Chapter 5: The Quiet Chain
Word Count: ~4,000+
š Konoha Academy Training Grounds
The sun was high over the Academy field, casting sharp shadows across the neatly drawn sparring circles. The students stood in groups, whispering, adjusting their headbands, and glancing constantly at the boy standing in the shade of the tall trees.
Santos Orozco stood quietly at the far edge of the field, arms folded, eyes half-lidded.
His tribal necklace hung gently against his chest, dark curls brushing his shoulders in the breeze. He wore the same dark green cargo pants, black boots laced tightābut today, a dark gray training vest had been forced on him by Iruka.
"You can't just walk around shirtless during taijutsu drills," the teacher had said.
Santos hadn't argued. But he hadn't zipped the vest either.
šÆ Whispers in the Wind
"He doesn't even talk to anyone."
"Did you see how Hinata keeps looking at him?"
"He's too quiet. Creepy quiet."
"I heard he killed a whole squad of bandits with just chakra chainsā¦"
"I heard he isn't even from a clanāhe just appeared one day."
In the crowd, Sasuke Uchiha was silent. Watching.
His onyx eyes focused solely on Santos, studying his posture, the way he moved. There was no tension. No bravado. Justā¦ stillness.
That annoyed Sasuke.
He walked up beside Iruka, arms crossed.
"I want him."
Iruka blinked. "Sasuke, it's randomized pair sparring todayā"
"Make an exception."
Iruka stared at the boy, then sighed. "Fine. But don't say I didn't warn you."
He turned to the class. "Alright! First sparring matchāSasuke Uchiha versus Santos Orozco!"
ā The Match Begins
Santos stepped into the ring slowly, dragging his left boot slightly through the dirt.
Sasuke cracked his knuckles.
The students crowded around the circle immediately.
Naruto grinned. "Kick his butt, Sasuke!"
Ino was practically vibrating. "Two hot boys fighting? This is the best day of my life!"
Hinata stood quietly at the back, her eyes fixed on Santos, brow furrowed with concern.
Shikamaru muttered, "This is going to be troublesomeā¦"
Iruka raised a hand.
"No chakra attacks. No lethal strikes. First one on the ground for more than five seconds loses. Begin!"
š„ Sasuke's Opening
Sasuke didn't wait.
He lunged forward in a blur, fists flying with the precision of a prodigy. His movements were fastātextbook perfectābut not predictable. He'd been training relentlessly since the last clan assessment.
He wasn't just fighting Santos.
He was fighting the rumor of him.
Santos sidestepped the first strike, tilted under the second, and caught the third gently with his palm.
Their eyes metāByakugan to coal-black sharingan-less eyes.
(Though he hadn't activated his sharingan yet, something in Sasuke's blood burned to earn that powerāto beat others without it first.)
"You're quick," Sasuke muttered.
"You're loud," Santos replied.
š Meanwhile: The Spy
Hidden among the trees at the edge of the field, a Hyuga stood quietly, cloaked in civilian robes, posture too still to be natural.
A member of the Hyuga Observation Division, tasked with evaluating "the anomaly."
Through a light activation of the Byakugan, he watched Santos's every movement.
He's suppressing his chakra outputā¦ impressive for a child. No wasted motionā¦
He scribbled something in a small scroll tube tucked inside his sleeve.
Hyuga traits confirmed. But the chain techniqueāstill unclassified.
Thenā
He felt it.
Something behind me.
Too late.
A faint whisper of shadow snapped from the tree root behind him, curling around his ankleātight, unseen, silent.
The spy reached for his kunaiā
But his arm wouldn't move.
A second chain emergedāfrom the ground itselfātwisting up and around his bicep, binding it completely. The man opened his mouth to call outā
Another chain curled up and pressed across his lips. Silencing seal. Instant.
Santos, in the center of the ring, didn't even glance toward the woods.
š Back to the Spar
Sasuke launched a spinning kickāfast, sharp, dangerous.
Santos raised his arm, deflecting the kick cleanly.
But Sasuke used the momentum, pivoted midair, and dropped low, sweeping Santos's legs.
The Wraith let himself fallāback-rolling and landing in a crouch.
"You're holding back," Sasuke growled, annoyed.
"So are you," Santos replied, deadpan.
The tension broke as both charged forward at once.
Sasuke's punch was caught.
Santos's elbow was dodged.
Back and forthāstrike and counterāneither gaining ground.
But everyone watching noticed something strange:
Santos didn't seem like he was trying to win.
He was watching.
Measuring.
Letting Sasuke burn energy.
š» The Finish
Sasuke jumped back and performed hand signsāfast.
"Fire Style: Phoenix Fireā"
"Iruka-sensei!" Shino interrupted from the sidelines. "He's using chakra!"
Iruka stepped forwardā "Sasuke! I said noā"
Too late.
Sasuke exhaled a burst of fire pelletsācontrolled, but intense.
Santos stood still.
Let them come.
And just before the first flame hitā
He stepped sideways into a sliver of darkness cast by the tree's shadow behind him.
His body flickeredāturning into darkness itself, and the flames passed harmlessly through him.
Gasps rang out across the field.
"Whatā?!"
"He disappeared!"
"Noāhe phased!"
Sasuke's eyes widened.
The fire clearedāand Santos stood directly behind him.
Whisper quiet.
One hand reached upā
Tap.
Two fingers touched Sasuke's back gently, right at the center.
And chains burst from the ground, spiraling around Sasuke's legs before he could react.
They didn't constrict. They didn't burn.
But they pinned him.
Held him still for just long enough.
Sasuke didn't fall. He just stopped.
And the match was over.
š§ Aftermath
Iruka blinked, raising a hand.
"ā¦Winner: Santos."
The class stood in stunned silence.
Even Naruto had no idea what to yell.
Sasuke stood rigid, jaw tightābut he didn't lash out.
Santos calmly walked past him.
"ā¦You're strong," Sasuke muttered. "But I'm going to surpass you."
Santos gave a faint shrug.
"Then try harder."
šæ Laterā¦
Santos sat under a tree near the back of the field, quietly drawing something in the dirt with a stick.
He didn't look up as the silenced Hyuga spy was dragged away by two disguised ANBU, still wrapped in black chains only he could see.
Iruka never noticed.
Neither did the students.
Santos smiled slightly to himself.
"If you're going to watch meā¦
You'd better know how to hide."
Chapter 6: Stars and Storms
Word Count: ~4,200
š Nightfall in the Leaf
The training fields were silent now. Only the hum of crickets and the rustle of leaves in the wind filled the evening air. A crescent moon hung above the village, cold and silver, casting long shadows across the Academy roof.
Santos sat at the highest edge of the roof, elbows on his knees, watching the stars.
He had memorized the layout of every training ground, every wall, every patrol route. He could sneak in and out of the village easily. The seal on his wrist that limited chakra output was only semi-active nowāmore of a leash than a cage.
But he stayed.
Because tonight, something pulled at him.
And then he heard it.
A soft shuffle behind him. Careful steps. No attempt to hide them.
He didn't turn.
"You always knew where I was," Hinata said, smiling as she stepped up beside him.
Santos gave the faintest nod. "Your chakra is warm. Easy to recognize."
She sat down beside him, tucking her hands into her sleeves. The silence stretched between themānot awkward, but quiet. Familiar.
"I saw your spar today," she said softly. "With Sasuke."
