(POV: Mysterious Narrator)
Tenmei is pleased with his arrangements. After class, he decides to take a moment for himself and eat some ramen at Ichiraku.
Before leaving, he grabs some crumpled notes from the dresser and stuffs them into his pocket. He looks up, pensive, and picks up a water-filled balloon from the corner of the room.
"Hmm… It seems a whirlwind isn't easy to control… Should I apply more force? I need a little leaf to test this…" Tenmei thinks, drifting between daydreams and reality, with a scattered yet oddly focused logic.
On his way, Tenmei crosses paths with someone. A young woman with flowing, vibrant hair, a striking gaze, and a touch of kindness. For a fraction of a second, Tenmei freezes, before returning to normal. His heart, however, is far from calm…
"Impossible! How can it be her… Eliza, why are you in this world too? Damn it, damn it!" Tenmei curses in his thoughts, continuing on his path, overwhelmed by confusion and a strange hint of reminiscence.
"Hello, Tenmei-san?" A feminine voice calls from behind. Tenmei feels an inexplicable anxiety.
"Hey, pretty little girl. To what do we owe this breeze crossing our paths?" he replies in his usual tone, masking his turbulent thoughts.
"Breeze? Hahaha, Tenmei, you're so funny!" the girl laughs, with a natural softness and an almost inexplicable closeness.
"You know, I'm a freshman from Class B. It's a pleasure to meet you… Well, I heard about the genius from the elite class and got curious… Would you like to take a walk together?" she asks, cautious, patient, with a pure, almost indescribable look.
"I… no, I'm sorry. Can I ask you not to meet me again? Excuse me, distant little leaf. Goodbye," Tenmei says, flustered, almost fleeing.
"Hey, wait, please! Tenmei-san…" the girl shouts, her voice a mix of regret and guilt.
"Tenmei… do you still hate me? I… I'm so sorry…" Eliza murmurs, with a tragic sadness, left behind, lost in her thoughts.
Tenmei, meanwhile, quickens his pace with his odd, amusing walk, drawing attention but moving at a speed surpassing that of a chūnin.
"I ran away… Yes, I always hide… My ability activated on its own again… I hate this…" Tenmei thinks, his façade crumbling for a moment. He stops in a discreet spot near the Forest of Death and, absentmindedly, throws a punch backward.
Boom! A stunning sound of impact echoes, and a shadow flies uncontrollably. The struck boy, horrified, sees his arm—instinctively raised to defend himself—in an unnatural position. It's broken! Terrifying… He had never been injured like this. What's wrong with Tenmei?
With difficulty, the boy twists his body in the air, skillfully using a kunai with a wire. He hooks it onto nearby branches, managing to slow his momentum and land on the ground, embarrassed.
"Oww! Argh, what pain… what pain… Tenmei, are you crazy?" the boy groans, suffering. The blow hurt him more than it appeared; the internal impact nearly shattered his bones.
"Haruto, sleep well," Tenmei says, his tone cold and unapproachable. Using the shunshin no jutsu, he appears beside Haruto and delivers a swift strike, knocking him out. Then, with efficiency, he performs a practical medical treatment, precisely mending torn nerves and fractured bones.
"Tch… What am I doing? I feel awful today… No! I need to hurry, I have to get out of here. Change of plans," Tenmei thinks, reluctant yet resolute. His heart isn't ready for abrupt changes, but his body moves on autopilot, driven by a turbulent determination.
Wasting no time, after providing ideal treatment with chakra and his deep medical knowledge, Tenmei acts quickly. He creates clones that scatter in different directions. His real body, at some point, vanishes, hiding somewhere while the clones maintain a strange normalcy, wandering the village and acting as if nothing were wrong.
(POV: Eliza, Past Memories)
Tenmei is daydreaming again… Did Seth mess with him again? Poor Tenmei, I can never help him with anything. It worries me… Tenmei, what are you really thinking?
"Hey, little sprout, how's the situation in Sector 4? We need a new shipment of… What's got you so lost in thought, little leaf? Haha," Tenmei says, smiling oddly, as if he noticed something.
"I'm worried, Tenmei… Did you and Seth fight again?" I ask, hesitant.
"…" Tenmei is speechless for a moment. He looks at me in an inexplicable way and waves weakly, with a smaller smile.
"I… How about we take a stroll by the bubbles of the Sector 2 river? The NOG nomads are causing chaos again, hehe. I'm looking forward to…" He stops abruptly, trying to dodge the topic, and glances at the door, a bit embarrassed. His expression is so comical! Tenmei, I'm not the only one who notices this, you know? I laugh quietly in my mind, feeling more at ease.
"I'm back, gang! Hahaha, those NOG idiots went up in smoke, yoxi! It was awesome blowing them up!" a lively, familiar voice exclaims.
"Seth! You're back, that's great! You're not hurt, are you?" I ask, relieved.
"What? As if I could be! I'm way too strong, hehe," Seth says, with a funny, animated flair, showing off.
Tenmei watches everything, looking uncomfortable. He doesn't say a word to Seth and pretends to be invisible. Seth acts the same way…
Why that look, Tenmei? Is it really my fault? I just wanted us all to get along… Seth, don't treat him like that… Tenmei doesn't show it, but he's really shaken by the earlier fight…
(POV: Eliza, Present)
Tenmei, you brought me here, didn't you? This new world… I can't get used to it. It's so lonely… I didn't… It wasn't my fault, Seth… I didn't want him to leave because of me.
Lost in my thoughts, I grow more and more confused. I came to this strange world with no relatives, friends, or family… I was so happy when I found out Tenmei was here. He brought me here, I'm sure of it… Only he has that power, only he still remembers… But it seems it wasn't on purpose. Did he lose control again? Why does he always remember the war, Tenmei? Are we cursed to never find rest?
I drift alone, guilty for everything that happened between us. I should be dead, but deep down, Tenmei's ability still activated… So, will Seth come back someday too?
"Seth, Tenmei can't forget you. It's all my fault… If I had gone in your place, Tenmei could have you by his side. After all, only you can calm him. What a miserable friend I am… Even in death, I can't bring peace to those I love," I whisper to myself, sad and burdened with guilt for so many things from the past.
(POV: Tenmei)
In a hidden corner, I watch Konoha's gate. It's not easy to slip past the guards… The village's sensory defenses would catch me. I have to wait a little…
But Eliza… Why was it her who came? Does my heart desire their return so badly? And if… Seth came back too? I don't know if I can face him now. The past should stay in the past. I must cut the root of these events!
Kakashi, Mirla, Merlin, Akuma, and Haruto… I'm sorry, I might not be able to keep doing what I set out to do… With them here, I can't control myself. I sigh. The past echoes like distant stones that cliffs cannot hide. The sun conceals the night, and the night hides the light. Haruto… Forgive me… I'll have to be the villain. So, be my hero! Live for me, for Seth, and for Eliza.
What am I thinking? In the end, it was all my illusions… All reflections of my past. I always knew, but I didn't accept it. Except for Kakashi, I created them all.
"Truths and lies, the creation of realities… In the canon, you don't exist, Mirla, Akuma, Merlin, and Haruto… My dear friends, my cursed past that won't let me move forward… I understand, in the end, I'm the villain, aren't I? Little children of stolen almonds, I am the wind that carries them away," I say vaguely, gazing at the sky. I hate that they know what I'm thinking…