There was a rare stillness to the morning that followed the final day of evaluations — the kind that made even the wind hesitate.
No sparring matches. No drills. No pressure to compete.
For once, the Academy grounds felt like a school again.
Inside the classroom, Iruka moved between desks collecting written tests. Most students were quiet, mentally drained from the week. Some passed folded notes. Naruto leaned back in his chair, balancing a pencil on his nose.
Akio sat with his arms crossed, gaze forward, unmoving.
To most, he looked completely still.
But behind the violet of his eyes, the faint star at the center of each pupil flickered softly. A passive light — not burning, not drawing attention — but always watching.
Saka, three rows behind him, tapped the end of her pen against her notebook, eyes half-closed in thought. The same faint glow shimmered in her eyes. A subtle reflection of their shared lineage.
Iruka cleared his throat at the front. "Test results and graduation rankings will be posted by next week. For now — you've earned a break."
A wave of tired cheer rippled across the room.
Academy Roof – MiddayNaruto stretched out on his back atop the roof tiles, arms folded behind his head. Akio sat on the edge, legs dangling, a rice ball half-eaten in his hand.
"I swear, if I don't pass, I'm gonna eat ten bowls of ramen and throw one at Mizuki," Naruto muttered.
"Even if you pass?" Akio asked.
"Still doing it," Naruto said, grinning.
From behind them, Shikamaru's voice floated up. "You know it'd be less work just to not throw anything."
"You guys are no fun," Naruto groaned. "Don't you ever feel like… I dunno, blowing stuff up?"
"No," Akio and Shikamaru said at once.
Naruto sighed dramatically. "One day, I'm gonna be Hokage, and you guys are gonna be sorry you didn't let me blow things up."
Akio took another quiet bite.
Later – Training Field SevenThe grounds were mostly empty, with only a few students practicing. Akio stood in the center, surrounded by wooden posts used for target practice. His custom cargo jeans and dark shirt stood out among the more traditional shinobi training gear — a detail that had earned him more than a few stares over the past months.
He ignored them.
Today, he wasn't focused on speed, or strength. He was focused on rhythm.
He moved slowly through hand signs, then repeated them backward. Then again, this time with one hand.
Saka watched from a distance, not interrupting.
"Your form is improving," she said after several minutes.
"I know," Akio replied.
"You don't talk much unless someone asks you something, do you?"
"I talk when it matters."
She approached, her white hair pinned in a looped bun behind her neck. Her violet eyes met his, the glowing stars in the center faint but unmistakable in the afternoon light.
"Some of the elders say you're a late bloomer," she said. "That your eyes should have progressed by now."
Akio's eyes narrowed slightly. "Do they say why?"
"No. Just that it's unusual."
Akio didn't respond. He resumed his stance.
Saka stepped back. "They're watching you more closely than you think."
He paused.
Then turned away, reaching for another target kunai.
"I'm used to it."
That Evening – Tengetsu CompoundHis room was simple. A scroll rack, a small writing desk, and a floor futon. The wall opposite the window bore a mural: a stylized star surrounded by two moons — the Tengetsu clan crest.
Akio sat cross-legged at the desk, recording his chakra drills.
The ink barely dried when a quiet knock sounded at the doorframe.
His grandfather stepped in.
"Iruka-sensei stopped by. He says your ranking placed you in the top ten."
Akio nodded. "I expected that."
The old man approached slowly and sat beside him. "You've been… restless."
Akio set the brush down. "I can feel it."
"The awakening?"
He nodded. "But it's not coming like the others. It's waiting."
"Good," his grandfather said. "That means you'll remember it."
Akio turned to look at him. "Remember?"
The old man's expression was unreadable. "You'll know what I mean when it happens."
He stood to leave.
Before exiting, he added, "The clan won't guide you through it. You'll find your own path. We all do."
Akio watched him go, the weight of the moment settling in his chest like cold iron.
Elsewhere – Abandoned Storehouse on the OutskirtsTwo masked figures knelt around a scroll, its surface glowing faintly with chakra seals.
"The boy is nearly there," one said. "The bloodline continues to reject attempts at mimicry."
"The compound is protected. He won't awaken it in the presence of so many elders."
"That's why we push him out," the other replied.
They stood.
"Let them graduate. Let them scatter."
The Next Day – Konoha StreetsThe village bustled with early market traffic. Akio walked with his hood up, a rare mask covering the lower half of his face. Not for illness. Not for tradition.
To avoid attention.
His hair, stark white, was impossible to hide. His features too symmetrical, his bearing too unusual. Even without the activated dojutsu, he had always drawn eyes.
"Where'd you get that shirt?" one merchant muttered as he passed. "Is that… custom?"
Akio didn't stop walking.
He turned into a side alley and slipped through the back gate of the Tengetsu compound. Only once inside did he pull the mask off and let out a slow breath.
"Troublesome," he murmured.
"You always say that now."
Akio looked up. Shikamaru was leaning against the garden arch, arms folded, expression unreadable.
"I'm starting to understand why you like quiet places," Akio said.
Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. "You're lucky. I just look lazy. You look like a walking rumor."
Akio smirked faintly. "Thanks."
They walked toward the koi pond in silence.
Dusk – Tengetsu Training HallAkio stood alone in the center of the wooden floor, arms relaxed at his sides.
His chakra felt strange today — like it was circling inward, not outward.
He didn't know how to explain it, not even to himself. His vision hadn't changed. His reflexes were normal. And yet… there was a tension behind his eyes.
Not pain.
A pull.
He moved through a simple kata sequence. Halfway through, he stumbled. Not physically — his vision blinked for the briefest instant.
Like something between a heartbeat and a jump forward.
He paused.
Then slowly turned to the mirror on the side wall.
His reflection was the same.
His hair. His clothes. His expression.
But his eyes…
He leaned closer.
The stars at the center were brighter.
Brighter than ever before.
They glowed with a steady, clear light — no flicker. No faint shimmer.
He stepped back.
Then again.
The world didn't feel different.
But he did.
End of Chapter 19