"You saw what they wanted to see," he murmured. "A boy with tricks."
"That wasn't a trick," Hinata said gently. "You phased through fire."
Santos didn't answer at first.
She turned her head slightly. "Whatā¦ what does it feel like? When you become darkness?"
He exhaled slowly.
"It feels like forgetting."
"ā¦Forgetting?"
"Everything," he whispered. "Heat. Sound. Pain. Even time. I'm not in the world when it happens. I'm around it. A shadow that passes through. There's no weight. No heart. Justā¦ silence."
He turned his head slightly, eyes reflecting the moonlight.
"And when I come backā¦ I feel colder. Every time."
Hinata's eyes softened with worry.
"That's why I don't use it unless I have to," he said. "Not because I'm afraid of what it can do."
He looked up at the stars again.
"ā¦I'm afraid I'll stop knowing what it means to be human."
Hinata was quiet for a long moment.
Then she gently reached out and placed her hand over his.
Warm. Small. Steady.
"You are," she said.
He turned to her, confused.
"You're human," she continued, voice barely a whisper. "Because you worry about losing that. That's how I know."
His fingers curled around hers, gently.
For a moment, the Wraith of Chains didn't feel like a weapon.
He felt like a boy.
š Graduation Day
The next morning, the Academy buzzed with excitement.
Students lined up in rows outside the central training building. A long table had been set up beneath a red-and-white banner with the Leaf symbol flapping proudly in the breeze.
Iruka stood beside Mizuki, clipboard in hand, calling students one by one for the basic jutsu evaluation.
Santos stood near the back, arms folded, observing everything.
He wasn't nervous. But he wasn't calm, either. Something in the air feltā¦ strange. The wind carried tension, and the ANBU watching from nearby rooftops had a different shift pattern than usual.
He wasn't the only one who noticed.
"You feel it too, huh?" Shikamaru muttered beside him, hands in his pockets.
"Something's changing," Santos replied.
"Mmh," the Nara grunted. "I hate change."
š Graduation Test
Iruka called names quickly, students going in and out of the main room. Some came out cheering. Some walked out crushed. Naruto stormed out grumbling about "stupid clone jutsu."
Eventually:
"Santos Orozco."
He stepped forward.
The room was empty except for Iruka, Mizuki, and a sealing scroll.
Iruka gave a small nod. "When you're ready. Clone Technique."
Santos said nothing. He simply held one hand up and pressed his palm outward. A faint wisp of dark chakra curled from his hand.
He didn't create a clone. Not in the usual sense.
He formed itāout of condensed shadow, almost perfectly identical to him. It didn't shimmer like normal illusions. It stood.
Mizuki took a half step back, uneasy.
Iruka blinked. "That'sā¦ not the standard technique, but it's functionally identical."
The clone saluted once, then dissipated into wisps of black fog.
Iruka looked up at him, clearly impressed.
"Congratulations, Santos. You pass."
He handed him a Leaf headband.
Santos looked at it for a long moment.
Then slowly tied it to his upper arm.
Not on his head. Never on his head.
š§ A Private Audience
As the students were dismissed for celebration, Iruka pulled Santos aside gently.
"There's someone who wants to speak with you."
Santos didn't protest.
šÆ Hokage Tower
The Hokage's office was quiet, the light filtered through long papered windows. Sarutobi stood behind his desk, pipe in hand, looking out over the village.
He turned slowly as Santos entered.
"Congratulations."
Santos didn't reply.
Sarutobi gestured toward the seat.
"There's something we need to discuss. Something I hadn't planned to reveal until much later."
Santos raised an eyebrow, sitting silently.
"The Chūnin Exams are being prepared," Sarutobi said. "They'll take place in three months."
Santos said nothing.
Sarutobi continued.
"But this year will be different. Political tensions are rising. Iwa is still recovering from its civil strife. Suna is being strangely cooperative. And multiple villagesāKumo among themāare sending more candidates than usual."
He stepped around the desk.
"This isn't just a tournament. It's a message. A stage."
Santos nodded. "And you want me to be on it."
"I want you to be ready for it."
Santos leaned forward.
"Why tell me this now?"
Sarutobi's gaze darkened.
"Because I know what you are, Santos. Or ratherāwhat you're becoming."
He tapped his pipe out gently into a porcelain tray.
"You're not just a boy with unusual powers. You're a symbol. The world has started whispering about youāthe Wraith of Chains. But the wrong kind of attention will come next."
He pulled open a drawer and placed a sealed scroll on the desk.
"This is a list of missions. Special assignments. Pick two. You'll carry them out soloāoutside the villageābut under surveillance. We need to see what you do when you think no one is watching."
Santos's fingers hovered over the scroll.
Then he asked the question that had been growing in the back of his throat for days.
"Why are you giving me a chance?"
Sarutobi studied him.
"Because the Leaf has too many children who were never given one."
He turned toward the window again.
"I'm tired of making that mistake."
Santos stood slowly, scroll in hand.
He paused at the door.
"If I find something out thereā¦ something from beforeā¦ will you let me keep it?"
The Hokage looked at him.
"I'll try."
That was enough.
For now.
Chapter 7: Stolen Flames, Silent Steps
Word Count: ~4,200
š The Night Before the Mission
The moon hung low over Konoha, veiled behind thin clouds, casting silver wisps across the rooftops.
Santos moved soundlessly across the tiles, dark curls dancing in the breeze, his obsidian katana slung across his back. The mission scroll tucked into his belt detailed a solo reconnaissance mission outside the Land of Fireāsearching for a missing diplomatic caravan rumored to have been attacked by rogue ninja.
He was ready.
But something pulled his senses to the eastern edge of the villageāthe forbidden training grounds. His Byakugan flickered briefly, scanning the treeline.
"One personā¦ moving fast. Noātwoā¦ wait. One down. The other's gone."
He shifted direction.
Within seconds, he was there.
š The Scroll of Sealing
The forest clearing was lit only by the soft glow of chakra paper.
There, collapsed against a tree stump, was Naruto Uzumakiāclutching a massive scroll far too large for someone his age.
His breath was ragged, body drenched in sweat.
The Scroll of Sealing lay unrolled beside himāits sacred paper revealing ancient, forbidden techniques in stylized ink.
Santos's eyes narrowed.
"He broke into the Hokage's vault."
He stepped into the clearing quietly, his boots brushing fallen leaves.
Naruto didn't stir. He was out cold.
Santos knelt beside him and placed two fingers on his forehead. His chakra pulse was steady, just exhausted.
"ā¦You're lucky I found you before ANBU did," Santos murmured.
He turned his attention to the scroll.
Dozens of jutsu, most too dangerous for genin eyes, sprawled across the ancient parchment. But four caught his eye immediately.
ā The Silent Theft
Santos pulled a blank scroll from his pouchāhigh-grade chakra paper, pretreated for absorption. He set it beside the original and channeled a small pulse of shadow chakra through his fingertips.
His eyes flickered pale.
Copy only what matters.
Shadow Clone Jutsu
More than a clone. Each copy retained memory, chakra signature, and tactical potential. Perfect for infiltration or intel gathering.
He copied it word for word. Rasengan
Incomplete but potent. No hand signs. Chakra shape manipulation at its peak.
His eyes narrowed. "I'll need time for this one."
Still, he copied it. Yami HyÅton (Dark Ice Release)
A forbidden hybrid technique developed in the war. Darkness mixed with iceāa freezing entropy, capable of absorbing energy from heat and light.
