Present - The Mizukage's Chamber
The crackling of folded paper echoed through the room.
The Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, slowly closed the file in his hands, his slender fingers brushing against the wax seal bearing the Mist's emblem.
A perfect silence reigned in the chamber.Only the soft bubbling of incense and the dripping of water outside could be heard.
Before him, Hokujin stood motionless, mask at his side, eyes straight ahead.
Yagura looked up.
"Good..."
His tone was calm, as if commenting on a fishing report.
"I didn't expect the mission to be reclassified at that level."
He paused.
"Kumogakure..."
A faint smile curled across his face.A subtle expression, hard to read—But within it, there was something calculated.
As though he were already planning the next move.
Then, his face returned to seriousness.
"It seems Borei passed the test after all."
He shut the report with finality, letting it slide onto the table like a seal placed upon destiny.
"Despite the mission becoming more difficult..."His voice lowered slightly."...more interesting."
Then, he looked at Hokujin.Directly.
"I want your personal opinion."
A pause.
The air seemed to still for an instant.
Then came the name.Clear.Decisive.
"Mangetsu..."
A name no one had used in a long time.
"What do you think about Borei?"
- - -
The scent of broth filled the air of the food stall, blending with the soft crackling of boiling oil and the rhythmic tapping of chopsticks against bowls.
Aoi sat upright, his gaze focused on his portion—not to ponder strategy or mission ranks,but to decide whether the extra chili had been a good idea.
To his left, Shinji was patiently blowing on his ramen, while Shin—true to form—was already devouring his second bowl.
"Is that your third?" Shinji asked, glancing at his brother.
"Fourth," Shin replied, mouth full. "The first one was just warm-up."
Aoi smiled faintly, content to enjoy a rare moment of peace after a long mission.
But peace, as always… was an illusion.
SBAM.
The curtain was flung open as if sliced by a kunai.
Jun'ko strode in with purpose, her eyes burning with fire.
Behind her, Hiroshi, hands in his pockets, wore the vacant look of someone who had taken a casual stroll—not someone who had just survived a mission.
"Aoi!"
Aoi looked up from his bowl, already suspecting where this was going.
"Oh. Hey, Jun'ko. Want a seat?"
"A seat? A SEAT?!"
She stomped up to the counter, slamming her palms on the wood.
"You came straight here after the mission! You left me alone with this textbook antisocial case!"
"The mission was over," Aoi replied calmly."And it was nearly ramen time."
Jun'ko stared at him, then turned to Hiroshi, exasperated.
"And you! Seriously, have you ever heard of teamwork? Coordination? Communication?"
Hiroshi looked up.
"I completed the mission, didn't I?"
"Yes, but by yourself! You dove into three enemies without warning us! I spent half the mission trying to figure out if you were an ally or a projectile!"
"If they couldn't keep up, they were slow," he said flatly.
Jun'ko turned to Aoi, seeking backup.
Aoi shrugged.
"To be fair, he was pretty effective."
"Ugh! You never take my side!"
Shinji tried to step in."Come on, Jun'ko, maybe Hiroshi's just... not very verbal."
"He's as quiet as a blank scroll!"
Shin raised a hand, mouth full."I side with the ramen."
"Thanks, Shin." Jun'ko muttered.
Eventually, she sat down on a stool with a resigned sigh."One ramen, please, Kenji. Large. Extra spicy."
The cook nodded, already reaching for the pot.
Jun'ko shook her head."And next time, Aoi… I want you by my side. Not drooling over broth at the counter."
Aoi looked back down at his bowl."I'll do my best."
They all laughed—even Jun'ko, though through gritted teeth.
For that moment, at least,there were no mysteries to solve,no villages to save,no schemes to unravel.
Just friends.Ramen.And a little chaos...
...Then the laughter faded.The bowls, now empty, trembled slightly in the evening wind.
For a few moments, no one spoke.
Only the quiet clatter of Shin's chopsticks, which he let fall and catch between his fingers—lost in thought.
Then Shinji broke the silence.
His voice was soft, calm, almost lost beneath the simmering broth behind the counter.
"...Have any of you heard from Ren?"
The name fell on the table like a veil.
Eyes dropped.Smiles faded.
Aoi stared into the bottom of his bowl.Jun'ko adjusted the band around her arm.Shin stopped—completely.
Shinji continued, even quieter.
"It's been almost two years now."
The sentence dissolved into the steam rising from the kitchen.
Aoi spoke first, voice uncertain." Technic....no, the one who might know something… is Kurara."
Shinji nodded slowly."I stopped asking her. Every time I brought it up… her mind would drift. Like she didn't want to remember."
Jun'ko looked up.Her eyes were glossy, but resolute.
