"Alright, that's it for today."
The teacher rested a hand on her desk, scanning the classroom.
"School's over. Starting tomorrow—you're on summer vacation. Enjoy it."
A wave of excitement swept through the room.
Then—
"Oh, and Zack? Stay for a moment. I need to speak with you."
Zack paused, already halfway out of his seat.
"…Got it."
Around him, his classmates exploded into chatter.
"Finally! I'm going to the coast with my parents!"
"Lucky—my family's visiting relatives—"
"Same, we're traveling—"
Zack stopped listening.
The words blurred together.
With my parents.
The phrase echoed louder than the rest.
For a split second, something tightened in his chest.
If things had gone differently…
He would've been saying the same thing right now.
Going home.
Laughing.
Normal.
"…Yeah," he muttered under his breath.
Then he turned and followed the teacher out.
Inside the office—
The atmosphere softened.
The teacher picked up her thermos, took a small sip, then looked at him.
"Zack… I know what happened to your parents."
Zack didn't respond.
"I just hope you can move past it," she continued gently. "Your grades haven't dropped much…"
A pause.
"But I can tell you've been drifting in class. Sleeping. Losing focus."
Zack remained silent.
"School still matters," she added. "Even now."
Another sip.
Then her tone shifted slightly—lighter.
"Go enjoy your summer. Clear your head. Reset."
She gave a small smile.
"I won't keep you. Go on."
"…Understood."
Zack turned and left.
Not because he was annoyed.
Not because she was wrong.
But because—
Tonight.
Something was going to happen.
He could feel it.
And he had preparations to make.
He hadn't even reached the school gate when—
Something caught his attention.
Voices.
Sharp.
Aggressive.
Zack glanced over.
A chubby kid stood cornered near a wall.
Two others surrounded him.
One thin like a stick.
The other bulky.
"Come on," the skinny one sneered. "Hand it over."
"Y-yeah," the bigger one added. "Don't make this harder—"
Zack stopped.
Bullying.
He exhaled slowly.
In his previous life, he'd heard about this kind of thing.
Seen it.
Hated it.
His feet moved before he finished thinking.
"Hey."
His voice cut through the air.
Both boys froze.
"What do you think you're doing?"
The skinny one turned, irritation on his face—
Then it vanished.
Zack stood there, taller. Broader. Calm.
But there was something else.
Something in his eyes.
Something that made people hesitate.
"…Who the hell—" the skinny one started, but his voice weakened halfway.
Zack didn't move.
Didn't blink.
Didn't need to.
Two months of training.
Discipline.
And something deeper—
Something colder—
Leaked out naturally.
The pressure was enough.
"…Boss?" the bigger one asked, confused. "What's wrong?"
No answer.
Because his "boss" didn't dare speak.
"Leave," Zack said simply.
Silence.
Then—
"Y-yeah, let's go," the skinny one muttered quickly, grabbing his partner.
They ran.
Didn't look back.
Zack watched them disappear.
Then turned slightly.
"You're fine. Go."
The chubby kid blinked, still shaken.
"O-okay… thank you."
And just like that—
He was gone too.
Zack exhaled.
"…Nothing special."
"Whoa… that was amazing!"
A voice came from behind.
Zack turned.
A small girl stood a short distance away, eyes practically shining.
Blonde.
Energetic.
Watching him like he'd just done something incredible.
Zack frowned slightly.
Something about her felt…
Familiar.
But—
"…Whatever."
He turned and walked away.
Didn't think about it further.
Behind him, the girl clenched her fists slightly, excited.
"I'm gonna be like that someday…"
Back home—
Zack checked his [System].
No changes.
As expected.
Two months.
Nothing new.
But—
That didn't mean no progress.
His [Ninjutsu] had improved drastically.
[Great Fireball Jutsu] — Stable Output [Shadow Clone Jutsu] — Max: 9 clones [Chidori] — Usable (Low Duration)
Shuriken.
Kunai.
Perfect accuracy.
Only the explosive tags remained unused.
Too loud.
Too risky.
"…Not yet."
He stepped outside.
Heading toward the forest.
Same as always.
Training.
But tonight—
Felt different.
The air.
The silence.
Something was off.
Zack slowed slightly.