His own darkness aligned with it. Frighteningly well.
He copied it. Gentle Fist ā Foundational Scroll
Buried within the scrollāa study text from the Hyuga archives. Basic strikes, chakra pathway diagrams. Meant only for clan initiates.
His breath caught.
He copied it.
"They'll call it theft," he thought. "But thisā¦ this is remembering who I could've been."
Scroll sealed. Markings hidden. He replaced the original beside Naruto and brushed some dirt over the copied pages to disguise his presence.
Then, without a word, he vanished into the trees.
šÆ The Mission Begins
By dawn, Santos was deep into the forested border between Fire Country and the smaller, trade-heavy River Country. The terrain shifted from lush green to jagged rock and cliff paths.
He activated his Byakugan brieflyāhis range now stretching farther than ever.
"Three signaturesā¦ moving slow. Wounded. Civilian chakra signatures. Less than a mile."
He flicked his wrist. A small black chain uncoiled from his palm and shot into the trees ahead, latching silently and pulling him forward.
Within minutes, he reached the site.
A broken cart. Two horses dead in their harnesses. One adult trader, unconscious, and a young courier trying to patch his leg with shredded cloth.
"Don't move," Santos said, stepping from the shadows.
The boy shrieked, then blinked.
"You'reā¦ not bandits?"
"No," Santos said.
He moved quickly, kneeling beside the wounded man. He drew a thin vial from his beltāone of Raigo's old battlefield concoctionsāand poured it onto the leg wound. It hissed, then dulled.
"You'll make it back to the village."
"W-we were attacked," the courier said, shaking. "Not banditsāshinobi. Masks. Theyā¦ they weren't from Konoha."
"Who, then?"
"Iwa."
Santos's jaw clenched.
"Iwa againā¦"
"Which way did they go?"
The boy pointed north.
Santos didn't respond.
He vanished.
š« Tracking the Enemy
His chains pulled him tree to tree, silent as mist. His Byakugan scanned wide arcs of land, tracing every heat signature, every movement.
It didn't take long.
Three shinobi, dressed in worn earth-toned armor, huddled in a canyon clearingāone missing an arm, the others tired and bloodstained.
Santos crouched silently from above.
Their voices were low.
"ā¦We missed the Hyuga brat. But at least we slowed the caravan."
"We should've killed them all."
"We barely escaped the trap. Leaf shinobi are tightening their routes."
"We need to deliver the stolen scrollābefore he finds us."
Santos tilted his head.
"Scroll?"
He dropped into the clearing behind them.
They didn't even have time to turn.
Black chains burst from the shadows, impaling the first two instantlyāpiercing armor, wrapping their bodies like puppets.
The last man activated an Earth Style jutsuālaunching pillars of stone.
Santos stepped into shadow.
The pillars passed through mist.
He reappeared behind the man.
One chain.
Around the throat.
Pulled tight.
The shinobi dropped.
Santos knelt and searched their packsāfinding bloodied scrolls, maps, and one stolen Earth Release prototype jutsu sealed in Iwa insignia.
He marked the ground with a tracking sigil.
The Wraith had made his mark.
š Return to Konoha
Two days later, Santos walked through the gates of the Hidden Leaf with the courier boy riding behind him on a borrowed mule, the diplomatic documents recovered, and the Iwa evidence sealed in a chakra-proof container.
Iruka met him at the gate, stunned.
"You were only supposed to observeā¦"
Santos dropped the scroll at his feet.
"Observation complete."
Behind Iruka, ANBU waited in silenceāeyes on the scroll.
Santos turned his eyes up at them.
"Let them follow."
He'd copied the truth already.
And he was just getting started.
Chapter 8: The Eye Behind the Mask
Word Count: ~4,300
š Hidden in the Pines
Two miles east of Konoha, where mist clung to ancient pine trees and the roots of the land were deep with time, Santos trained in secret. He'd created this clearing over a week ago, carving away brush, laying silent traps, and cloaking the zone in subtle shadow chakra to distort chakra detection.
Not even ANBU could trace him here.
A week had passed since the mission and the night he'd found the Scroll of Sealing.
And in that week, Santos Orozco had changed.
š Shadow Clone Training
His hand seal was crisp. One breath. One burst of chakra.
"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu."
Two shadow clones puffed into existence beside him. Perfect replicasābare-chested, tribal necklace and all.
They nodded to him in unison and immediately ran into formation.
The clearing exploded into movement.
Santos moved like a ripple through the trees, one clone leaping high, the other darting in low. The original swept a black chain forwardāforcing the upper clone to dodge while the lower clone swept his leg in retaliation.
It wasn't sparring.
It was calibration.
Timing. Pressure. Creativity.
When one clone dispersed, Santos absorbed its experience, adjusted his stance, and started again.
He repeated the drill fifty-seven times.
No wasted motion.
No breath spared.
šŖ Rasengan Practice
He only practiced the Rasengan at night.
Always after the world was asleep, when even the wind held its breath.
It took all his concentration to maintain the chakra rotation. He started with water balloons, then rubber spheres, and nowā
A smooth obsidian stone the size of his palm.
The air around his hand shimmered as dark chakra began to rotate.
His focus was absolute. Brow furrowed. Breath shallow.
The first time, it exploded prematurelyāflinging shards of rock into his cheek.
The second time, it only spun halfway.
The third?
It formed.
Small. Unstable. But glowing with the essence of death and movement.
A Rasengan, not of lightā¦
ā¦but of darkness.
He didn't smile.
Not yet.
š Yami Tenketsu ā The Dark Chakra Art
By the fifth day, Santos began testing something entirely different.
The Gentle Fist scroll he copied was incompleteājust basics. But it was enough.
He memorized the chakra pathway diagrams, internalized the acupoint striking system, and adjusted it for his chakra.
The result was a modified style he named:
Yami Tenketsu ā Dark Chakra Needle Strikes.
He didn't block chakra flow like the traditional Hyūga method.
He inverted it.
With each strike, he implanted a thread of darkness chakra into the tenketsu pointācausing temporary corruption of chakra flow. The victim would experience disorientation, delayed reactions, sometimes even hallucinations.
It wasn't clean.
It was war.
And Santos perfected it against his own clones over and over.
š The Watcher in the Trees
What Santos didn't knowāwas that he wasn't alone.
Perched high in the shadow of a bending pine, masked face unreadable, Kakashi Hatake watched everything.
From the clonesā¦
To the darkness-based Gentle Fistā¦
To the Rasengan training he couldn't quite see.
He said nothing. Moved not an inch. But his visible eye narrowed beneath the shadow of his forehead protector.
"Not a typical child. And definitely not just another genin."
š The Confrontation
The next morning, the sky was heavy with overcast.
Santos entered his hidden clearing like usual, cloak pulled around his shoulders, obsidian katana slung casually over his back. He paused mid-step.
The traps were untouched.
But he felt it.
"ā¦Someone's here."
He didn't draw his blade. He didn't summon chains. He just looked up at the branch above.
"You've been watching me for a while."
Silence.
Thenā
Fwoosh.
In a blur of silver and black, Kakashi landed in the clearing.
Reading a book.
Or at least pretending to.
Santos tensed, eyes scanning the space behind the jonin.
"No backup," Kakashi said lazily, flipping a page. "Just me."
