The smell of disinfectant hung in the air.
A quiet beeping sound echoed from somewhere near Ryo's head. The moment he tried to open his eyes, a sharp pain pulsed across his chest, forcing him to stop.
His vision blurred for a few seconds before finally adjusting. White ceiling. Faint light filtering through a small window. He turned his head slightly. A row of IV tubes hung beside the bed, one of them connected to his arm.
"…Hospital?" he muttered, his throat dry and rough.
The room was empty, except for a chair and a small table with folded towels. His body felt heavy, like he had been asleep for days. He tried to remember what happened, but his memories came in flashes, dust, shouts, the explosion of chakra, and someone calling his name.
Then nothing.
The door slid open. A man stepped in, hands in pockets, eyes half-closed as usual.
"You're awake," Shikamaru said, walking closer. "That's good news. You've been out for almost three days."
"Three… days?" Ryo blinked. "Where's everyone else?"
"Your team's fine. Sarada had a few scratches, Mitsuki's already back to training." Shikamaru's tone was calm, but his gaze lingered on the mark near Ryo's wrist. "You caused quite a stir, you know that?"
Ryo lowered his eyes. The mark was still there, faintly glowing under the bandage. "I didn't mean to… it just happened."
"Yeah, that's what Naruto said too." Shikamaru sighed, pulling out a small notebook. "Whatever that thing is, it reacts to your chakra in unpredictable ways. Sakura's been running tests, but the readings make no sense."
He closed the notebook and leaned against the wall. "Naruto thinks it's not chakra at all."
Ryo frowned. "Then what is it?"
Shikamaru looked out the window. "That's what we're trying to figure out. For now, just rest. The Hokage will probably want to talk to you soon."
He turned to leave but stopped at the door. "One more thing. You're lucky you didn't die from that surge. Don't try to force it again."
Ryo gave a weak nod. "Got it."
When Shikamaru left, silence filled the room again. The sound of his heartbeat mixed with the soft ticking of the wall clock.
Ryo stared at the ceiling. The memory of that battle returned in fragments, the energy that erupted from his body, the terror in Sarada's eyes, and the moment everything went dark.
He clenched his fist. "What are you doing to me…"
The mark flickered faintly, as if responding to his words. A strange warmth spread through his arm, not painful, but heavy. His vision dimmed for a moment.
Then he heard it.
A voice, distant and echoing from somewhere inside his head.
"So you're still holding on…"
Ryo froze. "Who's there?"
No answer. Only the hum of the machines around him.
He swallowed hard and forced himself to sit up, though his muscles protested. The voice lingered like an echo that refused to fade.
After a while, footsteps approached the door again. It slid open, and this time it was Sarada. She was wearing her red jacket over a black shirt, arms crossed, expression somewhere between relief and frustration.
"You really don't know when to stop, do you?" she said.
Ryo managed a faint smile. "Hey. Glad to see you too."
She walked to his bedside and set down a small basket. Apples, oranges, and something that looked suspiciously like ramen packed in a box.
"I brought this. You should eat before Sakura-sensei catches you starving again."
Ryo chuckled softly. "You sound like my mom."
"I'll take that as an insult," she replied, though her tone softened. She looked at his bandaged wrist. "That mark again… it started glowing before you collapsed. What happened?"
"I don't know," he admitted. "It felt like it was alive. Like it wanted to… protect me or something. But it's not normal chakra."
Sarada leaned against the wall, arms folded. "Naruto-san said the same. He thinks it reacts to emotions, not jutsu. Like how some ancient seals used to work."
"Emotions, huh…" Ryo murmured. "Then I must've been terrified."
For the first time, Sarada smiled faintly. "Yeah, you looked like you saw a ghost."
They both laughed quietly. For a moment, the room felt lighter.
When the laughter faded, Sarada's expression grew serious again. "You almost died, Ryo. Mitsuki carried you back. You shouldn't push yourself like that."
"I know," he said. "I just… didn't want anyone to get hurt because of me."
She looked at him for a long second, then nodded. "That's what makes you stupid and kind at the same time."
Before she could say more, a soft knock came from the door. Sakura entered, wearing her medical uniform and gloves.
"Good, you're awake," she said, scanning a chart. "Your vitals are stable, but you're still not ready for missions. You'll stay here another day for observation."
"Thanks, Sakura-sensei," Ryo said politely.
Sakura smiled faintly. "Naruto asked me to tell you he'll visit tomorrow. He's… curious about what you saw before you blacked out."
"What I saw?" Ryo repeated.
Sakura nodded. "You were mumbling something before we brought you in. Something about a light… and a voice."
Ryo's breath caught. He glanced at his wrist, but the mark was quiet now, completely still.
"It was probably just a dream," he lied.
