Morning mist crept through the narrow streets of Konoha like silent watchers. In the upper chamber of the Hokage Tower, Yura—a shadow of the Anbu—knelt before Tobirama. Her closed eyes knew too well the danger her words carried.
"He's not alone," she reported. "Akari is traveling with Raien. An Uchiha—long thought dead."
Tobirama narrowed his eyes. "Unexpected."
"There's more," Yura continued. "They entered the Kozai ruins. Something there... may have awakened."
Tobirama's voice chilled. "There are things that should never wake, Yura. If Akari doesn't realize that... we'll lose more than time."
"What are your orders?"
"Observe. Do not engage. But if the line is crossed... you will strike the final blow."
---
As dawn warmed the forest, Akari and Raien walked a narrow path covered in roots and silence. The trees whispered secrets in the wind, every bend a shadow, every silence a test.
Raien broke it first. "We know Tobirama's watching."
"We do," Akari said. "But he's not the only one. Sayaka's on the move too."
Raien raised a brow. "She's still alive?"
"She never left," Akari replied. "One of the quiet ones. Those who remember too well."
Raien paused. "And you? Do you still remember?"
Akari didn't answer.
---
Far away, at the edge of a moss-covered temple hidden in the forest, Sayaka stood before a stone door bearing the old Uchiha crest. Her silver-white hair drifted in the wind.
A younger shinobi stood beside her. "Is this the place?"
"It is," she said calmly. "This is where the clan's sins were buried."
"We have Akari's coordinates. Shall we intercept?"
Sayaka touched the stone. "No. He'll come to us. But first, he must remember why he exists."
---
By late afternoon, Akari and Raien reached the ruins of a forgotten village. Stone homes had crumbled, moss crept over every surface. In the center stood an old man, hunched and still, like he'd been waiting for decades.
"You've come this far," the man said. "So you've figured out whose blood you carry."
Akari said nothing.
"You were built with Senju flesh and Uchiha flame. But your soul?" The man smirked. "Still a child's."
Raien's hand moved toward his weapon. "What do you want?"
"Me? Nothing. But she wants you." The man pressed a hand to the stone ground. A seal glowed.
The ground shifted. Stone receded to reveal a hidden passage.
"A hidden chamber," Raien muttered.
Akari looked at the old man. "What's down there?"
"Your past. And the price of running from your future."
---
They descended into darkness. The corridor opened into a hall, its walls painted with images of ancient wars. Senju and Uchiha—bloodied, clashing endlessly.
Raien heard a whisper. "The walls… they speak."
Akari moved toward the altar in the center. Resting atop it was a broken mask. Familiar.
Visions struck him like lightning. His mother's eyes. Tobirama's voice. Screams. Silence. Cold.
The mask cracked fully as he touched it.
"Get back!" Raien shouted.
Too late.
Akari's eyes lit with a violet hue. The air around him thickened. A seal deep within his chakra stirred, foreign yet familiar.
Raien took a step back. "That's not your chakra. That's something else."
Akari's voice had changed—deeper, layered. "I am not made of one legacy."
---
Back in the temple, Sayaka's eyes opened.
"It begins."