"What do you want?"
"Confirmation," Kakashi said, closing the book with one hand and slipping it into his vest.
"Of?"
"That what I saw wasn't an illusion."
Kakashi's eye narrowed.
"Your clone work is advanced. Your taijutsu isā¦ terrifying. And you're using HyÅ«ga chakra techniques."
Santos didn't answer.
"Where did you learn it?"
"Why do you care?"
Kakashi took a step forward. "Because the way you move reminds me of someone I used to know."
"ā¦Raigo," Santos said quietly.
Kakashi blinked.
"You knew him?"
"He saved me," Santos replied. "He taught me everything that mattered."
There was silence.
Kakashi gave a slight nod. "ā¦He was a good man. Better than most."
He sighed and walked past Santos, standing at the edge of the clearing. He stared at the trees.
"You're not a monster, you know."
"I never said I was."
"But you think it. I can see it in your movements. Like you're trying not to break the world around you."
Santos didn't speak.
Kakashi turned back to face him.
"I'm not here to report you," he said. "I'm here to offer one thing."
"ā¦What?"
Kakashi smiled under the mask.
"A real spar."
Santos blinked.
"ā¦Now?"
"Why not?"
Santos considered him, then dropped his cloak to the ground.
His tribal necklace caught the light.
"No Rasengan," he said.
Kakashi raised his hands. "Scout's honor."
Santos stepped forward, his body already shifting.
Dark chains slithered from his forearms like living smoke, circling around him.
Kakashi lowered his stance.
"Let's see what the Wraith of Chains can really do."
Chapter 9: Bloodlines and Boundaries
Word Count: ~4,400
šļø Hinata's Secret
Hinata Hyūga moved quietly through the ancestral corridors of the Hyūga compound. The day was bright, but she kept to the shaded halls, heart fluttering with both guilt and curiosity.
She wasn't supposed to be here.
Not during Clan Leader deliberations.
But she had overheard her fatherāHiashiāspeaking with a Jonin escort that morning. Something in his voiceā¦ something urgent. She hadn't meant to follow. Her feet moved before she could stop them.
Now she crouched silently behind the thick paper wall of the side corridor, chakra suppressed, ears straining.
Inside, the voices of her father and the Third Hokage carried clearly.
š£ The Hidden Past
"You believe he may be Hyūga-blooded?" asked Sarutobi.
"Not just belief," Hiashi said. "I have reason."
Hinata pressed a hand to her mouth.
"A month ago," her father continued, "we ran a quiet audit of old mission records. Ones with classified statusāmissions involving potential inter-clan scandal orā¦ bloodline secrets."
"And what did you find?"
"A man named Akihiro HyÅ«ga. A prodigy of the branch family, but kept under the radar. He vanished seventeen years ago during a mission to the Land of Monstersāofficially recorded as KIA."
Sarutobi's voice dropped. "There was no body."
"No witnesses, either. But something strange: Akihiro's final mission reports referenced prolonged engagement with a localāan outsider woman named Maria. Not a civilian. Skilled. Possibly a kunoichi of unknown origin."
Hiashi hesitated.
"The reports imply that heā¦ loved her."
Sarutobi sighed deeply. "Forbidden attachment. That would explain why his name was buried."
"But here's the link," Hiashi said. "I cross-referenced missions by DNA traceāoff-book records. And a rogue signature was logged three months ago on the edge of Iron Country. HyÅ«ga chakra markers."
Sarutobi said nothing.
"This childāSantosādisplays Byakugan. That alone is alarming. But with those chakra signatures, and the Land of Monsters originā¦ it is likely he is Akihiro's son."
Hinata's hands trembled.
"If that's true," Hiashi said quietly, "he is of our blood. Even if unacknowledged."
Sarutobi's tone shifted. "So what will you do?"
"Nothing. Not yet. We cannot afford to force a child into our politics again. Especially one like him. He may never want to be a Hyūga."
Sarutobi's pipe tapped softly.
"Then give him the choice. And let him make it in peace."
š Hinata's Realization
Hinata stepped away from the wall slowly, heart pounding.
Akihiro. Maria. The Land of Monsters.
Santosā¦ has HyÅ«ga blood.
She felt cold, then warm. Confused. But one thought rang louder than all:
He's not alone.
And thenāshe smiled.
š„ Back to the Fight: Kakashi vs. Santos
The forest clearing exploded in motion.
Kakashi swept low, kunai whistling, while Santos spun midair, shadow chains whipping from his forearms, coiling like vipers.
Their clash had drawn on for over five minutes. No words. Only movement.
Santos's speed surprised even Kakashi. The boy anticipated openings with terrifying precision. When Kakashi feinted, Santos had already repositioned. When Kakashi threw a smoke tag, Santos created a chain whirlwind that cleared it instantly.
But Kakashi was far from finished.
He vanished in a Body Flickerāand reappeared behind Santos.
Strike aimed for the shoulderā
Santos's body flickered into darknessā
Kakashi's kunai passed through him.
"Impressive," Kakashi said, landing again. "You don't just phase. You decide what part phases."
Santos didn't respond. He dropped into a low stance. His fingers twitched.
Chains spiraled around his legs, enhancing his ground control.
He sprinted forwardāand Kakashi finally activated his Sharingan.
Their next clash was faster.
Santos struck with a Yami Tenketsu palm strike, grazing Kakashi's left side. The jonin's chakra flared erratically for a secondājust enough to disrupt his shadow clone.
"Modified Gentle Fist?" Kakashi said, breathing harder. "Now that's dangerous."
He landed low again.
"Alright, I'm calling it."
Santos blinked, still tense.
"ā¦That's it?"
Kakashi sheathed his kunai and shrugged.
"I've seen enough. You're capable. Focused. But you're also holding back."
Santos narrowed his eyes. "I don't trust you yet."
"Good. You shouldn't trust anyone blindly."
Kakashi walked closer and extended a hand.
"But if you're willing, I want you on my Genin team."
Santos stared at the offered hand.
"I already work alone."
"Then work with me." Kakashi's voice was low. "Not because you need itā¦ but because someday, someone else might."
Santos glanced at the sky. Clouds shifted. Light dappled the clearing.
He thought of Raigo.
"Never lose your smileā¦ but only show it to the people you consider family."
He reached forward.
And shook Kakashi's hand.
Chapter 10: Chains, Claws, and Crowns
Word Count: ~4,300
š„ Team 7: The Formation
The classroom was buzzing.
Students whispered excitedly, chairs scraping as the new Genin squads were announced. Iruka stood at the front, clipboard in hand, calling names.
Santos leaned against the back wall, arms crossed, observing.
He already knew what was coming.
"Team 7ā¦ Naruto Uzumaki, Hinata HyÅ«ga, and Santos Orozco."
A pause.
Heads turned.
Whispers followed.
Naruto leaped out of his chair, fists in the air. "Yeah! WaitāHINATA'S on my team?!"
Hinata flushed pink but smiled gently.
Santos stepped forward, his expression unreadable. A few murmurs rose from the back of the room.
"That's the Wraith of Chainsā¦"
"Didn't he take on a rogue team solo?"
"He's not even from here, is he?"
Iruka silenced them with a look.
"Your jonin sensei will meet you shortly. Wait here."
š Enter: Kakashi Hatake
An hour laterāKakashi arrived.
Late, of course.
"ā¦Sorry, I got lost on the road of life."
