Rain had begun to fall by the time Akari and Raien reached the outskirts of the village. Not the kind that washed away fatigue, but the cold, needling rain that seeped into your bones. Still, the sight of Konoha's outer walls brought a moment of calm—short-lived as it was.
"I'm guessing we don't exactly announce we've returned with a fragment of a forbidden Codex?" Raien asked, pulling his soaked hood back.
Akari didn't answer. His gaze lingered on the towering gates, then shifted to the patrol guard now approaching.
"Akari Uchiha," the chūnin said respectfully. "The Hokage requests your presence immediately. Alone."
Raien raised a brow. "Of course he does."
Akari gave a brief nod. "Head to the residence. And… make sure the scroll's seal hasn't been tampered with."
Raien clapped him on the back. "Try not to start a civil war in the meantime."
Akari didn't smile.
---
Inside the Hokage Tower, the atmosphere was sharp and still. Hashirama sat behind his desk, but it was Tobirama who paced by the window, arms folded tightly.
"You retrieved it," Tobirama said, more statement than question.
Akari placed the sealed fragment on the table.
"You're welcome," he said flatly.
Hashirama's expression was calm, but Tobirama stepped forward, eyes narrow.
"You engaged unknown enemies in an ancient site without reporting your objective."
"I followed the trail my mother left," Akari replied. "And I acted before others could erase it."
"You acted without authority," Tobirama snapped.
Akari's gaze didn't shift. "Would you have granted it?"
A pause.
Hashirama raised a hand. "Enough. We need to understand what this Codex truly represents. If what Akari says is true, it may predate even the Sage's teachings."
Tobirama turned to his brother. "And what if he's wrong? What if these fragments fall into the wrong hands because we failed to control him?"
"I haven't failed," Akari said quietly. "But I won't stand still while someone twists my mother's work into a weapon."
Silence stretched between them. Finally, Hashirama spoke. "You'll have temporary leave from missions. I want you focused on studying the scroll—discreetly. Report only to me."
Akari nodded. Tobirama looked displeased, but said nothing more.
As Akari turned to leave, Hashirama added, "And Akari… tread carefully. There are those within the village who see your name as both a legacy and a threat."
---
Later that night, back in his quarters, Akari unsealed the scroll. Not to read it—yet—but to feel it.
The chakra embedded within was old. Not wild, not evil… but vast. Like an ocean contained in paper.
He closed his eyes. The room was quiet, except for the soft patter of rain against the window. But inside his mind, whispers stirred.
Not voices. Not memories.
Possibilities.
He reached for ink and brush.
And he began to write.
---
Meanwhile, far outside the Land of Fire, a caravan burned beneath blackened skies. The guards lay slain in silence, their chakra drained from within.
At the center of the wreckage stood a woman in white robes, her face hidden beneath a porcelain mask. Her fingers hovered over a small, shattered box.
"The decoy was clever," she murmured. "But the real piece is with him now."
A man stepped beside her—tall, pale, bearing no visible chakra signature. "Shall we proceed?"
The woman looked northward.
"To change the flow of rivers," she whispered, "you begin at the source."
She raised her hand.
"And drown the stone."
---
Back in Konoha, Raien sat alone on the rooftop of Akari's quarters, sharpening a blade. He paused as he sensed something below—Akari's chakra, pulsing faintly with tension.
"You're changing," he muttered under his breath. "Just don't lose yourself in it."
He looked out at the village, lights flickering beneath the storm.
"Because if you do… no one else will be able to stop you."