The Academy felt quieter.
The massacre had left its imprint—even on students too young to grasp its weight.
Sasuke no longer smiled.
Naruto noticed that.
And he noticed something else too—another cold, quiet prodigy who kept to himself.
Noir.
"Great," Naruto muttered one morning, arms crossed behind his head. "Another stuck-up genius who thinks he's too cool to talk to anyone."
He glanced at Sakura—she wasn't even paying attention.
Instead, her eyes lingered on Noir, who stood alone on the training field, practicing hand seals.
"Tch. Just like Sasuke," Naruto grumbled.
---
Noir wasn't ignoring anyone on purpose. He just… didn't have the energy for it.
His mind was elsewhere.
The Kuraseigan had evolved again. Not with flashy abilities, but something more subtle—his chakra pool was growing.
Fast.
It wasn't like a tailed beast surge or external boost. It felt internal—his body adapting to the eye's demands. His core expanding with each activation.
He tested it carefully.
Climbing trees with chakra felt easier now.
Water walking? He pulled it off after only a single try.
Even the Academy teachers started taking note.
---
Iruka clapped his hands during sparring class. "Alright! Pair up."
As usual, Iruka called out: "Noir, you're with Sasuke."
A flicker of tension passed between them.
They didn't speak as they stepped into the ring. But everyone gathered to watch.
Sasuke activated his Sharingan.
It still wavered—unstable, fresh. But it was there.
Noir didn't activate his Kuraseigan. He didn't need to.
The match ended in five seconds.
One feint. One clean strike.
Sasuke hit the ground, breath knocked from his lungs.
The crowd was silent.
Naruto scowled.
"Just like Sasuke. Always acting like you're better than everyone else."
Noir looked at him briefly. "I'm not better. I'm just… focused."
"That's the same thing!. And, I'm going to be Hokage,Believe It !" Naruto snapped.
Iruka sighed. "Naruto, back in line."
But something in Naruto's glare lingered.
A rivalry was forming—and it had nothing to do with jutsu or bloodlines.
---
That night, Noir sat on the orphanage roof, chakra flaring softly around his fingers.
He focused his Kuraseigan inward.
His chakra network—once narrow and dim—now pulsed brighter, fuller. Like new channels were opening.
The Kuraseigan doesn't just see time. It affects it…
Even inside me.
Maybe this was how his body was compensating—evolving. Preparing for something greater.
The stars above didn't answer.
But deep down, Noir felt it.
He was just scratching the surface.
---
[End of Chapter 9]