Naruto growled. "You're LATE!"
Santos gave no reaction. Hinata simply bowed politely.
Kakashi's visible eye scanned them. "You three. Follow me."
šŖµ The Bell Test ā Reinvented
They arrived at Training Ground 3, where Kakashi stood beside a wooden stump with a small satchel.
Inside?
Three black-stained chakra tags, tied like ribbons.
"You won't be doing the traditional bell test," he said.
Naruto blinked. "No bells?"
"No bells," Kakashi replied. "This is a different kind of test. You've all seen combat. You've all made your mark in some way."
He reached into the satchel.
He tossed each of them a black cloth band.
"Tie these to your dominant arm. You're to protect your band while trying to remove someone else's. You fail if you lose yours. You pass if your team wins collectively."
Santos tied his band tightly.
"What's the real objective?" he asked.
Kakashi's eye curved upward.
"Figure that out yourselves."
Then he vanished.
āļø Round 1: Chaos
Naruto charged firstāpredictably.
He launched three Shadow Clones and flanked Hinata, trying to take her by surprise.
Hinata, blushing, activated her Byakugan and dodged gracefully, striking pressure points on two clones, dispersing them mid-spin.
Meanwhile, Santos had disappeared.
Literally.
Chains slithered low along the ground, waiting.
Naruto yelled, "I know you're there, Santos! You're not sneaky!"
Then the ground beneath Naruto erupted. A whip of darkness snagged his ankle and yanked him into the air, dangling upside down.
Santos emerged from the tree line, arms folded.
"Too loud."
"You suck!" Naruto spat, swinging helplessly.
Hinata covered her mouth to stifle a laugh.
š« Round 2: Bonding
After several rotations, none of them had claimed victory.
Kakashi observed from a nearby tree, unseen, taking notes.
Naruto grew more frustrated. Hinata hesitated in every attack. Santosā¦ didn't press advantages. He tested, but never overwhelmed.
"They're not failing," Kakashi thought, "but they're not trusting each other either."
He stood up, ready to interveneā
And then something changed.
Santos deactivated his Byakugan mid-match and walked calmly into the center of the field.
"Stop."
Naruto and Hinata paused.
"ā¦Why?" Naruto asked.
"Because this isn't about winning."
Santos looked between them.
"It's about proving we're a unit. That we'll protect one another. The test isn't to wināit's to not lose."
He tossed his own band to the ground.
"I won't fight either of you."
Hinata's eyes widened.
Naruto gaped. "What if we take yours then?!"
Santos looked at him evenly.
"Then I trust you."
A long pause.
Then Hinata untied hers and placed it next to his.
"ā¦Me too."
Naruto stared between them, teeth gritted.
"ā¦Fine! FINE! Whatever!"
He threw his down too.
"I still think I could've won."
š Cutaway: The Truth in the Shadows
Far from the training ground, in the still, incense-scented Hokage office, Hiashi Hyūga stood beside Sarutobi.
A silent crystal orb shimmered before them, showing Santos kneeling in the training field, his headband tied to his upper arm, facing his teammates.
"He didn't take the final point," Hiashi murmured.
"He didn't need to," Sarutobi replied. "He knew when to yield. That's rarer than talent."
Hiashi didn't answer.
Instead, he turned his eyes toward a nearby deskāwhere a thin brown file lay open.
Two aged documents rested inside.
The first:
Subject: Akihiro HyÅ«ga ā Branch House
Status: Missing in Action
Final Assignment: Land of Monsters ā Class S
The second:
Subject: Maria Orozco
Title: Clan Heir ā Orozco
Bloodline Limit: Phasing through solid matter
Status: Last known royal bloodline heir to the Kingdom of the Land of Monsters (destroyed)
Additional: Confirmed mother of Santos Orozco
Hiashi's eyes narrowed at the words:
"Heir of the Orozco Clan."
"Last living royal of a fallen kingdom."
"His bloodline is more than just Hyūga," Hiashi said quietly.
Sarutobi nodded.
"He's a child of two legacies. And he doesn't yet know what either one will demand of him."
Hiashi placed a hand on the file.
"ā¦Then we should make sure he has a choice."
š Return to Team 7
Back in the training ground, Kakashi finally emerged from the trees.
"All of you pass."
Naruto blinked. "What?! Really?!"
Hinata's eyes lit up.
Santos just nodded.
"You chose to stand together," Kakashi said. "That's more than most do. No one's stronger alone."
He turned toward Santos briefly.
"ā¦Even those who've learned to survive alone."
Their sensei disappeared in a puff of smoke.
Naruto looked up at the clouds. "Soā¦ we're officially a team now?"
Hinata smiled softly. "Yes."
Santos looked at the horizon, his chain slowly curling around his wrist like a snake resting after battle.
"Yes," he said.
A team. A family.
Chapter 11: Echoes in the Mist
Word Count: ~5,100+
š The Mission to the Land of Waves
Their mission was simpleāon paper.
Escort a bridge builder, Tazuna, back to the Land of Waves.
But Team 7 quickly learned nothing was ever truly simple in the life of a shinobi.
The Demon Brothers' ambush should've been their first sign. Two assassins, coordinated and lethal, nearly impaled Naruto before Santos's chains exploded out of the mistācrushing one into the soil, while the other was locked in a choking coil of black shadow.
That night, Kakashi pulled Santos aside.
"You fought like a jonin."
Santos only replied, "I fight to end it quickly."
But even that ambush paled in comparison to what came next.
š« Zabuza
The trees held their breath the moment Zabuza Momochi appearedāblade across his back, water chakra thick in the air.
His chakra was suffocating. Like drowning without water.
Team 7 scattered, Hinata activating her Byakugan immediately, Naruto frozen with fear, and Santosāthe only one who didn't flinchāstepped forward, chains slithering along the grass, cold and alive.
The battle that followed nearly tore the forest apart.
Kakashi's Sharingan clashed with Zabuza's Silent Killing Style, while Santos engaged directlyāphasing through the blade and striking Zabuza's joints with Yami Tenketsu chakra strikes, disabling muscles without cutting flesh.
They nearly wonā¦ nearly.
But Zabuza's death was a lie. A masked boy claiming to be a Hunter-nin took the body, and Kakashi saw through the trick instantly.
"He'll be back," he warned. "And this timeā¦ stronger."
š Waiting in the Fog
They retreated to Tazuna's home.
His daughter, Tsunami, gave them hot food and silence. The air was thick with tension, with waiting.
Kakashi remained unconscious for a full day, his chakra dangerously low.
Naruto paced. Hinata whispered encouragements. Santos stood by the window, staring into the endless white mist like it owed him answers.
On the second evening, Santos turned to the others.
"I'm going for a walk."
Hinata nodded softly. Naruto looked up from the floor, brow furrowed.
"You sure that's a good idea?"
Santos didn't answer. He was already gone.
š² The Pull
He didn't know what pulled him.
It wasn't chakra. It wasn't instinct.
It wasā¦ recognition.
Like something buried deep inside him had awakened.
He moved through the woods with quiet grace, boots barely brushing fallen leaves. The mist thickened around him, but his Byakugan cut through it in pale waves.
Thenāhe stopped.
A small clearing lay ahead. Trees bowed outward unnaturally, as if pushed back by something long ago.
At the center stood a stone shrine, half-sunken into the earth, swallowed by vines and time.
