Slice of Life: A Peek into Murakami's Mind
…
Life was a game.
An intricate game where every living being was both the player and the played.
Some would put it on a similar pedestal as Chess, or in this world, Shogi.
Back on Earth Chess was the internationally acknowledged game of strategy, but in this world, Shogi took that spot.
And the difference was… interesting.
In Chess, once a piece is taken, it's gone. Every exchange is permanent. Loss is absolute, which meant every move leaned toward preservation and control.
Shogi operated differently.
Captured pieces weren't removed from the game, they returned, switching sides, waiting to be used again. Loss wasn't final until the King is down. It was repurposed.
Two systems.
One where loss was irreversible.
Another where even loss could become a weapon.
But both shared a flaw.
They relied on rules.
Defined interactions.
Expected outcomes.
Predictability.
Life shouldn't be like that. Combat shouldn't be like that.
Life was a board, but a fight wasn't a board.
In a game, actions are taken in turns, but in a fight… there is no allowance for sequence.
No pause for response or structure to fall back on, only overlap.
Decision and consequence occurring at the same time.
A move isn't followed by a counter, it could be met, altered… or erased before the move completes.
That was the difference.
Murakami opened his eyes to see Hideki helping Sora bandage his side with Kaito giving him instructions on how to do it properly.
Looking at the wincing Sora Murakami couldn't help but sigh internally. That was the unfortunate outcome of the weaker party in any fight.
'He needs to get stronger so as not to become a liability. There are many more scary people than Kaito-sensei out there.' Murakami thought to himself and got up.
"Have you recovered properly?" As he approached the group, Kaito asked.
"Yes, I can manage." Murakami replied and came to a halt. "And how do you feel, Sora?"
Sora looked up at him with an ugly expression. "Like every particle of air I breathe in contains countless sharp pins."
"Hmm." Murakami hummed as rubbed his chin. "Perhaps you should've put in some effort into honing your body. A spy also needs to be able to defend himself in case things go south."
Sora grimaced in pain, he knew what Murakami said was right, but for some reason, hearing it from Murakami in that manner irked him.
"And Hideki, your reaction speed needs to be worked on, you are easily distracted and it's not good." Murakami continued. "When in a fight, focus on fighting and don't allow random thoughts distract you."
Hideki paused but nodded regardless and continued bandaging Sora, but he seemed to have applied more force causing Sora to wince.
"Ah! Hey, take it easy Hideki." Sora looked at Hideki with pure venom in his eyes.
Murakami was sure that if looks could kill, Hideki would be dead a thousand times.
Shaking his head at the two, "Sensei," Murakami said, turning his attention back to Kaito, "you said we would be having a team bonding session."
Kaito nodded. "Yes, I did."
"Is this it?"
"It starts now of course?"
Murakami glanced at Sora and Hideki, who were still mid-argument over his bandaging technique. "This doesn't look like bonding."
"It is," Kaito repeated, more firmly this time. "Just not the kind you're probably used to."
Murakami paused and recalled that this was indeed part of what it means to be Genin. This team of four would become his next family whether either of them liked it or not.
'Well, I could get promoted to a more suitable team if I do decide to stand out, but that's not the aim.' he thought and glanced at the two who were now coming to an agreement. 'The aim is to make them look good enough that I appear normal.'
'Hmm? Could this be what Kaito-sensei means by not what I'm used to?' Murakami's brow creased for a moment as he stole a glance at Kaito who now resumed an impassive expression.
'As expected of a Jonin during this time period. They're not to be looked down on.' Coming to this conclusion, Murakami exhaled lightly through his nose. "…I see."
Sora immediately frowned. "Oi, don't 'I see' that like you understand everything."
Murakami didn't look at him. "I do."
"That's the problem!" Sora snapped.
Hideki sighed. "Can you two not fight now?"
Kaito clapped once, sharply.
All three went quiet.
