The morning sun cast soft light across Konoha. Stalls were opening, shopkeepers shouting greetings, and the scent of freshly made dumplings drifted through the streets. The village was calm, peaceful, at least on the surface.
Ryo walked along the main street toward the training grounds, his hands tucked into the pockets of his black jacket. The faint breeze carried the sound of children running past with toy kunai. It felt so normal that for a moment, he almost forgot what had happened by the waterfall.
Almost.
He touched his wrist absentmindedly. The mark was hidden under his bandage, quiet but still there, pulsing faintly now and then, like a heartbeat he couldn't ignore.
"You look like you haven't slept in days."
Ryo turned. Sarada stood beside the gate, arms crossed, her expression sharp but concerned. Mitsuki leaned against a nearby tree, as calm as ever, while Boruto yawned loudly beside him.
"I slept fine," Ryo said, though his tired eyes gave him away.
Boruto smirked. "Yeah, right. You look like Shino after a bug convention."
Sarada shot him a glare. "Don't be rude."
"It's fine," Ryo said with a small smile. "Guess I'm still recovering."
Mitsuki's eyes glowed faintly yellow as he studied Ryo for a moment. "Your chakra feels… different. Calmer than before, but deeper."
Ryo paused. "You can sense that?"
Mitsuki nodded. "It's faint, but it's there."
Sarada frowned. "You should take it easy for now. We're not on any missions yet, so focus on recovery."
Ryo nodded. "Got it."
They began their warm-up drills in silence. Boruto complained the whole time, Sarada kept him in check, and Mitsuki somehow made everything look effortless. Ryo followed their pace, but his thoughts were somewhere else, in that empty space under the water, in that voice that claimed to be him.
Halfway through the training, Naruto arrived at the edge of the field. The moment the team noticed him, Boruto groaned loudly.
"Dad, seriously? Are you spying on us again?"
Naruto smiled. "Just checking in. Hokage duties can wait a few minutes."
Sarada straightened. "Lord Seventh."
Naruto waved casually. "Relax, you don't have to be formal. I'm just here to see how Ryo's doing."
Boruto blinked. "You're checking on him?"
Naruto raised an eyebrow. "You got a problem with that?"
Boruto quickly looked away. "No, sir."
Naruto chuckled and turned to Ryo. "How's your control?"
Ryo hesitated. "Better, I think. The mark hasn't acted up since that day."
"That's good." Naruto's tone was light, but his eyes were sharp. "Keep it that way. And if anything feels strange again, tell me right away."
Ryo nodded. "Understood."
Naruto gave a short wave before leaving, his cloak fluttering in the wind. But as soon as he turned the corner, his smile faded.
---
Inside the Hokage's office, Shikamaru waited by the desk, leaning slightly against the window frame. "So? How's the kid?"
Naruto exhaled. "Stable for now. But that energy… it's not normal chakra. Even Kurama could feel it."
Shikamaru's brow furrowed. "You think it's connected to another tailed beast?"
"No," Naruto said firmly. "It's different. Older. Kurama said it doesn't belong to this world."
Shikamaru crossed his arms. "That's troublesome. You're saying he's carrying something from another dimension."
Naruto nodded slowly. "Maybe. Whatever it is, it's sleeping inside him, but it's starting to wake up."
He turned to the window, watching the village below. The rooftops glimmered in the sunlight, and children's laughter echoed in the distance. "If it ever goes out of control, Konoha won't be ready."
Shikamaru's gaze hardened. "So what's the plan?"
Naruto's voice lowered. "For now, keep it quiet. I'll handle his training personally. But I want you to dig into anything that could match his chakra pattern. Old records, archives, even intel from the other villages."
Shikamaru nodded. "Understood. And the team?"
"They don't need to know yet. Let Ryo live like a normal genin for a while."
A long silence followed. Shikamaru finally sighed. "Man… things were peaceful for about five minutes."
Naruto smiled faintly. "Peace never lasts long, does it?"
---
Later that evening, Ryo sat on the training log, watching the sunset paint the sky in orange and gold. Sarada was packing up scrolls nearby, Boruto was lying on the grass, and Mitsuki was quietly observing them both.
Ryo's eyes lingered on the horizon. The village looked beautiful from here, calm, glowing, alive. Yet deep inside, he could feel that faint vibration again, the same one from his dreams.
He whispered under his breath, "Who are you really… and what do you want from me?"
The mark gave a soft pulse in response, almost like it had heard him.
---
The morning mist still lingered when Konohamaru called the team to the mission desk. Ryo stood beside Sarada, Boruto, and Mitsuki, trying to look focused, though his heart beat a little faster.
