Chapter Twelve: The Green Path

Year of Founding: Third Year of Konoha's Establishment

Month: September

Kenichi Sato's Age: 7 years and 5 months

The due date was approaching, and Kenichi's mother had begun to suffer from increasing fatigue and insomnia. In the last few days, even the softest sound of his footsteps at home would wake her from her uneasy sleep. He didn't need anyone to tell him—he understood.

On the night he clearly noticed the tired lines beneath her eyes, Kenichi made a decision to change his routine.

"No more training near the house."

—

He woke up before dawn as usual, put on his training clothes, took a small water bottle, and quietly stepped into the silent streets.

Konoha at dawn felt like another world. Windows shut, doors closed, and the air damp like the earth's breath after a long dream. The scent of dew-soaked wood and soft grass filled the paths. Even the old stones in the alleyways seemed to whisper with the footsteps of generations.

Kenichi ran silently, his steps light like part of the wind, his eyes scanning his surroundings.

He passed the old market, still silent as if waiting for the sun to awaken it. He crossed the stone bridge adorned with faded flags, then turned toward the abandoned farmlands north of Konoha, where trees grew dense and light broke through branches in scattered shafts.

He was searching for a new clearing. Not just a place to train… but a place that reflected him. Isolation, space, and a touch of stillness.

And there… he saw something strange.

Someone running ahead of him—or rather, leaping in exaggerated motions, flailing arms with each landing.

That shiny green outfit, and the unmistakable hairstyle… like half a watermelon flipped upside down!

"…No way… is that…?"

He focused his gaze.

It was the same boy he'd seen weeks ago—Might Duy.

But this time, he wasn't stumbling.

He was running with all his might, speaking loudly to himself:

"I'll become a great ninja! Even if they reject me a hundred times! Willpower is all I need!"

Kenichi approached and ran quietly beside him.

With a slight smile, he said, "You're running with a lot of energy this early… My name's Kenichi."

Duy didn't stop, but grinned brightly: "I'm Duy! Might Duy! I'm going to become the strongest ninja in Konoha, even if I have the least chakra of all!"

Kenichi raised an eyebrow and said, "The strongest ninja? That's a big dream."

Duy laughed enthusiastically: "Without a big dream, you can't become a great man! My dad always says: perseverance beats talent when talent falls asleep!"

Kenichi was moved by his words and saw something rare in him—purity.

After a few moments of silent running, Kenichi pointed to an area surrounded by trees and said, "Come. I think this clearing is perfect. Want to train with me?"

Duy jumped in the air: "Absolutely!"

—

They sat together, dew still wetting the grass.

Kenichi said, "I'd like to teach you something useful for training. It's not a combat technique, and it doesn't require chakra. It's the foundation for everything else."

Duy looked at him with excitement and unknowingly took a deep breath.

"It's a basic breathing technique."

Duy paused: "Is it like normal breathing?"

Kenichi shook his head: "Not normal. In battle, your breath is the first to betray you. If you can't control your breathing, you can't control your body."

He began explaining:

How to breathe through the nose deeply into the belly, not the chest.

How to exhale slowly to the end of every movement.

How to connect the rhythm of breath with each strike or step.

He told him to close his eyes.

"Take a breath… feel it enter… now let it out… slowly… think of each exhale as releasing tension from your body."

Duy followed the instructions eagerly, but without precision.

He coughed once, lost balance again, then laughed: "Ah, it's like I'm breathing like a turtle!"

Kenichi laughed with him and said, "It's okay. True breathing isn't mastered in a day. But you've started."

He didn't teach him Water Breathing, knowing Duy didn't have enough chakra to sustain a style requiring delicate internal balance and constant energy saturation.

But he saw in him the potential to create something of his own.

"Start with this foundation… then build your own style."

Duy clenched his fist: "I'll build it my way! The Way of Willpower!"

They both laughed and did some light training together.

—

At the end of the session, they sat near a small pond.

Duy suddenly asked: "Do you have a brother or sister?"

Kenichi replied with a calm smile: "I will soon… a little sister."

Duy's eyes widened: "Wow! I'll be like a big brother to her! I'll train her to run!"

Kenichi shook his head, smiling: "I think she'll need someone to bring her positive energy."

Duy stood up with excitement: "That's my role!"

—

And in that moment… from a distant point behind the trees… two eyes were watching.

Tobirama Senju, without a sound, without a breath.

But this time, his eyes weren't only on Kenichi.

They were also on Duy.

> "This boy… may lack chakra… but he has something else. Perhaps he's a genius of a different kind."

End of Chapter Twelve.