Uchiha's forgotten Ember

Narration – Third Person

Two and a half years had passed. The skies above Konoha were still warm with sunlight, yet the air carried the scent of distant storms — the calm before the next great clash. The gates of the Hidden Leaf stood tall, weathered by time and conflict, but unmoved. A familiar shadow approached. And another… just behind it.

"Took you long enough," murmured a voice from the watchtower. The two gatekeepers blinked in disbelief as the first figure stepped forward — hair now longer, movements sharper, yet unmistakably him.

"Hey, Konoha!" Naruto grinned. "We're back!"

Beside him walked Kaizen Uchiha.

His raven-black hair had grown out slightly, brushing his shoulders. His new cloak was layered — black and crimson — with stylized Uchiha tomoe patterns woven into the fabric in silver threading. It fluttered behind him like wings in the wind. Across his back was a sheathed weapon — a broad, sleek sword known as "Tenryū no Shi" (Death of the Celestial Dragon). Forged from chakra-metal smelted with his dragon essence and Uchiha fire, the blade hummed with latent power, pulsing with a red-black aura. It was the physical manifestation of his fusion — Uchiha, Kurata, and now Dragon bloodline unified.

His eyes, once crimson with the Sharingan and violet with the Ketsugan, were now a storm of overlapping rings and tomoe, burning quietly behind his calm gaze. The Fused Eternal Mangekyō. Not even he fully understood their potential yet.

---

Arrival and Reunion

The village erupted with whispers and shouts as Naruto and Kaizen strolled through the streets.

"Is that…?"

"They're back!"

Iruka nearly tackled Naruto in a hug, while Kakashi gave a rare, soft smile at the sight of his students reunited.

Kaizen met the Copy Ninja's eyes, nodding respectfully. Kakashi paused. He could feel it — Kaizen wasn't the same. His chakra signature was denser, older… deeper. Like standing near a dormant volcano that had learned to breathe in rhythm with the world.

---

Team Reassembly

Later that day, as Naruto and Kaizen stood in front of the Hokage Tower, Lady Tsunade met them with folded arms and a raised brow.

"You've both grown."

Naruto scratched the back of his head.

"And we're ready to take Sasuke back!"

Kaizen remained silent, eyes narrowing briefly at the mention of their lost comrade.

Tsunade sighed.

"I'll hold you to that, Naruto. And Kaizen… try not to blow anything up for at least a week."

A half-smirk curled on Kaizen's lips.

"No promises."

---

Later That Night

In the quiet of his old training ground, Kaizen stood alone.

He drew Tenryū no Shi slowly, the edge gleaming under moonlight. A single swing tore through the air, leaving afterimages of dragons and flame in its wake.

His eyes flared.

"These eyes… this power… I'll need them all to bring Sasuke back."

But deep in his heart, Kaizen knew — something else stirred. The fusion of dragon essence into his already chaotic bloodline had done more than awaken a new dōjutsu.

It had changed him.

And soon, the world would see what he'd become.

Konohagakure's streets were bathed in the amber hue of a setting sun. The familiar scent of grilled dumplings and fresh rain drifted through the breeze. Naruto was already halfway through a bowl of miso ramen at Ichiraku when Kaizen, silent as ever, sat beside him—his black coat with crimson-ember lining stirring slightly in the wind.

The blade on Kaizen's back drew subtle glances—its core shimmered with veins of obsidian and red. It was no ordinary weapon.

> "You haven't said anything about your sword," Naruto muttered between mouthfuls.

Kaizen smiled faintly. "It was Forged during our last training year… not by human hands."

Before Naruto could ask more, footsteps approached from behind. A kunoichi stood at the entrance of Ichiraku—calm, composed, and cloaked in a deep violet jacket embroidered with a silver fan crest.

Her eyes—one Sharingan and one sealed under a black patch—narrowed as she looked at Kaizen.

> "You really returned…" she said coolly.

Naruto blinked. "Who's this?"

Kaizen stood up, his voice low. "Mira Uchiha."

She nodded politely to Naruto. "I'm… a ghost from the Uchiha archives. One of the few who Danzo never got to."

Kaizen's expression darkened slightly. He looked at Mira, then down at his sword. "You've awakened your Sharingan."

"And you've surpassed what we thought was even possible," she replied. "I've come to see it myself. The one born from the fusion of Uchiha… and Kurata."

Naruto's eyes widened. "Wait, wait! She's another Uchiha?! And she knows Kaizen?!"

Mira walked forward, tossing a small scroll to Kaizen. He caught it midair and unrolled it. Inside: ancient diagrams of ocular fusions, chakra synapses, and something else—a mark not seen since the Warring States era.

> A symbol of Ryūgan—the mythical Dragon Eye.

> "You're not the only one changing, Kaizen," Mira said. "Others have begun to awaken too. You've stirred the bloodlines of the past."

---

Elsewhere in Konoha, Jiraiya leaned against a rooftop ledge, watching the reunion from afar. Kakashi appeared behind him, arms folded.

> "Did you tell Kaizen about the others?" Kakashi asked quietly.

Jiraiya shook his head. "Not yet. He'll find out soon enough. Especially about the girl."

> "Mira?"

> "No," Jiraiya said, voice turning grim. "About Saruna—the one born in secret. Another mistake of the old council."

Kakashi sighed. "The Uchiha legacy continues to burn, huh?"

---

Back at the training grounds, Kaizen and Mira stood across from each other under the twilight sky. A silent spar began.

Mira's Sharingan glowed.

Kaizen's fused eyes—a swirling blend of Eternal Mangekyō and Ketsugan with hints of molten gold—activated. The fusion pulsed with draconic chakra, an unintended result of Kaizen's recent enhancement.

Their clash cracked the trees and bent the light.

> "You're different now," Mira admitted, panting slightly after deflecting Kaizen's slash. "But are you stable?"

Kaizen smiled, though his eyes shimmered with unstable energy. "That's what I'm here to find out."