After returning home, Lock decided to construct the Rebirth Spring in his yard.
Once he completed the final hand seal, chakra surged through the ground — and before his eyes, a small stone well formed in the southeast corner of his courtyard. It looked completely ordinary, like any villager's well.
Lock approached, curious. "So this… is the Rebirth Spring?"
Water shimmered faintly inside. He drew up a bucket and poured some into his hand — it felt cool and natural, with a faint sweetness unlike normal water.
Intrigued, Lock took out a kunai and made a shallow cut along his forearm. The wound bled freely. He watched for several minutes — no change. Then he scooped a small bowl of water and drank it.
Within moments, he felt warmth spread through his body. The bleeding stopped, the skin tightened, and within a minute the wound had completely scabbed over.
Lock's eyes narrowed slightly. "So, this spring's water really accelerates healing."
The speed was extraordinary. Even skilled medics couldn't make wounds close this quickly without focused chakra techniques. This spring could potentially heal serious injuries in a fraction of the usual time — as long as the person was still alive.
To test its limits, Lock caught a small mouse in the courtyard, gently cut its leg, and gave it some spring water. Ten minutes later, the wound had only slightly improved — far slower than his own recovery.
He sighed. "So, it's bound to my chakra. Only I can use it fully."
It was disappointing but expected. This wasn't some shared miracle — it was a unique ability that resonated only with him.
Still, the spring had another function: it was a chakra anchor. Lock could now mark this location and instantly return to it from anywhere, no matter the distance — an invaluable tool for a shinobi who often worked beyond the village.
Later that night, he explored another new feature tied to the spring: a courier summoning seal. By focusing his chakra, he materialized a small, golden-feathered bird beside the well.
The creature tilted its head and chirped softly. It was small now — almost like a chick — but its chakra signature was strong and stable. Over time, it would grow large enough to fly and carry messages or small packages across long distances.
It wasn't a typical summoning beast, but something special — bound to his chakra network. Even if destroyed, it would reform after a few days, carrying whatever was entrusted to it.
Lock nodded in satisfaction. "Perfect. You'll make travel and coordination much easier."
A few hours later, Lock spread out a map across his desk, marking out the faint signal he sensed — the presence of another mysterious energy source linked to the same power that had created the spring.
It lay near the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind — close to Mount Kikyo.
He frowned. "Mount Kikyo… why does that name sound familiar?"
After thinking for a moment, he remembered the site of one of the fiercest battles in the upcoming Third Great Ninja War, where Konoha's forces would face the Sand Village head-on.
"That's… going to be a problem," Lock murmured.
If whatever this energy was appeared deep in Suna territory, approaching it would be risky. He couldn't count on anyone else — and if Sand's shinobi discovered it first, it might cause serious trouble.
He could only hope it remained undisturbed until he could investigate.
That evening, his mother, Yuzu, returned from work at the family restaurant. She froze when she saw the new well.
"Lock, what's with this? There wasn't a well here this morning!"
Lock smiled lightly. "I built it myself. The groundwater here's sweet — better than what we use normally."
Yuzu blinked. "Built it in one day? That's fast!"
"I'm a ninja, Mom," Lock said, shrugging. "We can do things a bit quicker than most. You can use this water too — it's safe."
Curious, Yuzu filled a cup and took a sip. Her eyes widened. "It's really sweet! Much better than tap water. You have to teach me this trick — maybe we could dig one for the restaurant!"
Lock laughed softly. "Sorry, Mom — this was… a special technique. I can't just make another one."
He didn't explain further. In truth, even he didn't fully understand how the spring worked — its water shimmered faintly with chakra, as if purified by something deeper than nature itself.
"Come on, son, eat," Yuzu said warmly, setting down the dinner she'd brought home from the restaurant.
As Lock ate, she sat beside him, watching him quietly. "You've done enough for the village, you know. We've saved enough money over the years. You could stop being a ninja… open a restaurant with us, live a peaceful life, maybe start a family someday. Wouldn't that be nice?"
Lock looked down at his meal, the faint sound of the spring bubbling in the background.
A peaceful life… it sounded nice. But deep down, he knew — peace was still far away.
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