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Chapter 66: Wilderness Survival Training  

Chirp! Chirp!  

The morning sun spilled over the road, casting the roadside stones in a jade-like glow.  

On her way to school, "Hikari"—her backpack slung over her shoulder—glanced up at the sky. Sparrows flitted between the poplar trees, their beaks stuffed with worms, their noisy squabbles piercing the air before they took off again.  

Maybe it was because the sweltering summer was finally ending, but lately, she’d noticed a sudden surge in Konoha’s wildlife.  

And it wasn’t just around her.  

Her main body and clones in the Forest of Death had seen even more. It was as if the village had burst to life overnight, thrumming with restless energy.  

But that… wasn’t a good sign.  

"Things turn at their peak; prosperity invites decay."  

This unnatural shift in Konoha’s atmosphere felt like an omen—something was coming.  

She hadn’t seen Kakashi in the Hatake compound for nearly a week. That kind of busyness couldn’t last forever.  

The bowstring was drawn taut.  

The Uchiha massacre… it would happen any day now.  

"Hikari" rubbed her arms, her pale skin prickling with goosebumps.  

This was her first time experiencing a major canon event firsthand.  

She knew the bomb was right beside her, ready to detonate at any moment—maybe even catch her in the blast.  

Yet there was nothing she could do.  

This feeling was awful.  

Obito Uchiha. Danzō. Hiruzen Sarutobi. Itachi Uchiha. Fugaku Uchiha.  

Five Kage-level powerhouses, each playing their part in this deadly game.  

Countless elite jōnin and high-ranking shinobi were involved, too.  

Someone like her—a regular jōnin—might seem impressive on paper, but the moment she stepped into this battlefield, she’d be ground to paste like beef in a meat grinder.  

This wasn’t a fight between ninja.  

This was a war—a clash of forces.  

Only a Kage-level fighter could carve out a place in a conflict where individuals meant little.  

So even if Hikari knew the major players were stretched thin right now, she wasn’t foolish enough to reach into the fire for scraps.  

This was way beyond her pay grade.  

By her own conservative estimate, her current combat strength (without the Eight Gates or factoring in ambushes) meant that in a straight fight, two or three jōnin of Fūma Koshin’s caliber—with decent teamwork—could take her down at the cost of minor injuries.  

One-on-one and one-against-many were completely different battles.  

"No matter how strong you are, you can’t fight an army alone." That saying existed for a reason.  

No.  

She needed to pull her main body back for a few days.  

No more trips to the Forest of Death.  

A growing sense of unease prickled at "Hikari’s" nerves, like a radar blipping warnings nonstop.  

Her main body’s safety came first.  

Training could be left to shadow clones for now. The real Hikari would lay low at the Academy—with all those clan heirs around, it was probably the safest place in Konoha right now.  

Tap. Tap. Tap.  

Just as she thought this, a familiar sound echoed from the street corner.  

She looked up.  

Another her stood there, leaning on a white cane.  

"Why are you here?" "Hikari" blinked in surprise.  

"Figured I should hide out at the Academy for a bit. You guys keep training outside. Lately, I just… feel off."  

Hikari scratched her arm.  

That creeping sensation of being watched had been gnawing at her for days. She’d scanned the area with her Byakugan over and over but found nothing.  

All ninjutsu required chakra.  

Unless it was a Byakugan technique—but if someone had spotted her, the Hyūga clan would’ve made a move by now.  

Hikari couldn’t make sense of it.  

Maybe the village’s tension was just getting to her. Either way, she’d hole up at the Academy until the Uchiha situation settled.  

"Gimme the bag."  

"Hikari" smirked.  

"Great minds think alike."  

She tossed the backpack to her main body and dispelled the shadow clone.  

Backpack secured, Hikari stepped into the Ninja Academy for the first time in days.  

The moment she entered the classroom—  

WHOOSH!  

A hulking figure came flying straight at her face.  

She lifted a foot—  

KICK!  

