Outside, Kaito and the others were walking across the courtyard, laughing. They didn't notice the blur of dark fabric moving across the rooftops above them, silhouetted against the orange sky.
One second he was standing by the lockers; the next, there was only the lingering scent of ozone and the faint vibration of the vent cover clicking back into place.
The afternoon sun slanted through the high windows of the Shinobi Academy gymnasium, catching the dust motes kicked up by two dozen pairs of scurrying feet. For most students, the end of Physical Education meant the end of the day’s struggle. For Ninja Auzhai, it was the start of a different kind of battle: the transition back to the shadows. Ninja Auzhai - After Physical Education Class
Auzhai stood by the wooden lockers, his chest rising and falling in a steady, controlled rhythm. While his classmates leaned against the walls, gasping for air after a grueling hour of "Wall-Running and Projectile Evasion," Auzhai looked as though he had merely taken a light stroll.
Physical Education was over, but for Ninja Auzhai, the real lesson was just beginning. Outside, Kaito and the others were walking across
He reached into his locker, but he didn't pull out a backpack. Instead, he retrieved a small, obsidian-colored whetstone. While the other boys gossiped about the upcoming spring festival or complained about the cafeteria’s ramen, Auzhai began a rhythmic, silent sharpening of a small kunai he kept tucked in his sleeve. Clink. Slide. Clink. Slide.
"Dude, Auzhai," panted Kaito, wiping sweat from his forehead with a gym towel. "Coach Tanaka almost clipped you with that training star. How did you even see it coming?" The afternoon sun slanted through the high windows
As the locker room emptied, a heavy silence settled. Auzhai finished his maintenance and tucked the blade away. He adjusted his headband, the metal plate gleaming under the fluorescent lights. He glanced at the clock; he had exactly four minutes before his next briefing with the Elders.
