Training grounds behind the Hokage residence were quiet that morning. The air was crisp, the sky pale blue, and faint steam rose from the damp grass. Ryo stood in the center of the field, facing Naruto, who had his usual relaxed smile, the kind that made even a tense situation feel less heavy.
"So," Naruto began, crossing his arms, "you've been causing quite a stir lately, huh?"
Ryo scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "I didn't mean to. It just… happened."
Naruto chuckled. "Yeah, I heard. You almost blew a chunk of forest off the map." He took a step closer, his tone softening. "Don't worry about it. Losing control once doesn't mean you're a danger. It just means you haven't learned how to listen to yourself yet."
Ryo tilted his head. "Listen to myself?"
"Your chakra talks," Naruto said, tapping his chest. "It's not just energy. It's emotion, memory, willpower. When you panic or doubt, it reacts. That's why it goes wild."
Ryo nodded slowly. It made sense, in a strange way. "So, you want me to train how to… talk back?"
Naruto grinned. "Exactly. We're gonna teach you how to keep it steady, no matter what happens."
He motioned toward a patch of open ground. "Alright, first step, show me your chakra control."
Ryo inhaled, then focused. The ground around him shifted slightly as faint traces of energy rose from his skin. He concentrated on compressing it, just like he had during the Academy drills. A thin layer of golden-red light shimmered briefly around his hands, before flickering out.
Naruto watched carefully. "Not bad. But that mix of color… that's not normal chakra." He narrowed his eyes slightly. "There's something else inside it."
Ryo frowned. "You can sense that too?"
Naruto nodded. "Yeah. It's faint, but familiar."
He paused, almost as if listening to something far away. "When I look at you, it's like there's a shadow buried deep under your chakra. It feels alive."
Ryo felt a chill run down his spine. "I've been feeling it too. It's like someone's… watching me from the inside."
Naruto's smile faded. "Then we'll go deeper. Meditation training. If you can reach that presence, we might learn what it is."
---
Hours passed. They sat cross-legged in the clearing, eyes closed.
Naruto's voice guided him through every step.
"Breathe. Don't chase your chakra. Let it flow. Picture yourself standing inside your own energy."
Ryo followed the instructions, focusing on his breath. Slowly, the outside world began to fade, the sound of wind, birds, even the hum of insects. Everything became distant.
He opened his eyes… and realized he was no longer sitting in the forest.
He was standing in a dark, empty space. The ground looked like black water, reflecting faint light from above. In front of him stood a massive gate, sealed with thick chains and a paper tag that glowed with faint kanji.
"Where… am I?" he whispered.
From behind him came a voice, deep, calm, with a hint of laughter.
"Took you long enough to show up."
Ryo turned sharply. His breath caught in his throat.
Standing across from him was Naruto… but not quite the same. His eyes glowed gold, and behind him loomed a massive figure of orange light, Kurama.
The real Naruto appeared beside him a moment later, slightly transparent, like a projection of his consciousness. "Heh. Guess we did it."
Ryo stepped back in confusion. "This… is inside you?"
Naruto nodded. "My inner world. Kurama's still part of me, even if he's quiet most of the time."
Kurama's voice rumbled like thunder. "And you brought a guest. Bold, even for you, Naruto."
Ryo stared up at the giant fox, awe and fear mixing in his chest. The chakra radiating from Kurama wasn't hostile, but it was overwhelming, ancient and alive.
Naruto smiled faintly. "Kurama, meet Ryo. He's the one I told you about."
Kurama's eyes narrowed. "So this is the boy. I've sensed that strange aura around him for weeks. It's… familiar."
Ryo swallowed. "Familiar? You've felt this before?"
Kurama leaned closer, his massive eyes glowing brighter. "Not exactly. But whatever sleeps inside you… it's older than either of us."
The words made Ryo's heart skip. "Older…?"
The air around them shifted suddenly. A pulse of energy rippled from Ryo's chest, shaking the water beneath his feet.
The chains on the gate rattled.
Naruto's eyes widened. "Wait, that's!"
Before he could finish, the seal behind Ryo cracked slightly, and a faint voice echoed out, cold, quiet, yet almost human.
"…You finally opened the door."
Ryo froze. The voice wasn't Kurama's. It was inside him.
The dark water rippled violently. A faint silhouette appeared behind the broken seal, tall, indistinct, with glowing white eyes. Its voice carried a strange calm.
"Ryo Kazehara. You've walked far enough without knowing who you really are."
Naruto stepped in front of him instinctively. "Who the hell are you?"
The shadow smiled faintly. "You wouldn't understand, Hokage. This child carries a fragment, not of chakra, but of something that predates even the tailed beasts."
Kurama growled. "Impossible. Nothing existed before us."
The shadow's form flickered. "Then you've forgotten… the first fire."
The seal snapped shut again, leaving silence behind.
Ryo fell to his knees, gasping for air, the vision fading.
---
Ryo's eyes shot open. He was back in the training field, trembling, sweat dripping down his face. Naruto crouched beside him, eyes serious now.
"You saw something, didn't you?"
Ryo nodded weakly. "A voice… someone, something, inside me. It said it's older than the tailed beasts."
Naruto stayed quiet for a moment, then said softly, "Whatever it is, we'll figure it out together. You're not alone, Ryo."