Their first mission after weeks of training wasn't a big one, at least, that's what he thought.
"A band of missing-nin was spotted near the border of the Fire Country," Konohamaru explained, laying a small scroll on the desk. "They've been harassing a merchant route. We're joining a patrol team to investigate."
Boruto's eyes lit up. "Finally, a real mission!"
Sarada sighed. "Don't get too excited. It's still reconnaissance."
Konohamaru smiled faintly. "True, but stay alert. Reports say these missing-nin aren't amateurs."
Ryo clenched his fists quietly. It wasn't fear, it was something else, a stirring inside him that he couldn't describe.
---
They left the village by noon. The forest air was crisp, the path winding and silent except for the soft rustle of leaves. Ryo followed behind Sarada, occasionally glancing at the shadows between the trees.
Boruto kept complaining about how boring it was, while Mitsuki walked calmly, sensing the chakra signatures ahead.
"Five, maybe six," Mitsuki murmured. "Not too far."
Konohamaru nodded. "Stay low. We'll approach from the ridge."
Ryo's heartbeat quickened. His vision sharpened. Every sound, every scent, it all felt clearer than before.
When they reached the ridge, they saw it: a group of masked ninja surrounding a pair of merchants. One of them was injured, the other trembling in fear.
Konohamaru gestured to split formation. Sarada and Boruto flanked the left, Mitsuki moved to cover from behind, and Ryo stayed close to Konohamaru.
"Remember," Konohamaru whispered, "capture if possible. If not"
He didn't finish. The enemy moved first.
Three kunai flew toward them. Konohamaru deflected two; Ryo caught the third mid-air out of reflex. He barely had time to think before one of the masked ninja charged straight at him.
Ryo dodged, his movements sharper than he expected. He swept low and countered with a kick, knocking the enemy off balance. His training with Naruto had made a difference, his body felt faster, his reactions more precise.
But then he froze. The mark on his wrist burned.
A voice echoed in his head, faint but familiar.
"Not enough... you're holding back."
He stumbled for a moment, clutching his wrist. The air around him rippled slightly, and the ground beneath his feet cracked.
"Ryo!" Sarada shouted. "What's happening?"
He couldn't answer. The burning grew worse. For a second, everything around him seemed to slow down, the sound of weapons clashing, Boruto yelling, Konohamaru's jutsu lighting the trees, all faded into a dull hum.
Then something inside him snapped.
His chakra flared violently, golden-red light swirling around his arm. The masked ninja backed away in shock. Even Konohamaru's eyes widened.
"Ryo, control it!" he shouted.
Ryo gritted his teeth, forcing himself to breathe. He could feel it, raw power surging through him, begging to be released. But if he let it go completely, he didn't know what would happen.
Mitsuki appeared beside him in a blur. "Your chakra... it's changing form. You need to stabilize it!"
Ryo dropped to one knee, slamming his hand into the dirt. He focused, just like Naruto had taught him. Inhale, center, exhale...
Slowly, the light began to fade. The burning stopped.
Silence filled the forest.
The last of the missing-nin had already fled, terrified by what they'd seen. The team regrouped around Ryo.
Boruto crouched beside him. "You okay, man?"
"Yeah..." Ryo breathed heavily. "I think so."
Konohamaru's expression was serious, though not angry. "You did well. But that chakra... it's not something I've seen before."
Sarada frowned. "It was like... a mix of natural energy and something else."
Ryo looked at his hand. The mark had faded again, leaving only faint traces of warmth. "I didn't mean for it to happen."
Konohamaru placed a hand on his shoulder. "We'll report this to Lord Seventh. For now, let's head back."
---
Later that night, in the Hokage's office, Naruto stood silently as Konohamaru gave his report.
When it ended, the room fell quiet.
Naruto looked down at his desk. "So it reacted again..."
Konohamaru nodded. "Yes, sir. But he managed to suppress it. Impressive control for someone his age."
Shikamaru, standing by the wall, exhaled sharply. "Troublesome kid. But impressive, yeah."
Naruto's eyes softened. "He reminds me of someone."
Shikamaru smirked. "You mean yourself?"
Naruto chuckled. "Maybe. But there's something else inside him... something even Kurama's unsure about."
He turned to the window, watching the village lights below. "We'll keep him close. Whatever that power is, we'll guide him, before it decides to guide him instead."
---
That night, Ryo sat alone on his balcony, the bandages on his wrist glowing faintly in the moonlight. He looked at the village rooftops in silence.
"I won't lose control again," he whispered. "Not like that."
But deep within him, the voice returned, quiet, almost a whisper carried on the wind.
"You'll need me soon... Ryo."
Ryo's eyes snapped open. The wind fell still.
---