The evening breeze filtered through the Uchiha compound, cool and still. Inside one of the quiet rooms, Sasuke sat cross-legged on a floor cushion, flipping open the newly purchased manga—Rurouni Kenshin: Remembrance.
Chapter 1 - Hitokiri
On the first page, a short note caught his eye:
Note: This story is set in a world without chakra, unlike the shinobi world. Cities like Kyoto and Tokyo are from a different world altogether. Just enjoy it as a tale from another place and time.
He stared at it for a second, eyebrows drawing slightly together. "A different world, huh?"
Flipping through the first few pages, he was quickly pulled in. The story of the feared assassin, Hitokiri Battōsai, unfolded with crisp art and gripping pace. The lone warrior, fast as lightning, cut through three seasoned samurai like they were nothing. The blood, the calm eyes, the stillness after the strike.
Sasuke blinked once. Then again.
So even in another world, there are shinobi-like assassins who kill in the shadows...
His thoughts wandered to the ANBU. To Itachi.
A lone killer. Unmatched. Cold. Deadly. Acting for some greater cause. The echo was too clear.
The way soldiers feared Battōsai reminded Sasuke of how the village had looked at his own clan—with distance. With unease.
They all feared what they didn't understand.
And just like that, one chapter in, Sasuke felt it. The weight of the character. The haunting familiarity.
The final page came too soon. The tension lingered. Sasuke closed the book slowly, his eyes fixed on the front cover again.
"It's good," he muttered.
Really good.
At least Koichi didn't quit being a shinobi to waste time. This... this is something else. It actually means something.
He sat there for a bit longer, thinking.
Even though Koichi dropped out, he still felt like someone who belonged on the battlefield. That calm, that talent—it was definitely shinobi material.
I want to know more about Kenshin. What drives him? Who trained him? Why does he kill? What's his end?
But he'd have to wait.
Next week.
He set the book aside and stood. His eyes trailed to the training post near the window.
If someone like Battōsai can move that fast...
Sasuke tightened his fists.
Then I have to be faster.
Tomorrow, he would become a shinobi.
Tonight, he would train.
He had to. If he wanted to kill the one person who still haunted his every breath.
Itachi.
…
That same evening, in another part of the village, Ino Yamanaka returned home with a visible bounce in her step. Her mother, Reina, noticed it right away as she passed through the entrance.
"Well, someone's cheerful," Reina said with a curious smile. "Good day at the Academy?"
Ino grinned. "Even better! Koichi-kun's shop opened today. He started selling his first two mangas."
Reina raised an eyebrow with mild amusement. She was more than familiar with the calm, smart, and unusually handsome boy her daughter constantly gushed about. "Ah, so that Koichi. I suppose I should visit the shop and wish him luck then."
Ino blushed and twirled a bit toward the hallway. "I got him to promise me a date next week."
Reina laughed lightly, teasing. "Oh? My little girl is growing up so fast. What kind of date are we talking about here?"
"Mou, Mom!" Ino huffed, face red. "It's just... after graduation. I'll be a kunoichi then."
"That makes it official, huh?" Reina smiled warmly.
"I also bought his first manga," Ino said, pulling out Rain Between Us. "I'll tell you about it after I reread it. I want to enjoy it properly."
She headed straight for her room, shut the door, and plopped down on her bed.
Flipping open to the first page, Ino smiled.
The rain filled the panel, gentle and misty.
"Ah... the way he drew the rain... it feels quiet. Like the world is holding its breath."
Her eyes scanned further.
"He really understands this kind of feeling. It's beautiful."
She saw the boy—Tetsuya—alone under the pavilion, sketching.
"So this is the main character... Tetsuya. He's so calm... Is he like Koichi-kun?"
"He's not flashy at all... but somehow, I can't look away."
Then the woman appeared.
"Who is she? A kunoichi?"
"...She's graceful. She doesn't say anything, but she has a strong presence. Mature... like someone who's been through a lot."
"...She's beautiful."
The silence between them, the way they sat, drew her in.
"The way they sit in silence... somehow it's more meaningful than a conversation."
She reached the first haiku.
"'My feet forgot spring...' That line... it's so soft and sad."
She smiled to herself. "Koichi-kun... you really wrote this?"
She read Tetsuya's reply.
"'I hear thunder inside'... he's trying to understand her pain without asking. That's... kind."
"...This is more than a story. It's like a quiet world, only they understand it."
She reached the part where the woman left a second cup of tea.