Two massive statues flanked the structure.
The left one depicted a woman with wild, flowing hair and an open spiral carved into her chest. Her robes billowed like waves, her eyes fierce but kind.
The otherāa dark-skinned man with long curls, tribal beads, and a massive chain wrapped around his arm.
Santos stepped forward, breath catching in his throat.
He knew that man.
He didn't know how.
But he did.
šŖØ The Stone Slab
At the center of the shrine stood a crumbling slab, moss-covered, its carvings barely visible. Santos brushed it clean with a sweep of his hand.
Etched into the old stone, in an ancient but decipherable script:
"In unity, strength. In blood, loyalty.
The Orozco and the Uzumaki ā Proof of Alliance."
He stood still.
"Orozcoā¦ and Uzumakiā¦"
His chest tightened. He stepped back, mouth dry, a hundred questions spinning in his mind.
Thenā
A twig snapped behind him.
Santos turned swiftly, one hand already raising a dark chaināuntil he saw the messy blond hair.
"ā¦Naruto?"
š Naruto's Discovery
Naruto held his hands up.
"Whoa, whoa! Don't lash me, bro. Justā¦ following you."
Santos lowered his chain.
"I could've been an enemy."
"Could've. But weren't."
Naruto moved closer, rubbing the back of his neck. "So uhā¦ what is this place?"
Santos turned to face the shrine.
"I don't know. But I thinkā¦ I was meant to find it."
Naruto stepped beside him, squinting at the stone.
His eyes caught the word Uzumaki.
"ā¦Hey."
He pointed to it.
"That's my name."
Santos blinked.
"ā¦What?"
"My name. Naruto Uzumaki."
Santos stared at him.
"You knew you were Uzumaki?"
"Yeah? It's literally my last name."
Santos frowned.
"No, I meanādid you know what that means? The clan?"
Naruto shook his head slowly.
"They never taught me anything about that in the Academy. I always figured Uzumaki was justā¦ some weird orphan name."
Santos stepped back, almost stunned.
"You never learned about your clan?"
"Nope. Didn't even know I had one."
Naruto looked back at the stone, brow furrowed.
"ā¦So what is this, then? Some kind of monument?"
Santos's voice was quiet.
"More than that. It's proof."
"Proof of what?"
Santos looked at the woman's statueāat the spiral etched into her chest.
"ā¦That your people and mine were bound together. Once."
Naruto stared at the monument.
"ā¦I didn't think I had people."
Santos glanced sideways at him.
"Neither did I."
š¦ Into the Shrine
The stone archway behind the statues had long since crumbledābut the door it protected remained intact, sealed by old chakra.
Santos stepped forward and placed his palm against it, channeling a small pulse of his darkness chakra.
The spiral emblem on the door shimmered faintly, reacting to something in his bloodāand in the blood that had stood here long ago.
Click.
The door creaked open slowly.
Naruto stepped back. "Dudeā¦ that's creepy."
Inside, faint blue light glowed from moss-like script on the walls. The air was thick with the scent of old stone and forgotten history.
Carvings lined the wallsāmurals of battle.
One showed red-haired warriors forming spirals in their palmsāmassive sealing jutsu. Another showed shadow-wielders shaping constructs of dark light. At the center of the final mural:
A dark-skinned woman phasing through blades while a red-haired man summoned a swirling vortex of chakra beside her.
Below them: an army crushed by black chains and golden seals.
Naruto stared, slack-jawed.
"ā¦That's my hair."
Santos looked at him.
"Yeah. That's your clan."
Naruto blinked.
"ā¦I had a clan."
Santos nodded slowly.
Naruto stared at the mural again, then rubbed his eyes.
"Iā¦ I always thought I was just some kid. Justā¦ the weird kid with no parents. But thisā¦"
He reached out, touching the wall gently.
"ā¦I was part of something?"
"You still are," Santos said quietly.
Naruto turned.
"ā¦So are you."
š Closing Scene
They stepped outside again, the door sealing quietly behind them.
The mist rolled low across the ground.
Naruto kicked a rock. "ā¦So what now?"
Santos looked up at the sky.
"We get stronger. Find the rest of the truth. Andā¦ if we're the last of our clansā¦"
He turned to Naruto.
"Then it's up to us to remember them."
Naruto smirked.
"ā¦Guess that makes us cousins or something."
Santos actually smiled.
"Something like that."
Chapter 12: The Beast in the Mist
Word Count: ~6,200
The morning fog wrapped around the half-finished bridge like a living thing, curling between the planks and supports as if it had its own intent. Cold. Heavy. Wrong.
Tazuna tightened his grip on the hammer in his calloused hands. His breath fogged out in short, nervous bursts.
"This mistā¦ it's not normal."
Team 7 stood at attention.
Hinata activated her Byakugan, eyes glowing like pale moons. Naruto gripped a kunai tightly in his hand, every part of his body vibrating with nerves.
Kakashi stepped forward, one eye shut, listening.
Only Santos didn't move. His arms were crossed, dark green cargo pants fluttering gently in the breeze. His obsidian katana rested at his back. He didn't blink.
His Byakugan had already detected the chakra signature. Multiple distortions, rapidly approaching.
"They're here."
The words had barely left his lips when Zabuza emerged from the mistālike a god of war. Silent. Intent.
At his side, as always, was Hakuāmask on, head bowed.
No words. No warning.
Only violence.
Zabuza dashed forward. Kakashi met him halfway.
Their blades clashed, a burst of steel on steel, then chakra on chakra. Lightning sparked from Kakashi's kunai; water exploded from Zabuza's sword. The bridge shook under the force.
Hinata turned to defend Tazuna.
Haku vanished.
The air shifted.
A sudden swirl of chakra surrounded Santos and Naruto as jagged panels of ice formed in a perfect dome around themādozens of ethereal mirrors reflecting Haku's masked face.
Santos's chains whipped out too late. He cursed under his breath.
Naruto stumbled forward, wide-eyed. "What the hell is this?!"
"My Crystal Ice Mirrors," Haku's voice echoed. "It's beautiful, isn't it?"
Santos activated his Byakugan again, trying to track her movement, but she was fastātoo fast, even for his vision.
Naruto made the first move, flinging three shuriken. Haku vanished, reappeared behind him, and sent two senbon into his shoulder and thigh before he could even scream.
Santos launched a chain.
It struck ice.
The entire mirror shatteredāthen instantly reformed.
Naruto gritted his teeth. "Tch! Clone Jutsu!"
Two shadow clones appeared and charged in opposite directions.
Haku struck both in the heart with pinpoint accuracy.
Santos moved swiftly, creating a spear of darkness in his palm and hurling itāonly for it to pass through an afterimage.
"Too slow," Haku whispered, reappearing above.
A dozen senbon rained down.
Naruto took two to the ribs. Blood splattered across the ice.
He dropped hard.
His head smacked the bridge.
And he didn't move.
"...Naruto?"
Santos's heart stilled.
He rushed forward, grabbing his wrist. No movement. No breath.
He dropped to his knees, blood staining his hands. Something inside him twisted. Broke. Shattered.
Not him. Not him too.
The memory came unbidden.
Raigo's final breath. The burning village. His teacher's body crushed beneath rubble.
Now this?
Narutoāthe one who called him "bro," who followed him to the shrine, who rebuilt it with him in secretāwas gone?
No.
The world blurred. His chakra pulsed wildly, uncontainably.
