The sun had already set by the time Team 7 returned to Konoha. The air was cool, and the street lamps cast long shadows along the main road. No one spoke much during the walk back. The strange encounter in the forest left everyone uneasy, especially Ryo.
When they reached the mission office, Konohamaru filed the report and dismissed them.
"Go home and rest. I'll bring this up with the Hokage first thing in the morning," he said. His voice was calm, but his expression showed concern.
Sarada turned to Ryo. "You should come with me. We need to get that mark checked immediately."
Ryo hesitated. "You think it's... dangerous to others?"
Boruto folded his arms. "Well, if another version of you pops out again, that's kind of a problem."
"Thanks for the reassurance," Ryo muttered.
Mitsuki spoke quietly, "He's right, though. That thing wasn't normal chakra. It didn't feel alive, more like... data trying to rewrite itself."
Sarada frowned. "Data?"
Mitsuki nodded slightly. "I'll explain later."
Without another word, they headed straight to the Hokage's office.
When they arrived, the guards at the door didn't even stop them. Naruto had already been informed by Konohamaru. The Seventh Hokage stood by his desk, arms crossed, his face unusually serious.
"So, it happened again," Naruto said slowly. "A manifestation tied to that mark."
Ryo stepped forward, his palms still sweaty. "Yeah. It looked like me. Same face, same voice, just... wrong."
Naruto exchanged a glance with Shikamaru, who had been standing nearby.
"Sounds like a clone of pure chakra energy," Shikamaru said. "But it's strange that it has physical form."
Naruto turned back to Ryo. "Tell me exactly what you felt when it appeared."
Ryo took a moment to recall. "It wasn't anger or fear. It was like... someone pulled a memory out of my head and gave it a body. It spoke one sentence, something about balance."
"Balance," Naruto repeated. "That word keeps coming up."
Shikamaru sighed, scratching his neck. "Could be tied to whatever energy brought him here. If that mark's connected to another dimension, it might be trying to stabilize both sides."
Naruto nodded. "Meaning his existence here could be causing imbalance."
Ryo frowned. "So, what? I'm some kind of anomaly?"
"No," Naruto said calmly. "You're proof that chakra isn't limited to this world. You're not a mistake, Ryo. But whatever brought you here didn't come alone."
There was silence for a few seconds. Ryo's chest felt heavy.
Naruto walked closer, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Listen, I've seen things that shouldn't exist. I once fought someone who could warp time and rewrite the moon's history. If there's something trying to balance your existence, we'll figure it out together."
Ryo looked up, meeting his eyes. "You really believe that?"
Naruto smiled faintly. "I don't believe in accidents, only purpose."
Sarada crossed her arms. "So, what's the plan?"
Naruto turned toward the window. "First, we'll need to check the old records, something from the Sage of Six Paths era. If this mark is connected to another form of chakra, it might be mentioned there."
Shikamaru nodded. "I'll ask Kakashi to help. He has access to the old archives."
Ryo blinked. "You're telling me Kakashi's still around?"
Boruto smirked. "Yeah, the old man still visits from time to time. He just likes pretending to be retired."
Ryo couldn't help but laugh a little, the tension breaking for a moment.
Naruto turned back to him. "Until we know more, stay close to Team 7. Don't wander off the village boundaries."
"Got it," Ryo said.
As they left the office, Sarada glanced at him. "You did well today. Most people would've panicked if they saw a copy of themselves trying to attack them."
Ryo chuckled softly. "Oh, I did panic. I just hid it better than Boruto would."
"Hey!" Boruto protested. "I was totally calm!"
Mitsuki tilted his head. "You screamed louder than anyone."
Boruto glared. "You're supposed to back me up, Mitsuki!"
Sarada rolled her eyes. "Idiots."
Ryo smiled slightly. Despite everything, it felt... right. Being here, with them, arguing like old friends.
But when they parted ways for the night and Ryo walked back to the temporary housing Naruto had arranged for him, that feeling faded. The silence returned, heavier than before.
He sat on the edge of the bed, staring at his wrist. The mark had stopped glowing, but the faint shape still pulsed beneath his skin.
Ryo whispered to himself, "Balance... huh?"
He didn't notice the faint shimmer on the wall, a reflection that moved just slightly out of sync with his own body.
Then, a voice whispered softly from the dark corner of the room.
"Soon."
Ryo's eyes snapped open, heart pounding. He looked around, nothing there.
But the window glass still vibrated faintly, as if something unseen had just passed through.
---
The next morning, sunlight streamed through the blinds and landed across Ryo's face. He hadn't slept much. Every time he closed his eyes, that whisper echoed again.
He got dressed and walked toward the Hokage's office, just as Naruto had instructed. The village was already awake, vendors shouting, shinobi running errands, kids laughing on their way to the academy. For the first time, Ryo felt both part of it and apart from it.
When he arrived, Naruto wasn't alone. Sitting casually on the couch, mask half pulled down, was Kakashi Hatake.
"Ah, so you're the famous outsider," Kakashi said with a lazy wave. "You don't look that dangerous."