"...She made a cup for him."
"...Without a word. That one action... says everything."
"Koichi-kun... why do you draw things like this? It makes my heart ache."
Ino hugged the book to her chest for a moment, then drifted into her own little fantasy.
If I were that kunoichi... would Koichi-kun sit across from me like that?
He'd be sketching something... maybe flowers this time, or something he thought would suit me.
I wouldn't say anything either. I'd just sit, and maybe slide a haiku across the floor with my fingertips.
'When I hear your steps / I forget the sound of rain / and start listening.'
...Would he understand what I meant?
I think he would.
She closed the manga softly, holding it to her chest.
"Koichi-kun... you're amazing."
"If there's a second chapter... I want to read it before anyone else."
"I wish I could be the only one who gets to understand your world.
As the sun dipped low behind the Hokage Monument, its golden hue spilled across the rooftops of the Hidden Leaf. Four figures sat in a loose circle on the roof of the Academy—Shikamaru, Chōji, Kiba (with Akamaru snoozing in his jacket), and Shino. Between them lay their freshly bought copies of Koichi's Rurouni Kenshin: Remembrance. From their spot, they could see the Hokage Rock in the distance—Naruto scrubbing paint off the carved faces while Iruka sat nearby, making sure the cleaning was thorough.
Kiba leaned back with a curious look, flipping through the last few pages. "So this is manga, huh... Didn't think it'd be this serious."
Chōji, snacking from a bag of senbei, gave a nod. "There's no explosions or big action... but it made me feel weird. Like... quiet weird. I kinda liked it."
Shikamaru, sprawled out on his back with his arms behind his head, mumbled, "It's troublesome... but well done. That quiet scene before the fight—it had weight. You could feel something building."
Kiba looked over. "You mean when Battōsai just walks out and cuts those three down like nothing? That was kinda intense."
Chōji added, "He looked kinda young. I thought assassins were supposed to be old or scary... but he was calm. That's what made him scary, I guess."
Shino, who had been reading quietly, finally spoke in his calm, quiet tone. "He moved only when necessary. No wasted effort. That's efficiency."
No one responded at first. Chōji kept chewing. Kiba blinked. Shikamaru opened one eye.
"...Did Shino say something just now?" Shikamaru asked.
Kiba scratched his head. "Uh... yeah. I think so."
Shino didn't comment.
They kept reading.
Chōji frowned a little. "That Kiyosato guy looked scared. Even though he's a samurai too."
Shikamaru shrugged. "Some people aren't made for killing. Might be what Koichi's showing us."
Kiba said, "Still... Battōsai didn't even blink. He's cold. I wanna know what turned him into that."
Shino added softly, "The blood on his sword was still warm. His eyes... empty."
Again, silence.
Kiba coughed. "...Right."
Shikamaru sat up slightly, eyeing the cover. "Koichi chose this chapter on purpose. Wants us to feel what it really means to be a killer."
Chōji looked thoughtful. "It's weird, though... I kinda felt bad for Battōsai. Like... he didn't want to kill, even if he had to."
"That's how you know the story's good," Shikamaru replied.
They paused again, the sound of the wind brushing across the rooftiles.
"I hope next chapter has a proper duel," Kiba said. "Two real swordsmen going all out."
"I want to know more about Battōsai," Chōji said. "Why he became that way. He didn't seem proud of what he did."
Shikamaru nodded faintly. "He's just a kid, really. Killing like that already... he's probably got a lot behind him."
"There will be others like him," Shino said quietly. "Assassins don't walk alone forever. War breeds more of them."
The boys glanced his way, though none replied.
Shikamaru sighed. "Koichi doesn't say much... but man, he really thinks deep."
Chōji smiled. "He doesn't talk a lot, but he drew all of this. That's kinda awesome."
Shino, barely audible: "His silence has meaning."
Kiba glanced at Shikamaru. "There he goes again."
Shikamaru shrugged and sat up. "Anyway, if Koichi draws more, I'll read it."
Kiba grinned. "Same. I wanna see what happens next... and if Battōsai ever stops."
"Hope it doesn't end sad," Chōji said quietly.
Shino looked out toward the trees. "Some stories... aren't meant to end happily."
They all turned to him.
Shino simply adjusted his hood.
"...Just a thought."
…
The sun had dipped below the rooftops. They picked up their manga and stood up.
Tomorrow, they'd be Genin.
But tonight, they'd read the quiet tragedy of a boy who killed in silence.