The next day, the morning air in Konoha was crisp and clear. The village buzzed with its usual rhythm, merchants shouting, children heading to the academy, and the sound of shuriken clashing at the training fields.
But one field was quiet. Naruto, Kakashi, and Ryo stood in the middle of it, surrounded by sealing tags and carved symbols drawn across the ground. Yamato adjusted the formation with practiced care, while Sai finished painting the last ink barrier on the perimeter.
Ryo looked around nervously. "This looks... a little extreme for training."
Kakashi held up a small scroll and opened it halfway. "That's because it's not normal training. What we're attempting hasn't been done before."
Naruto crossed his arms and smiled faintly. "Relax, kid. We're not trying to seal you, just study how your chakra reacts under controlled stress."
"That makes me feel so much better," Ryo muttered.
Kakashi ignored the comment and continued, "Your mark acts as a bridge between two realities. We believe you can stabilize it by syncing your chakra with your emotional state. The stronger your control, the weaker the mirror's pull."
"Emotional state," Ryo repeated. "You mean... feelings?"
Naruto nodded. "Exactly. Chakra connects to emotion. The reason you lost control yesterday wasn't because you lacked skill, it's because your heart wasn't steady."
Ryo looked down at his hands. "So what do I do?"
"Focus," Kakashi said. "Remember who you are right now. Anchor yourself here."
Ryo took a deep breath and stepped into the center of the circle. The moment he crossed the seal's boundary, the mark on his wrist began to glow faintly.
Yamato placed his hand on the ground. Wooden pillars rose up around the area, forming a barrier dome. "Containment active."
Naruto formed a hand sign. "Alright. Begin."
The seal lines lit up in blue. Chakra pressure filled the air, humming faintly. Ryo felt it immediately, the world seemed to tilt, like two overlapping images trying to separate.
He clenched his fists. "I can feel it... it's pulling again."
Kakashi's voice echoed through the barrier. "Don't resist. Guide it."
Ryo closed his eyes. The pull grew stronger. His surroundings blurred, half the training field, half his old apartment flickering in and out of sight. He could smell rain and instant ramen again, hear faint traffic, then it all vanished, replaced by the sound of wind in Konoha's trees.
His breathing quickened. "They're mixing again!"
Naruto's tone was calm. "Steady yourself! Remember this world, the smell of grass, the sound of birds, the warmth of chakra."
Ryo forced himself to focus. Slowly, he imagined his chakra like a thread running through him, connecting every heartbeat. The mark's glow softened.
For a brief moment, everything went still.
Then, crack!
The energy surged again, harder this time. A second pulse appeared from his reflection on the barrier's surface. The reflection moved differently.
Ryo's eyes widened. "It's back!"
The copy, the other Ryo, smirked faintly from inside the reflection. "You're too slow."
Before anyone could react, the barrier rippled. The reflection's hand pressed against it from the inside, creating a wave of distortion. Ryo stumbled back as his mark flared bright red.
Kakashi shouted, "Yamato, reinforce it!"
Wood spikes shot from the ground, locking the circle tighter. But the mirror image laughed, the sound distorted and hollow.
Naruto stepped forward, forming a Rasengan. "Ryo! Take control, now!"
"I'm trying!"
The mark burned hot against his skin. For a second, he could see both worlds overlapping again, the city he came from, and Konoha, blurring together like two transparent films. The reflection moved closer, whispering through the barrier.
"You don't belong here. Give it back."
Ryo clenched his teeth. "No."
He focused harder, pouring every ounce of emotion into his chakra, the awe he felt seeing Naruto's face on the Hokage Monument, the warmth of Team 7's laughter, the simple peace of morning light on Konoha's rooftops.
The glow changed. Red faded to blue.
A burst of energy erupted outward, forcing the reflection to flicker and dissolve.
When the light died, Ryo collapsed to his knees, panting. The mark dimmed to a faint gray.
Naruto approached carefully. "You did it."
Ryo looked up weakly. "What... happened?"
Kakashi sighed, lowering his hand from a sealing gesture. "You forced synchronization. You're connected to the other half now, but it's dormant. For now."
Ryo stared at the mark. "So it's not gone."
"No," Kakashi said. "But it's under your control. That's the first step."
Naruto grinned. "You handled yourself well. We'll take a break today, but your next phase starts soon."
"Next phase?" Ryo asked.
Naruto turned toward the Hokage Monument in the distance. "If you want to master that power... you'll have to train with someone who's lived with something similar."
Ryo frowned. "Who?"
Kakashi's tone turned light, almost amused. "Let's just say... he used to have a friend named Kurama."
Ryo's eyes widened slightly as realization hit.
"Wait... you mean "
Naruto just smiled. "Pack your things, Ryo. You're training with me starting tomorrow."
---
The next morning, Ryo stood at Training Ground Seven, the same place Naruto used for his own team years ago. The air was fresh, the field wide and quiet. He could still see faint marks on the old wooden posts, reminders of every spar that came before.
