The wind carried the scent of ironwood and rain, brushing through the high walls of Konoha like an old ghost returning home.
Akari walked in silence through the village's central avenue, watching as children chased one another between merchant stalls. Laughter filled the air, and for a fleeting moment, it was easy to believe peace still lingered here.
But beneath the surface—beneath the cheer and calm—something stirred.
He could feel it in the shifting glances of shinobi, the tightened words of the council, the way Tobirama's patrols grew longer and closer to the heart of the village. Suspicion was becoming structure.
As he passed the training fields, a voice called out.
"Akari-senpai!"
It was Rui, one of the younger Uchiha under his command. She was short, sharp-eyed, and entirely too curious for her own good.
"Sensei said you returned yesterday. Did you really fight masked shinobi again? Are they like the ones near the western ridge?"
Akari gave a half-smile. "Something like that."
"And… is it true? That they were kids too?"
He hesitated. That question was harder than any enemy's blade. "Yes."
Rui's face fell. "What do we do, then?"
"We make sure they don't die for nothing," he said quietly.
Later, as dusk crept across the village, Akari found himself once again at the highest point of the compound: the old watchtower that overlooked all of Konoha. From here, the world seemed quiet—too quiet.
Hashirama joined him, his aura calm but his eyes weary.
"You're thinking too much again," the Hokage said gently.
"I'm trying to stay ahead of the storm."
"And if the storm comes from within?"
Akari looked at him. "Then we need to decide who we are—before someone else does it for us."
Hashirama placed a hand on his shoulder. "That's why you're here, Akari. You see what others can't. But don't carry it alone."
For a moment, the weight eased.
Then a crow landed at their feet.
A message scroll tied to its leg bore the symbol of the Land of Lightning.
Akari took it, unrolled it, and read in silence.
His eyes narrowed. "They're gathering. Northern ridge. Armored shinobi. Lightning-based chakra."
Hashirama's brow furrowed. "So it begins."
"No," Akari whispered, his voice cold with clarity. "They're testing the water. We need to move before they decide to wade deeper."
The leaves rustled again.
Not with peace—
—but warning.