---
The chamber was silent except for the steady hum of chakra in the air.
Ryuzen stood, unsteady but unbroken, the faint glow of the binding chains no longer on him — though his wrists still bore the marks. The Obsidian Division had released him, but not in mercy.
"Your chains are off," the scar-marked leader said, his masked face unreadable. "Now you will learn."
Ryuzen's storm flickered weakly across his skin, drained from the battle and the bindings. He clenched his fists. "And if I don't?"
The leader gestured.
Three masked shinobi stepped forward. Their movements were sharp, precise, like shadows given flesh.
"This is not a choice. This is survival."
---
The Trial Begins
They struck as one.
A palm thrust aimed at his chest, a sweeping kick toward his legs, and a kunai slicing for his shoulder.
Ryuzen's instincts roared. Lightning sparked around his arm as he parried the first blow, ducked under the kick, but the kunai grazed his side, burning across his skin.
The storm tried to answer — but it was weak, sputtering. Every time he reached for it, the memory of the chains dragged against him, making his chakra stumble.
[System Advisory: Host output at 43% capacity.]
[Recommendation: Adapt, don't resist.]
Ryuzen grit his teeth. Adapt.
He shifted his stance, lowering his center of gravity, letting the storm move not in bursts, but in steady arcs. The next strike met his palm, lightning sparking as he redirected it into the ground.
For a moment, he stood. For a moment, the storm obeyed.
Then the second shinobi's kick sent him crashing against the stone wall.
---
The Lesson
The leader's voice cut through the silence.
"Power without control burns out. Control without will collapses. You have one… but not the other. That is why you will break."
Ryuzen spat blood and pushed himself back up, eyes burning.
"I don't break."
The three attackers moved again. And again. And again. Each time, Ryuzen rose slower, his body aching, the storm inside clawing to be free but bound by weakness.
But each time, he also learned. A block became a deflection. A stumble became a slide. The storm, though faint, began to hum in rhythm with his movements.
The leader tilted his head, watching. "Interesting."
---
Meanwhile in Konoha
The war council chamber buzzed with unease.
"We cannot ignore this," Homura said sharply. "Masked operatives with unknown allegiance took him from the battlefield. If they are enemies—"
"They fought our enemies," Koharu interrupted. "Without them, our forces would have been destroyed."
Danzo's eye narrowed. "Or perhaps they only saved him for themselves. A weapon like that… controlled by another hand… imagine what that means."
Duy slammed his fists against the table, voice cracking. "He's not a weapon! He's my student — a boy! We should be searching for him, not debating like cowards!"
The council fell into tense silence.
Sakumo finally spoke, his voice low. "Search or not… one thing is certain. Whoever the Obsidian are, they are tied to him. And until we know their true purpose, every move we make may already be in their hands."
Minato's gaze dropped. Quietly, he whispered, "Ryuzen… hold on."
---
Endurance
Back in the chamber, Ryuzen collapsed again, chest heaving, sweat dripping down his face.
The three shinobi halted on the leader's command.
The scar-marked mask tilted toward him. "You are stubborn. That will keep you alive. But stubbornness is not strength."
Ryuzen forced himself to stand again, knees trembling. His voice was hoarse, but steady.
"Maybe not. But it's enough to keep me standing."
The storm flickered faintly around him again — not blazing, not roaring, but steady, pulsing in rhythm with his breath.
For the first time, the leader's silence felt like approval.
"You may yet survive."
---
Hook Ending
Ryuzen collapsed onto his knees, exhaustion finally overwhelming him. The Obsidian warriors faded back into the shadows, leaving only the scar-marked leader standing before him.
"You are not ready," the leader said. "But the storm has time. And so do we."
He knelt, placing a gloved hand against Ryuzen's chest. For a heartbeat, the storm flared, resonating with the leader's chakra — not in rejection, but in recognition.
Ryuzen's eyes widened.
The leader's voice dropped, almost a whisper.
"Because the storm… was ours before it was ever yours."
---
Author's Note
Chains do not always bind — sometimes they shape.
Ryuzen has entered the Obsidian's training, and their methods will either forge him into something greater… or break him entirely.
Meanwhile, Konoha's council fractures. Some see him as a boy, others as a weapon, and others as a threat.
Next: The Storm's Origin Revealed.
---