Naruto POV
You are not alone.
The words were still there when I opened my eyes. For a few seconds, I simply stared at the ceiling. Morning light slipped through the window, painting pale lines across the floor. The village was already beginning to wake. Somewhere outside, I could hear footsteps, distant voices, and the occasional sound of someone opening a shop. Everything was normal.
I closed my eyes again.
There.
That feeling.
It was faint, almost buried beneath everything else, but I could feel it. Someone was there. Watching. I didn't sit up immediately. I just breathed. A few days ago, I probably would have jumped out of bed and started searching every rooftop and alleyway until I found whoever was following me.
Now, I knew better.
Or at least, Kurama was trying to teach me better.
Don't chase what you can't understand.
That had been one of his lessons. Easy for him to say. I sat up and rubbed my face.
"You're still there, aren't you?"
Nothing.
Of course.
I wasn't even sure why I'd spoken aloud. Maybe I was hoping the watcher would answer. Maybe I was hoping they would make a mistake. Instead, the feeling remained. It wasn't sharp, it wasn't threatening. There was no murderous intent behind it.
That was what bothered me most. If someone wanted to kill me, I could understand that. Enemies were easy. They always wanted something. Power, revenge, money, information and etc.
But this person...
I couldn't figure them out. They weren't watching me like an enemy. They were watching me like—
I didn't know and that was the problem. I got out of bed and stretched.
"Okay."
I looked toward the window.
"If you want to watch me..."
A small grin tugged at my lips.
"...then let's see how good you are at it."
By the time I reached the training ground, Sasuke and Sakura were already there. Sakura was standing beside one of the trees, adjusting her gloves while Sasuke was already halfway through his warm-up. He didn't look up when I approached.
"You're late."
I glanced at the sky.
"By three minutes."
"Still late."
"You're counting now?"
"I have nothing better to do." I snorted.
"That's probably the saddest thing I've heard all morning." Sasuke finally looked at me, his expression unimpressed. then his eyes moved past me toward the path I'd come from.
"You came from the other side." I paused. He noticed. Of course he did. I'd taken a longer route on purpose, making a few unnecessary turns along the way.
"Yeah."
"Why?"
I considered giving him an excuse. Instead, I pointed toward the training posts.
"Race you." Sasuke raised an eyebrow.
"To what?"
"First one to land ten clean hits."
"You're on."
He didn't ask anything else. That was one of the things I'd started to appreciate about him. He didn't need every answer. Sometimes, he just wanted to see what I'd do. We moved at the same time.
Sasuke launched himself toward the nearest post while I went for the one beside it. His movements were faster than they had been before, cleaner too. He was starting to rely less on raw speed and more on timing. I noticed the difference immediately. So did he, when I deliberately let him take the lead.
"You're holding back," he muttered. I glanced at him.
"Am I?"
"You are."
"Maybe you're just getting better."
He gave me a suspicious look. I grinned.
"Don't let it go to your head."
"Tch."
He turned back toward the training post. But there was a small change in his expression.mHe was pleased.
Good.
That was what I wanted. He didn't need me to tell him he was improving every five minutes. He needed to notice it himself. Behind us, Sakura groaned.
"You two started without me?" Sasuke looked over.
"You weren't ready."
"I was!"
"You were fixing your hair."
Sakura's face reddened. Somethings must stay the same.
"That's not the point!"
I couldn't help laughing. For a few seconds, everything felt completely normal. Then I felt it again. That faint pressure at the edge of my awareness. My smile faded, not because I was afraid. Because now I knew exactly what I was going to do about it.
Kakashi arrived several minutes later. He looked exactly like he always did. Lazy, unhurried and completely unconcerned. His orange book was already in his hand.
"Good morning."
"You're late," Sakura said. Kakashi glanced at the sun.
"Am I?"
"Yes."
"Hm." He returned to reading. Sakura's eye twitched. Sasuke sighed. I tried not to laugh. Kakashi eventually closed his book.
"Stop spending time with Kakashi-sensei Naru-nii" Sasuke said. Kakashi raise he's visible eyebrow. While I keep myself from laughing.
