Year Six of Konoha's Founding
Kenichi Sato's Age: 10
Mid-July – The Beginning of the Second Half of the Fourth Academic Year
---
The morning mist was light, and dew sparkled on the grass surrounding the backyard training field. Kenichi sat silently on the ground, breathing steadily.
> "I went too far... chasing the new, and forgetting the roots."
Over the past weeks, Kenichi had focused on developing his sensory technique, experimenting with chakra fusion, and testing the properties of water... But he realized he had started to lose connection with his own body. The foundation of Rokushiki, the foundation of Water Breathing... had regressed without him noticing.
He lifted his eyes toward the gray sky. It wasn't raining, but something inside him was bracing for a storm. Then he stood up, assuming his basic combat stance.
---
He began training Soru, channeling chakra rapidly between his feet and applying pressure. But the ground no longer responded the way it used to.
> "My body has changed. My weight has changed. This growth is throwing me off."
He inhaled slowly, and started again.
Then he moved on to Geppo. He jumped, releasing a burst of chakra beneath his feet... but it was unbalanced, sending him sideways instead of upward.
He landed with a muted thud. The pain wasn't much, but the sound sparked an old question:
"Have I gotten weaker? Or have I just forgotten how to begin again?"
Just as he started to regain a sense of harmony... childhood crashed into the scene in its purest form.
A small laugh rang out from behind.
It was Haru, holding a wooden stick, clumsily imitating him.
"I'm fighting too! The monsters are coming!"
He looked at her. Despite the exhaustion, he smiled.
"Come on... fight with me."
---
They set up a few wooden targets. Kenichi jumped and moved fluidly while Haru crawled around, swinging her stick through the air, mimicking her brother.
At one point, she tripped on a small rock and fell. But she stood up by herself, muttering:
> "I'm strong... like Onii-chan."
As if repeating something she was planting deep within her little resolve. Kenichi watched her, sensing a quiet determination on her face—even though she was barely three years old.
He stopped his training and sat beside her.
"You're stronger than you think, Haru."
---
That night, he wrote in his journal:
> "Going back isn't failure. It's resetting the compass."
"Geppo demands precise weight control. Soru needs trust in every step."
"My body isn't betraying me... it's asking me to understand it again."
"And Haru... she's like water in its earliest form. Clear, but still searching for its path."
He closed the notebook. His heart was as calm as a stream under moonlight, though his mind was still arranging the steps for tomorrow.
In his chest... the old rhythm was beginning to return.
And that was... the first push of the next wave.