Next to the quiet ANBU questioning room, Commander Tatsu watched Utakata's silent, body-trembling breakdown through the observation glass. At his side, Kakashi stood still, arms crossed.
They had clearly heard and seen everything Ryuu had talked about through the one-way observation glass.
"I didn't expect that kid to be this ingenious. How did you say this one way mirror thing was made? Does it utilize genjutsu?"
Kakashi shook his head, his single eye never leaving the scene in the room beyond.
"No, Commander. That's the unsettling part. It uses no chakra at all." He turned his gaze from the glass to Tatsu. "According to Crane, it's an application of… optics. A mundane principle, but one we've never considered."
Tatsu remained silent, a clear invitation for him to elaborate.
"The surface," Kakashi continued, paraphrasing the explanation Ryuu had given him months ago, "is coated with an alchemically bonded, microscopic lattice of reflective mineral dust. It's too fine to see, but dense enough to reflect most of the light in a brightly lit room. That's what Utakata sees: his own reflection. But the coating is also porous enough to allow a fraction of that light to pass through. Since our side of the glass is dark, our eyes don't have to compete with reflections. We only see the faint light that makes it through the glass from his side. It's simply… physics."
Tatsu was quiet for a long moment, processing the implications.
"Physics?" he repeated. "And he just… thought of this?"
"It's not the only innovation he's contributed to ANBU R&D," Kakashi admitted. "The new micro-burst encrypted communication scroll and the acoustic dampening seals… they are all based on his theoretical work. The results are minimal for now on a village-wide scale, but within the operations of ANBU… his contributions have already prevented at least three compromised missions."
Minato, who had been standing in the deeper shadows of the observation chamber, stepped forward.
"It's more than that, Tatsu. It's a different way of thinking. We shinobi see a problem and immediately search our arsenal of jutsu for a solution. Ryuu-kun sees a problem and analyzes the fundamental principles that govern it. It's why his tactical assessments are so unnervingly accurate."
He looked towards the one-way mirror, a complex mix of pride and profound concern on his face.
"It's the same intellect that he is now applying to his own Kekkei Genkai. He isn't just treating the Shikotsumyaku as a curse to be endured, but as a biological problem to be solved. However, he is still far too young to be thinking like that..."
Minato remained silent for a moment, glancing at the scene inside the chamber.
"Still, he managed to place the six-tails Jinchūriki on our side."
Kakashi nodded. "The boy broke him," he said, turning his attention back to the scene. "Then offered him a hand up. It was a masterclass in psychological warfare. Offering vengeance and a shared purpose as an alternative to despair."
"An emotional allegiance, wich is inherently volatile."
Tatsu rebuked, not truly pleased with the result.
"It's a loyalty to Ryuu," Minato corrected gently. "And, by extension, to Ryuu's objectives. For now, those objectives align perfectly with Konoha's. Utakata is a far greater asset to us cooperative than he ever would be as a prisoner."
Minato turned to his ANBU Commander. "Have Utakata moved to a secure but comfortable quarter. Remove the chakra suppressors, but maintain a subtle watch. Assign him a liaison from the Intelligence Division. Grant him limited access to our archives on Kirigakure's political situation. We will give him the purpose he craves."
—————————————————————————————————————
Three days later, the air outside the Yakiniku Q restaurant was thick with the rich, savory smoke of grilling meat and the loud, boisterous laughter of off-duty shinobi. The early autumn chill did little to quell the warmth and energy spilling from its open doors.
Inside, at a large, corner table, the gathering was already in full swing.
Renji Kazama, now taller and with broader shoulders, was locked in a heated, but good-natured, argument with Kenjiro Uchiha over the optimal way to grill tongue.
"You're burning it! You need to flash-grill it, get that perfect char without making it leather!"
Kenjiro snorted, delicately flipping a piece over with his tongs.
"Patience, Renji. You can't rush good thing, ya'know?"
He glided across the board, a mischievous grin on his lips.
At their elbow, Kurama Hiroshi was sitting with an absent-minded, amused smile, a sizzling slab of top-grade ribeye cooking on his own grill.
He did not join in the bickering, offering only the occasional comment that fueled the flames of their argument.
"Technically, Renji's faster deployment minimizes moisture loss, Kenjiro."
Kenjiro glared at him, which Hiroshi responded to with an unfazed, disarming grin.
On the other side of the table, the dynamic was quieter, but no less intense. Izumi Uchiha, her dark hair now cut to a practical, shoulder-length bob, was in a deep conversation with Asami Hyuga.
"Ryuu-kun is clearly more good-looking."
"No, my Itachi-kun is more handsome and far more elegant."
Asami huffed, crossing her arms, her cheeks slightly puffed in indignation.
"No way, Izumi-senpai! Ryuu-kun is definitely better looking! He's like… like a noble prince from a story!"
Izumi raised an amused brow but said nothing, watching with quiet curiosity as Asami launched into full-blown fangirl mode.
"I mean, have you seen his eyelashes? They're so long they probably cast shadows! And when he squints a little, he looks mysterious, like he's thinking about a hundred brilliant things at once!"
She clasped her hands dreamily under her chin, completely unaware of the ripple of smirks traveling around the table.
"It's not just that," she went on with a dramatic sigh. "His white hair is so beautiful... And now that he doesn't have to wear those wrappings all over? He looks like… like some kind of beautiful night spirit! Tall and elegant and so cool when he's quiet and broody!"
Renji choked on his drink.
