NARUTO: In the Era of Sannin

After leaving the academy early on the day of early graduation, Yuichi sleeps all evening and wakes up late at 9 pm. Feeling the hunger in his stomach which hasn't consumed anything from the morning till now, Yuichi formed hand signs and created a shadow clone and told him to cook some food as he went towards his bathroom to wash his face. 

After coming out of the bathroom, Yuichi found out that all the ingredients had run out. This was quite a for Yuichi as he was not able to save money for his ninja weapons from last month. As his physique and strength increased the subtle increase in food was also evident thus reducing the money that went for the weapons. 

"One more reason to become a genin now" Yuichi spoke out, after all he was earlier in doubt to graduate early or not but now with money problems evident he had no other way. 

"Why the hell am I even thinking this? Shouldn't I be thinking these things before completing the early graduation exam?" Yuichi laughed at himself and dressed himself up to go out and buy ingredients for his kitchen. 

****

The beauty that Konoha's night had was mesmerizing, it was a evident fact that no one denies it. Till late at 12 most of the shops were usually open, illuminated by the different lights. 

Most of the night customers were usually ninjas or office workers, but undeniably for all of them night was the time to loosen up their tiredness. 

In the streets brightened by noise and lights, Yuichi found a strange sense of peace. It was a feeling he hadn't known in a long time. 

The dark paths he used to walk, the quiet alleys he'd once preferred, were now a distant memory. He no longer sought shadows to hide in; instead, he found himself walking along lively streets, full of energy and movement.

With most of the imminent burdens that once weighed him down now gone, there was a calmness inside him that he hadn't felt in years. But with that calm came the memories.

The past always had a way of creeping up on him when he least expected it. 

Tonight, for some reason, the memories of his old life surfaced. His past life felt so far away now, like it belonged to someone else. High school, his early years… they seemed like a distant dream.

Back then, Yuichi was just another kid with too many responsibilities. His mom's debts were suffocating, but he never let anyone see it. He wore a mask, faking smiles, pretending things were fine, even as the weight of it all threatened to crush him.

Then there was Ayu, Ayame. She wasn't supposed to be part of his life, not in the way she became. But somehow, their paths crossed, and everything changed. 

He could still remember the day he first saw her sitting alone on the swings after school. She wasn't her usual bright self—something was wrong. Yuichi wasn't the kind of guy to get involved in other people's problems, but something about her sadness pulled him in. He sat down next to her without saying a word, just waiting.

Eventually, Ayu opened up. Her family was falling apart—her father drowning in alcohol, her mother struggling to hold things together. She felt helpless, lost, unsure of what to do. And Yuichi, for reasons he couldn't quite understand at the time, felt connected to her. 

He knew that feeling. Slowly, he became the one she leaned on, the one who helped her navigate the mess her home life had become. 

In return, Ayu unknowingly became his escape from his own problems. She never pried, never asked too much about his life, and for a while, he could pretend that everything was fine.

They fell in love in a quiet way, without grand gestures or big declarations. It was the kind of love built on shared silences and unspoken understanding. 

But as much as Yuichi wanted to hold onto that, life had other plans.

By the time they reached their final year of high school, Yuichi's mother's debts had spiraled out of control. With his mother running away with the rest of the money they have, he had no choice but to drop out and start working. 

He told Ayu it was for family reasons, and she believed him. She trusted him. But Yuichi didn't tell her the whole truth. He didn't tell her that he was being pulled into the underworld, that he was sinking deeper and deeper into a life he couldn't escape.

At first, the jobs were small, manageable. But the underworld doesn't let you stay at the edges for long. Eventually, Yuichi found himself doing things he never thought he'd do. 

He became a hitman—a role he despised but accepted because he needed the money. The debts had to be paid, and he was willing to lose himself to do it. 

As the work grew darker, he distanced himself from everyone, especially Ayu. He couldn't let her see what he had become, couldn't drag her into the world he had fallen into. She deserved better, far better than him.

Seven years passed like a blur. Yuichi had buried his old self so deep that he thought nothing could bring him back. But then, one day, Ayu appeared in his life again. 

It was pure chance. She saw him before he could hide, and they spoke. 

She had changed. Older, more mature but still the same Ayu. The one who had always seen through him.

Their conversation that day was short, filled with small talk that skirted around the things they really wanted to say. 

But even though Yuichi kept his distance, Ayu begged him to leave the underworld. She told him she had waited for him all these years, that she never gave up hope that he'd come back. It hit him hard. He hadn't thought she would wait. He'd convinced himself that she had moved on, forgotten about him. But she hadn't.

Her tears made his heart bleed and the words did something to him. For the first time in years, Yuichi thought maybe there was a way out.

 Maybe he could leave this life behind, be someone better for her, for himself. He picked up reading, diving into fiction as an escape that he had left behind after his highschool. 

Books became his sanctuary, his way of reminding himself that there was more to life than the darkness he had been living in. He started planning, seriously planning, to walk away from the underworld for good. But fate, as always, had other plans.

The last time he saw Ayu, it wasn't supposed to end the way it did. The day he died. Yuichi felt short in moving away from the sliding truck coming his way, at that time he felt a push on his back. 

It was clearly an attempt to save his life alas he didn't make it.

He tried to deny it for so long, the sight of her lying there, motionless, the blood, the silence. From the moment he saw the working woman's dress he knew who she was but even in his dying moment he tried to deny that thought, completely masking it. 

He refused to believe that Ayu had died, and it took years for Yuichi even after reincarnation to accept it. The reason behind his denial was clear as he just wanted her to live her life fully not for someone like him who abandoned her. 

But She had given her life to save him, and he couldn't deny the truth any longer. Even in his last moments, Ayu had given him something. She never left his side from the moment he holded her hands. 

While reminiscing about his past life Yuichi became emotional, his tears started falling without him even knowing. In the middle of the market he attracted the attention, thus he quickly left the area and went for a quiet place to calm his emotions a little.