Sakura gave him a knowing look. "Dream or not, write it down. Sometimes, the body remembers things the mind tries to forget."
When she left, Sarada stood by the door for a moment longer. "Get some rest," she said. "You've got a lot to explain to Naruto tomorrow."
"Yeah," he said softly. "I know."
She gave a small nod and closed the door behind her.
The room fell silent once again.
Night had fallen outside, the moonlight spilling through the window and casting pale shadows on the floor.
Ryo lay back on the bed and stared at the faint outline of the Hokage Monument visible through the glass. He could almost see Naruto's face carved in stone, smiling like always.
"…A voice, huh," he whispered. "Who are you?"
The mark on his wrist pulsed once, faint and slow, like a heartbeat answering his question.
---
Morning sunlight slipped through the window, bright enough to sting his half-open eyes. Ryo pushed himself up slowly, his body still stiff from sleep. Someone had opened the window during the night, the air smelled faintly of rain and clean soil.
The door slid open before he could stretch. Naruto stepped in, wearing his Hokage cloak half unzipped and a paper cup of coffee in his hand.
"Yo," Naruto greeted with a grin. "You look less like a corpse today."
Ryo blinked, unsure if that was a compliment. "Good morning… Hokage-sama."
Naruto waved his hand. "Drop the formal stuff. Just call me Naruto. You're not a council member." He set the coffee down on the table and sat beside the bed. "How's the pain?"
"It's fine," Ryo replied. "Still a little sore."
"Good. That means you're healing." Naruto studied his wrist for a few seconds, where the mark had faded to a faint silver outline. "So… about that thing."
Ryo hesitated. "I wish I could explain it. It just… reacts when I'm cornered."
Naruto leaned forward slightly, his expression thoughtful. "You said it felt alive, right?"
Ryo nodded. "Yeah. Like it was trying to protect me."
Naruto looked out the window, watching the clouds drift over the village. "When I was your age, I had something inside me too. It tried to protect me sometimes… but it also scared everyone around me."
Ryo looked up, understanding dawning slowly. "You mean… the Nine-Tails."
Naruto smiled faintly. "Yeah. Kurama." He tapped his chest lightly. "He's gone now, but I still remember what it was like, to fight something that lived inside you."
Ryo frowned. "So you think this mark is the same kind of thing?"
"I'm not sure yet," Naruto admitted. "But I can sense something deep in your chakra flow. It's not evil, just… wild. Like a beast that hasn't learned how to speak."
They sat in silence for a moment, the only sound being the rustle of curtains.
Naruto stood. "I want to help you stabilize it. Starting tomorrow, you'll train under me at the old waterfall ground outside the village. It's a place I used when I trained with Jiraiya."
"Train? With you?" Ryo asked, eyes widening.
Naruto chuckled. "Yeah. Unless you're scared of a little work."
Ryo grinned despite the nerves building in his chest. "No way. I'm ready."
"Good answer." Naruto picked up his coffee again, glancing once more at the mark. "But before we start, there's something you need to know. During the battle… you said something before you passed out. You mentioned a name."
"A name?"
Naruto nodded slowly. "You said… 'He's coming.'"
Ryo's breath hitched. He had no memory of saying that, but the moment the words left Naruto's mouth, the same strange pressure filled the room for a split second, like the air itself was watching.
Naruto's expression turned serious. "Whatever that thing inside you is, it's not just reacting to you. It might be calling something."
Ryo felt his pulse quicken. "Calling something… like what?"
Naruto's eyes narrowed. "That's what we're going to find out."
He placed a hand on Ryo's shoulder, firm but gentle. "Rest up today. Tomorrow, we start. And Ryo… whatever happens, don't be afraid of it. Power like that, if you run from it, it controls you. But if you face it, you might just find out why it chose you."
Ryo nodded slowly. "I'll do my best."
Naruto smiled again, this time warmer. "That's the spirit. You remind me of someone I used to know."
He turned to leave, but before he reached the door, Ryo spoke up.
"Hey, Naruto."
"Yeah?"
Ryo met his eyes. "When you said Kurama's gone… do you still feel him sometimes?"
Naruto paused. His smile softened, a flicker of sadness crossing his face. "Every day."
Then he left, closing the door quietly behind him.
Ryo sat in silence, staring at the faint reflection of the Hokage Monument outside the window. For the first time since waking up, he felt a strange calm inside him, not from peace, but from understanding that whatever was inside him wasn't just a curse.
He placed his hand over the mark. It was warm, pulsing slowly like a heartbeat.
"…I'll face you," he whispered.
The mark shimmered once, like it had heard.
Outside, the wind carried the faint sound of birds over Konoha. The village was alive again, unaware of the quiet storm beginning to form in one boy's chest.
---