The battlefield was silent now.
The clash with the Guardian had ended, leaving the air thick with smoke and the metallic tang of blood. The ground bore scars of their power—rivers split in half, mountains chipped away like fragile stone. Raizen stood amidst the ruins, chest heaving, his blade trembling in his grip.
For the first time in days, there was no sound of steel, no roar of chakra, no cries of war. Only the sound of the wind whispering through the hollow remains of what had once been a temple of the ancients.
And yet… silence never meant peace.
Raizen's vision blurred. His knees buckled, and the sword slipped from his hands with a dull clang. But before his body hit the earth, his mind was torn away—dragged somewhere else, into a storm of shadows.
---
The First Vision
It was not a dream. It was too vivid, too sharp.
He found himself standing in a field of endless flame. Cities burned on the horizon, their towers collapsing into ash. He staggered forward, his eyes drawn to a single towering figure at the center of the destruction.
A man—or rather, a being—whose presence dwarfed the inferno itself. His eyes glowed silver, his hair fell like cascading strands of light, and his body was adorned with markings that pulsed like stars.
Raizen's heart froze.
A Kagura.
No, not just any Kagura. This was one of the last.
The being raised his hand, summoning an orb of pure cosmic energy. But before it could be unleashed, the sky split open. From it descended figures that Raizen recognized all too well—the Otsutsuki. Their pale forms floated like predators, their gaze sharp with hunger.
The vision crackled and warped, but Raizen saw enough. The Kagura fought, tearing apart entire armies with each swing of his hand. But no matter how many Otsutsuki fell, more came. The Kagura roared, his body breaking apart under the strain, until finally—light consumed everything.
And then… silence.
---
The Pull of the Past
Raizen gasped and clutched his chest, dropping to one knee. The vision ended as abruptly as it had begun. His breath steamed in the cold air of the ruined battlefield.
A voice stirred in his head, soft, almost mournful.
"You are too late. Too late… just as we were."
Raizen's fingers dug into the dirt. He had never heard this voice before, but something inside him recognized it. A memory not his own.
"It can't be…" he whispered. "The Kaguras… left something behind?"
"Raizen."
He snapped his head up. The Monk stood a short distance away, his staff planted firmly in the earth. His weathered robe billowed in the faint wind, and his eyes—though weary—shone with an ancient calm that cut through the chaos.
"You felt it, didn't you?" the Monk asked.
Raizen nodded, sweat dripping down his temple. "A vision… no, a memory. From the Kaguras. I saw their last stand. I heard their voices."
The Monk stepped closer, leaning slightly on his staff. His voice was low, grave, yet oddly gentle.
"Then the relic has chosen you. Few are burdened with such a sight. Fewer still survive it."
---
The Relic
The two of them descended deeper into the ruins. The battlefield had not only destroyed cities—it had unearthed something older. Beneath layers of collapsed stone lay a cavern lined with crystalline walls, glowing faintly with the residue of long-faded chakra.
At the center of the cavern stood a relic.
It was no weapon, no ordinary tool. It was a monolith of black stone, covered in intricate patterns that shifted like living ink. At its base was a sigil glowing faintly—a circle of interlocking stars.
Raizen felt his body lurch toward it, as though some invisible tether bound his soul to the relic. His breath caught in his throat.
The voice from earlier spoke again.
"Heir of Broken Chains… do you carry our flame?"
The sigil pulsed.
Suddenly, Raizen's body convulsed as streams of visions tore through him.
---
The Flood of Memories
He was no longer himself.
He was the Kagura warrior once more, standing amidst the ruins of his people. He felt their despair, their fury, their endless fight against the Otsutsuki. He saw children cut down before they could awaken their gifts. He saw worlds crumbling under the weight of pale conquerors.
And worst of all—he saw betrayal.
A shadowy figure, cloaked in an aura deeper than night, standing beside the Otsutsuki yet distinct from them. A being not of Kagura, not of Otsutsuki—something else entirely. It whispered in the Otsutsuki's ears, guiding them, shaping their hunger.
The Eternal Shadow.
Raizen felt the Kagura's last thoughts as the relic was forged: "If any survive us, they must know. They must finish what we could not."
The vision ended with searing pain.
---
The Mark
When Raizen came to, he was on his back, gasping for air. His skin burned, his arms shaking uncontrollably. He looked down—and froze.
On his chest, etched into his flesh, was a glowing insignia: the same circle of interlocking stars he had seen on the relic. It pulsed faintly, like a second heartbeat.
The Monk knelt beside him, his staff across his lap. His expression was calm, though his eyes carried a weight that felt heavier than stone.
"The Kaguras have bound their will to you. But do not mistake this mark for a gift. It is a burden. A promise."
Raizen clenched his fists. His voice trembled but carried conviction.
"Then I'll carry it. If their fight isn't over, then neither is mine."
The Monk's lips curved in the faintest of smiles, though his voice held no mirth.
"Be wary, child. Flames that burn this brightly are just as quick to consume the vessel that carries them."
---
The Awakening of Enemies
Far away, across the void, a ripple stirred.
The relic's awakening had not gone unnoticed. In a realm beyond sight, the Otsutsuki gathered. Their pale eyes turned toward the mortal plane, their whispers laced with hunger.
And among them, one figure remained silent—the shadowy being Raizen had seen in his vision. The Eternal Shadow.
It raised its hand, and from the void, warriors emerged. Twisted, half-formed, their bodies infused with void itself. The Voidborn.
"Find him," the Shadow whispered, its voice like poison silk. "The heir has awakened. End him before the flame reignites."
---
Resolve
Back in the cavern, Raizen stood shakily, gripping his blade. The insignia on his chest glowed faintly through his torn clothes. His body ached, but his resolve had never been clearer.
"I don't know why I was chosen," he whispered. "But if the Kaguras left this power behind… then I'll see it through. I won't let their story end in silence."
He turned to the Monk, eyes burning with new determination.
"Then let's move. If enemies are coming, I won't wait for them. I'll carve the path forward myself."
The Monk tapped his staff gently against the cavern floor, the sound echoing like a bell. His gaze softened, though his words were edged with warning.
"Very well, Raizen. But remember—truth often weighs heavier than lies. The path you walk will break you before it makes you."
Raizen tightened his grip on his sword. His chest still throbbed with the weight of the Kagura mark, but inside, a fire burned brighter than ever.
The fight was far from over. In fact, it had only just begun.
---