THUD!  

A pained yelp rang out as the body crashed into two smaller figures, sending all three tumbling across the floor like bowling pins.  

"Hikari! You okay?!"  

Naruto rushed over, his blue eyes wide with guilt.  

"I’m fine." Hikari waved him off before glancing at the groaning trio.  

The same three boys who’d stolen notes and beaten Naruo up before. After Iruka’s punishment and targeted "lessons" from Shikamaru’s group, they’d toned down their bullying.  

Now, bruised and trembling, they stared at Naruto like he was a monster.  

Hikari connected the dots.  

"You got payback?"  

"Uh… yeah?" Naruto scratched his head, avoiding her gaze.  

Hikari nodded.  

If he didn’t want to explain, she wouldn’t push. She wasn’t his mom—as long as Naruto grew stronger and learned to control the Nine-Tails’ chakra, minor schoolyard drama wasn’t her concern.  

After the brief chaos, Hikari’s eyes flicked to the window seat.  

Uchiha Sasuke sat there, oblivious as ever.  

His family was on the brink of war with Konoha, yet the clan heir’s second son attended class like nothing was wrong.  

"…Impressive."  

Hikari didn’t know whether to laugh or sigh.  

"Morning, Hikari."  

"Morning."  

At her desk, Shikamaru and the others were frantically copying homework. They spared her a harried greeting before diving back into their work.  

Thanks to "Hikari’s" relentless networking, her standing among them had risen steadily.  

"Don’t mind me."  

She pulled out her completely blank homework and set it on the desk, perfectly at ease.  

Being blind had perks—no homework, no written exams. Whether it was the Hokage’s orders or some special exception, she was basically treated as a "combat specialist."  

CLICK.  

The classroom door swung open.  

"Hurry—hide it—!"  

Hikari didn’t even need to look to know who’d entered.  

THUD! THUD!  

Iruka smacked the chalkboard, silencing the room.  

"Announcement! No weekend break this week!"  

"WHAAAT?!"  

The class erupted.  

"SILENCE!" Iruka’s stern voice cut through the noise.  

"Four days from now—this Friday—the Academy will hold a large-scale wilderness survival drill. It’ll last two days at Training Ground Zero. Come prepared with food and water."  

(•̀ᴗ•́)و 

Chapter 67: The Uchiha  

Iruka’s announcement hit the classroom like a depth charge.  

Instantly, chaos erupted.  

Survival training.  

To a bunch of hyperactive academy students brimming with unused chakra, those words were infinitely more exciting than a day off.  

Iruka shouted several times to restore order, but the best he managed was reducing the class’s excitement from a rolling boil to a gentle simmer.  

Eventually, he gave up.  

The first lesson was just another lecture on the Will of Fire—nobody listened to those anyway. So he started teaching, letting the students whisper among themselves.  

"Hey, Hikari—let’s team up!"  

Since the survival exercise required groups of three, Naruto immediately turned to her, eyes shining.  

"Sure."  

Hikari agreed without hesitation.  

If her guess was right, the Uchiha massacre would happen within days. This sudden "training exercise" was clearly a cover.  

Training Ground Zero was the largest—and safest—of Konoha’s practice areas. Fenced off from the more dangerous zones, it was just an ordinary forest with few threats, mostly used for jutsu development.  

Its location was strategic, too.  

The Uchiha compound sat in the southwest of Konoha. Training Ground Zero was in the north, close to the Fire Daimyō’s council hall and the village’s outer defenses.  

Far enough to avoid collateral damage, yet still within Konoha’s protection. If the Uchiha stormed the Hokage’s office, the academy—situated in the village center—would be riskier than the training grounds.  

The exercise would last three days.  

By then, no matter who won or lost, the students would be unharmed.  

As for why they didn’t just cancel school?  

Not every student was a Nara or an Akimichi—a clan kid with a safe home to return to. Many were civilian-born. Letting them roam freely would only increase the danger.  

