The sky above the fractured forest was the color of steel, heavy with rain. Raizen's boots crunched on broken leaves as he pressed forward. The ruined paths whispered of a world that had forgotten him—because he had forced it to. Yet one name still burned inside him: Itachi.
Raizen's chest tightened at the memory: a solemn child beneath the starlit Uchiha compound, shuriken glinting as they flew. That moment, untouched by time or erasure, had survived even when whole nations had not.
> I'll find you, Raizen vowed silently. If anyone still understands the truth, it's you.
---
The Five Kage's Unease
In the Hokage's meeting room, the Five Kage sat in tense silence. Maps and reports littered the table, their edges curling under the lantern light.
Gaara spoke first, his voice calm but edged with warning. "Our scouts whisper the same name—Raizen Uchiha. No records exist, yet fragments of memories are returning to my advisors."
Chōjūrō frowned. "I've dreamed of battles that I don't remember fighting. Villages my nation never lost. It's as if history itself is fraying."
Naruto's fingers tapped against the table. "It isn't just dreams. Something's bleeding through the world's memory seal."
Darui leaned forward. "The legends say a Uchiha once challenged the heavens themselves… and vanished. If this is him, why is he back now?"
Naruto's gaze hardened. "If he really erased five nations, we can't risk him walking free. But we don't even understand why he did it."
---
Sasuke's Suspicion
Later, Naruto found Sasuke standing before the Uchiha Memorial Tablet, his cloak stirring in the draft.
Sasuke didn't look up. "You called me here about the name—Raizen."
Naruto nodded. "I don't have much. Just whispers. But if he's real, he's dangerous."
Sasuke's Sharingan flickered. "An Uchiha that powerful wouldn't have stayed hidden without a reason. If he resurfaces now, it won't be for peace."
Naruto hesitated. "There's something… different about this. The memories coming back don't add up. I don't even know if he's an enemy yet."
Sasuke turned slightly, but his expression remained unreadable. "Then we find out fast."
Neither of them knew that Raizen's search was personal—or that he was connected to the clan's most tragic figure.
---
The Forgotten Paths
Raizen walked through a deserted border village, its buildings sagging beneath creeping moss. He traced a cracked Uchiha crest on a ruined wall. His Sharingan glowed faintly, catching the dust in the air.
"Itachi… do you remember me?" he whispered.
The silence was suffocating. He reached outward with his chakra, searching for even a flicker of the boy's presence—but the world gave him nothing.
Yet, deep within, Raizen clung to hope. To him, Itachi wasn't just another Uchiha. He had been the one flicker of loyalty left when every nation decreed the clan's death.
> You're still alive. You have to be.
---
The Apostles Watch
Far from Konoha, deep within a collapsing temple, Shibai's apostles observed the black water scrying pool. The surface rippled with Raizen's image.
"He searches for a ghost," the leader said, his voice smooth with malice.
Another apostle hissed, "The Kage will gather their armies the moment they know. Shall we strike now?"
"Not yet." The leader's lips curved into a cruel smile. "Let his hope guide him. When he learns what's been stolen from him, despair will hollow him. That is when we move."
---
Konoha's Edge
The Hidden Leaf village stretched before Raizen, cloaked in morning mist. The Hokage Monument had changed—new faces had been carved since Hiruzen's time. He lingered on one: a young man with spiky hair, a wide grin, and a determined gaze.
"So… you're the new Hokage," Raizen murmured. "The world has changed more than I thought."
For a brief moment, a flicker of memory crossed his mind—Itachi as a child, standing at his side, his small hand clutching Raizen's sleeve. The memory was warm, almost gentle.
> "I'll find you, Itachi. And when I do… maybe the world will make sense again."
Raizen didn't yet know that the boy he sought was long dead—or that the Uchiha name was now little more than a whisper on the wind.
The mist around Konoha shifted, as if the village itself grieved for a truth Raizen was about to uncover.
---