Location: Forest of Death – Outer Ring
Time: Early Dawn
Status: Jinchūriki Synchronization: Stable
---
The air trembled long before I opened my eyes.
Not from chakra.
Not from fear.
But from presence.
The moment my mind slipped back into my body, I felt the pressure ripple outward.
Heat rolled across the scorched clearing, and the trees bent away as if the forest itself now recognized something new had entered the world.
---
> [System Online – Wyrmsoul Pact Confirmed]
> Synchronization: 37%
Current Mode: Ember Cloak – Active
🔥 Bonus Effect: Dragonflight – Enabled
> Wyrmsoul wings formed by flame memory; limited flight and enhanced perception unlocked.
---
I opened my eyes.
The silver spiral of the Ketsugan burned over the scarlet base of my Sharingan.
They no longer fought.
They danced.
My aura flared.
Dragonfire in the shape of wings exploded from my back—semi-transparent, like smoldering parchment laced with golden veins.
Naruto fell backward with a yelp.
> "Dude—what the hell are you?!"
Sasuke stepped forward, stunned.
> "That… that's not Uchiha power."
> "It's not meant to be," I said, voice low. "It's older."
Sakura took one cautious step toward me. "Kaizen, are you okay? Your skin—your chakra—everything's… glowing."
> "I'm fine," I said. "For the first time in my life… I'm not a mistake. I'm exactly what I was meant to be."
---
A rumble echoed from deeper in the woods.
> "Multiple signatures!" Sasuke barked, scanning the treetops.
Another ROOT squad.
This time led by a jōnin-tier agent wearing a blank white mask with a dragon crest.
They paused when they saw me.
Then—they hesitated.
For the first time, they didn't strike immediately.
> "Uchiha Kaizen," the leader said, voice strained. "You were not cleared to survive the forest."
I stepped forward, dragonflame licking at my feet.
> "Then allow me to file a complaint—"
With a thought, my cloak surged.
The flame wings beat once—launching me into the air.
ROOT panicked, releasing chains and seal kunai in every direction.
I spun in the sky, forming a spiraling ball of fire in one hand—no hand seals, no words, just memory and motion.
> "Take this back to Danzo."
"Dragon Art: Ember Spiral Bloom."
I hurled the attack downward—
the ground erupted in a cyclone of fire and memory fragments that struck ROOT agents not just physically, but emotionally—inducing echoes of their pasts.
The team collapsed beneath the mental shockwaves, overwhelmed by their own forgotten selves.
---
As I landed beside Team 7, Naruto's jaw dropped.
> "That… that was cool, but like—evil."
> "It wasn't evil," I said. "It was benevolent."
---
The sun broke through the canopy.
For the first time in years, I stood tall—not as a survivor… but as something legendary.
---
Uchiha Kaizen.
Dragon Jinchūriki.
The Forgotten Flame, reborn.
Status: Ember Cloak – Stabilized | Chakra Sync: 41%
Location: Forest of Death, Outer Ring
---
Smoke curled from the scorched crater where the ROOT ambush had once stood.
I stood still—wings of flame slowly retracting, my cloak dimming to soft embers that clung to my shoulders like a living cape. It didn't hum with power. It breathed.
> "Kaizen," Sasuke said, finally stepping forward, "what exactly are you now?"
> "Something Konoha never planned for," I replied. "Something even ROOT was afraid to remember."
---
Naruto scratched his head. "So you've got, like, a dragon inside you?"
> "Not just inside," I corrected. "We're bound. Bahdrakorr is flame incarnate—older than any Tailed Beast. He doesn't just live in me. His memories… are mine now."
Sakura blinked. "You see memories?"
> "I burn them."
---
Suddenly—
A presence pulsed in the distance.
Far off, but not far enough.
---
> [System Alert – External Chakra Spike Detected]
> Status: Toad Summoning Signature Confirmed
Approximate Power: Mid-Sannin Tier
---
> "Someone's watching us," I said, narrowing my eyes toward the northwest ridge.
Just then, the wind shifted.
A faint thump echoed through the forest.
> "That chakra…" Naruto said, going pale. "No way."
---
And from the treeline—
A figure emerged in a flowing red coat.
White hair.
Lines under his eyes.
A massive scroll strapped to his back.
> Jiraiya. The Toad Sage.
Legendary Sannin.
Naruto's godfather.
---
He took one long look at me and didn't smile.
> "Uchiha Kaizen," he muttered, voice hard. "So you're the one who just melted a ROOT platoon and reshaped the forest's chakra pattern."
I said nothing.
His eyes narrowed.
> "That dragon inside you? That's not a normal bijuu. That thing predates the tailed beasts."
> "So you knew," I said.
> "Rumors. Mostly. Something about an ancient beast sealed by Kurata outliers during the First Shinobi Era. Didn't think I'd see it attached to a half-burned Uchiha kid."
---
Naruto stepped between us. "He saved us!"
Jiraiya raised a brow. "Oh, I'm not here to fight. But someone needs to explain why a myth-class chakra monster just woke up under our noses."
---
Sasuke interjected, arms crossed. "Danzo knew. He tried to erase Kaizen before anyone else found out."
Jiraiya's face darkened.
> "Of course he did," he muttered. "That snake with an ego problem…"
---
Then his eyes turned serious—focused on me like a blade.
> "Listen, kid. You've got the flame now. But power like that? It eats the wielder if they don't stay sharp."
> "I'm not looking for advice," I said flatly.
> "Not giving advice," he replied. "I'm offering a warning."
---
Naruto's voice cut through the tension. "He's not like other Jinchūriki. He didn't ask for it—but he's in control."
I nodded.
Then I looked Jiraiya straight in the eye.
> "The next time ROOT comes," I said, "they'll need more than masks and chains.
They'll need gods."
---
Jiraiya grinned slightly. "Well, then. Let's hope you're on our side when they do."
---
As the sun rose higher, and ANBU chakra flickered in the distance, we knew this test was over.
But the exam?
Just beginning.