The late morning sun crept across Gensei's table, warming the scattered scrolls and curling edges of aged parchment. A shallow dish of ink remained untouched. Instead, he stood with hands behind his back, overlooking the records—his thoughts already past them, forward.
On the wall, the codified ledger of his seal system pulsed faintly, glowing threads mapping connections from student to principle to execution. One stood complete.
Disciple 1: Nara, Shikamaru
Status: Self-Directed
It meant the boy no longer required constant instruction. He could learn independently now, not because Gensei had finished teaching, but because Shikamaru had begun shaping the system in his own way. The recursive pattern of instruction and improvisation had taken hold.
"The path ahead is yours to shape," Gensei murmured to the glowing inscription. "I'll still walk behind it. But it's time I looked ahead for the next step on the road."
The sliding door opened without knock. Shikamaru stepped in, not so much formally as familiarly—like a student returning to a private sanctuary. "You summoned me?"
Gensei gestured to a set of cushions already laid out. Tea steamed between them.
"I have come to the conclusion that you no longer need constant oversight. You have already been guided onto the path; whether you choose to journey on it is up to you now."
"I will always be here to offer guidance—not as a teacher, but as a peer now."
"I'm beginning the search for a second disciple."
Shikamaru raised an eyebrow, but said nothing, letting the silence open like a scroll.
"There's a girl in your graduating class—Haruno, Sakura."
At that, Shikamaru's gaze shifted. Not surprised, but reflective.
"She's... different now," he said slowly. "When we were still in the Academy, she didn't care much about skill. Smarter than most, sure, but she didn't push herself. She just wanted to impress Sasuke."
Gensei waited. He'd learned Shikamaru often gave answers in pieces.
"But something changed after the mission to the Land of Waves. I don't know all the details—my team didn't go. But the rumors say they faced a real fight. Missing-nin. Dangerous ones. After that, she started staying after class to practice chakra control. Trying to keep up with the other two."
"She has come face to face with the weight of the shinobi world," Gensei said, more to himself than to the boy.
"Maybe," Shikamaru agreed. "Or maybe she realized she didn't want to be left behind."
"That is enough, sometimes," Gensei said, pouring the tea. "Fear of weight can become respect for it. Respect, the beginning of strength."
"You're really building something," Shikamaru said, after a moment. "One seal at a time."
"Not just seals," Gensei corrected gently. "People. Carriers. Not of my burden—but of their own."
The boy looked at him sharply.
"I'm not passing down techniques," Gensei continued. "Not really. I'm passing down interpretation. That's why it must be slow. Intentional."
Shikamaru sipped his tea. "Then I think she's ready to be tested. Not for how strong she is now... but for what she might be willing to become."
Gensei nodded.
"Then let's begin."