Scene — The Presence That Shouldn't Be There
The forest grew unnaturally quiet.
Birds stopped calling.
The wind slowed.
Kaelen felt it instantly.
This pressure… it's different.
Not wild.
Not chaotic.
Controlled.
He raised a hand slightly — a silent signal.
"Stop," he whispered.
Riku frowned. "What is it?"
Before Kaelen could answer, footsteps echoed from the trees ahead — slow, unhurried, confident.
Two figures emerged.
Black cloaks.
Red clouds.
Akatsuki.
Itachi and Kisame
The taller one grinned, sharp teeth glinting.
"Well, well… Kisame, looks like we found something interesting."
The man beside him didn't smile.
Red eyes turned calmly toward Kaelen.
Sharingan.
Kaelen's breath caught for half a second.
Uchiha Itachi.
Kiran stepped forward instantly. "Team, stay back."
Itachi's gaze never left Kaelen.
"…So this is the swordsman," he said quietly.
Kaelen felt his skin prickle.
He's looking straight through me.
A Test Without Movement
Kisame tilted his head. "He doesn't look special. Skinny kid with a stick."
Kaelen's hand tightened on his sword.
The blade hummed.
Itachi's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…No. He's balanced."
Kaelen felt it — the clash of wills.
Observation Haki flared instinctively.
For a moment, the world slowed.
Kisame's grin widened. "Oho? That feeling… chakra and something else mixed together. Weird."
Kaelen met Itachi's gaze.
Didn't flinch.
Didn't bow.
Didn't attack.
If I move first… we all die.
A Single Step
Kisame took one step forward.
Kiran's chakra exploded outward. "That's far enough."
Kaelen's Sage Mode flickered — three seconds only.
The ground vibrated faintly.
Leaves trembled.
Itachi raised a hand.
Kisame stopped.
Silence.
Then—
"…Interesting," Itachi said. "He sensed us before we revealed ourselves."
Kaelen exhaled slowly.
So they were watching me.
Judgment
Itachi turned away.
"We're not here for you," he said calmly. "Not yet."
Kisame chuckled. "Shame. I was hoping for a warm-up."
Itachi paused — just long enough to glance back.
"Kaelen," he said.
Kaelen's eyes widened slightly.
He knows my name.
"If you continue walking this path," Itachi continued, "you will be forced to choose what you're willing to lose."
Then they vanished — like mist swallowed by night.
Aftermath
No one spoke for several seconds.
Riku finally broke the silence. "…That was Itachi Uchiha, wasn't it?"
Kiran nodded grimly. "Yes."
Haru swallowed. "And we're alive because he allowed it."
Kaelen stared at where they had stood.
His heart was steady.
But his thoughts were heavy.
So this is the real world, he thought.
Monsters who don't need to prove they're monsters.
His blade hummed softly at his side.
One day… I'll stand at that level too.