"Haha! Mom, look what I found — this weird fruit!"
"Give it back! It's mine!"
"Stop fighting or I'll eat it right now!"
"Yeah right, you never follow through—"
Chomp. "Ugh, it tastes awful! What the hell is this? It's like... crap! Is this thing poisonous? Oh god— I can't breathe—"
It's so hot… My body's burning up from the inside! Mom… it hurts, help me… please...
I can't take it… Kill me... every part of me feels like it's melting! Someone, anyone—please, save me!
Aahhhh! My bones… they're breaking apart—!
It's so bright... Is that light? It feels so warm...
…
"Hi there, big brother. My name's Uchiha Kairen, but you can call me Kairen. That's what my parents do," said a small boy with a familiar yet distant smile.
"You're Uchiha Kairen? Then… who am I?" asked the nine-year-old boy.
"You'll have to answer that yourself, big brother. You came here following the light — into my body."
Kairen's voice was calm, resigned. "I already know I'm dead. What you're seeing now is my consciousness. I'm still here because of that light." He pointed to a small glowing sphere floating beside them.
"It's sealed this space. You can access my memories because I willingly shared them with you. I didn't want my parents to grieve. While I've been here, I also saw your memories."
"In your world, this is just a manga — our clan wiped out, our lives ended with a few inked panels. But here, it's real. When a clan dies here, it's not a story — it's blood, family, and faces you'll never see again. Why? What did those children ever do?!"
The boy's eyes spun — three tomoe Sharingan flaring crimson.
"This time, I've found a way. I'll make you stronger, big brother. Only through power can we protect our clan, our home, and our parents' smiles. You just focus on living. I'll handle the light."
"Mangekyō Sharingan!"
The sphere of light brightened, taking the shape of a fruit.
"Seize Spirit, Alter Fate!"
The fruit slowly merged into Kairen's chest. He screamed as his body began to dissolve into light once again.
"Brother… from now on, you are me, and I am you. My home is your home. Don't let our parents cry. Don't let our clan vanish. Farewell — you who came with the light."
Warmth. Comfort. Light. It felt like the two of them had truly become one.
"Hey! You awake? You were mumbling about how good it felt! You can hear me, right? You're not blind, are you?!" shouted a masked medic-nin, panicked.
"This idiot... What's with this old man's drama? You blind? I'm not! And I can hear just fine, lunatic," Uchiha Kairen muttered.
"I swear, he's acting weird," said Uchiha Retsu, frowning. "Maybe someone else should check him. The injury was to his head."
"I don't know…" Uchiha Honō added. "He seems different. Before, he was quiet — like something was weighing on him. Now he looks... lighter. Like he let something go."
"Let go, huh?" Kairen grinned faintly. "Maybe. I had a dream... and I understood something. I'm a man touched by light — my brother gave me a mission I can't ignore: to save all of you."
"You picking how you wanna die?" Uchiha Ankoku asked the masked medic.
Retsu cracked his knuckles. "If you keep talking, I'll bury you myself — in the clan's honor."
"Kairen, you sure you're alright?" Honō asked, skeptical.
"Yeah. Just a dream. I'm fine now. Don't worry."
"Haha! Guess I get to live another day!" the medic laughed nervously.
…
Two days later, Kairen was fully recovered. Whatever that dream was, it had changed him. For the first time, he felt truly part of this living, breathing world — a world of family, clan, friends… and IV drips.
Finally free from the hospital bed, he disguised himself with a Transformation Jutsu, taking the shape of a plain middle-aged man, and walked out of the clinic.
The masked medic watched him leave, shaking his head. "That kid's built different. Maybe I should set him up with my daughter... though his sensei's terrifying."
Kairen left the valley and returned to the pond where he'd once fought. It was quiet now, peaceful. He inhaled deeply, focusing his chakra.
He performed several Ninjutsu, testing his coordination — faster seals, smoother chakra flow. He tried Kenjutsu, still clumsy. "Yeah, can't expect sword skills to level up just from one fight."
He laughed at himself, then lay back on the grass. Sunlight warmed his face — so bright, so gentle, so… familiar.
Wait.
He sat up suddenly, Sharingan spinning. That dream — maybe it wasn't just a dream. His body felt different under the sunlight. He stretched out his right hand, focusing his chakra.
Instead of the usual blue glow, golden chakra flared around his palm. He slammed it into the ground. Boom! A crater. Smaller than Tsunade's, but still powerful.
A grin spread across his face. "I get it now, little brother."
He trained for hours, leaving the ground full of craters. Perched on a tree branch, he whispered to himself:
"This is incredible... That dream, that fruit — it's like I've eaten one of those mythical fruits from another world. Kairen fused with it... turned into it... and merged with me. He erased its poison and gave me his power."
"He became my strength — his will, his love for the clan... all of it lives on through me."
"Uchiha truly are a clan of love."
He looked down at his glowing hand. "This... must be Light Release — a fusion of Fire, Lightning, and Wind, with Yang Release mixed in. This isn't just a Kekkei Genkai... it's a Kekkei Tōta — a Bloodline Selection."
He clenched his fist. "No one can know. Not yet. For now, I'll hide it — maybe use it to recover chakra faster under sunlight. But... Light Release deepens my understanding of fire, lightning, and wind…"
"Heh. If I can't use Light Release openly, maybe I'll start with something simple — like Chidori. The Fourth Hokage's still in school; even Kakashi hasn't developed it yet."
"With this new insight into Lightning Release, I can create Chidori Stream, refine it, and pass it to the clan. It'll strengthen us — unify us. And while I'm at it, maybe I'll finish the Rasengan too."
Determined, Uchiha Kairen smiled toward the sunlight.
Time to get to work.