And somethingā¦ else emerged.
It wasn't chakra.
It was pure fury.
His pupils shrank. His Byakugan bled into pitch-black. The white turned to violet, then obsidian.
Dark mist exploded from his body. It hissed against the ice and ground, freezing wherever it touched. His tribal necklace crackled as if charged with lightning.
The air around him screamed.
Chains burst out of the ice, jagged and ethereal, moving like serpents.
The mist condensed. His rage solidified into jagged Dark Ice, a new transformation born of trauma and fury.
A sound like grinding crystal filled the dome.
Haku reeled back.
This wasn't the same boy from the forest.
She barely managed to deflect a shadow chain as it impaled one mirror and erupted from another. The entire formation cracked.
Santos floated now, suspended by his own ice.
His voice was low, nearly inhuman.
"Youā¦ killed my brother."
Haku's eyes widened behind the mask. "He's notā"
Chains slammed into her chest, sending her skidding across the mirrors.
Another wrapped around her ankle mid-air and dragged her down like a whip.
She screamed.
Santos didn't flinch.
He landed, summoning a scythe made of black ice, its edge humming with malevolent energy.
He raised it high above her headā
"SANTOS, STOP!!"
Hinata.
She burst through the broken mirror wall, her palms glowing with chakra, blocking the strike an inch before it fell.
Tears streamed down her cheeks.
"He's alive! Naruto's alive! He's breathing! You don't have to do this!"
His scythe trembled.
Santos's breath hitched.
He turned slowly. Naruto groaned on the floor, twitching faintly, eyes squinting open.
"ā¦You'reā¦ lateā¦" he mumbled, bloody and barely conscious.
Santos's entire body slackened.
The ice cracked.
The aura disappeared.
He dropped the scythe. It shattered instantly.
He collapsed to his knees, panting, dark chakra vanishing into mist.
Meanwhile, Kakashi and Zabuza clashed violently in a dance of sword and lightning.
But when the pulse of that chakra hit themāboth men paused.
Zabuza turned his head slightly.
"What in hellā¦"
Kakashi saw the distraction.
And struck.
A clone detonated beside Zabuza, stunning him just long enough for Kakashi to appear behind.
"Raikiri."
The lightning blade pierced Zabuza's shoulder clean through.
He collapsed, unconscious, sword sliding off the edge of the bridge into the mist.
Hours passed.
The fog cleared.
Team 7 stood victoriousābarely.
But the nightmare wasn't over.
Gato arrived with his gang of thugsāsmiling.
"You served your purpose, Zabuza," he said coldly. "Now you die. And I take my bridge."
But this timeāTazuna and the villagers stood with their heads high.
"You're not taking anything."
Dozens of men and womenāarmed with makeshift weaponsācharged.
By the time the mist settled, Gato's empire was broken, and his body floated in the sea.
A Few Days Laterā¦
Kakashi ordered rest.
Team 7 remained in the village as the bridge was completed.
Hakuānow revealed, unmasked, brokenāwas allowed to live, under strict watch.
But Santos didn't care.
He and Naruto disappeared each morning before sunrise.
They returned to the shrine.
The one they found together.
The one they promised to protect.
They carried planks. Rope. Nails.
Repainted the symbols. Cleaned the stones. Replaced the archway.
Naruto talked the whole time.
"Man, I thought I was a goner. Then I wake up and you're going all scary ice demon."
"ā¦You saved me," Santos replied. "I thought I lost you."
Naruto grinned. "I'm too stubborn to die."
They sealed the shrine with a custom hand seal.
Their own.
No one else ever knew.
That Nightā¦
Hinata entered the guest room to find Haku sitting quietly beside a sleeping Naruto.
"You should be resting," Hinata said gently.
Haku didn't look at her.
"ā¦He nearly died to protect a boy with chains and shadows. Who could've killed him any time."
Hinata nodded.
"That's who Naruto is."
Silence.
Then Haku whispered, "I liedā¦ about something."
Hinata tilted her head.
Haku smiled faintly. A real one. Almost shy.
"I'm a girl."
Hinata blinked. "...Oh."
Haku tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
"He doesn't know. Andā¦ I'd like to keep it that way. For now."
Hinata walked over and sat beside her.
"I won't tell."
They looked down at Naruto.
Sleeping. Peaceful.
A boy who carried the sun.
Chapter 13: Roots in the Dark
Word Count: ~7,300+
šļø Returning Shadows
The gates of the Hidden Leaf rose in the distance like stone guardians. After two weeks in the Land of Waves, the familiar sight of home should have felt like relief.
But Santos feltā¦ heavier.
Every step through the gates carried the weight of his transformation. His rage. The chains that had nearly killed someone.
Even now, he could feel the glancesāsubtle chakra flickers from shinobi sensing him. A test. A warning.
We're watching you.
Naruto, of course, noticed none of this.
"Aw man, I missed Ichiraku's! We gotta eat thereātonight!"
Santos said nothing, eyes flicking toward the Hokage Monument in the distance. Hinata glanced between the two quietly. Haku, trailing behind them in a borrowed Leaf cloak, kept her head down.
Their mission was over.
But for Santos, something deeper had only just begun.
š§ Interrogation of the Heart: Haku's Test
That afternoon, Haku was escorted to the Hokage's tower, flanked by two ANBU with tiger masks.
The room was quiet when she entered. Paperwork rustled as Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, looked up from behind his desk.
At his side stood Inoichi Yamanaka, calm, professional, prepared to dive into her mind.
Kakashi stood by the wall, arms crossed but eyes watchful.
Haku bowed deeply.
"I will answer whatever you ask, Lord Hokage."
Sarutobi nodded. "This village protects its own. If you wish to be one of us, we must know what you carry inside."
She didn't flinch. "Then look."
Inoichi stepped forward and placed two fingers to her temple.
There was no resistance.
What he saw...
Was not what he expected.
He saw a child hiding under floorboards as her mother bled to death.
A blade gleaming.
A silent scream.
Snow turning red.
Zabuza's rough voice. "You want to live? You belong to me now."
Years of silence. Training.
And thenāNaruto.
Golden hair. A smile that made the cold feel warm.
"Don't touch him!" Naruto had shouted, leaping in front of Santos.
He had taken the hit for a boy that terrified him.
And Haku had hesitated.
For the first time in yearsā¦ she had hesitated.
Inoichi pulled back.
His fingers trembled.
"She'sā¦ telling the truth," he whispered. "She's loyal. And she's broken. But she wants to change."
Sarutobi tapped the end of his pipe.
"Then let's give her a chance to do so."
Kakashi stepped forward.
"She'll be under my supervision. As a genin-in-training."
Haku bowed once more, but when she turned to leave, her eyes briefly found Kakashi's. There was pain thereābut alsoā¦ hope.
š§¼ Santos's Apartment Life (ft. Chaos)
Santos's place was tucked in the older residential district, where the buildings leaned just a little and the plumbing groaned when it was tired.
He liked it that way.
It was quiet.
So when Naruto crashed on his floor the second night back, snoring with one leg tangled in the curtain and a cup of instant ramen in his hand, Santos nearly regretted letting him in.
"Do you always sleep like this?" he asked.
Naruto groaned. "Don't judge me... I trained too hard."
Santos sighed.
He walked into the kitchen and threw away the expired noodles Naruto had stockpiled like war rations.
