'It's time...'
A haunting voice, accompanied by a sensation like a cold, caressing touch, shoved Shorai's consciousness out of its dreamless state.
He remained lying still, eyes closed, as the peculiar presence retreated, becoming distant and fleeting. When he finally opened his eyes, the room was unchanged—the same sterile white-grey walls dimmed by morning light filtered through heavy clouds.
He sat up, a frown deepening on his face. 'What was that?'
The sensation of being watched lingered like a physical residue. 'Am I being followed? Or is the Reality Stone's feedback affecting the transition from the lucid state?' He logged the anomaly in his mind for later analysis, showered, and dressed in the somber black outfit prepared for the day.
Outside, the air tasted of ozone and wet stone. He ran into Naruto near the apartment complex. The blonde boy looked like he'd been through a meat grinder; medical tape and bandages occupied most of his face.
"Morning, Naruto."
"Shorai!" Naruto froze, his expression shifting from shock to a desperate kind of relief. "Where were you? I didn't see you at all."
"Calm down," Shorai said, raising a hand to maintain his personal space. "I was helping people get to safety. Orders... from the Hokage."
The mention of the title acted like a curse. Naruto's energy deflated instantly, the sun-bright blue of his eyes softening into a dull, somber hue.
"Let's go, Naruto. The ceremony won't wait." Shorai stepped past him, giving his shoulder a firm, grounding pat.
They walked in a heavy silence toward the Hokage Tower. At the crossroads, they found Sasuke standing alone, staring at the scarred skyline. He glanced back as they approached, his usual scowl momentarily softened before it hardened back into a mask of indifference. Sakura joined them a moment later, her eyes wide and red-rimmed.
"Shorai! You're safe!" Her voice cracked the morning quiet.
Shorai nodded, his gaze meeting Sasuke's. There was a flicker of a challenge in the Uchiha's eyes—unspoken questions about where Shorai had been—but Sasuke simply turned and led the way toward the Tower.
As they reached the final intersection before the Tower, Ino and her squad emerged from a side street. Shorai barely had time to register her movement before he felt the impact of a sudden push, followed by a fierce, trembling embrace.
"Is it... is it really you?" she whispered against his shoulder, her ponytail hidden under a cloth cover.
"Yes, Ino," Shorai replied. He hugged her back, feeling the tremor in her spine. The others stopped, watching the exchange in rooted silence. Sakura watched them with moist eyes before looking away, catching Sasuke's unreadable stare as he continued walking toward the entrance.
Shorai rubbed Ino's back, feeling the dampness of her tears soak into his shirt.
"I'm fine. It's over."
"I was worried sick," she sobbed, her grip tightening until it hurt. "I thought you were dead. Nobody knew anything."
"I'm sorry for making you worry," Shorai leaned in, his voice a low murmur meant only for her. "Be at ease, Ino. I have ways to survive. No matter the situation, I can escape even an incoming death."
"That's not reassuring at all," she whispered back, pulling away just enough to look at him with azure eyes clouded by grief and exhaustion.
Shorai glanced at the others, nodding for them to go on without him. Once they were alone, he turned his full attention back to Ino.
"I am one of a few who was placed on special duty during the Exams and the invasion," he explained, his voice clinical but not unkind. "That comes with an imposed secrecy, Ino. Since my graduation, the Third recognized a specific utility in my skills... and the Kekkei Genkai I unlocked."
"You... you have a Kekkei Genkai?" she blinked, the shock momentarily overriding her grief.
"I do. I specialize in fast, precise combat. My path was altered by the Hokage, but as much as I want to spare you this anxiety, my career is bound in silence. Unless the Elders or the next Hokage lift it, I cannot speak of where I go."
He let the weight of that statement hang in the air.
"For your safety and mine, my work involves details that cannot be shared. I apologize if that is difficult to accept."
"I know the danger, dummy," Ino took a shaky breath, her gaze sharpening. "I had my suspicions. You aren't like the others."
"I will always look out for you," Shorai said, reaching out to wipe a tear from her cheek. "Even during the chaos at the Stadium, I made sure you were safe."
"What do you mean?"
"I will always be honest with you, but I do not want you to live in fear. As I said before, I want a consensus between us—a relationship built on understanding. But there is another side to that coin: compromise."
He placed a finger on her lips before she could protest.
"Compromise is reserved for two things: emergency necessity and personal aspects that must remain hidden for safety. If a danger involves you directly, I will share it. But if it is something I can solve on my own, I ask you to trust me to handle it. For your sake."
He pulled her head back to his shoulder. "My unique abilities... there are consequences for their exposure. Like what you saw in my mind space. It is a flaw born of necessity. If a time comes when I can safely share more, I will."
Ino pulled back slightly, her voice a plea. "Are other... girls... part of this 'compromise'?"
"No," Shorai said firmly. "They are not part of any necessity. As I've come to enjoy your company and your personality, you have become the priority."
"Yet... you won't accept my affection fully? This game you play..."
"I'm watching you, Ino. My focus is on you, but trust is built on mutual experience, not just words. Do you want to spend your life in a cycle of jealousy and obsession? I aspire to intimacy, not restrictions."
