Uchiha's forgotten Ember

The hot springs town was unusually quiet that morning. Mist clung to the tiled roofs, and the air carried the damp hush of a village just waking.

Naruto was grumbling from inside his hotel room.

> "Why do we always have to sneak around on these missions? I wanna eat ramen already!"

Kaizen sat cross-legged near the window, a quiet sentinel. His fused Sharingan-Ketsugan eyes scanned the ambient chakra. Something... felt wrong. The mist wasn't just weather—it was chakra-laced, deliberate.

He stood up in silence.

> "Naruto... be alert. We're not alone."

---

The Akatsuki Appears

In the corridor, footsteps approached. Then a knock.

Naruto cracked the door—and saw two cloaked figures.

Red clouds on black cloaks.

Eyes cold as steel.

Itachi Uchiha.

Kisame Hoshigaki.

Naruto stumbled back in alarm.

> "Y-You're—!"

Before he could shout, Kisame swung his massive blade Samehada, crashing through the door. Kaizen was already moving, grabbing Naruto and flipping back into the far wall as splinters rained.

Kaizen's eyes locked onto Itachi.

> "You're the one from the massacre… Uchiha Itachi."

Itachi studied Kaizen for a moment, eyes narrowing.

> "Another survivor? No... your chakra feels unnatural."

> "I'm Uchiha Kaizen. I've made peace with the clan's fall. But I won't let you lay a hand on Naruto."

Kisame grinned.

> "Two brats, huh? I'll make it quick."

---

Enter Jiraiya

Just as Samehada charged again, the walls behind them exploded with toads and smoke.

Jiraiya stepped into the hallway, arms crossed.

> "Tsk. I leave you two alone for one minute and the Akatsuki shows up?"

Naruto cheered. "PERVY SAGE!"

Jiraiya's tone sharpened. "Naruto, Kaizen. Back up. These guys aren't small-time."

Kaizen gritted his teeth. "We're not helpless anymore."

Itachi's Mangekyō spun slightly—just enough to paralyze Naruto in a genjutsu flash. Kaizen lunged to block the next illusion, his Ketsugan breaking the visual hold just in time.

> "You'll have to try harder."

But the pressure in the air deepened.

Itachi's Tsukuyomi was moments from launching—until an explosion from the stairwell interrupted.

---

Sasuke's Arrival

Lightning sparked in the hallway. A shriek of rage echoed.

> "ITACHI!!!"

Sasuke appeared in a blur of Chidori, screaming with years of pain behind his voice.

The brothers clashed—Chidori against Tsukuyomi.

Kaizen shouted, "Sasuke, don't—!"

But it was too late. Itachi countered with brutal precision, effortlessly catching Sasuke's wrist and slamming him into the wall.

Blood dripped. Sasuke coughed, trembling.

> "Why… why did you kill them…"

Itachi leaned in close.

> "You're still weak."

The force of his words crushed Sasuke's will, and in moments, he collapsed unconscious. Naruto, half-recovered, ran to him.

---

Strategic Retreat

Jiraiya made a hand sign. "Swamp of the Underworld!"

A wave of chakra surged, trapping Kisame's feet in thick mud. Itachi calmly looked at Jiraiya.

> "We've achieved our goal. Another time."

With a swirl of space and chakra, they vanished.

The mist cleared.

The hallway was wrecked, floorboards cracked, and the scent of burning chakra lingered like smoke after a war.

Kaizen crouched next to Sasuke, silent.

---

Aftermath

Naruto: "He was in so much pain… he didn't even hesitate."

Kaizen didn't speak, but his hands trembled slightly.

Jiraiya sighed. "That was Itachi Uchiha. One of the most dangerous missing-nin alive."

> "And they're after you, Naruto."

Kaizen stared at the broken hallway where Itachi stood moments ago.

> "Next time… I won't freeze."

The broken hallway was silent save for the soft, ragged breaths of Sasuke, unconscious and bloodied. Jiraiya had pulled him onto one of the intact futons, dabbing antiseptic onto the worst of the cuts. Naruto sat near the wall, knees pulled to his chest.

Kaizen stood by the shattered window, his gaze unfocused.

The scent of scorched chakra still lingered in his nose. The echo of Itachi's calm voice grated in his skull.

> "You're still weak."

He clenched his fists so tightly that blood welled under his nails.

> "No. Not again."

Jiraiya looked over. "Kaizen."

The boy didn't turn.

> "Next time," Kaizen whispered, "I won't freeze."

Jiraiya nodded slowly. "Good. But don't let hatred decide your strength. That's how people lose themselves."

Kaizen gave no reply. The tension in his body was still coiled like a blade that refused to sheath itself.

---

Later That Night

They moved to a new inn—safer, more secluded. Jiraiya had left behind a few explosive seals to ward off pursuers, but it was quiet now.

Sasuke slept, his face pale under the moonlight.

Naruto had finally passed out after two bowls of hot soba.

Kaizen remained seated near the window, meditating.

The Enhancement System chimed faintly in his mind.

> [Daily Points Accrued: +5]

Total Unused Enhancement Points: 10

But Kaizen didn't apply them—not yet.

> "My control slipped. I couldn't protect Sasuke. I couldn't land a blow on him."

The image of Itachi's eyes lingered—unshaken, hollow, terrifying.

> "That level of calm in the face of death… he's a storm in human form."

His fused Ketsugan-Sharingan pulsed faintly, adapting in the dark.

> "I need to be more than a tool of revenge."

He looked over at Naruto sleeping soundly, drooling on the pillow.

> "He's strong because he fights for others. Not just himself."

Kaizen finally allowed his muscles to relax.

Tomorrow, they'd continue their journey to find Tsunade—the God of Gambling, the Slug Princess, the only one who could heal Sasuke and perhaps... offer a future beyond vengeance.

But for tonight, Kaizen sat guard, his crimson-silver eyes unblinking in the dark.