A faint tension crept into his body.
"…Something's coming."
His instincts were rarely wrong.
And right now—
They were screaming.
[System Alert] [Environmental Anomaly Detected] [Threat Level: Unknown]
Zack's eyes sharpened.
"…Good."
Instead of fear—
There was focus.
He activated it.
[Sharingan: Three-Tomoe]
The world shifted.
Darkness lost its edge.
Details sharpened.
Movement slowed.
Clear.
Precise.
"…Let's see."
He scanned the surroundings carefully.
Trees.
Shadows.
Wind.
Nothing obvious.
But—
Not nothing.
A presence.
Faint.
Watching.
Zack's gaze snapped toward a direction—
Just as—
It disappeared.
Gone.
Like it was never there.
"…Hiding, huh."
His voice dropped slightly.
Then—
A faint smirk.
"Good choice."
Because if it hadn't—
Zack would've found it.
Back at home, Zack Walker checked his [System]. Nothing had changed—which was expected; it had remained dormant for the past two months.
But his [Ninjutsu] progress had skyrocketed. The three techniques he had learned were now perfected. He could summon nine [Shadow Clones] at once, and his shuriken and kunai throws were now dead-on accurate. He hadn't used the explosive tags yet—they were far too loud and dangerous for the surroundings.
As usual, Zack headed to a forest well outside town, but tonight, a shiver of premonition ran through him. Something was coming.
He trusted his instincts.
"Time to prepare," he murmured, feeling the awareness in his body sharpen.
Without hesitation, he activated his [Three-Tomoe Sharingan], scanning the night. The air was still, almost untouched, but he sensed subtle movements—tiny ripples in the darkness.
"It seems someone needs to hide," Zack muttered, noticing a figure keeping its distance, only disappearing when nearly spotted.
"Strange… the feeling of being watched is gone?"
Zack's eyes swept over the forest again, finding nothing. To stay ahead, he kept his Sharingan active.
Even so, he couldn't pinpoint the figure. "I still can't see him clearly. Let's go—it's your turn."
As soon as Zack moved, the two figures reappeared in their original positions, whispered something, and vanished again.
If Zack had been in town recently, he would have recognized the older man instantly—even after two months away.
Meanwhile, back at the house, Max Tennyson carried a large plate toward his two granddaughters.
"Dinner's ready!" he called.
Benita's nose wrinkled at the sight.
"…Alright, I surrender. What is this?"
"Live mealworms. Fresh. Hard to find in this area. In some countries, they're considered a delicacy," Max explained patiently.
Benita gagged. Gwen Tennyson, reluctantly agreeing with her cousin, added, "That's disgusting!" One of the worms wriggled off the plate, plopping onto the table.
"Fine, fine," Max said quickly. "If you don't like that, there's smoked lamb tongue in the fridge."
"Oh… can't we just have a hamburger?" Benita asked, clearly hoping to negotiate.
"Don't be silly," Max said firmly. "This summer will be the best one of your lives. Go get the lamb tongue." Benita's little rebellion was already failing.
"Alright, I still have some corn chips and a chocolate bar in my backpack. What about you?"
"Rice crackers and candy," Gwen replied.
"That's supposed to last all summer?" Benita groaned. Both girls sighed in unison.
Outside, Zack practiced his Ninjutsu, his eyes scanning the night sky. A streak of light caught his attention—a "shooting star." But instinctively, he knew it wasn't a star—it was something far more dangerous. [System Alert: Celestial Object Detected – Potential High Threat]
'Lucky… this forest is exactly where the main event begins.'
The light wasn't far from where the Omnitrix—the so-called "little broken watch"—had landed. With his Chakra-infused agility, Zack could reach it in two minutes. Without hesitation, he sprinted toward it.
Elsewhere, Benita noticed the same streak of light. The "shooting star" suddenly veered sharply toward her.
A metallic sphere slammed into the ground beside her, carving a deep crater.
Benita froze. Should she jump in? Should she even touch it? Before she could decide, the earth beneath her gave way, sending her tumbling into the crater.
"Ugh… annoying!" she exclaimed, catching herself just in time.
The sphere began to shift and clink open, revealing its contents: the green-and-black Omnitrix, glowing ominously in the dim light.