"Fueh! Now we can finally go back," Shorai exhaled, wiping a bead of cold sweat from his brow.
Internally, he ran the numbers. The skirmish had been brief but costly. Between the high-velocity kinetic strike and the constant, high-fidelity sensory watch he had maintained since the boat, he was sitting at roughly sixty percent chakra. It was a manageable deficit, but the mental fatigue of maintaining a "prodigy" mask while operating at an ANBU level was starting to itch at the back of his mind.
He stepped back into the small circle of his teammates, offering a wide, disarming grin. "You can return him to me now… the Kakashi."
"Eh? Sure," Tazuna grunted. The bridge-builder, who had been helping Naruto prop up the unconscious Jōnin, gingerly handed the "scarecrow" back over to Shorai.
Sakura and Sasuke both raised a brow, their eyes lingering on Shorai with a mixture of suspicion and newfound awe.
"What was that about? Took you long enough," Naruto asked, his voice still carrying the shaky vibration of post-adrenaline tremors.
"I flicked that kunai a little too hard, he-he. But look! My precious… is back!" Shorai tapped the leather holster on his right thigh with an affectionate click, settling Kakashi's limp weight more securely across his shoulders.
"That… flash," Sasuke blurted out. The Uchiha's dark eyes were narrowed, tracing the scorch marks on Shorai's sleeves. "What exactly did you do to dispose of that Water Clone? It didn't just pop; it shattered."
Shorai didn't miss a beat. He offered a smooth, practiced lie, his voice light and airy. "Ah, just a small trick of mine. I came up with it on a whim—a mix of Henge and a localized Genjutsu… something like that."
"Hmmm?" Sakura's expression turned sly, her eyes darting between Shorai's calm face and his ruined sleeve. "Why does that sound so fake coming from you, Shorai-kun?"
Sasuke opened his mouth to press further, but the words seemed to die in his throat. He settled for a frustrated scowl. "You… Shorai…"
"We have plenty of time to talk later. Relax," Shorai gestured toward the path ahead. "Save your energy for the walk."
They began the slow trek toward Tazuna's home. The transition from the mist-choked riverbank to the vibrant green of the forest path felt surreal. For Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke, the silence was a relief—a chance for their heart rates to finally settle.
"Naruto…" Tazuna'ed voice was thick and hesitant.
"Old man?" Naruto turned, his orange jacket stained with mud and river water.
"I… I am sorry for looking down on you," Tazuna exhaled, his head bowing low. His gaze shifted, lingering on Sasuke's brooding silhouette and Shorai's silent, white-haired profile. "I am truly sorry. For the lies. For all of it."
"Tazuna-san…" Sakura murmured, her empathy flickering.
"We're safe for now. Forget it," Sasuke huffed, though the edge of his voice had softened.
"Until the next meeting, that is," Shorai's voice cut through the comfort like a winter chill. "With both of them."
The group froze. The air, which had just begun to feel warm, turned heavy with a low dread that sent a shiver down their spines.
"Eh?" "S-shorai-kun?" "Kid, please don't joke like that…"
Shorai turned his head slightly, his turquoise eyes fixed on the horizon with a cold, crescent smile. "I'm completely serious. This was only round one. We managed to get out of it alive and kicking—well, mostly without grave injuries."
"Wait… you don't mean…" Sasuke's eyes flashed with a sharp, ugly realization.
"Shorai! You're joking, right?" Naruto laughed nervously, though his feet remained rooted to the spot.
"Shorai-kun, do you think Zabuza is still alive?" Sakura's voice returned to the brittle pitch of horror.
"Yes."
The word was a heavy thud, like the closing of a tomb.
"That masked boy is definitely his partner," Shorai continued, his mind already cataloging the inconsistencies of the previous ten minutes. "I just don't know why he waited so long to step in."
"What makes you say that? How can you be so sure?" Sasuke demanded, stepping closer, his dark brows knitted in a fierce frown.
"First clue: those weapons of execution," Shorai said, shifting Kakashi's weight.
"N-needles!" Sakura gasped.
"Right, Sakura. Senbon. They have low lethal capability by design… unless you possess a master's knowledge of human physiology and a near-supernatural aim to strike an exact vital spot to induce a death-like state. It's a classic Kirigakure misdirection."
"Perhaps," Sasuke analyzed, his mind racing to keep up. "But Kakashi-sensei checked his pulse. He confirmed the death. What else?"
"Second clue: the identity of a Hunter-nin. They are a specialized squad, and they almost exclusively work in teams. A lone operator with such a young voice? Highly irregular. Furthermore, he took the body away instead of disposing of it on the spot to protect village secrets. That's a direct violation of their protocols."
Sasuke's eyes narrowed to slits. The others were hanging on every word, mesmerized by the boy who seemed to see through the world's illusions. "How do YOU know all that, Shorai? There might be exceptions. They're from a different village."
"You're forgetting who we fought, Sasuke," Shorai reminded him gently. "An Elite Jōnin of the Seven Swordsmen. A man like that wouldn't be taken down so easily by a stray Hunter-nin. I've spent more time in the Konoha Library than anyone in our generation—since before the Academy years. History and protocol are rarely matters of 'exception.'"
"Then… wait," Sasuke's eyes widened as the final piece clicked. "Those last words!"
"Right," Shorai replied. "The third clue."
"What? It was just a goodbye!" Naruto said, confused.