"All right. Today we'll be doing an awareness exercise." Kakashi said, while he's still eyeing Sasuke and giving a soft glare to me. Hearing what Kakashi said, Sakura straightened. Sasuke immediately became attentive. I did the same.
Kakashi explained the exercise. It wasn't particularly complicated. We would each move through the training area while trying to identify changes in our surroundings—sounds, disturbed leaves, movement, shifts in air pressure, anything that didn't belong. It sounded simple.
But I knew what he was really testing.
Awareness.
Observation.
Instinct.
Things that could save your life when you couldn't see your enemy. Well, I really don't have to do this exercise. We'll I already know that. So basically, this exercise is for the two only. I just need to play along.
Sakura surprised me. She wasn't perfect, but she was paying attention in a way she hadn't before. She noticed a thin wire stretched between two branches before Sasuke did. She stopped.
"Trap."
Sasuke looked toward it.
"Hn."
Kakashi nodded.
"Good."
Sakura looked pleased. She didn't say anything. She didn't need to. I could see it in her expression. She knew she was improving. I walked past her.
"Nice catch."
She glanced at me.
"Thanks." I smiled—
then there is it again. The presence had moved. I couldn't feel it clearly anymore. But I could feel the change. It was farther away.
No.
Not farther.
Higher.
My eyes slowly moved toward the trees.
There was nothing there just branches moving in the wind. But the sensation remained. Someone was there. And suddenly, an idea came to me.
'Let's test them.'
I waited until Kakashi turned his attention toward Sasuke and Sakura. Then I stepped away. Not enough for them to notice immediately.
Just enough.
I walked toward the edge of the training ground.
One step.
Two.
Three.
The presence remained then I changed direction.
Left.
Then right.
The presence moved.
I stopped.
They stopped.
My eyes narrowed. I started walking again, this time, I moved faster. The presence followed.
Not closer.
Not farther.
The same distance, always the same distance. I slowed down; they slowed down. I stopped; they stopped. A strange feeling settled in my chest.
'You're following me.'
I glanced back toward Team 7. Sasuke was still training. Sakura was listening to Kakashi. Nobody had noticed.
'Perfect.'
I made a shadow clone.
"Go."
The clone nodded and immediately ran in the opposite direction. I stayed where I was. The presence shifted. My clone kept running. The presence didn't follow it. My eyes widened slightly.
'So you can tell the difference.'
That was interesting. I dismissed the clone. Then I walked deeper into the trees. The presence followed. I changed direction again. They still follow. Then stopped beneath a large tree.
Silence.
Leaves rustled overhead. Birds chirped somewhere in the distance. I closed my eyes. I reached for that strange sense Kurama had been teaching me.
Not chakra.
Intent.
I breathed slowly, I didn't search for a person, I searched for what they wanted. At first, there was nothing.
Then—
There. A feeling that not hostility, not suspicion, nor hunger for blood, but concern. My eyes opened.
"Concern?"
I whispered the word. The presence shifted, only slightly. But I felt it. My heart began beating faster. Why would someone following me be concerned about me? I took another step.
Nothing.
Another.
Still nothing.
Then I did something reckless. I deliberately lowered my guard. Not completely though. I wasn't stupid enough to do that. But enough that anyone watching me might think I wasn't paying attention.
The moment I did—
The presence changed. It moved. Faster than I thought. My body tensed. I prepared myself for what about to happen. But then it stopped. Just before reaching me. I felt the intent clearly.
Protect him.
My breath caught. Because that wasn't the intent of an enemy. I looked toward the trees.
"You..."
My voice came out quieter than I expected.
"...you're not trying to hurt me."
Silence.
I smiled faintly, what am I expecting, people whose hiding wouldn't answer you if you talk to them. But still I talk.
"You're trying to make sure nobody else does."
I could almost feel whoever it was holding their breath. Then something else touched my senses. Something I couldn't describe.
Warmth.
Pain.
Longing.