She sighed, averting her eyes.
"Then look at me. Watch my actions. My reputation and your trust won't be built on sweet promises. Let us have a mutual agreement: I won't hurt you, and you won't hurt me."
"As if you had to say that!" Ino's brows furrowed, a spark of her usual fire returning.
"Other girls may appear as candidates in your eyes. I cannot stop your natural response to that. But I am certain of one thing," Shorai smiled thinly. "No matter how hard a man tries, his efforts are only enough to make one already happy woman even happier. Only one."
Ino looked perplexed. "You know, you tend to sound like someone from my father's circle. Quite often, actually. But still—who told you that?"
"Some wise people... perhaps in dreams. The reality is that I cannot divide my attention, my time, or my love between multiple people. No one wins in that situation."
"Hmph. I've heard some men do it easily," Ino narrowed her eyes. "I'll be the judge of that."
"What a lovely, silly girl you are," Shorai shook his head, taking her hand. "Isn't it clear we don't wish to share each other? Come. We're late."
As they hurried into the Tower, Shorai caught the softening of her expression. A thin, fragile smile touched her lips.
—
The ceremony began at 10:00 AM under a sky the color of lead.
Shorai stood beside Ino, their hands locked in a tight, grounding grip. The only sound was the rhythmic weeping of Konohamaru, a raw noise that stripped away any illusion of "victory."
As Shorai stared at Hiruzen's portrait, he felt a strange detachment. He didn't feel the crushing weight of grief, only a sequence of memories playing back like a recorded reel.
'An inevitable part of existence,' he thought. 'Run from it, hide from it. In the end, you fall back into the artist's clay.'
Rain began to fall—a cold, steady drizzle. Shorai watched the droplets hit the coffin, aware of the melancholy rising in his own chest but observing it as if it belonged to someone else. He glanced at Ino, her face a mask of sorrow, and squeezed her hand.
'To grow. To marry. To experience the cycle. But the journey is always solo, and death is the only certainty. The Stoic Clone isn't wrong; he just skips the pleasantries.'
When it was his turn, he stepped forward and placed a flower on the wood.
'Most people don't know you're in a prison, Grandpa. But one day your soul will be free, and your final journey will begin.'
—
After the ceremony, the crowd dispersed into the rain. Naruto left with Iruka, and the rest of Team 7 declined dinner, each lost in their own shadows.
As Shorai walked with Ino, he spotted a familiar figure—Boar, dressed in a civilian coat, standing by the roadside. They exchanged a silent, heavy nod. Ino noticed, her eyes darting between them, but she said nothing.
"Shorai, good to see you well." Inoichi Yamanaka approached from behind, his gaze calculating. "You're quite a talented shinobi."
"Thank you, sir," Shorai bowed. "My efforts are for the village... and for Ino."
"Keep proving yourself, boy," Inoichi said, his green eyes measuring Shorai's worth. "Ino, we have a clan meeting. Say your goodbyes."
Once Ino was gone, Shorai didn't go home. He doubled back, slipping through the Academy tunnels toward ANBU HQ.
"Shorai? Back so soon?"
Eagle and Owl were already in the ready room, removing their masks. Kaito and Kōji looked drained.
"Felt like my face missed something," Shorai replied, pulling his Fox mask from a storage scroll.
"Change then. We're resting for an hour, then we head back out," Kaito said, cracking open a drink.
Shorai looked around the room. "Where is Massaru?"
Kōji paused, the sound of his drink opening echoing in the silence. "K.I.A."
"My condolences," Shorai said, his voice flat.
"Join us," Kōji said quietly. "For his memory."
—
The following days were a blur of circular patrols and high-tension surveillance. The gaps in the walls were filled with stockades, and the barrier teams worked double shifts.
Then, a summons came.
Shorai entered the mission hall to find Shikaku Nara behind the desk, flanked by Elders Homura and Koharu. The air was thick with the scent of old paper.
"Lord Shikaku. Elders." Fox knelt.
"Fox," Shikaku sighed, looking older than he had a week ago. "There is a special escort mission. High priority."
"The VIP?"
"One of the Sannin," Shikaku said. "Lord Jiraiya."
Shorai remained motionless. "My orders?"
"Jiraiya is... difficult," Homura stated. "The Fifth's seat is empty. We decided he should fill it. He refused."
"He's seeking out the other Sannin, Tsunade Senju," Koharu added. "He refuses a formal guard. A headache for security."
"A distant watch?" Shorai asked.
"No," Shikaku shook his head. "Jiraiya is taking Uzumaki Naruto with him. You will join them as a fellow Genin. Your ANBU status remains, but the mask stays off. Keep it professional."
"I understand."
"Naruto is a vital asset," Koharu said sternly. "We cannot let a weapon fall into enemy hands. Or escape."
"I will do everything in my power to ensure he remains secure," Shorai said, standing slowly.
"Good. Dismissed."
Shorai turned to leave, the weight of the new mask—the "Genin" mask—already beginning to settle over his thoughts. The new storm was brewing on the horizon.