orochimaru inhaled sharply.
"Then… Teacher Soren — I'll earn your approval.
I swear it."
The others felt a spark of awe.
Soren stepped forward, expression solemn now.
"Do you remember the Will of Fire?"
"We remember!"
"Good."
His voice lifted on the breeze.
"You are new leaves.
You need the fire's light.
In the First Shinobi War, your seniors protected these leaves with their lives.
That is why Konoha still stands."
The sunlight caught the black in his eyes, turning it ember-bright.
"Cherish your time at the academy.
Grow strong.
Become the trees that shield this village."
He placed a hand on Orochimaru's shoulder, then Tsunade's, then the others'.
"Forge strength.
Forge bonds.
Protect your comrades, yourselves, and the village.
Only then can you graduate."
A hawk cried overhead.
The Will of Fire stirred in their young hearts.
Soren smiled faintly.
"This is the High Division's purpose.
This is the Will of Fire."
Five voices answered in unison — stronger than before.
"Yes, Teacher Soren!"
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