It felt so strange that for a moment I forgot to breathe. I had felt anger, hatred, fear and sadness. But this was different. It was almost like someone had spent years missing something they had never stopped loving. I swallowed. Questions are running through my head. But those questions weren't answered yet.
"Who are you?"
No answer. I looked toward the trees.
"You know I can feel you, right?" For the first time, the presence didn't immediately retreat. It stayed. That told me more than words could have. Whoever they were...
They wanted to stay. They just didn't know how.
No one's POV
Kakashi watched Naruto disappear between the trees. He didn't stop him. That alone would have seemed strange to anyone else. But Kakashi knew Naruto. The boy wasn't running away. He was testing something.
Someone.
Kakashi's visible eye narrowed slightly. He had noticed the changes over the past few days. Naruto had always been observant. Far more than people gave him credit for. But lately, there was something different. He was sensing things Kakashi couldn't. Kakashi looked toward the trees.
Nothing.
No visible movement.
No obvious chakra signature.
Not that he doesn't know about that. He just doesn't know the extent of that situation. Sasuke glanced toward the same direction.
"Where did Naruto go?"
"He's fine."
Sasuke frowned.
"That's not what I asked, you know something."
Kakashi smiled beneath his mask.
"Maybe."
Sasuke clearly didn't like that answer. But he didn't argue. Kakashi returned his attention to the training ground. He trusted Naruto. If Naruto needed help, he would ask. And if Naruto was testing whoever had been following them...
Kakashi had a feeling that interfering would only ruin the experiment. Still, there was one thing that bothered him. Kakashi couldn't sense anyone. But Naruto could.
That meant whoever was hiding out there was either exceptionally skilled—or wasn't trying to hide from Naruto at all. Then the possibility of Naruto learning something that he doesn't know came to he's mind.
Sasuke POV
Naruto was gone longer than I expected. I kept glancing toward the trees. Something about this didn't feel right. Naruto had been acting differently since we left the Land of Waves. He kept looking around. Sometimes he'd stop in the middle of a conversation as though he'd heard something nobody else could. I wanted to ask him about it. But I remembered what he'd said earlier.
Something I haven't figured out yet.
So, I will wait, if Naruto wanted to tell me, he would.
Still...
I didn't like the idea of him disappearing alone. I looked at Kakashi.
"Shouldn't we check on him?" Kakashi's eye curved slightly.
"He'll be back."
"You sound sure."
"I am."
I frowned. Then I looked toward the trees again. "He's hiding something." Kakashi said nothing. I crossed my arms. "But it's not because he doesn't trust us." That made Kakashi look at me. I wasn't sure why. I simply knew it. Naruto had secrets.
A lot of them.
But somehow, I didn't feel like those secrets were meant to hurt us. I looked away. I trusted him. That was enough.
Naruto POV
I returned to the training ground a few minutes later. Sasuke immediately looked at me.
"Where were you?"
"Walking."
"Why?"
"Because I felt like it."
He frowned. He knew I was avoiding the question. But, just like before, he didn't push. Then Sakura looked at me.
"You look weird." I smiled by what she said. "Thanks."
"That wasn't a compliment."
"I know." She narrowed her eyes, but when she was about to say something Kakashi closed his book.
"Feeling better?" I looked at him, then stared for a while. He knew. Of course he knew. I thought I was being sneaky. "Yeah." I simply replied. Kakashi nodded.
"Good."
I looked toward the trees one last time. The presence was still there but now I wasn't afraid of it. More like I was curious. Whoever they were...
They had followed me, watched me, tested my awareness, protected me and for some reason, they seemed almost afraid of letting me see them. I couldn't understand it. But I would, Eventually, I promise.
Kurama POV
Inside the seal, Kurama opened his eyes. He had felt the moment Naruto sensed them. He had also felt the emotions coming from the two people outside. The fox remained silent for a long moment.
'He's getting closer.'
Kurama's claws pressed lightly against the stone floor. He could feel them. Two familiar chakra signatures. Two people who had spent far too long staying away from the boy they loved.
Minato.
Kushina.
