One week ter…

  Ken stood on the cliffs above the northern edge of Konoha, shirtless beneath the morning sky, the cool wind brushing over skin etched with faint seal lines and chakra scars. His breath was steady, his stance low and rooted, and his left hand swirled with both wind chakra and fine threads of sand.

  The ground beneath him was carved with deep grooves and ssh marks from hundreds of failed experiments.

  Today was different.

  He’d begun shaping something new—his style. Not the Uchiha’s. Not the beast’s. Not even Jiraiya’s.

  His.

  Ken’s Fighting Framework – Project “Veinstorm”Core Fusion: Wind Release + Sand Control + Sharingan

  Close-Combat Backbone: Sand-hardened kenjutsu, extended range via chakra-hardened sand whip-sword

  Mid-range Tactics: Dust-edge Wind Cutter projectiles, Sharingan prediction overy

  Defense: Passive auto-shielding from Shukaku’s chakra under skin yer

  Special Technique (Prototype): “Cyclone Coffin” – vacuum-locked wind barrier filled with compressed sand bullets from all angles

  He weaved through seals with his right hand, while the left shaped sand into thin bdes around him. Each one danced midair, suspended by instinct and chakra threads. With a flick of his wrist, he twisted the wind and fired—

  Boom!

  The training dummy exploded as the sand spears detonated mid-flight with a spiral of cutting pressure, a wave of sand spiraling out in a dome.

  Ken lowered his hands, panting slightly.

  He smiled.

  It was coming together.

  Meanwhile – Ninja Academy, Graduation DayThe cssroom was buzzing with anticipation.

  The chalkboard still bore the marks of the final written test, and the instructors were already preparing to hand out forehead protectors. The desks were filled with hopeful students—some excited, some trying to act like they didn’t care.

  Among them, Naruto Uzumaki sat grinning, fists clenched.

  “I did it! I’m finally a genin!”

  Sakura Haruno beside him squealed softly, eyes flicking between her name on the pass list and the back of the boy seated a few rows ahead.

  Sasuke Uchiha.

  He sat still, staring out the window.

  His hands were folded, posture perfect, his expression calm. Unlike Naruto—who practically vibrated with joy—Sasuke barely reacted to his name on the list.

  Iruka called out from the front. “Everyone, quiet down! We’ll begin the team assignments now.”

  The css slowly settled.

  Sasuke leaned back, catching Naruto’s eye just once.

  Naruto blinked, surprised by the faint nod the Uchiha gave him.

  It wasn’t arrogant. Or dismissive.

  Just… mature.

  Sasuke turned back toward the window.

  Behind his eyes, there was no joy.

  Just pressure.

  Outside – Later That DayTeam 7 had been formed.

  Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura.Led by the infamously id-back Kakashi Hatake.

  As he entered the room, te as always, he looked them over with a quiet smile behind the mask.

  Then his eye paused on Sasuke.

  Something about the boy's demeanor—controlled, restrained, almost cold—stood out.

  “He’s seen something,” Kakashi thought.“More than a boy his age should have.”

  Still, he gave his trademark eye-crease smile and said, “You all look… lively.”

  Naruto grinned.

  Sakura blushed.

  Sasuke remained still.

  Kakashi filed it all away, already rewriting his initial pn. This team wouldn’t need simple tests. They needed crity.

  Back on the Cliff – Konoha OutskirtsKen was meditating now, seated in a dome of floating sand and wind.

  Inside his mind, Shukaku murmured like a restless tide, its chakra pulsing around him in slow, spiraling currents.

  He wasn’t resisting it anymore.

  He was weaving with it.

  Fusing it with his wind nature, learning to ride the current rather than cut across it.

  “You’re slower today,” Shukaku’s voice hissed, faint but audible.“You think like a human again.”

  Ken smiled without opening his eyes. “That’s where you’re wrong. I’m thinking like both.”

  He stood slowly, letting the sand spiral around his ankles, wrapping around his arms like gauntlets, his Sharingan activating with a slow spin.

  “Let’s pick up the pace.”

  Observation Tower – Above Konoha’s North SectorJiraiya stood with Hiruzen, watching Ken’s training circle through a spygss.

  “His control’s increasing daily,” Jiraiya muttered. “I’d say another month before he can push to full transformation without backsh.”

  Hiruzen nodded quietly.

  “And the boy?”

  “Sasuke’s showing signs of independence. He doesn’t idolize the cn name—he questions it. That’s because of Ken.”

  Hiruzen folded his hands behind his back.

  “They both carry something heavy.”

  Jiraiya smirked. “One carries a beast. The other carries expectation.”

  That Evening – Ken Returns HomeKen dropped his bag at the doorway, unsealed a cold water bottle, and walked to the window of his small apartment overlooking the vilge rooftops.

  He saw three new genin running across the rooftops—two boys and a girl.

  He recognized Naruto’s clumsy energy, Sakura’s sharp focus, and Sasuke’s cool, quiet precision.

  He didn’t wave.

  Just watched.

  And as they vanished behind the buildings, Ken whispered:

  “Your story’s starting.I hope you write it better than I did.”