The wind was cold that night.
The moon hung low over the mountain ridges, silver light spilling across the trees like a river of ice.
Naruto moved quietly through the woods, each step careful. His breath came out in white clouds. The forest around him was silent — too silent. Even the insects had stopped their songs.
"You feel it too," Shax murmured from within.
Naruto nodded. "Yeah. We're being watched."
He couldn't see anything, but his body tensed. The ring on his hand pulsed faintly, warning him. His instincts screamed danger.
He whispered softly, "How many?"
"Three. No — four. Skilled, moving through shadow. Their chakra is masked, but not perfectly."
Naruto gritted his teeth. "Root agents."
"Danzo's dogs."
Naruto's heart tightened. "Guess he didn't like me leaving the village."
"He fears what he cannot control. He will try to put you in chains before the world learns what you are."
Naruto took a slow breath. "Then he's about to learn I don't wear chains."
He focused his chakra, letting the wind stir around him. The leaves trembled.
"Stay calm," Shax warned. "Do not use too much power. You are still marked from the valley — others can sense it."
Naruto smirked. "Then let them sense it."
The Ambush
A whisper of movement — a flicker of shadow above.
Naruto jumped sideways just as three kunai buried themselves in the tree where he'd stood.
Four masked figures appeared from the branches — Root operatives dressed in black, their chakra signatures faint and cold. Each wore a porcelain mask marked with Danzo's insignia.
The leader stepped forward. "Naruto Uzumaki. You are ordered to return to the village immediately."
Naruto tilted his head. "And if I say no?"
"Then we use force."
Naruto grinned. "You can try."
The agent's hand flicked — paper tags flashed. Explosive tags rained from above, surrounding Naruto in a trap.
He reacted instantly. "Wind Release: Gale Burst!"
A roaring gust shot outward, lifting him into the air as the ground exploded beneath him. Fire and smoke filled the clearing, shaking the trees.
He landed on a branch, eyes sharp. "You'll have to do better than that!"
Another agent moved behind him — silent, fast. A chakra blade sliced through the air.
Naruto ducked, spun, and kicked upward. The blade missed by inches. He formed a quick seal. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Two clones appeared beside him.
"Remember," Shax said. "These are trained assassins. Not sparring partners."
"I know," Naruto muttered. "That's what makes it fun."
The clones darted forward. One threw shuriken, the other launched a wind pulse. The agents countered easily — one with an earth wall, another with a water barrier.
They moved like one mind — fast, coordinated. Naruto's grin faded slightly. "Okay, they're good."
"They are Root. They feel no fear, no hesitation. But they also lack soul. Use that."
Naruto closed his eyes briefly, focusing on the sounds. He remembered Paimon's lesson — truth within sound.
The air vibrated faintly. He could hear their movements, their breathing, even the rhythm of their chakra flow.
He opened his eyes, glowing faintly gold and red.
"Let's turn up the volume," he whispered.
He formed a seal and shouted, "Sound Release: Resonance Strike!"
A shockwave rippled outward — not loud, but deep. It passed through the forest like invisible thunder.
The Root agents froze mid-step, their bodies trembling as their chakra flared out of rhythm.
Naruto charged forward, punching the nearest one. The man flew back, crashing through a tree.
Another agent appeared behind him. Naruto twisted, blocking with a swirl of wind. His movements felt faster — clearer. He could hear every heartbeat, every breath, every lie in the air.
"Good," Shax said approvingly. "You are learning to use their silence against them."
Naruto smirked. "Then let's make some noise."
The Unseen Blade
But Root never came unprepared.
As Naruto faced the third agent, the leader made a subtle motion with his hand. A scroll opened midair — symbols glowing dark red.
"Naruto! Move!" Shax shouted.
Too late.
A seal expanded beneath his feet, glowing bright crimson. Chains of chakra shot upward, wrapping around his arms and legs.
Naruto gasped. "What the—?!"
"Binding Seal: Type Three," the leader said calmly. "Designed for jinchūriki and other unstable entities. Your energy is now contained."
Naruto struggled. The chains pulsed, draining his chakra.
"They use sealing techniques stolen from the old temples," Shax warned. "Your power will not last long under that drain."
Naruto's eyes flashed. "Then I'll just break it!"
He focused on his spirit energy, not chakra — the power Paimon had awakened. The ring glowed.
The air around him trembled. The chains vibrated violently as a low tone built in the air.
"Impossible," one agent hissed.
The tone deepened into a roar. The chains shattered like glass, pieces flying in every direction.
Naruto landed hard, panting. "You call that a seal?"
The leader didn't answer. He vanished and reappeared behind Naruto, blade aimed at his neck.
Naruto ducked, spun, and countered with a blast of wind. The man blocked — barely.
Their movements blurred through the forest, clashing in flashes of light and shadow.
Naruto's hands bled, his breathing quickened, but his spirit burned bright.
"They are strong," Shax said, "but you are unpredictable. That is your edge."
Naruto grinned through his exhaustion. "Unpredictable's kinda my thing."
He pressed his hands together. "Let's see you dodge this!"
The wind spiraled around him, mixing with sound — a swirling sphere of energy glowing blue and gold.
"Spirit Rasengan!"
He launched forward. The sphere hit the leader's blade, shattering it instantly, and slammed into his chest. The explosion threw him across the clearing.