They were close. Closer than they had been in years and Naruto had finally begun to notice. Kurama lowered his head. He had promised himself that Naruto would learn the truth when the time was right. Not through a careless slip, half-explanation and certainly not because Kurama decided to take the choice away from him.
Naruto deserved to hear it from them. His parents. Not from the fox inside his stomach.
Still...
Kurama couldn't help the faint smile that crossed his face.
'You're getting closer, brat.'
He looked toward the darkness beyond the seal.
'And when you finally find them...'
His expression softened.
'I hope they're ready.'
Kushina POV
"He knows."
My voice was barely above a whisper. I stood among the trees, watching Naruto return to his teammates. My fingers curled around the edge of my sleeve.
"He knows we're here." Minato stood beside me.
"I think he suspects someone is following him." I shook my head.
"No." I watched Naruto.
"He knows someone is following him." There was a difference. Minato remained quiet.
My eyes softened as Naruto said something to Sasuke. Then Sasuke shoved him lightly. Naruto laughed. For a moment, I forgot everything else.
The years.
The distance.
The secrets.
All I could see was my son. My little boy he's much older now, taller even stronger. Different from the baby I remembered. And yet...
I could still see him.
The same eyes.
The same smile.
The same stubbornness.
My chest tightened. "He looks so much like you." Minato smiled by what I said. "He looks like you too." Minato replied. I looked at him.
"Really?"
"Definitely."
I looked back at Naruto.
"He acts like you." Minato raised an eyebrow.
"That's debatable." I looked at him.
"You know I'm right." A quiet laugh escaped him. Then the warmth disappeared from his expression.
"He tested us."
My smile faded.
"I know."
"He deliberately made himself vulnerable."
"I know."
"If you had reacted any faster—"
"I know."
My voice cracked slightly. Hearing that Minato stopped. I looked down.
"I couldn't help it."
I clenched my hands. "When I felt him lower his guard..." My voice became quieter.
"I thought he was hurt." Minato stepped closer.
"I know."
"I wanted to run to him."
"I know."
"I wanted to tell him everything."
Minato didn't answer immediately. I looked towards Naruto again.
"Then why are we still hiding?"
Minato's eyes remained on our son.
"Because if we tell him everything now, we don't know what he'll do with it."
I frowned.
"He's, our son."
"I know."
"He deserves to know."
"He does."
"Then—"
"But he also deserves the truth without having to wonder whether we're lying to him."
I fell silent, I couldn't find the right word to counter him then he continued.
"We need to make sure that when we finally approach him, we're ready to tell him everything."
I looked at Naruto. He was talking to Sakura now. She watched the way he listened to her. The way he didn't interrupt. The way he seemed genuinely pleased when she succeeded. I smiled sadly.
"He's already become someone wonderful."
Minato's expression softened.
"He always was." My eyes filled with tears.
"I just want to hug him."
Minato looked towards me.
"Soon." I just nodded.
"How soon?" He didn't answer. Because honestly neither of us knew.
Naruto POV
The night came; I stood by my window. The village was quiet. For once, I wasn't thinking about training.
Or missions.
Or enemies.
I was thinking about the watcher. I could still feel them. Faintly. Somewhere beyond the village. They hadn't left. I rested my hand against the window.
"Why?"
No answer, what do I expect? I just stared into the darkness.
"Why me?"
The strange warmth returned. Only for a moment. But it was enough. I didn't know who they were. I didn't know why they were following me. I didn't know why their presence felt so familiar. But I knew one thing now.
They weren't waiting for me to fail. They weren't waiting for me to become weak. They weren't waiting for the right moment to attack. They were waiting.
For something.
For me.
And strangely...
For the first time in a long time, being watched didn't make me feel alone. It made me feel like someone was waiting for me to come home. I didn't know why that thought entered my mind. But it wouldn't leave.
Now somewhere far beyond my window, hidden in the darkness, there's people watched over me. Neither of them knew how much longer they could stay away. And neither of them knew that the distance between us was already beginning to disappear. I will catch them who ever they are. I have to see them. I have to know the truth behind the reason of their hiding.