"Not happening."
The next day, Hinata showed up with three grocery bags and a cleaning scroll.
"Iā¦ I thought you might need a hand," she said softly.
Santos looked between her, the spotless kitchen she'd cleaned in two hours, and Naruto proudly holding a "cooked" egg that had exploded in the pan.
"ā¦You're hired."
š First Letter
It came quietly.
No knock. No chakra signature. Just a faint slide beneath the door.
Santos opened it.
A small ivory envelope. No wax seal. No sender. Only his name, written in elegant ink.
Inside:
You are more than your blood. The name Orozco runs deeper than memory.
Seek the truth in the ruins to the west. When the time comes, you will remember.
ā A Friend.
Santos stared at the page long after the words faded in his mind.
š¶ Naruto Moves In (Officially)
On the fourth night, Naruto returned from the orphan's apartment he technically still "lived" in. He stood in the doorway holding a box of instant ramen and a broken photo frame.
"ā¦Place got worse."
Santos didn't look up from sharpening his katana.
"You're not sleeping there again."
Naruto raised a brow. "You're not my mom."
"No," Santos said. "I'm your brother. And you're not living in a rat-infested box. I'd rather sleep outside."
Naruto blinked.
"ā¦Thanks."
He dropped the box on the floor and smiled.
From then on, he was home.
ā Second Letter
Three days later, another letter.
The elders of the Hyūga would not approve of this contact.
But your motherā¦ she was more than you know.
She was loved.
Signed, an old soldier who once knew your father.
That night, Santos sat awake long after Naruto had fallen asleep. He held the letter in his hand, a hundred questions roaring behind his eyes.
He placed it under his pillow.
And waited.
šÆ Midnight Meeting
The pull came that night.
A whisper of chakraāold, precise, and familiar.
Santos followed it through the rooftops of Konoha, silent as shadow, until he reached the rear garden of the Hyūga Clan compound.
Hiashi stood alone in the moonlight.
The man's expression was unreadable.
"You received the letters."
Santos nodded. "You wrote them?"
Hiashi shook his head. "I only delivered them. The words were hers. Copied from an old journal we found."
"ā¦My mother?"
Hiashi's eyes softened. "Maria Orozco."
The name landed in Santos's chest like a blade and a balm.
"She vanished before you were born. But she was not weak. And she was not alone."
He handed over a thin leather folder.
Inside:
A photo of a dark-skinned woman holding a newborn.
A mission report labeled: Incident 014 ā Collapse in the Land of Monsters.
And a drawing of a tribal necklace. The same one Santos wore.
Hiashi said nothing more.
But as he turned to leave, he whispered:
"Don't let them take this from you. Not again."
š The Folder (Expanded)
Santos spent hours with it.
The photo showed her in profile, hair wild and curly, eyes fierce. The baby was swaddled in green.
In the margins of the report, written in faded red ink:
"Kekkei Genkai: Unknown phasing technique.
Possible lineage fusion with Hyūga traits.
Mission Status: Missing in Action. Presumed deceased.
Threat Level: Withheld from Council.
Reason: Too dangerous to provoke internal debate."
He understood.
His entire lifeā¦ hidden under fear of what he might be.
š A Promise Between Brothers
That night, Santos sat at the window again.
Naruto joined him.
"I know you've been quiet. And I know you don't like explaining thingsā¦"
Santos blinked. "You're still talking."
"But I got your back," Naruto said. "Always. You don't need to explain anything. Just let me help when the time comes."
He smiled sheepishly.
"'Cause I think I'm better at being your brother than I am at sleeping in one place."
Santos smirked.
Then, for the first time in days, he spoke softly.
"I found a name."
Naruto tilted his head. "Huh?"
"My mother's. Maria Orozco. From the Land of Monsters."
Naruto leaned back, thinking.
"ā¦Kinda sounds like a hero in one of those old scrolls."
"She was."
Naruto held up his fist.
"We'll find out more. Together."
Santos bumped it.
Silently promising that whatever came nextāthey'd face it side by side.
Chapter 14: Petals in the Leaf
Word Count: ~6,200
Morning Light and Quiet Shadows
The dawn crept softly through the thin paper walls of the guest room where Haku lay awake. The gentle rustle of the leaves outside whispered promises of peace that seemed foreign to her.
Her breath was steady but her heart was not.
Here, she thought, the world smiles.
But those smiles belonged to othersāpeople who did not know hunger, pain, or the cold blade pressed against their throat. She had lived too long in shadows to believe in warmth.
Slowly, she rose and wrapped the borrowed cloak tighter around her slender frame. The weight of the village's gaze felt heavy as she stepped outside into the morning light.
She walked the quiet streets, hoping to pass unnoticed. Children ran and laughed, unaware of the tragedies that had sculpted her heart. The smell of blooming cherry blossoms mingled with the earth's freshness, painting a world she wanted to belong to but could not yet reach.
A Gentle Invitation
By midday, near the Hyūga training grounds, Hinata stood silently watching her team, her pale eyes luminous with curiosity and kindness. She noticed Haku standing just beyond the fence, her figure small and withdrawn.
With a gentle step forward, Hinata called softly, "Would you like to spar with me?"
Haku looked up, surprised. The kindness in Hinata's voice was unfamiliar but comforting.
"Only if you do not mind."
The two girls faced each other in the training yard, their movements careful at first. Haku's precise strikes met Hinata's steady defense, both learning through every exchange.
As they trained, Hinata shared her strugglesāher fears of not living up to the HyÅ«ga legacy, her desire to protect those she loved despite her gentle nature.
Haku listened, the walls around her heart softening.
"You fight like someone protecting something important," Hinata said quietly. "Even if you are still finding what that is."
Haku smiled, a rare, genuine smile that surprised her own reflection in the water nearby.
Dinner of Laughter and New Beginnings
Later that evening, Naruto invited Haku to dinner at Santos's modest apartment. The atmosphere was light, filled with the comforting chaos of a home.
Naruto took charge of cooking but quickly set the rice ablaze, the smoke filling the cramped kitchen.
Santos rolled his eyes but offered a rare chuckle.
Haku laughedāa bright, clear sound that startled even herself.
As they ate, Naruto spoke of dreams and hope, his voice steady despite his scars. He spoke of becoming Hokage, of protecting the village and those he loved.
Haku listened silently, the weight of her past momentarily lifted by the warmth in the room.
Stars, Secrets, and Silent Confessions
Later that night, unable to sleep, Haku found Naruto sitting outside under the stars.
He looked up and smiled softly, inviting her to sit.
They spoke quietly of loneliness and family, Naruto sharing the emptiness he had felt growing up as an orphan, and the hope that someone like Santos had given him.
Haku hesitated to reveal her true selfāher identity as a girlāand the fragile secret she carried.
She feared losing the bond they were building.
Naruto, sensing her struggle, said simply, "You're already special to all of us."
Haku blinked back tears and smiled.
A new feeling blossomed inside herāa fragile hope.
The Weight of the Future
The following day, Haku received her first mission: to assist Kakashi in reconnaissance along the border of the Land of Monsters.
The news brought excitement shadowed with unease.
She approached Santos, voice soft, "Do you believe some placesā¦ remember pain?"
Santos looked toward the distant horizon, his eyes dark with memory. "Yes. Some places never forget."
Together, they prepared for the path aheadāeach step drawing them closer to truths buried in darkness and light.