Iruka's announcement hit the classroom like a depth charge.
Instantly, chaos erupted.
Survival training.
To a bunch of hyperactive academy students brimming with unused chakra, those words were infinitely more exciting than a day off.
Iruka shouted several times to restore order, but the best he managed was reducing the class's excitement from a rolling boil to a gentle simmer.
Eventually, he gave up.
The first lesson was just another lecture on the Will of Fire—nobody listened to those anyway. So he started teaching, letting the students whisper among themselves.
"Hey, Hikari—let's team up!"
Since the survival exercise required groups of three, Naruto immediately turned to her, eyes shining.
"Sure."
Hikari agreed without hesitation.
If her guess was right, the Uchiha massacre would happen within days. This sudden "training exercise" was clearly a cover.
Training Ground Zero was the largest—and safest—of Konoha's practice areas. Fenced off from the more dangerous zones, it was just an ordinary forest with few threats, mostly used for jutsu development.
Its location was strategic, too.
The Uchiha compound sat in the southwest of Konoha. Training Ground Zero was in the north, close to the Fire Daimyō's council hall and the village's outer defenses.
Far enough to avoid collateral damage, yet still within Konoha's protection. If the Uchiha stormed the Hokage's office, the academy—situated in the village center—would be riskier than the training grounds.
The exercise would last three days.
By then, no matter who won or lost, the students would be unharmed.
As for why they didn't just cancel school?
Not every student was a Nara or an Akimichi—a clan kid with a safe home to return to. Many were civilian-born. Letting them roam freely would only increase the danger.
This way, the village could protect them all at once, freeing up manpower to deal with the Uchiha.
Two birds, one stone.
Given the need for secrecy, Hikari had to admit—it was a flawless plan. She couldn't think of a better alternative.
"We still need one more person, though."
Naruto pumped his fist at her agreement, then glanced around, pretending to scout for teammates.
Truthfully? He didn't want a third wheel.
In his mind, "survival training" had already morphed into "three-day getaway with Hikari."
She let him keep up the act.
Teammates didn't matter to her—she could handle this alone. Even the Forest of Death (Training Ground 44) wouldn't be a threat, let alone this harmless excursion.
Just a field trip.
What did concern her was the deviation from the original timeline.
If she remembered right, during the Uchiha massacre, Sasuke had been late leaving the academy—only discovering his clan's slaughter on his way home. There'd been no survival exercise.
Had her presence altered events?
She wracked her brain but couldn't see how she could've influenced the Uchiha's fate.
Yet the unease crawling down her spine refused to fade.
Faced with this shift, Hikari's instincts screamed danger.
She even reconsidered sending out shadow clones. Splitting her chakra would weaken her at a critical moment—she needed to stay at full strength.
No more training clones until this blows over.
Or at least until Might Guy returned.
Hiring a Six Paths-level bodyguard for a billion ryō had seemed excessive—but now, with him gone, she felt exposed.
The fact that the Third Hokage had allowed Guy to leave at this time was… interesting.
Maybe the Uchiha's rebellion wasn't seen as a real threat.
Maybe Konoha already had a solution.
…Was it Itachi?
Damn it.
Being unable to scout the Uchiha district left her relying on guesswork and patchy future memories—fueling her frustration.
The day passed in a haze of paranoia.
As the sun dipped low, painting the sky in violent oranges, the students buzzed with excitement, backpacks ready for the instant the bell rang.
Even Iruka—ever the dutiful teacher—kept glancing at the clock, counting down to freedom.
Then—
Thud-thud-thud!
Footsteps pounded down the hallway.
The door slammed open.
Hikari's gaze snapped up.
A lean figure stood there—sharp green eyes burning with urgency.
Kazama Koshō?
He's out of the hospital?
Her vision sharpened, scanning him.
His ribs had mostly healed, though faint fractures remained. Shinobi recovery was terrifying.
"Announcement!" he barked. "School's delayed by two hours. Self-study until then."
Without waiting for a reaction, he spun on his heel and left, his haste palpable.
Next door, his voice repeated the order.
The class exchanged confused looks.
Only Hikari stayed still, her expression darkening.
A pulse of exhaustion hit her—memories flooding in.
Her outside clones had dispelled.
They'd sensed Konoha's unrest, cut their training short, and scouted the Uchiha district with the Byakugan before vanishing.
What they'd seen was…
A barrier, shrouding the Uchiha compound.
Masked figures—*ANBU or ROOT?*—flitting in and out.
The message was clear.
The massacre had begun.
No—
She checked the time, then glanced at Sasuke, who was (unaware of his impending tragedy) mildly excited for the weekend trip.
In the original timeline, today was the day. Nothing had changed—the Uchiha were just dying earlier than planned.
Which meant this "survival exercise" was now…
Just a normal outing.
"Well, since we're stuck here…" Iruka clapped his hands. "Let's finalize teams for the exercise!"
The class erupted into chatter.
"Sasuke, team up with me!"
"No, with me!"
Sakura and Ino nearly came to blows over him until Iruka intervened.
Sasuke, ever the edgelord, smirked faintly—clearly enjoying the attention.
Hikari watched in silence.
Sometimes…
Fate was just cruel.
(•̀ᴗ•́)و