"Good," Kaito said. "Since you're all recovered now, we'll start properly." He turned around and began walking. "Let's head back to the village."
The three Genin exchanged looks before falling into step behind him.
Murakami walked slightly ahead of Sora and Hideki, his pace unhurried, hands in his haori. Sora followed with a lingering scowl, still clearly irritated from earlier, while Hideki kept glancing between the two like he expected another argument to start at any moment.
They soon arrived at the village street, villagers moved about their day, shopkeepers calling out, children running past in bursts of laughter, shinobi passing quietly on rooftops above like shadows that briefly touched the world below.
After a few more minutes of walking, the smell hit them first.
Grilled meat. Soy sauce. Warm rice.
Hideki's expression brightened instantly. "Food…"
Sora blinked. "Is that… food?"
"Yes," Kaito replied.
Hideki tilted his head. "That's the bonding?"
Kaito nodded. "You eat together. You talk. You observe each other outside combat. That's also part of being a team."
Sora's irritation softened despite himself. "Okay, now I understand this part of 'bonding'."
Murakami had already started walking toward the stall.
"…He's not even surprised anymore," Sora muttered.
Hideki followed quickly. "Honestly, I think nothing surprises him."
They sat on a worn wooden bench near the stall, and soon enough simple skewers, with grilled chicken, fish fillets, rice balls wrapped in seaweed, and a small bowl of miso soup were placed in front of them.
"Itadakimasu!" The four of them clapped their hands before digging in.
For a moment, only the sound of them eating, the wind and the villagers surrounded them, then Sora broke the silence first. "So… what were you thinking during the fight?"
Murakami paused mid-bite.
"...Testing my limits against sensei," he said.
"That's it?" Hideki asked.
Murakami blinked once, then took a bite of a rice ball as if the question itself needed chewing.
"…Yes."
Sora squinted at him. "You're weird, you know that?"
Murakami tilted his head slightly. "I've been told."
Hideki leaned forward a little, resting his elbows on the table. "But why that? Like… during the fight, weren't you scared? Sensei is a Jonin."
Murakami looked down at his skewer for a moment.
Scared.
The word felt… distant, not wrong, just unnecessary.
He chewed slowly before answering. "…If you stop because you're scared, you don't learn where the line is."
Sora frowned. "What line?"
Murakami looked up briefly. "The one where you lose."
That made both of them go quiet for a second.
A soft breeze passed through the stall, carrying the smell of grilled meat and smoke.
Murakami continued eating, but his thoughts drifted. 'In a civilized setting, you could win, lose, improve and then repeat.'
But here, it wasn't clean like that.
Here, losing, especially in a fight, didn't just mean restarting. Sometimes it meant not standing up again at all.
He glanced at Sora and then at Hideki, "What does being a shinobi mean to you?"
"Huh?" Hideki let out and turned to Sora who was also looking at him. "…Well…" Hideki scratched the back of his head, clearly thinking harder than usual. "It means… protecting people, I guess."
Sora immediately scoffed, "That's what the academy says."
Hideki frowned slightly. "It's still true though. That's what Hashirama-sama stood for.."
Sora harrumphed but didn't retort, "…For me," he said, "it's noticing things before they become problems."
Hideki blinked. "Huh?"
Murakami took a sip of miso soup. 'Hmm, Warm.'
'They are both not wrong though.' Murakami placed the soup bowl down. 'It would be improper to talk down on another's path.'
"To me…" Murakami began and took a pause. "It's to walk in the shadows without getting affected by the shadows."
He turned to Kaito and asked. "What do you think?"
Kaito nodded as he chewed the contents in his mouth then swallowed it. "That's indeed a remarkable Shinobi way you've got."
'He would be a good fit for the ANBU.' he thought to himself in mild appreciation of Murakami's mentality, but then stopped the train of thought. 'He is still an unknown. I've still got to watch him for a while.'