Naruto stumbled back, the glow fading.
When the dust cleared, three agents lay unconscious. The leader struggled to rise, his mask cracked.
Naruto approached slowly. "You done?"
The man's voice rasped, "You cannot run forever, Uzumaki. Danzo will hunt you until you are contained."
Naruto's expression hardened. "Then tell him to come himself."
He turned and walked away as the wind howled through the broken trees.
The Messenger Crow
He didn't get far before a black crow landed nearby, its eyes gleaming red. It wasn't a normal bird — chakra radiated from it.
Naruto frowned. "You've gotta be kidding me."
"It's a messenger," Shax said. "Not Danzo's. Something older."
The crow tilted its head. Then it spoke — its voice calm and distant.
"Heir of the Ring. The winds shift. The Queen of Chains stirs beneath the sands. If you would live, seek the Desert of Glass."
Naruto blinked. "Wait, what? Who's the Queen of Chains?!"
The crow's eyes glowed once — then it turned into black smoke and vanished.
Naruto stared at the empty air. "Okay… that's not creepy at all."
"A warning," Shax said grimly. "The Queen of Chains is no spirit — she is one of the bound lords, a ruler who defied the Magus himself."
Naruto frowned. "You mean… one of the seventy-two?"
"Yes. And if she stirs, it means the seals are failing faster than we thought."
Naruto looked toward the eastern horizon. "The Desert of Glass… that's far from here."
"It lies beyond the Land of Rivers — barren, deadly, and full of ruins. If the Queen awakens there, the balance will break completely."
Naruto exhaled slowly. "Then that's where I'm going next."
"You just survived an ambush and you already plan another suicide trip."
"Yeah," Naruto said with a grin. "Guess curiosity's a habit."
"A fatal one."
"Not yet."
Danzo's Chamber
Back in Konoha, deep below the Hokage Monument, Danzo listened in silence as a wounded Root agent knelt before him.
"The mission failed, sir. The target escaped. He… he used abilities we've never seen — sound and wind combined."
Danzo's single visible eye narrowed. "The Ring of Solomon continues to evolve."
He stood, walking to the map spread across the table. His hand hovered over the mountain region.
"He grows too fast. The Hokage still protects him, but she cannot control him either. Soon the boy will reach the point of no return."
Another Root operative stepped forward. "Should we alert the council?"
"No. Not yet. The fewer who know, the better."
Danzo's gaze darkened. "Send the next squad. But this time… no capture order. If he resists, kill him and bring the ring."
The room fell silent.
"Yes, sir."
As the operatives vanished, Danzo looked at his reflection in the window — the faint scar running across his face.
"The Magus reborn…" he whispered. "If the boy awakens all seventy-two, this world will kneel again to spirits. I will not allow it."
Night's Rest
Naruto found shelter in a small cave near a waterfall. The air was damp, the sound of rushing water echoing like soft music. He sat by a small fire, drying his clothes and bandaging his arm.
He was tired, but his eyes burned with determination.
"You handled yourself well," Shax said after a long silence.
Naruto chuckled weakly. "You mean not dying? Yeah, that's progress."
"You are learning balance. But you must not let pride cloud you. The power of the spirits is vast — and it watches your heart."
Naruto nodded slowly. "Yeah. I felt it during the fight. When I got angry… it got stronger."
"That is the curse of the ring. Emotion feeds energy. The Magus fell because he thought he could control it forever."
Naruto stared into the fire. "Then I'll do what he couldn't."
"So many have said that before."
He looked up, eyes glowing faintly. "Maybe. But none of them were me."
The fire crackled softly. The sound of water filled the silence.
After a moment, Naruto asked quietly, "Shax… why do you stay? You could've left when I freed you."
"Because you remind me of him — before the fall. The Magus I once served was brave, foolish, and kind. He listened to us, not as slaves, but as voices. You are like that."
Naruto smiled faintly. "Guess I'll take that as a compliment."
"It is."
The ring glowed faintly in the firelight. Outside, the wind whispered through the trees, carrying distant sounds — movement, footsteps far away.
"They follow," Shax said quietly.
Naruto stood, extinguishing the fire. "Let them. They can chase all they want."
He tightened his headband and stepped into the moonlight. "Because I'm not running anymore."
The wind swirled around him, lifting the leaves in small circles.
Far to the east, lightning flashed — distant but clear.
"The Desert of Glass waits," Shax said.
Naruto looked toward it, determination burning in his eyes. "Then that's where we go."
The wind roared softly, like applause.
The Hidden Shadow
As Naruto disappeared into the night, a single Root agent — unseen by either of them — crouched on a nearby cliff.
He held a small device in his hand, its surface glowing with sealing runes. Inside it, faint echoes of Naruto's sound techniques vibrated.
He smiled beneath his mask. "The data is enough. Danzo will be pleased."
Then, before he could move, a soft whisper filled the air.
"You shouldn't have followed."
The agent froze. The air around him shimmered, distorting like heat.
A voice — not Naruto's, not Shax's — spoke again, cold and distant.
"The heir walks his path. Interference is forbidden."
The agent turned, eyes wide. "Who—?"
He never finished the sentence.
The air pulsed once — a wave of sound too fast to see — and his mask shattered. The device fell, silent.
When the moonlight returned, the cliff was empty. Only the faint echo of a whisper remained:
"The Magus must awaken."