Rain lingered over Kumogakure for most of the week.
Thin mist rolled between the cliffs surrounding the academy, giving the training grounds a soft gray haze in the early mornings.
Most students hated it.
Wet ground made running drills miserable.
Shuriken slipped more easily from careless hands.
But Raizen didn't mind.
Rain forced people to slow down.
And when people slowed down, they revealed things about themselves.
Morning Routine
The dormitory halls had developed their own rhythm.
By the second month of academy life, everyone had fallen into habits.
Daigo woke up early every day, usually before sunrise, and ran laps around the obstacle yard until the morning bell rang.
Ren preferred quiet stretching exercises beside the dorm windows, practicing balance drills with the patience of someone far older than their age.
Raizen often woke first.
Not because he needed less sleep, but because his body had grown used to the disciplined routine his mother had built for him long before the academy.
One morning he stepped out into the courtyard just as the sun began pushing through the clouds.
Daigo was already finishing his third lap.
"You're late," Daigo said between breaths.
"It's barely morning."
"That's what late means."
Raizen watched him run another lap before speaking again.
"You lean too far forward when you sprint."
Daigo slowed slightly.
"…You notice everything."
Raizen didn't answer.
He simply stepped onto the obstacle posts and began balancing across them.
Each step light.
Controlled.
Almost silent.
The Academy Workshop
That afternoon, Akari dragged Raizen and Daigo toward one of the academy's smaller buildings near the training fields.
"This is the place," she said excitedly.
The academy workshop.
Inside, wooden benches lined the walls while racks of tools hung above them.
Older students occasionally used the space to repair equipment or build training gear.
Akari walked straight toward a workbench where her bow rested.
The instructor overseeing the workshop glanced up briefly.
"You're back."
Akari nodded proudly.
"I improved the grip."
She handed the bow to Raizen.
He examined it carefully.
The wood was still simple, but the balance had improved.
"You reinforced the center."
Akari grinned.
"Yeah."
Daigo leaned over the table.
"So when do we start making giant swords?"
The instructor gave him a flat look.
"When you stop breaking practice ones."
Strategy Hall Evenings
The Strategy Hall had quietly become one of the most active places in the academy after dinner.
Large wooden tables filled the room, each holding carved terrain models representing different battlefields.
Mountains.
Rivers.
Forests.
Students gathered around them almost every evening.
Some treated the exercises like games.
Others took them very seriously.
One night Raizen sat across from Kaito again.
Between them was a small battlefield model carved to resemble a canyon valley.
Kaito studied the board silently for a long moment.
"You prefer indirect strategies."
Raizen adjusted one of his pieces.
"It reduces risk."
"Or delays victory."
Raizen shrugged.
"Depends on the opponent."
Across the room Daigo and several other students were arguing loudly over a failed defensive formation.
Akari leaned against the wall nearby, occasionally firing practice arrows at a padded target someone had hung up for her.
The hall buzzed with energy.
Competition.
Laughter.
Frustration.
The academy had become its own little world.
Instructor Observations
High above the Strategy Hall, a narrow balcony overlooked the students below.
Instructor Tetsuya stood there quietly.
Beside him, another academy instructor flipped through a small notebook.
"Several promising ones this year," the instructor muttered.
Tetsuya nodded slightly.
His gaze drifted across the room.
Raizen analyzing a battlefield map.
Kaito calmly adjusting pieces.
Akari practicing her aim even indoors.
Daigo arguing passionately about strategy he barely understood.
And near the doorway, Kairo leaning against the wall, watching everything without saying a word.
Tetsuya folded his arms.
"This class will be interesting."
A Small Discovery
Later that night Raizen returned to the hidden courtyard behind the indoor training complex.
The stone ground was still damp from the earlier rain.
Wooden practice swords rested against the weapon rack exactly where he had left them.
He picked one up again.
The grip felt natural in his hands.
He stepped into the center of the courtyard.
Moved.
A simple forward cut.
Then a second strike.
The movements flowed smoothly, but he paused after the third swing.
Something felt slightly off.
The motion wasn't wrong.
But it wasn't quite right either.
Inside his mind Astra spoke quietly.
"Host movement pattern suggests incomplete combat system."
Raizen lowered the blade slightly.
"Yeah."
He stared at the wooden sword for a moment longer.
"Guess I'll have to figure it out."
Night in the Dorms
The dormitory halls were quieter than usual that evening.
Rain returned outside, tapping softly against the windows.
Inside Room 214, Daigo was already half asleep while Ren read a small scroll by candlelight.
Raizen sat near the window looking out over the academy grounds.
Students were still moving across the distant training fields despite the weather.
Some people simply refused to stop practicing.
After a while Daigo muttered from his bed.
"Hey Raizen."
"What?"
"You think we'll actually become real shinobi someday?"
Raizen looked out toward the distant village lights glowing between the cliffs of Kumogakure.
Then he leaned back in his chair.
"Probably."
Daigo yawned.
"Good."
A few seconds passed.
Then Daigo added sleepily:
"Because I already told my parents I would."
Ren chuckled quietly from his bed.
Outside, thunder rolled across the mountains again.
Inside the dorm room, the quiet warmth of the small space settled over them.
Just three academy students sharing a room.
Training.
Learning.
Growing.
The future still far away.
And tomorrow would start another ordinary day at the academy. ⚡