Murakami then turned back to Hideki and Sora, "Regardless of what you think it means to be a Shinobi, it means nothing in the face of insurmountable strength on the battlefield."
Sora and Hideki suddenly turned solemn, but Murakami continued nonetheless.
"When that moment comes, what's the point of being scared when you know how hard you've worked to get to the point where you are?" Murakami asked.
"My strength today is as a result of my effort, why do I need to be scared when I'm merely showcasing those results in a fight?"
Sora stared at him for a moment, then let out a short laugh.
"…You say weird things so seriously, it's hard to tell if you're joking."
Hideki nodded slowly. "Yeah… it sounds cool, but also kind of scary."
Murakami blinked. "Scary?"
"Like…" Hideki hesitated, searching for the words. "Like you don't care what happens to you."
Murakami didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he looked down at his hands.
"…I do care," he said quietly. "That's why I don't want to lose."
That made Sora pause.
Even Kaito, who had been listening silently, lifted his gaze slightly.
Murakami continued, voice still calm, almost too calm.
"If I lose, it means I didn't calculate properly. Or I wasn't strong enough. Either way… it means I failed to understand the situation."
He looked up again.
"So I don't ignore fear. I just… don't let it decide for me."
A brief silence settled over the table.
This time, even Sora didn't have a quick reply.
Hideki scratched his cheek awkwardly. "That's… still kind of intense for a kid."
Murakami tilted his head. "We are Genin."
Sora groaned. "That's not an answer!"
Kaito finally let out a soft sigh, like the conversation had reached its natural end.
"That's enough philosophy for breakfast," he said, standing up.
The three immediately straightened.
Kaito reached into his pouch and pulled out a folded scroll.
He placed it on the table and slid it toward them and unfurled it.
"This is a map of Konoha."
Several locations were marked in ink, training grounds, mission office, hospital, intelligence branch, supply depot, academy perimeter, and a few quieter areas near the village edges.
"These are key locations," Kaito said. "If you're going to function as shinobi, you need to know them without thinking."
Sora leaned in first. "We're… memorizing the whole village?"
"Not memorizing," Kaito corrected. "Understanding."
Hideki blinked. "That sounds like a lot."
"It is," Kaito replied simply.
Murakami's eyes scanned the map carefully, already noting the places he found familiar.
He already knew konoha like the palm of his hand considering how small it is in comparison to an actual city, but as expected a Shinobi's map was still more sophisticated than a civilian one.
"…Strategical layout," he murmured under his breath.
Kaito noticed. "Exactly."
'Aiya…did I let that out?' Murakami sighed inwardly but didn't betray any expression on his face and straightened.
"You'll explore these places together. No splitting up."
Sora frowned. "Isn't that slower?"
"It forces coordination," Kaito said.
Hideki scratched his head. "So this is bonding?"
Kaito turned away slightly, already preparing to leave. "Everything done today is part of the bonding exercise."
He paused for a moment.
Then added, almost casually, "Try not to get lost."
Sora scoffed. "We're not kids."
Murakami stood up as well, folding the map carefully.
"We won't," he said simply.
Kaito gave them one last glance.
"Good."
And just like that, his presence faded from where he stood, no sound, no warning, only a faint displacement of air as if he had never been there at all.
For a moment, the three stood in silence.
Then Sora exhaled.
"…He really just disappeared like that."
Hideki nodded slowly. "Yeah… I don't think I'll ever get used to Jonin."
Murakami didn't bother with them and looked down at the map in his hands.
"…Let's go," he said.
Sora blinked. "Huh? Now?"
Murakami was already walking. "We were told to understand the village." he paused, then, without looking back, he added, "…time management is also part of training."
Sora groaned again but followed anyway. "You really like sounding older than you are, huh?"
Hideki jogged to catch up. "Wait for me!"
Murakami didn't slow down.
But faintly, almost imperceptibly…
His expression looked a little lighter than before.