Uchiha's forgotten Ember

The tension inside the arena was sharp enough to slice through steel. The Forest of Death had left its mark—physically and mentally—on every participant. But now came the preliminaries, a brutal filtering of talent before the final stage.

Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi stood tall at the top balcony, his eyes scanning the genin ranks. Though weary with age, the glint in his eye hadn't dulled. He saw potential—and threats.

"Some of these children..." he murmured to himself, "...are no longer just children."

Below, Hayate Gekkō, coughing as always, gave his explanation of the match rules. "If you're not ready... well, too bad," he said through raspy breath. "Only the strong move on."

Kaizen stood quietly, arms crossed, eyes shut. His chakra was suppressed—by sheer will and enhancement regulation. Deep inside, the western dragon sealed within him stirred slightly.

> "Let them believe I'm just another Uchiha," he thought. "Let them see only flickers of the truth."

Sasuke Uchiha glanced sideways at Kaizen. There was something... off. Something deeper than chakra. He didn't like it.

Then the screen flickered.

> Match One: Sasuke Uchiha vs. Yoroi Akadō

As Sasuke stepped forward, Kaizen let his eyes open. The Ketsugan-Sharingan fusion shimmered faintly, contained behind a layer of control.

Sasuke fought well. Quick. Tactical. Though the curse mark Orochimaru gave him surged during the fight, he kept it under control—barely. After the win, he was escorted away by Kakashi for medical seal suppression.

One match followed another. Blood spilled. Tempers clashed.

Then—

> Match Seven: Kaizen Uchiha vs. Daichi Noro

Daichi was a shinobi from the Land of Crystal, known for his clan's crystalline-style jutsu. Cold. Elegant. Deadly.

As they stepped onto the floor, the two didn't speak.

Only locked eyes.

And the match began.

Kaizen didn't move first.

Daichi did.

Shards of purple crystal erupted from the ground like jagged teeth. He launched a barrage of razor-sharp blades.

Kaizen raised his hand, calmly. Enhancement: Phase Shift.

A flicker, like heat distortion, and he vanished—no teleportation, just enhanced body flicker and spatial perception, bypassing the attack with pure chakra manipulation and movement control.

He reappeared behind Daichi.

One strike to the ribs—lightning-fast.

Daichi coughed and spun back, releasing a spiral of crystal daggers. Kaizen activated fused-eye perception, each projectile tracked and avoided with eerie grace. He moved like liquid fire, untouched.

> "You're not normal..." Daichi muttered, backing up. "What are you?"

Kaizen's eyes flared crimson-black.

> "I'm everything you couldn't survive becoming."

He raised both hands. Flame ignited in his right. Crystalline chakra gathered in his left—a mimicry from Daichi's own jutsu, copied with Sharingan insight and molded by his enhancement system.

He brought his palms together.

> "Crimson Mirror: Twin Collapse Style!"

A spiraling dragon of fire and crystal erupted between them, roaring and engulfing the field. Daichi threw up his ultimate defense—a crystal fortress—but it shattered on contact.

When the smoke cleared, Daichi was unconscious, covered in scorch marks and lacerations.

Silence fell over the crowd.

Hayate looked at the Third.

Sarutobi stroked his beard slowly. "An Uchiha, yes... but not one I remember from the clan registry."

Down below, Kaizen turned away and walked off the field.

No cheering.

Just stunned silence.

The tension in the Hidden Leaf Village was palpable.

As the final matches of the Chūnin Exams drew near, Kaizen stood atop the training cliffs overlooking the arena. The air was thick with expectation. Below, villagers prepared the stands, shinobi sharpened blades, and visitors from across the elemental nations filtered into Konoha.

But Kaizen wasn't focused on the crowd.

He was focused inward—on the two forces within him.

The blood of the Uchiha and the enigmatic Kurata Clan, fused through the ancient Ketsugan and Sharingan. And deeper still, sealed within the core of his chakra—Fayron, the Western-style Flame Dragon of Memory, sealed into him in a twisted ROOT experiment. A Jinchūriki... of a forgotten beast.

---

Training Grounds – Morning Before the Final Round

Kaizen knelt, surrounded by scorched stone, arms outstretched. Wisps of blue and crimson energy spiraled from his back like a slow-burning storm.

> "Balance the flame… fuse the sight…"

He repeated it like a mantra, eyes flaring momentarily with the combined Ketsugan–Sharingan. The forest behind him flickered strangely, like his chakra warped the edge of reality. But he stabilized it—thanks to Enhancement System: Phase 2.

> "Stability Reached. Chakra Flow: Synchronized."

– Andarta, Internal Enhancement Interface

He stood slowly, breaths controlled. His latest enhancement allowed him to weave chakra through terrain without disturbing it—perfect for what was to come.

---

The Final Matchups Revealed

At the briefing, the Hokage—still Hiruzen Sarutobi—stood with his usual pipe and calm smile, though his eyes lingered curiously on Kaizen.

"Finalists, step forward," he announced.

The matchups appeared:

1. Naruto Uzumaki vs Neji Hyuga

2. Sasuke Uchiha vs Gaara of the Sand

3. Uchiha Kaizen vs Hozuki Rena – a kunoichi from Kirigakure with a bloodline tied to Crystal Release

Kaizen's eyes narrowed. Crystal chakra… a perfect counter to fire and memory-based abilities.

> "A true test, then."

---

Night Before the Matches

That night, Kaizen sat alone atop the Hokage Monument. A flicker of movement landed beside him—it was Kakashi Hatake.

"You've grown, Kaizen," Kakashi said without looking at him. "The elders talk about your chakra with fear now."

Kaizen didn't smile. "And you?"

"I think you're still a kid with fire in your heart... even if it's dragon fire." Kakashi looked up at the stars. "I'll be watching."

---

Arena – Kaizen vs Rena: Crystal vs Flame

The match began with tension.

Rena summoned crystal blades from the earth, sharp as glass and radiant with chakra.

Kaizen didn't move.

Then—

BOOM!

A ring of flame erupted as he activated his fused dojutsu, eyes glowing like galaxies.

> "Enhancement Technique – Ember Spiral: Form I."

Rena countered with crystalline petals spinning like shuriken.

The clash shook the stands.

Kaizen's flames curved mid-air, adapting around her defenses. But her crystal constructs could resist heat… even nullify it.

> "Time to test the dragon's will…"

Suddenly, the marking on his chest—once dormant—glowed. The seal cracked slightly.

Fayron stirred.

A burst of draconic flame spiraled from Kaizen's mouth, controlled through chakra-bound guidance threads—a new trick he developed using the Enhancement System to mimic puppeteer chakra strings, but for fire.

The flames struck true—melting part of the arena and shattering Rena's shield.

Rena, scorched and weary, bowed. "You win."

Cheers erupted. But Kaizen was still, eyes scanning the stands... Something wasn't right.

He saw a masked figure slip into the crowd—a ROOT agent.