The morning air was crisp, the scent of damp stone lingering as Renzō stood at the edge of Iwagakure. The towering cliffs and labyrinthine pathways of the village had been his home for a short while, but he had never belonged here. He belonged nowhere.
He had come without purpose, and now he would leave the same way.
The shinobi who had watched him from the shadows—unseen yet ever-present—had done nothing to hinder him. They had observed, studied, and whispered of his existence. He had felt their gazes, their questions unspoken yet heavy in the air. But they had never acted, and for that, he was grateful. The weight of conflict had never been his to carry.
His golden eyes traced the horizon, the path stretching beyond the village leading to new lands, new encounters. He had walked many roads before, and this was simply another. The world was vast, and he would continue forward, as he always had.
Just as he took a step toward the path leading out of Iwagakure, a presence made itself known. Heavy, like the mountains themselves. Rooted, immovable.
The First Tsuchikage, Ishikawa, stood in his way.
Renzō stopped, his gaze meeting the old warrior's without hesitation. Ishikawa was not a man who indulged in pleasantries, nor did he waste words. He simply observed, his dark eyes cutting through silence like a blade.
"You are leaving," Ishikawa finally said.
It was not a question.
Renzō inclined his head slightly. "Yes."
The Tsuchikage studied him for a long moment before speaking again. "Iwagakure will not forget you."
"Nor will I forget Iwagakure." There was no deception in Renzō's words, only truth. "Your people are strong, unshaken. But strength is not just in the earth beneath your feet—it is in knowing when to stand firm and when to let go."
Ishikawa exhaled through his nose, a sound almost like amusement, almost like understanding. "And what is it you seek, wanderer?"
Renzō turned his gaze beyond the cliffs, to the endless possibilities stretching out before him. "Nothing. And that is why I will find everything."
The Tsuchikage nodded, as if he had expected nothing less. "Go then. The mountains will remain. We will endure."
Renzō gave one last glance at the village that had housed him, at the people who had feared and respected him, then stepped past Ishikawa.
The land stretched before him, waiting. And so, he walked.