Kurama's faint laughter echoed in the back of Naruto's mind.
"Better keep an eye on that kid. His story's about to get messy."
Naruto exhaled deeply. "Yeah… I know."
---
Author's Thoughts:
The secret within Ryo has started to take form, and it might be something even Naruto doesn't fully understand.
If you enjoyed this intense chapter, don't forget to comment, add to your collection, and send your Power Stone to support the story!
---
The following days passed with quiet intensity. Every morning, Ryo trained under Naruto's supervision, learning how to balance his chakra and control the faint flickers of that strange energy that lingered beneath it. The mark on his wrist, once faint and barely noticeable, began to react more often, glowing faintly whenever his emotions surged.
Naruto kept a close eye on him but tried to act casual about it. "Don't overthink it," he'd say, though his expression always carried a hint of worry. "Just focus on understanding yourself."
Sarada often joined them, usually after finishing her team duties. She'd sit under a tree nearby, arms crossed, pretending she wasn't watching too closely.
"Your form's sloppy again," she said one afternoon when Ryo stumbled after a failed chakra burst.
Ryo turned, panting. "I didn't ask for commentary."
She smirked. "You didn't have to. I'm offering it anyway."
Naruto laughed softly in the background. "You two remind me of me and Sasuke back in the day."
Sarada rolled her eyes. "I'm not him."
"Yeah," Naruto said with a grin. "You're a lot more patient."
Sarada sighed but didn't deny it. Despite her teasing, she often stayed late, helping Ryo correct his hand seals or sparring with him until sunset. Their teamwork had started to feel more natural, like something was finally clicking between them.
But there were moments, brief flashes, when things went wrong.
One evening, while attempting a chakra concentration drill, Ryo's energy spiked uncontrollably. The mark on his wrist flared with golden-red light, and a gust of chakra burst outward, scorching the ground in a perfect circle. Sarada barely shielded herself with a quick Earth Wall, while Naruto appeared behind Ryo in an instant, gripping his shoulder to steady him.
"Ryo!" Naruto shouted. "Breathe! Focus!"
Ryo's hands trembled, the light flickering wildly. He forced himself to inhale deeply, then exhale until the glow faded. When it finally died out, he collapsed to one knee, drenched in sweat.
Sarada rushed forward, frowning. "That wasn't normal."
Naruto's face was serious now. "No. That thing inside him… it's growing stronger."
Ryo looked up weakly. "You think it's dangerous?"
Naruto hesitated before answering. "Not yet. But if you let fear control you, it could be."
He helped Ryo to his feet and looked him straight in the eye. "Listen. Whatever that thing is, it's part of you now. If you fight it, it'll fight back. But if you try to understand it… maybe it'll listen."
Those words stayed in Ryo's mind long after training ended.
---
That night, he couldn't sleep. He sat alone on the rooftop of his temporary quarters, staring at the Hokage Monument glowing faintly under the moonlight. His body still ached from the day's session, and the mark on his wrist pulsed slowly, like a heartbeat.
He clenched his fist. "Who are you? What do you want from me?"
The air stirred slightly, and for a brief second, he thought he heard a whisper again, soft, faint, and almost curious.
"…You'll know soon enough."
Ryo froze, scanning the shadows. "Who's there?"
No answer came. Only the wind.
He sighed and leaned back, staring at the stars. "Figures. Guess cryptic voices come with the territory."
A voice behind him interrupted his thoughts. "You talk to yourself a lot."
Ryo turned to see Sarada standing there, arms folded, still in her training gear.
"Couldn't sleep," she said simply, walking over and sitting beside him. "I figured you'd be up here."
Ryo smiled faintly. "Do I look that predictable?"
"Pretty much."
They sat in silence for a while, the kind that didn't feel awkward. The village lights below shimmered like fireflies, and somewhere far away, a patrol of shinobi passed by.
Finally, Sarada spoke. "Naruto-sensei believes in you, you know."
Ryo glanced at her. "Even after everything?"
"Especially after everything," she said. "He's like that. He sees potential even when people don't see it themselves."
Ryo looked down at his hand, the mark faintly glowing under the moonlight. "I'm just… scared I'll lose control again."
Sarada's tone softened. "Then don't face it alone."
He turned to her, surprised by her sincerity.
"You've got people here," she continued, her voice quiet. "Me. Him. Even Konohamaru-sensei. You're part of this village now, whether you realize it or not."
For a moment, Ryo didn't know what to say. The warmth in her voice caught him off guard.
He smiled faintly. "Thanks, Sarada."
She shrugged. "Don't make me regret saying that."
Ryo laughed softly, and for the first time in a while, the weight in his chest felt lighter.
---
The next morning, Naruto found Ryo already training alone before sunrise. His movements were sharper, more controlled. He wasn't just forcing his chakra anymore, he was listening to it, shaping it carefully.
Naruto watched quietly from the distance and smiled.
"Looks like he's finally starting to find his rhythm."
Kurama's voice echoed faintly in his mind. "Careful, Naruto. That boy's energy… it's not just his own anymore."
Naruto nodded slightly, eyes still on Ryo. "Yeah. I can feel it. But I think he's starting to feel it too."
The wind blew across the training field, carrying the faint scent of rain. Ryo stood still, breathing steadily, unaware that his journey, and the truth about the shadow inside him, was only beginning.
---