Ryo straightened awkwardly. "I'm... trying not to be."
Naruto smiled. "He's been waiting for you. We found something in the archives."
Kakashi opened a scroll on the table. The parchment was old, the ink faded but still readable. Strange circular symbols filled the page.
"This," Kakashi began, tapping the seal pattern, "is called the Mirror Soul Technique. A forbidden jutsu rumored to split one's spiritual essence to maintain balance between realms. It was created during the Sage of Six Paths era, but never completed."
Ryo leaned in. "You're saying my mark is connected to that?"
"Possibly," Kakashi replied. "The text mentions a 'vessel from the outside,' someone not born of chakra. It's meant to stabilize worlds by sharing one soul across both sides."
Naruto frowned. "That explains the copy we saw yesterday."
Kakashi nodded. "If one side becomes stronger or weaker, the balance breaks. One half tries to overwrite the other."
Ryo's chest tightened. "So that thing... was me. Or what's left of the version from my world."
Naruto crossed his arms. "Then we need to stop the halves from merging the wrong way."
Kakashi closed the scroll and looked at Ryo. "I've seen plenty of strange cases, but you might be the first person whose existence is literally a story trying to finish itself."
Ryo blinked. "That's... comforting, I guess."
Kakashi's visible eye crinkled into a small smile. "Don't worry. It means you have a reason to be here. We just have to make sure your presence doesn't destroy either side."
Naruto stepped forward. "We'll run tests with Yamato and Sai to track your chakra signature. Until then, you'll stay under Team 7's supervision."
Ryo nodded slowly. "Got it. I'll do whatever's needed."
As they dismissed him, Kakashi stopped him at the door. "One more thing."
Ryo turned. "Yeah?"
Kakashi's tone softened. "Be careful when you dream. The Mirror Soul feeds on thoughts. If you start seeing memories that aren't yours, wake up immediately."
Ryo frowned. "You're saying it can enter dreams?"
Kakashi's expression didn't change. "It already has."
Ryo froze. "How do you"
Kakashi lifted his book and covered half his face. "You muttered someone else's name before you walked in. A name from another world."
The young man's throat went dry. "Naruto...?"
"No," Kakashi said quietly. "You said 'Ryo Kazehara', like it was someone else."
The chill that ran through Ryo's spine didn't fade even after he left the room.
---
By noon, he met up with Team 7 for another training session. Sarada was waiting at the field with her arms crossed. Boruto sat against a tree, already half asleep, while Mitsuki stretched silently nearby.
"You look awful," Boruto said.
Ryo tried to laugh. "Didn't sleep much."
"Too busy thinking about your doppelgänger?"
"Something like that."
Sarada adjusted her glasses. "Let's make today simple. Chakra focus, stamina control, and one-on-one sparring. Konohamaru-sensei said we need to see how far your control's improved."
Ryo nodded and took his stance.
The first few minutes were rough. His chakra flared too fast, his movements uneven. Sarada's punches were precise, her footwork sharp, while Ryo's defense barely held. But slowly, he adjusted, copying her rhythm, reacting instead of hesitating.
Boruto whistled. "Not bad. You're starting to move like a real shinobi."
Ryo grinned between breaths. "Guess having my life on the line helps with motivation."
Mitsuki spoke softly. "There's something strange about his chakra pattern. It shifts every time he matches one of us, like it's learning."
Sarada blinked. "Learning?"
"Like data copying behavior," Mitsuki explained. "But it's stabilizing."
Before anyone could respond, the sky flickered. For a brief second, everything dimmed, like a shadow passed through the clouds. Ryo stumbled, clutching his head as the mark on his wrist pulsed.
"Ryo!" Sarada shouted.
He fell to one knee, vision swimming. In that instant, a flood of images flashed, a city skyline, a computer screen, rain hitting glass. His old world.
Then a voice whispered again.
"You're forgetting which side you belong to."
The ground beneath him cracked with energy. Sarada's Sharingan activated instantly. "He's losing control !"
Boruto leapt forward, forming a Rasengan. "Hang on!"
But Ryo opened his eyes, and for a heartbeat, they weren't his. They glowed faintly silver, swirling like mirrors reflecting infinite versions of himself.
A shockwave burst outward. The trees bent, the dirt tore open, and the others were pushed back several meters.
When the energy faded, Ryo was on his knees, gasping for air. The mark stopped glowing.
Naruto appeared beside them in an instant, having sensed the disturbance. His expression was calm but firm. "That confirms it," he said. "The other half is trying to merge."
Ryo looked up weakly. "What... what do I do?"
Naruto placed a hand on his shoulder. "You learn to control it before it controls you."
---
That night, Ryo sat alone by the training field, the moon hanging above Konoha. He could still feel the echo of the other voice in his mind, faint but constant.
He whispered to himself, "If I'm really the main character... then I have to act like one."
But somewhere deep inside, another version of him whispered back, quiet and cold:
"You already are. You just don't realize which story you belong to."
---