Akari's fists clenched at his sides, but he kept his voice even. "Then tell me, Sayaka. Tell me what you know about what's inside me."
Sayaka stepped closer, her expression unreadable. "You already feel it, don't you? The power waking beneath your skin. The fracture in your chakra, the instability in your seals. That's not a curse. It's a legacy you were never supposed to carry."
Raien took a careful step forward. "Enough riddles. Just say it."
Sayaka looked at him, her tone colder now. "You don't command me, Uchiha. You're only here because he trusts you."
Akari spoke before Raien could respond. "Then talk to me. What legacy?"
Sayaka's eyes fixed on his. "Your mother was Senju. But not just any—she was one of Tobirama's earliest seal-weavers. A kunoichi trained in forbidden methods. Your father was Uchiha—but also a traitor. The village called it treason. He called it balance."
Akari's jaw tightened. "Balance?"
"He wanted to end the war from the inside," Sayaka said. "He believed the clans couldn't unify unless someone bore the burden of both legacies. So they created you."
Raien's voice was hushed. "An experiment."
Sayaka nodded. "A weapon made to bring peace."
Akari looked away, into the dying light of the battlefield. "And they failed."
"No," Sayaka said softly. "They failed. But you're still standing."
---
Silence fell between them, but it wasn't empty. It was the silence of recognition. Of old wounds seen clearly for the first time.
Then Raien asked, "Why now? Why reveal this to him now?"
Sayaka's answer was quiet. "Because the Hokage sent someone to erase what's left of this story. And they're already in the forest."
Akari didn't flinch. "Who?"
"Yura," Sayaka said. "Your former shadow."
Raien's eyes narrowed. "She won't be easy to stop."
"She won't try to stop you," Sayaka said. "She'll try to end you."
---
That night, the forest was too quiet. Every owl's call felt rehearsed, every breeze like it carried secrets.
They didn't make camp. There was no point.
As they moved through the trees, Akari's senses sharpened. He could feel it—pressure in the air, a faint hum beneath his skin.
Raien caught his eye. "She's close."
Akari gave a single nod. "Split left. I'll draw her out."
Raien vanished into the trees.
Seconds later, steel flickered through the dark. A kunai lodged into a tree where Akari's head had been.
Yura stepped from the shadows, her mask glinting.
"You always were predictable," she said.
Akari turned slowly. "And you always liked the easy kill."
Yura didn't smile. "Orders are orders."
"I'm not your enemy," he said.
She paused. "You're not. But if you awaken fully... you'll become something far worse."
Akari stepped forward, slowly. "Then don't fight me. Help me control it."
For a moment, she wavered. Then—
A blade flashed. The fight began.