Noah and Sasuke hadn't been talking long when someone approached from the far end of the street.
An older man, composed and deliberate, walked toward them in formal robes marked with authority. Even without introductions, his presence carried weight.
Still, he offered one.
"Hiruzen Sarutobi," he said, stopping a respectful distance away. "I've heard a great deal about you, Mr. Vale."
Noah lifted the book in his hand slightly, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "Likewise. Hard not to, considering."
Hiruzen glanced at the book, then inclined his head. "So you've read it as well. That makes this conversation easier."
He hesitated for only a moment before continuing.
"I came on behalf of the village… to apologize."
Sasuke didn't react, but his eyes flicked sideways.
Hiruzen's tone remained steady. "If anything written there has caused offense, please understand—those actions were based on incomplete information. Misjudgments. We hope you won't hold them against us."
Noah waved a hand, dismissive. "I'm not losing sleep over it."
He studied the old man for a second, amused. Even after everything written in that book, they were still trying to smooth things over like nothing had happened.
Not bad.
A safe play.
—
A short distance away, a group of ninja watched the exchange unfold.
Their expressions were… complicated.
They had all read the same book.
And while Noah looked perfectly normal—calm, even approachable—what he'd done in those pages painted a very different picture.
Someone coughed quietly.
"No way that's the guy…"
Another muttered, "He doesn't look like it."
No one said the rest out loud.
They didn't need to.
—
Back near the building, Hiruzen shifted the conversation.
"According to the book, you don't use chakra," he said carefully. "Would you like someone to guide you? We can arrange a teacher."
Noah tilted his head. "What kind of teacher?"
Hiruzen paused.
Noah's smile widened just a little.
Then he shrugged. "Relax. I'll pass. Just give me the materials. I can figure it out."
Hiruzen nodded immediately. "Of course."
Within minutes, a copied section of restricted training material was delivered.
No hesitation.
No bargaining.
They handed it over like it was a library card.
—
Back inside Sasuke's place, Noah flipped through the pages.
It took him only a few seconds.
Chakra, as described here, was a fusion of physical energy and mental focus. A balanced system, drawn from every cell in the body, refined and directed through an internal network.
Useful.
Simple, in theory.
He closed his eyes.
And listened.
—
At first, there was nothing.
Then—structure.
Something new began to take shape beneath his awareness. Pathways, like a network of invisible channels threading through his body. Points of convergence—hundreds of them—lighting up faintly as if they had always been there, just waiting to be noticed.
Noah followed the pattern, mapping it instinctively.
"So that's how it flows…"
He lingered there for a moment, committing every detail to memory.
On a fundamental level, it wasn't anything exotic. Still bound by the same building blocks as everything else.
Which meant, eventually, it could be controlled. Modified.
Rewritten.
That thought alone made it interesting.
—
He began the process.
Drawing from both body and mind, he pulled energy inward, shaping it the way the text described.
The response was immediate.
Energy surged.
Fast.
Too fast.
What would take an ordinary person months began accumulating in seconds. The channels filled almost as quickly as they formed, brimming with a pale, shifting glow.
Outside, a member of the Hyuga clan watched through active vision, his breath catching.
"That's… not normal."
Hiruzen stood beside him. "Report."
The Hyuga ninja swallowed. "He didn't have chakra before. That part's true."
A beat.
"But now? It's building at a rate I've never seen. Every second… it's like months of training compressed into an instant."
Hiruzen's grip tightened slightly on his pipe.
That wasn't talent.
That was something else entirely.
—
Fifteen minutes later, Noah opened his eyes.
The energy inside him felt… different.
Denser. Sharper. More responsive than what he'd used before.
He let it settle, easing off the flow.
Plenty to work with.
A thought crossed his mind.
If this system could be pushed further—compressed, refined—it might be possible to create something far more destructive. A concentrated mass of energy, balanced just right…
He glanced out the window.
Not here.
Probably not a great idea.
—
A sudden shout broke the moment.
"Let go of me! I'm not done yet!"
Noah leaned slightly out the window.
Below, a blond teenager was struggling against Sasuke's grip, trying very hard—and failing—to storm the building.
Naruto Uzumaki.
Noah recognized him immediately.
"Hey!" Naruto pointed up at him the second he was spotted. "You're Noah Vale, right?!"
Noah rested his arms casually on the window frame. "That's me. And you are… the loud one."
Naruto ignored that.
His expression burned with outrage.
"What the hell is wrong with you?!"
Now that drew attention.
People nearby turned, watching.
Noah raised an eyebrow. "You'll have to be more specific."
Naruto didn't hesitate.
"You're the one who—who—" He stumbled over the words for a second, then pushed through anyway. "You're the one who messed up all their lives in that book!"
Names followed in rapid fire, like he'd memorized them just to throw them out now.
Sasuke moved instantly, clamping a hand over Naruto's mouth before he could keep going.
"Stop talking," Sasuke muttered under his breath.
Too late.
Everyone had heard enough.
A ripple of discomfort spread through the onlookers. A few people instinctively stepped back.
Noah, meanwhile, looked… entertained.
"That's what the book says," he said lightly. "So?"
Naruto struggled against Sasuke's grip, trying to speak through it.
It came out muffled and furious.
Sasuke dragged him backward, clearly done with this entire situation.
"Not another word," he hissed.
Naruto kept fighting anyway.
It didn't help.
—
From above, Noah watched them go, chin resting against his hand.
For a moment, his expression didn't change.
Then, faintly, he smiled.
Some people really didn't know when to leave things alone.