The relic sat sealed inside the Hokage's chambers, layers of protective seals etched by the village's finest. Even with barriers in place, its pulse could be felt, faint as a heartbeat beneath the floor.
Tsunade stood alone, arms folded, her gaze fixed on the relic's faint glow. A shadow lingered in her thoughts. Relics of this age never resurfaced without reason—and Root's desperation to claim it unsettled her.
What were they after… and why now?
Far from the Hokage's office, Kiyoshi stirred awake in his small apartment. Moonlight filtered through the blinds, casting fractured lines across his face. His sleep had been restless again—Hideo's voice whispering in his dreams, sometimes pleading, sometimes warning.
He rubbed his temples. It's not just the relic… something's reaching out through it.
A soft knock at his door broke the silence. He opened it to find Rei, still in her mission gear, eyes carrying the same exhaustion he felt.
"You couldn't sleep either?" she asked.
Kiyoshi shook his head. Rei stepped inside, setting down a scroll. "Daiki's out cold. Figures. But I couldn't stop thinking about what Tsunade said. Root underestimated us… but if they really regroup, they won't make the same mistake."
Kiyoshi unrolled the scroll, recognizing maps of the Land of Fire. Rei pointed to several marked areas.
"These are places where Root's movements were reported before the attack. They're spread thin, but… there's a pattern. It all circles back here. To Konoha. To us."
Kiyoshi's eyes narrowed. So we're not done with them yet.
Meanwhile, in the deep corridors of Root's hidden base, a masked operative knelt before a shadowed figure.
"The relic was lost," the operative reported, voice low.
Silence. Then a hand, pale and steady, waved him away.
"Lost… but not gone." The voice was calm, unnervingly so. "The Chinoike boy has touched it. That's enough. His blood will lead us to the truth."
The figure stepped closer into the faint torchlight, revealing cold, watchful eyes. "Prepare the next move. This time, failure is not an option."
Back in Konoha, Kiyoshi sat by the river once more. The water whispered against stone, the same rhythm as before, but tonight it felt heavier. He thought of Hideo's voice, the relic's pulse, and Rei's worried eyes.
Root wants me. Not just the relic.
He clenched his fists. His reflection rippled in the current, and for just an instant, his Ketsuryūgan flashed crimson across the water—like the eye of something ancient staring back at him.
The storm wasn't over.
It hadn't even begun.