"Naruto… did you even listen?" Sakura scolded him with a gloomy stare. "He didn't say goodbye. He said, 'The first meeting is over.'"
"Still, calm down," Shorai reassured them, his happy, carefree facade returning as he raised a thumb. "It won't be a problem even if they work together. We have about a week. Give or take."
"A week?" Tazuna tensed.
"Kakashi-san will be up, and we will be a lot stronger. Prepared," Shorai chirped.
"Those clues add up…" Sasuke mused, his hand going to his chin. He glanced back at Shorai with a look that was no longer just competitive, but deeply wary. "Is that all?"
"Pretty much… well, the last one is just speculation," Shorai shrugged.
"What did we miss?" they asked in unison.
"That masked boy stood and watched the fight from the very start," Shorai revealed.
The shock was palpable. Naruto and Sakura gasped.
"How do you know?"
"After sensei was caught in the Water Prison, I detected a presence hidden deep in the treeline," Shorai lied—or rather, only omitted the Reality Stone's assistance. "That's why I stayed by Tazuna's side instead of rushing in. I couldn't risk the client until I knew the observer's intent."
"When did you learn sensory skills like that?" Sakura asked, breathless.
"That's so cool!" Naruto shouted, bouncing on his heels. "Can I learn it too? Shorai! Teach me!"
"Well… you're already amazing with Transformation, Naruto. I'd say you have the potential. It's a Yin Release discipline, after all."
Naruto beamed, his eyes practically sparkling.
"Was this part of your 'specialization,' Shorai?" Sasuke asked, his voice low and serious.
"Yes and no. If you refer to the Academy curriculum, then no." Shorai offered a mysterious smile.
"Wait. Did you learn it from Ino? She had that specialization," Sakura wondered aloud.
"Something like that… please, keep it to yourselves. I don't want a lecture from Iruka-sensei or the Hokage. Ha-ha!" Shorai gave a perfectly acted, nervous chuckle.
"Hm… Why. Just why," Sasuke's voice dropped, drawing everyone's attention. He stopped walking, forcing the group to halt. "You know more than all of us. Your skills are beyond anything we've seen. You've been hiding your true self since the Academy, haven't you?"
The air between them grew heavy. The "Open Prodigy" and the "Shadowy One" stood in a silent deadlock.
"How perceptive of you, Sasuke," Shorai's smile thinned, a flash of genuine steel entering his gaze. "Maybe you've finally started to distinguish between illusion and reality."
"S-shorai-kun?" Sakura's voice trembled at the shift in atmosphere.
"Well… no need to stare at me like that!" Shorai laughed, the tension evaporating as quickly as it had arrived. "Everyone walks different paths. It takes time to figure out what suits you."
He pointed a finger at Naruto. "For instance, Sasuke, the one you call an 'idiot' actually has the most chakra out of all five of us here—by a massive margin."
Naruto blinked, pointing a thumb at his own chest. "Huh? Me?"
"Shadow Clones are chakra-hungry," Shorai explained. "The Multi-Shadow Clone variant Naruto uses is a master-level expenditure. It works for him because his capacity is so ridiculous that he doesn't need the precise control a regular illusionary clone requires. He just pushes a tidal wave of chakra through the seal, and the jutsu stabilizes itself by sheer volume."
"Huh? Do I really have that much?" Naruto rubbed the back of his head, looking stunned.
Sasuke's dark eyes widened. "A perfect jutsu for an idiot…"
"Reserves are the biggest roadblock for any shinobi," Shorai said, looking Sasuke dead in the eye. "To walk a true path, you need the chakra to fuel your imagination. Without it, your best ideas are just dreams."
Sasuke gave Shorai a long, complex stare, then turned his gaze toward the riverfront hamlet appearing in the distance. Sakura remained silent, but Shorai noticed the way she bit her lip—there was something she was holding back.
As they reached the lonely village tucked into the mountain valley, the beauty of the scenery briefly washed away the lingering taste of battle.
"Wow! So beautiful!" Naruto and Sakura exclaimed.
"Come, let me invite you in!" Tazuna gestured toward a house by the water. "Tsunami! Inari! I'm back!"
The door slid open, and a charming woman in her mid-twenties hurried out. Her dark blue hair and pink shirt were exactly as Shorai remembered.
"F-father?!"
"Tsunami. Please, just call me by my name," she said breathlessly, her eyes widening as she saw the massive man slumped over Shorai's shoulder. "Bring him here!"
She led them to a spacious guest room, quickly preparing a bed.
"W-what happened to him? Is he—?"
"He's fine. Just ran out of stamina," Shorai replied. He stepped to the bedside, placing a cool hand on Kakashi's forehead. He subtly pulsed a thread of chakra through the Jōnin's system—a diagnostic diffusion he'd learned from his medical texts. "It'll take him a while to wake up."
Shorai stood, his joints popping with a satisfying sound. "I'd be very grateful for a cup of water…"
"Ah! Of course!" Tsunami smiled warmly. "I'll get you all something to eat. You saved my father… and his life, too." She gave a low, grateful bow.
"It's okay," Shorai smiled, rubbing his cheek with a tired but genuine warmth. "We're just doing our job. But thank you for the hospitality."
Even though the immediate threat had been halted, Shorai knew better than to let his guard down. He would need to prepare a defensive perimeter. Who knew whether Gato would send more shinobi or hired thugs in the night, or while they were away?
He finished one cup after another, then excused himself to make sure the house was safe.