Kenjiro looked like he was actively trying not to burst out laughing, his hand clamped over his mouth as his shoulders shook.
Hiroshi merely smirked into his glass, not saying a word but very obviously enjoying the spectacle.
Izumi, meanwhile, leaned on one hand, eyes gleaming mischievously as she teased, "You're really smitten, huh, Asami-chan?"
Asami nodded with the serious determination only a 13-year-old in love could muster. "I'm going to marry him one day."
"That so?" came a soft voice from just behind her.
Asami froze.
Her whole body stiffened like a puppet with its strings suddenly pulled taut. She turned her head slowly—too slowly—and there stood Ryuu, one brow slightly raised, arms folded, his expression unreadable except for the faintest glint of awkward amusement in his storm-grey eyes.
He looked very much as Asami had described—tall and poised, his features sharp and symmetrical, with fine-cut bone structure, pale skin no longer hidden behind layers of bandages, and long white hair that cascaded down his back.
Asami's mouth opened. No sound came out. Her face went crimson.
"Uhh… u-uh… I-I didn't—You weren't—Um—!!" She turned to the table, clutching her face like it was about to melt off. "Why didn't anyone TELL ME he was there!?"
Itachi who had just entered with Ryuu gave a tiny shake of his head. The corners of his mouth twitched just slightly upward.
That did it.
The entire table exploded with laughter.
"Sorry, Asami-chan," Renji wheezed. "We were too busy learning about Ryuu's magical eyelashes."
"Truly legendary," Kenjiro snorted. "The handsome ghost prince."
Ryuu blinked once, then gave a quiet sigh as he stepped further into the light, sliding easily into the seat next to Hiroshi.
"You guys are insufferable."
"Oh, don't be shy, Ryuu-kun," Izumi teased, leaning on Itachi's shoulder who had just sat down next her. "You've got a fan club now."
Asami peeked up between her fingers, mortified beyond recovery. Ryuu glanced at her, lips twitching into a very small, very rare smile.
"…Thank you," he said simply.
Asami stared at him in wide-eyed silence. Then squeaked. Then immediately turned and buried her face in the table.
Hiroshi leaned over with a casual pat to Ryuu's shoulder. "Don't worry. She'll recover. Probably."
"I won't," came Asami's muffled voice.
The meat sizzled, the laughter flowed.
And for a moment, in that corner of the village, all was warm, ridiculous, and peaceful.
Just as it should be.
——————————————————————————————————————
The forest pressed in around them, a suffocating wall of green and shadow.
The air hung thick with the stink of wet earth and rotting leaves, clinging to Ryuu's uniform like a second skin. This wasn't the dry, scorching heat of Suna. It wasn't the sharp, bracing chill of a Konoha winter. This was the borderlands—a place where territories bled together and the rules thinned until they barely held shape.
Their mission, on paper, was simple: rendezvous with a Takigakure escort and secure the Seven-Tails Jinchūriki, Fū. A diplomatic handoff, symbolic of Taki's trust—a gift that carried immeasurable risk. For Konoha, it required perfection.
Ryuu, Kakashi, and Itachi were not the primary escort. They were the reinforcements in case of emergency. A contingency trailing behind the four-man ANBU squad led by the operative codenamed Snake.
When the signal came—as they all knew it would—they immediately rushed to the location.
There was only one signal that the ANBU escort had on hand, and it had multiple meanings.
Ambush.
Akatsuki.
Jinchūriki compromised.
Request immediate reinforcement.
Ryuu's voice cut through the stillness.
"Two enemy signatures confirmed."
Itachi and Kakashi simply nodded and sped up.
The forest became a green tunnel, their footfalls vanishing into silence.
When they arrived, they stepped into the aftermath of something brutal. Shattered ice jutted from the ground some bits of it red from the blood that had frozen over it. It had been quick and it had been decisive.
An ANBU in an Ox mask signaled weakly from beneath the roots of a cypress, his arm bound with a strip of torn cloth, still slick with blood.
Snake crouched nearby, tending to the dead—three still bodies, carefully laid out. They had hidden Fū well.
"Reinforcements," Ox breathed, relief breaking through his pain. "Tora didn't make it. He held them off long enough for us to get her clear."
Kakashi's Sharingan spun lazily as he absorbed the scene. "The attackers?"
"Jūzō and… a boy. Young. Ice Release. Skilled. Very skilled. They split after the first assault. One's retreating. The other's still hunting."
"Good work holding the line," Kakashi said, his voice as steady as ever. "We'll take it from here."
The surviving ANBU withdrew, their exhaustion evident in the slump of their shoulders. The worst was over for them.
Itachi's Sharingan glimmered faintly as he stepped to Ryuu's side. "Residual chakra trails— one is moving northeast. The ice user… is still nearby."
Ryuu extended his senses, brushing against the faint signature threading through the mist. It was cold and controlled, but he was able to sense him.
"I'll draw him out."
The forest swallowed him as Ryuu peeled away from Kakashi and Itachi, his steps silent on the damp earth, his chakra masked to a whisper. The mist here was unnatural—thick, creeping, laced with faint flecks of frost that hadn't yet melted, even though the air was far too warm for it.
The ice user hadn't fled far.
No, this one lingered. Waiting.
'He knows I'm coming.'
"Good."
A faint crackle of freezing moisture guided him toward a clearing where the mist coiled like breath over still water. Shards of ice floated in the puddles. The trees here were lightly dusted in frost, their leaves stiff and rimed.
And standing there, was a boy wearing a Hunter-nin mask and the Akatsuki robes.