Uchiha's forgotten Ember

The tavern was loud, lit by paper lanterns and the clink of sake cups. Tsunade Senju, the famed God of Gambling, sat at a low table, flanked by Shizune and Tonton. Her golden eyes flicked with amusement as Jiraiya and the two brats—Naruto and Kaizen—approached her.

Jiraiya leaned against the doorway with his trademark smirk.

"Well, well, Slug Princess. Still avoiding the Hokage seat?"

Tsunade growled, "Still writing trashy novels, Ero-Sennin?"

Naruto burst forward, fist clenched. "Tsunade-baachan! I challenge you! I bet I'll master the Rasengan in a week!"

Tsunade laughed so hard her sake spilled. "If you do, I'll acknowledge you... and hand over this necklace." She held up the green crystal of the First Hokage. "But if you fail, you owe me a month of your chores and no ramen!"

Naruto grinned. "You're on!"

As Naruto stormed off to train, Kaizen stayed behind, his eyes narrowing at the strange chakra he sensed from Tsunade's body. She wasn't just muscle and bravado—she was a living relic of a different era.

---

Training Grounds – Days Later

Kaizen stood on a cliff, meditating. The dragon summoning scroll now bore his signature, and the powerful Dragon Sage, Tenrakura, had whispered a riddle into his dreams:

"To see with true eyes, one must feel the world's breath. Still your fire, still your storm."

While Naruto struggled to stabilize the Rasengan, Kaizen focused on nature chakra, letting it drift through his fused eyes—the Ketsugan and Sharingan working in harmony.

And then he felt it.

The stillness of the mountain.

The hum of the world.

Sage energy.

A mark formed faintly beneath his eyes. Not full pigmentation, not yet—but a sign.

Kaizen opened his eyes. The world pulsed. Every leaf trembled with life. Every heartbeat sang.

---

Later That Night – Tavern

Naruto collapsed face-first onto the table. "Stupid Rasengan. Stupid chakra control."

Tsunade smirked. "Ready to give up, gaki?"

"Never!" Naruto shot back.

Kaizen sat silently, sipping tea. He could already see the flicker of nature chakra around Naruto, wild and unstable, yet alive. The kid would get there.

And Kaizen?

He had taken his first steps on the path to Sagehood. A dragon's path. A silent predator in the world of noise.

Day Five.

Naruto's hands were blistered. Chakra orbs kept exploding in his palms. "This is so annoying!" he shouted, flinging a half-formed Rasengan at a tree, which promptly exploded into splinters.

Jiraiya grunted from his perch on a rock. "You're not focusing, Naruto. Control before power!"

Kaizen stood in the distance with his eyes closed, breathing in sync with the wind. The faint lines under his eyes were more defined now—shadows of the Sage Mode to come. His chakra felt… richer, deeper. It wasn't just his bloodline fusion anymore—it was his connection to the world.

Suddenly, a presence flared behind him. A flicker of gold and jade—Tenrakura, the ethereal dragon spirit he'd summoned in a dream once before.

> "You are hearing the first roar of nature. Your blood is loud, Kaizen, but Sagehood requires stillness. Let the world breathe through you."

Kaizen's eyes snapped open, and a surge of wind circled his body. He inhaled deeply and pressed his palm to the ground.

A soft thrum pulsed beneath the soil.

> The world was alive.

And it was listening.

---

Elsewhere – The Bet Nears Its End

Tsunade yawned as she watched Naruto try again.

Jiraiya leaned back, smug. "He's getting close."

"Please." Tsunade waved him off. "The brat's got spirit, but spirit doesn't make a jutsu."

Just then, Naruto roared and pushed all his chakra into a rotating orb. For the first time, it didn't collapse. It held.

"RAAASENGAN!" he shouted, slamming it into a boulder.

BOOM.

The boulder shattered. Naruto collapsed to his knees, panting, smiling through the exhaustion. "Did… did you see that… old hag?"

Tsunade's eyes widened. She reached slowly into her cloak and removed the First Hokage's necklace.

"…A deal's a deal," she whispered, gently placing it around his neck.

Naruto grinned, barely able to stay awake.

> Kaizen watched silently.

Naruto had taken a step toward his destiny.

And Kaizen… his path led into something far more ancient. He could feel the Sage Realm calling.

---

That Night – A Warning in the Dark

As the team rested in an inn, Kaizen sat alone on the rooftop under a crescent moon. Tenrakura's echo whispered again:

> "You are being watched. One who wears many faces. He desires the beast within the sand… and your eyes."

Kaizen's gaze turned south.

> Gaara.

And something else…

A shiver ran through his spine. Something dark was coming.

Not just Orochimaru.

Something far worse was beginning to move.