Konoha's outer walls loomed in the distance as dawn spilled gold across the treetops. Akari, cloaked in silence, moved through the underbrush. Raien trailed a few paces behind, his senses alert.
They hadn't spoken since the encounter with Yura. The weight of unspoken things hung heavy between them—like fog, thick and unwelcome.
Finally, Raien broke the silence.
"She wasn't trying to kill you."
Akari didn't stop. "Doesn't mean she wouldn't have."
"Maybe. Or maybe she was trying to make sure you still had a reason to live."
That slowed Akari.
He turned, eyes narrowed, but Raien had already moved past him.
"Let's just find Sayaka," Raien muttered. "Before your seal eats through your spine."
---
Within Konoha, tensions simmered.
The village had weathered its first winter, but peace was as fragile as thin ice. The clans—Senju, Uchiha, Sarutobi—existed in a careful, watchful balance. One wrong step could fracture it all.
And Akari knew he was that wrong step.
They arrived at the old archives near the western tower, hidden beneath a rusted shrine gate. Sayaka's message had been simple: Come alone. Bring nothing but truth.
But Akari had never been good at coming alone.
He stepped inside the dark passage, his footsteps echoing against stone. Shadows lined the corridor like ghosts of the past.
Sayaka was waiting, her silhouette framed by flickering candlelight. She was older than he remembered—her eyes sharper, voice colder.
"You came," she said.
"I want the truth," Akari replied.
"No," she said. "You need the truth. There's a difference."
She tossed a scroll onto the table. Seals lined its surface—ancient, buried clan sigils.
"This is from before the village," Sayaka said. "Back when your bloodline was still a threat to both Senju and Uchiha."
Akari opened it slowly. The script danced beneath his eyes, revealing names long buried, curses hidden in chakra strands, and a legacy tied to war itself.
"You're saying my clan—"
"Was erased. Silenced. Because power unchecked is always a danger." Sayaka stepped closer. "And because Madara feared what your kind could become."
Akari's breath caught.
Not because he was surprised—but because deep down, part of him had always known.
Raien stepped out of the shadows. "So what now?"
Sayaka met Akari's eyes. "Now, you decide. Hide like your ancestors… or rise, and remind the world why they were afraid."