This way, the village could protect them all at once, freeing up manpower to deal with the Uchiha.  

Two birds, one stone.  

Given the need for secrecy, Hikari had to admit—it was a flawless plan. She couldn’t think of a better alternative.  

"We still need one more person, though."  

Naruto pumped his fist at her agreement, then glanced around, pretending to scout for teammates.  

Truthfully? He didn’t want a third wheel.  

In his mind, "survival training" had already morphed into "three-day getaway with Hikari."  

She let him keep up the act.  

Teammates didn’t matter to her—she could handle this alone. Even the Forest of Death (Training Ground 44) wouldn’t be a threat, let alone this harmless excursion.  

Just a field trip.  

What did concern her was the deviation from the original timeline.  

If she remembered right, during the Uchiha massacre, Sasuke had been late leaving the academy—only discovering his clan’s slaughter on his way home. There’d been no survival exercise.  

Had her presence altered events?  

She wracked her brain but couldn’t see how she could’ve influenced the Uchiha’s fate.  

Yet the unease crawling down her spine refused to fade.  

Faced with this shift, Hikari’s instincts screamed danger.  

She even reconsidered sending out shadow clones. Splitting her chakra would weaken her at a critical moment—she needed to stay at full strength.  

No more training clones until this blows over.  

Or at least until Might Guy returned.  

Hiring a Six Paths-level bodyguard for a billion ryō had seemed excessive—but now, with him gone, she felt exposed.  

The fact that the Third Hokage had allowed Guy to leave at this time was… interesting.  

Maybe the Uchiha’s rebellion wasn’t seen as a real threat.  

Maybe Konoha already had a solution.  

…Was it Itachi?  

Damn it.  

Being unable to scout the Uchiha district left her relying on guesswork and patchy future memories—fueling her frustration.  

The day passed in a haze of paranoia.  

As the sun dipped low, painting the sky in violent oranges, the students buzzed with excitement, backpacks ready for the instant the bell rang.  

Even Iruka—ever the dutiful teacher—kept glancing at the clock, counting down to freedom.  

Then—  

Thud-thud-thud!  

Footsteps pounded down the hallway.  

The door slammed open.  

Hikari’s gaze snapped up.  

A lean figure stood there—sharp green eyes burning with urgency.  

Kazama Koshō?  

He’s out of the hospital?  

Her vision sharpened, scanning him.  

His ribs had mostly healed, though faint fractures remained. Shinobi recovery was terrifying.  

"Announcement!" he barked. "School’s delayed by two hours. Self-study until then."  

Without waiting for a reaction, he spun on his heel and left, his haste palpable.  

Next door, his voice repeated the order.  

The class exchanged confused looks.  

Only Hikari stayed still, her expression darkening.  

A pulse of exhaustion hit her—memories flooding in.  

Her outside clones had dispelled.  

They’d sensed Konoha’s unrest, cut their training short, and scouted the Uchiha district with the Byakugan before vanishing.  

What they’d seen was…  

A barrier, shrouding the Uchiha compound.  

Masked figures—ANBU or ROOT?—flitting in and out.  

The message was clear.  

The massacre had begun.  

No—  

She checked the time, then glanced at Sasuke, who was (unaware of his impending tragedy) mildly excited for the weekend trip.  

In the original timeline, today was the day. Nothing had changed—the Uchiha were just dying earlier than planned.  

Which meant this "survival exercise" was now…  

Just a normal outing.  

"Well, since we’re stuck here…" Iruka clapped his hands. "Let’s finalize teams for the exercise!"  

The class erupted into chatter.  

"Sasuke, team up with me!"  

"No, with me!"  

Sakura and Ino nearly came to blows over him until Iruka intervened.  

Sasuke, ever the edgelord, smirked faintly—clearly enjoying the attention.  

Hikari watched in silence.  

Sometimes…  

Fate was just cruel.  

(•̀ᴗ•́)و