"I'm sure he's okay."A pause."And one day he'll show up again, like nothing ever happened."
A small smile touched her lips, full of stubborn hope.
"With that silent genius look, pretending he doesn't know where we are, but having watched us all along."
Aoi closed his eyes for a moment.Shinji lowered his gaze.Shin was chewing on the edge of his chopstick, lost in his own world.
The silence returned.But it wasn't heavy.
It was the silence of those who are still waiting.
- - -Two Years Ago - - -
The smell of the hospital was sharp—thick with disinfectant and silence.
In the waiting room corridor, the dim lights flickered softly, like candles in a room far too big.
The chairs were cold.The hours—eternal.
Shinji stood leaning against the wall, eyes lost on the floor.Yukiko sat upright, hands clasped between her knees, her eyes exhausted.Misaki hadn't spoken for minutes—she had even stopped bouncing her legs.Aoi, next to her, sat with arms crossed, staring at a clock that never seemed to move.
Then, the door opened.
A familiar presence entered the hallway.
Yuki, Ren's mother.Her face drawn, hair tied back hastily, eyes too bright to be just tired.
Moments later came Takeshi, Kurara's grandfather.He walked slowly but firmly—as if not time, but willpower held him up.
All eyes turned to the two red lights glowing above the doors at the end of the corridor.
Two.
Ren. Kurara.Critical.
A faint commotion signaled the arrival of a medical ninja.She approached the group with brisk but composed steps.
She held a clipboard, and her face carried something close to good news.
"Excuse me..."
Everyone turned, tense.
"Hiroshi is out of danger. Only superficial wounds."
Shinji closed his eyes, just once.
"Shin is fine too."
A wave of silent relief.
Yukiko let out a soft, broken laugh.Misaki exhaled deeply, as though releasing a breath held for hours.
The medic continued.
"Jun'ko is under observation. She needs rest, but she's responding well. Conscious."
Aoi nodded slowly.A small piece of the weight on his chest came loose.
But no one said anything about the red lights—still glowing.
Because everyone knew where the real fear lay.
Ren. Kurara.
The names no one dared say aloud.
Then the door opened again.
Out stepped Doctor Kaito, mask pulled down around his neck, his face lined with fatigue and too many long silences.
The group rose instantly.
Yuki pressed a hand to her heart.Takeshi stood straight—like a tree in the rain.
Kaito stopped, scanning them one by one.Then, with a calm voice, he spoke.
"The operation went well. We managed to drain all the blood from the lungs. The patient is responding…"He sighed lightly."She'll need time to recover, but… she's out of danger."
A silent explosion.
Yukiko's eyes filled with tears.Misaki dropped her face into her hands, trembling.Shinji pressed harder against the wall, as if his body could finally give in.Yuki collapsed into a chair, gripping her hands.Takeshi bowed his head, silent.
Another hope.Another step toward the light.
But the second door…
…was still closed.
And the second red light…
…still on.
Ren was still under the knife.And no one knew what would happen next.
[ Sorry guys, these days were very busy, i'll recover with double releases today and tomorrow, plus another random double release as a bonus for your patience and support!
I'll not drop this novel, i'll complete it till the end, it's that sometime i don't have so much spare time because my workload is growing day by day, and to write and finish a good chapter i need at least 4 hours, sometimes even more because by doing researches continuosly, i discover i had write something wrong and i have to rewrite it ^.^
Just Sharing my thinking with you because i'm very affectionate to you, a sort of Webnovel Family ^.^
Thanks Everyone for your support, specially:
WertyTribola, ShimotsukiRyuma, lucky_luckyyy, Daoistw1ikGm, Stefano_Uboldi, Madhav_Parashar, LordLukas, Sami_Alfoheday,Burner_Acc_1957,DARILLIS, sip_Yo, Gabriel_Augusto_2205, Terminator123, Ana_Clara_7470, Gobstulous, Zayah, Miguel_024, Lucas33981, Daoist9zTScb, Tubinho_Feliz, Jayroy_63, getepet, Acnol, julii_garcia, DaoistAZmi17, AKIB19,Saul_DiazDaoist508193, Storm2010, Ranger_Red, Gothrog, Daoist9zTScb, LDK, Alexx_Sejas, HakoonTC,bonfireJedi_00, Getcansir, DaoistZxKiQq,Falcon_8196,DZsTheOnlyWay,Natan_Santana_1549,Scotth_Praesi, SarymanLazy_Coconut, Leonardo_Silva_5732, Evoker_V, Ranger_Red, onPforall.
Sorry if i forgot someone, and Enjoy! ^.^
Sincerely Thanks and remember about the Power Stones, these are the motivation for my work :)