Naruto arrived not long after, wearing his usual orange jacket. Despite being Hokage, he carried himself like the same cheerful shinobi from the stories Ryo knew.
"Morning!" Naruto said, waving casually. "You ready?"
Ryo nodded, though his stomach twisted with nerves. "As ready as I can be."
Naruto grinned. "Good answer. Today we're not focusing on ninjutsu or strength. We're focusing on control, learning to understand the energy inside you."
Ryo looked down at his wrist. The mark had stopped glowing since yesterday, but a faint warmth still pulsed beneath the skin.
"So what do I do?"
"Sit," Naruto said simply. He pointed to the grass.
Ryo sat cross-legged while Naruto did the same across from him. For a moment, they both stayed silent. The wind moved softly between them.
"Tell me something," Naruto said. "When you used that power yesterday, what were you thinking?"
Ryo hesitated. "I just... didn't want to lose myself. I kept thinking of the people here, you, Sarada, everyone. I wanted to stay."
Naruto smiled faintly. "That's the answer, then. You found your anchor. Power without purpose is dangerous, but when your heart's in the right place, chakra follows."
He closed his eyes. "Try again now. Find that same feeling. Focus on the warmth in your chest and guide it through your body."
Ryo took a breath. The sounds around him, the rustle of leaves, the distant chatter of the village, faded as he concentrated. Slowly, the mark responded, a dim blue light spreading along his wrist.
He felt it, that same pull between worlds, weaker now but still there, like two rivers meeting in the same stream.
"Good," Naruto said quietly. "Now, instead of resisting, let both sides flow together."
Ryo frowned slightly. "Both sides?"
Naruto opened his eyes, calm and steady. "You're made of two halves now, the Ryo from your old world, and the Ryo standing here. If you keep fighting the other one, you'll never be whole. You have to learn to coexist."
Ryo let out a slow breath. "You make it sound easy."
Naruto chuckled. "Trust me, it's not. I spent years arguing with a giant fox in my head. But once we understood each other, everything changed."
Ryo smiled faintly. "Kurama, right?"
Naruto nodded. "Yeah. He taught me something important, that balance doesn't mean silence. It means listening."
Ryo closed his eyes again and focused. The mark pulsed once, faintly red, then blue again. He could sense it, a faint echo of himself, distant but alive.
A voice, low and rough, whispered faintly in his thoughts.
You still don't understand, do you?
Ryo's eyes opened slightly. "There it is again..."
Naruto leaned forward. "Don't push it away. What's it saying?"
Ryo focused. The voice wasn't angry this time, just calm, almost tired.
You're trying to erase me. But without me, you wouldn't exist here.
Ryo clenched his fists. "You're not real."
The voice almost laughed. Neither are you. Not in this world.
His chest tightened. The glow on his wrist brightened for a moment before Naruto placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Breathe," Naruto said. "Let it speak, but don't let it take control."
Ryo took a shaky breath. The glow slowly faded again.
The whisper quieted, leaving behind only a faint echo.
Naruto waited until Ryo's breathing steadied. "That's progress. You connected to it without losing yourself."
Ryo exhaled deeply. "It felt... strange. Like talking to my reflection."
"Good," Naruto said. "That means you're starting to understand the bond. From now on, that other half isn't your enemy, it's your reminder. Keep it balanced, and the mark won't control you anymore."
Ryo looked at him curiously. "And if I fail?"
Naruto smiled faintly. "Then you'll have me, and everyone else here, to drag you back."
For a moment, neither spoke. The sunlight caught the edges of Naruto's cloak, the red flame pattern rippling in the breeze. To Ryo, it wasn't the image of a hero from a story, it was a person who truly understood what it meant to fight your own darkness.
"Alright," Naruto said, standing. "Enough meditation. Time to see if that balance works in action."
Ryo stood up, stretching his arms. "You mean... a fight?"
Naruto grinned. "A friendly one. Think of it as your final test for today."
Ryo sighed, shaking his head. "I should've known."
"Don't hold back," Naruto said, forming a clone beside him. "Because I won't."
Ryo laughed nervously. "Yeah, great. No pressure."
The clone dashed forward, faster than Ryo could react. Instinct took over, he raised his arm just in time to block, and the mark flared blue again. The chakra pulsed outward, deflecting the impact and pushing both of them back slightly.
Naruto's clone disappeared with a puff of smoke. The real Naruto smiled. "See? You didn't even think, you just acted. That's the point."
Ryo exhaled, half exhausted, half amazed. "Guess I passed?"
Naruto nodded. "For now."
He patted Ryo's shoulder. "You've got a long way to go, but you've taken the hardest step already. From here on, it's about trust, in yourself, and the people who believe in you."
Ryo looked at the mark again, then up at Naruto. For the first time since arriving in this world, the fear inside him didn't feel so heavy.
Maybe being the main character wasn't about power after all. Maybe it was about learning to live the story, even if it wasn't written for him.
---