Naruto: Mixed Heritage(Rewrite)

The clearing was silent except for the faint rustling of leaves stirred by the night breeze. Above, the moon hung high, its pale light casting soft shadows that danced across the ground. It was the perfect night for a spar—a night when reflexes could be tested and adrenaline sharpened senses in the cool, crisp air.

Aiko broke the silence first, her sharp eyes narrowing as she turned to Riku. "So, are there any rules to this spar of yours?" she asked, her tone edged with scepticism.

Riku's lips curled into a faint, knowing smile. His posture, though relaxed, carried the weight of someone who had walked countless battlefields. "Just don't hold back," he replied, his tone leaving no room for debate.

The three shinobis exchanged looks, each interpreting his words differently. Renjiro's brow furrowed slightly as he weighed the statement, his fingers idly tapping against a star-shaped kunai he spun idly on his hand. Hiro, in contrast, broke into a grin, his eager energy palpable. Aiko's gaze lingered on Riku, her mind trying to unravel if there was more to his words that she wasn't getting.

Renjiro crossed his arms. "Are you sure about this?" he asked, his voice calm but edged with curiosity.

Riku tilted his head, meeting Renjiro's gaze. His lips quirked into a smirk. "Why? Are you scared it's going to be too hard for you?" His tone was laced with deliberate taunt, calculated to needle the younger Jonin.

Renjiro didn't bite immediately. He crossed his arms, looking at Riku critically. While Renjiro wasn't entirely sure how strong Riku was now, he doubted the older man could match him one-on-one.

But the same couldn't be said for the others. Riku was a greater threat to Hiro and Aiko than they were to him, and that concerned him more than he cared to admit.

Renjiro tilted his head slightly, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "Fine," he said, his tone even. "Just don't say I didn't warn you, old man."

Riku chuckled softly, a sound that carried both amusement and the faintest edge of danger.

Hiro, watching the exchange, laughed, his voice bright and full of enthusiasm. "Finally, a chance to see if Riku can back up all that talk!"

Aiko, meanwhile, sighed. "Why do I feel like I'm going to regret this?"

Riku's smirk widened. "Regret comes when you hesitate. Don't let it slow you down, Aiko."

Hiro turned to Riku, his hand drifting to the hilt of his weapon. "So, can we use weapons, or is that off-limits?"

Riku's smirk didn't waver. "Use whatever you want. Anything that assures your victory."

With a flick of his wrist, Hiro summoned a pair of short swords from his storage seal. The blades gleamed in the moonlight, their edges sharp enough to slice through the air with a faint whistle.

Riku instinctively placed a hand on his tanto, his fingers curling around the hilt. The weapon had seen him through countless skirmishes, and its familiar weight was a comfort.

"Looks like I'll have to join in on the fun," Renjiro said, stepping back and retrieving his own weapon. In a smooth motion, his staff—his recently repaired bō—appeared in his hands. The sturdy pole was reinforced with chakra-conductive materials, its surface polished and gleaming from recent maintenance.

He twirled it experimentally, the air whistling faintly with each spin. 'This will be a good chance to test it out,' he thought. With everyone else armed, it seemed fitting to bring his weapon into play.

Aiko sighed dramatically, crossing her arms. "Now I feel left out," she muttered, watching the others arm themselves.

Riku chuckled. "Weapons aren't everything, Aiko. Your strengths lie elsewhere. Play to them."

Aiko rolled her eyes. She wasn't one to use anything beyond the standard shinobi arsenal of kunai and shuriken, as her combat style relied more on chakra manipulation and precise tactics than brute force. But still, there was a pang of self-consciousness as she watched the others prepare for battle.

"So," Hiro said, his voice breaking the momentary silence, "are we starting now?"

"Not yet," Riku said. "First, we need to spread out. It'll make this more… interesting."

Hiro frowned. "How will we know when to start?"

"I've got an idea," Renjiro said, stepping forward. He reached into his pouch, producing a slip of paper that bore the unmistakable markings of an explosive tag.

"An explosive tag?" Riku asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Not quite," Renjiro said with a smirk. He crouched and placed the seal on the ground. "This is a timer seal I've been working on. It's not technically an explosive tag—sort of. Once activated, it'll detonate after two minutes, giving us time to spread out."

Back when Renjiro first made his own components for seals, the resonator, he kept on trying to work on its weakness that decreased the control one had on a seal even when channelling their chakra to it.

While he couldn't get over this barrier, he found a way to work through this as he could configure the seal to when it would activate, giving it a timer of sorts.

It wasn't what he wanted but Renjiro knew that he could work on this, and the seal on the ground was an example of such a timer seal.

Riku studied the seal with interest. "Interesting," his tone neutral, though a spark of approval flickered in his eyes. "That'll do."

Without another word, he disappeared in a blur, flickering into the darkness to the east.

"Well," Hiro said, glancing at the others, "good luck, guys."

"You're the one who's going to need it," Renjiro quipped before flickering away to the north.

Aiko lingered for a moment, watching the clearing grow emptier. "This is going to be chaos," she muttered under her breath before flickering to the south.

Hiro, now alone, adjusted the grip on his swords. "Chaos, huh?" he said to himself, smirking. "I just might thrive on that." With a flicker, he vanished into the western treeline.

The clearing fell into silence once more, save for the faint hum of the chakra seal on the ground. Its intricate lines glowed softly, pulsating with stored energy. Seconds ticked by, the anticipation building like a drumbeat in the night.

Then-

"Boom!"

The seal detonated. The ground where it had been placed caved in slightly, a plume of dust rising into the air. The explosion echoed through the forest, sending birds scattering into the sky.

Far to the east, Riku heard the sound and smirked. Perched on a tree branch, his swords resting loosely in his hands, he murmured, "Let the hunt begin."

To the north, Renjiro adjusted his grip on his staff. His eyes scanned the dark forest around him, the faintest hint of a grin on his face. "Time to see who comes looking for me first," he muttered.

Aiko, to the south, felt the tremor from the explosion. She exhaled slowly, spreading her chakra field like a net. The familiar sensation of her sensory technique rippled outward, mapping the chakra signatures around her. Her sharp mind quickly identified the faint signatures of her teammates, each moving purposefully through the trees. She wasn't afraid of blatantly using her chakra field as she had a technique that reduced her presence so that it could not be traced back to her.

Hiro, to the west, crouched low to the ground. His tanto gleamed faintly as he scanned his surroundings, his excitement tempered by focus. "Alright," he whispered to himself. "Let's do this."

Aiko moved swiftly through the forest, her chakra field remaining active as she closed in on one of the signatures she'd detected earlier. Her steps were silent, her form blending seamlessly with the shadows. She weaved through the trees, her senses sharp and her focus unwavering.

The chakra signature grew stronger as she approached, and soon she emerged into a small clearing. She stopped abruptly, her gaze narrowing at the figure seated on a large rock in the center of the clearing.

It was Renjiro.

He sat with his staff resting lazily across his lap, his posture relaxed as if he didn't have a care in the world. His head was tilted back, his gaze fixed on the night sky. Every now and then, he let out a low yawn, the sound carrying across the stillness of the clearing.

Aiko frowned, her eyes narrowing further. 'Why is he just sitting there?' she thought.

Renjiro's smirk deepened as if he could sense her as well as her confusion. His grip on the staff tightened ever so slightly, a subtle but telling sign.

=====

Bless me with your powerful Power Stones.

Your Reviews and Comments about my work are welcomed

If you can, then please support me on Patreon. 

Link - www.patreon.com/SideCharacter

You Can read more chapters ahead on Patreon.