Shorai stepped out of the Hokage Tower, the heavy stone doors thudding shut behind him. He took a moment to survey the village; the air was thick with the rhythmic clack-clack of hammers and the scent of fresh saw-dust. Konoha was rebuilding, but the scars of the invasion remained etched into every charred timber.
He reached inward, awakening the Reality Stone. His perception warped, the world bleeding into a spectrum of heat signatures and chakra coils.
'Now... let's find the pieces on the board.'
He spotted Naruto at Ichiraku Ramen, a bright, chaotic sun of energy. Nearby, the broader, more grounded presence of Jiraiya approached the boy.
'They're preparing to leave.'
Shorai shifted his gaze, scanning the village's blind spots. Two signatures stood out, cold and stagnant—Itachi and Kisame. They moved with a predator's grace, lingering near the shops before drifting toward the cemetery where Hiruzen's fresh grave lay.
Shorai deactivated the Stone, the world snapping back to its duller reality. He didn't have much time. He made a quick run to the ANBU HQ, stripping away the Fox mask and grey armor, reverting to the identity the world knew: the white-haired prodigy.
He was rounding the corner near his apartment when a blur of orange nearly collided with him.
"Shorai!" Naruto shouted, skidding to a halt.
"Where are you rushing to this early, Naruto?" Shorai faked a look of mild surprise, raising a brow at the boy's traveling bag.
"Training, of course!" Naruto grinned, his eyes burning with that familiar, stubborn fire. "I'm going to learn a new awesome jutsu!"
"An awesome jutsu, eh?" Shorai offered a thin, knowing smile. "Shinobi guard their secrets, Naruto. Nobody teaches a stranger techniques for free."
"My new cool sensei will!" Naruto was practically vibrating with eagerness. He leaned in, lowering his voice—though not nearly enough. "The Pervy Sage! Shorai, you have to meet him!"
Shorai winced. The "Stoic Clone" inside his mind seemed to twitch at the lack of discretion. "Naruto... calling own new master by such a nickname, out loud, in public... it's a miracle you haven't been flattened yet."
"Eh? What's the big deal? He is cool, but... he's a total pervert." Naruto huffed, adjusting his bag. "Anyway, I gotta go. He's looking for someone... a woman, he said."
"I assume a 'Pervy Sage' looking for a lady is searching for someone very specific," Shorai remarked. He watched Naruto closely, his sensory web scanning the boy for any residue of the Mind Stone's influence. For now, it was silent—a dormant sun.
"Whatever! I need to hurry! He's waiting!"
Shorai watched Naruto dash into his room to grab the last of his gear. As the boy emerged, Shorai spoke up, his voice casual but calculated. "You know... I've also been tasked with finding a certain special lady. Perhaps we're looking for the same one?"
Naruto paused, swinging his bag over his shoulder. "Special?"
"Very. I'll come with you and ask him about her. It won't be a problem, right?"
"Don't worry! He'll definitely agree!" Naruto beamed.
They walked toward the main gates, Naruto chirping endlessly about his fight with Neji. Shorai listened with a nod, though his mind was running the numbers on Naruto's "lucky" headbutt.
"Naruto! Took you long enough! I was about to leave!"
The voice was energetic, booming with a playful authority. Jiraiya stood by the gate, looking every bit the bored traveler—until his gaze locked onto Shorai.
The air between them seemed to sharpen. Jiraiya's detached expression flickered, his eyes narrowing as he sized up the boy walking beside his student. Shorai didn't flinch, meeting the Sannin's gaze with the practiced poise of an ANBU trainee.
"Erhm... Pervy Sage?" Naruto looked between them, confused by the sudden silence.
"Stop calling me that!" Jiraiya snapped, crossing his arms. "I'm a Sage! A Toad Sage! Now, I don't think I'll teach you anything!"
"Eh? No! Wait!" Naruto panicked, waving his arms. "Please, oh great, best-in-the-world Sage!"
Jiraiya ignored him, his eyes still pinned on Shorai. "And who's the extra baggage?"
"Excuse me for disturbing your peace, sir," Shorai said, offering a respectful bow. "I'm Shorai. Naruto's friend. He mentioned you were embarking on a journey."
Jiraiya's gaze drifted toward Naruto, then back. The boy's aura was... different. Too still. Too composed. "Sir, how may I address you?" Shorai pressed. "Naruto can be an idiot, but his potential runs deep."
"Hey!"
Jiraiya remained silent, appraising the white-haired boy. After a moment, as if finding nothing immediate to exploit, the Sannin's behavior shifted into a theatrical whirl.
"Look and memorize, kid! Mount Myoboku's legendary Toad Sage... Jiraiya the Gallant!"
'Another eccentric,' Shorai thought, a phantom tick appearing under his eye. 'Is there a special trait in this village that makes everyone enter so dramatically? An ultimate Kekkei Genkai of sorts?'
"What was that?" Jiraiya stopped mid-pose.
"Just... reflecting on the honor, Jiraiya-san," Shorai corrected smoothly. "Not many know how difficult it is to reach Mount Myoboku."
"Right." Jiraiya's eyes lost their playfulness for a split second. "You're quite the shinobi yourself, kid. But I don't take more students."
"I'm not seeking a master," Shorai replied. "I'm on a mission of my own. I'm looking for a woman named Tsunade. I suspect she's the one you're searching for."
Jiraiya's smile vanished. He pressed a hand to his chin, his gaze turning clinical. "Tsunade, eh? Is she an elderly woman? In her... fifties?"
Shorai made his eyes go wide, faking a realization. "Same name... how peculiar."
Jiraiya burst into a booming laugh. "Ha! She is... and she isn't. She's a special case. A walking disguise." He leaned in, his tone dropping into something more serious. "Tell the Elders I'm not in the mood for babysitters."
"My mission is to find Tsunade Senju," Shorai said, dropping the act and meeting Jiraiya's eyes with flat, ANBU-level seriousness. "Whatever game they're playing with you is your business. But I have my orders."
Jiraiya sighed, the tension in his shoulders bleeding away. "You'll be looking for her until the end of your life, kid. She's a known gambler and a master of the Henge. She doesn't look fifty at all."
"Then I'm fortunate to have run into you," Shorai said. "May I join your company? It would be... efficient."
"Clever boy." Jiraiya took a step forward, looming over Shorai. "Did Sarutobi train you?"
"Only enough to understand the weight of the Hat," Shorai said, his voice softening with genuine memory.
Jiraiya went quiet, a flicker of nostalgia crossing his face. "He tended to nag a lot," the Sannin muttered, then laughed. "Fine. You can come. But you're paying for the accommodations, 'Mister Prince.'"
"Wha—?" Shorai blinked, then caught himself. He offered a resigned half-smile. "Fine by me. I'll cover the stay."
"Ho-ho! Good! Then let's move!"
As they stepped through the gates, Shorai paused. A final loose thread. He raised two fingers. 'I need to send the right side of me for this.'
Puff.
A cold, piercing stare welcomed the trio. The Stoic Clone stood there, arms crossed.
"Go tell her," Shorai commanded. "And try to be... human."
The clone surveyed Jiraiya and Naruto with a glacial look before vanishing in a silent wind-pulse of Shunshin.
Naruto's jaw dropped. "Shorai... you know the Shadow Clone Jutsu?"
"I do," Shorai replied, falling into step behind Jiraiya. "But I don't have your 'spend-and-forget' reserves, Naruto. My clones are a bit more... complicated."
—
Minutes later, the Stoic Clone appeared outside the Yamanaka Flower Shop, stepping into Ino's line of sight with mechanical precision.
"Is everything alright?" Ino asked, her intuition flaring as she stepped toward him. "You look... different today. Is the mission dangerous?"
"It is not," the clone replied, his voice a flat, crystalline vibration. "I am not him. He sent me in his stead. Heartless, isn't it?"
"C-clone?!" Ino's eyes widened. She began to pace around him, inspecting his features. "Wait... you actually lied to me." Her expression shifted into a frown of mild anger. "Why? And how come you're so cold?"
The clone stared into her azure eyes, his gaze radiating an uncomfortable intensity. He forced his facial muscles to soften—a manual override. "I'm a special variant. I suppose... he would want me to ask for your forgiveness for the petty excuse."
Ino's face relaxed, her anger replaced by a deep, searching curiosity. "So strange... everything about you is like a puzzle. Would he know we're talking?"
"Yes. The experience is shared upon dispelling."
"Then hear this!" Ino narrowed her eyes. "Don't ever send a clone to say goodbye for you again. And don't ever lie to me."
"Noted," the clone replied.
"You're like a total stranger," she murmured, looking away. "Just... go. I'm feeling very uncomfortable."
The Stoic Clone watched her. He took a step forward. With a mechanical pause, he reached out and pulled her into a firm, grounding hug. It lacked the warmth of the original, but it possessed a terrifyingly absolute stability.
"This is what he does, isn't it?" the clone whispered into her ear. "I find this irrational, yet socially required. Your dates will be postponed."
Ino jolted, the touch feeling foreign yet familiar. She slowly raised her arms, returning the embrace. "You're such a different side of him. Be careful... and come back safely."
The words were still hanging in the air when the clone dissolved into a puff of smoke, leaving Ino standing alone in the quiet shop.
—
On the road, Shorai winced, his hand going to his temple as the clone's memories flooded his mind.
'Damn. She saw through it instantly.'
"What are you smiling about?" Naruto asked, looking back as he fixed a bell on a small roadside shrine they had stopped at.
"Just a lingering thought," Shorai replied. He looked at Jiraiya, who was leaning against a stone wall, lost in nostalgia. "Jiraiya-san... you mentioned the Fourth Hokage was your student?"
"He was," Jiraiya said, his bravado returning. "A great man. A hero." He reached out and ruffled Naruto's hair. "You resemble him, in your own loud way."
"Maybe not in the intellectual department," Shorai added dryly.
Jiraiya burst into laughter. "Indeed! The apple fell quite far from that tree. Ha-ha!"
They resumed their walk, the town appearing as a silhouette in the distance.
"So, kid," Jiraiya turned to Shorai, his eyes sharp. "I heard you quit the exams just before the finals. The Third must have put a hell of a lot of trust in your abilities to let you walk away with that A-rank on your record."
"Most of it is a secret," Shorai said, his expression hardening. "Though my abilities still fell short when the invasion began."
Jiraiya watched the boy carefully. He saw the way Shorai's hand drifted to his leather bracelet—the anchor. "No need to be that hard on yourself, Shorai. You did enough to earn my respect."
"Huh? What did you do?" Naruto asked, looking at Shorai in wonder.
"I practiced," Shorai said, a thin crescent smile returning to his lips. "And I prepared for the storm."
"Right! Pervy Sage!" Naruto shouted, breaking the mood. "What about my training?"
"All in due time," Jiraiya chuckled, eyes fixed on the path ahead. "All in due time."