"Ha-ha..." "He-he..."
The lingering echoes of laughter drifted through the ruined hotel corridor, slowly dying away as Shorai regained his composure.
"A hearty laugh, eh? From this moment onward, all expenses are on you, brat!" Jiraiya roared, though the effect was somewhat dampened by the fact that he was clutching his nose to stem a fresh stream of blood. "Oi... oi... oi..."
"I'm terribly sorry..." Might Guy rubbed the back of his neck, the picture of youthful regret.
Shorai exhaled, wiping the tears of mirth from his eyes. "Fine, if it makes you feel better. At least I'm feeling much lighter after that ordeal. Fuehhh." He let out a long, heavy breath, releasing the residual tension coiled in his chest.
Being a spectator to history was one thing; being a participant in a clash between S-rank predators was another entirely. He looked at his hands, still steady, but his mind was already cataloging the variables. He had known this confrontation was inevitable, but the raw pressure of Itachi's killing intent and the voracious hunger of Samehada had been a sobering lesson in the limitations of theory.
"Damn... I was late again." Guy's expression shifted, the theatricality vanishing to reveal the somber face of a veteran. His gaze fell on the boy slumped in Naruto's arms.
Shorai moved instantly, crouching beside Naruto to inspect Sasuke. His turquoise eyes turned clinical as he channeled a thin thread of chakra for a diagnostic pulse.
"He needs immediate medical intervention," Shorai reported, his voice dropping into the detached tone of the hospital wing. "Broken arm, fractured ribs, and localized internal hemorrhaging. I can stabilize him, but I can't provide a full recovery while we're on the move for a high-priority mission."
"The boy was subjected to a high-level Dojutsu," Jiraiya added, his voice rasping through the pain of his broken nose.
"Itachi used a technique that made him go limp instantly," Shorai remarked, staring at the Uchiha's vacant, sightless eyes. He added for Guy's benefit, "I have a medical background, Guy-sensei. The mental damage is the real concern."
"Shorai! Is Sasuke really going to be alright?" Naruto's voice was a desperate, hopeful bark.
Shorai met Naruto's gaze. He saw the flicker of the Mind Stone's resonance—not an active surge, but a lingering warmth in the boy's spirit that sought to heal the world around him.
"Then leave him to me," Guy said, his interest finally fixing on Shorai's analytical poise. "I'll transport him to the Konoha Hospital immediately."
"Do that," Jiraiya grunted. "Naruto, the boy was under an immense mental assault. There is no telling what the recovery will look like."
"We simply lack the data on that man's specific abilities," Shorai explained, his tone grounding Naruto's rising panic. "A mental collapse at that intensity is... unprecedented."
"It's me they want, right?" Naruto hissed, his fists trembling with a raw, primal anger that vibrated through the floorboards. "Then they'll regret ever meeting me!"
"Drop the idea of chasing them," Shorai said, his voice turning cold and sharp. "We already have one fool lying broken in your arms because he acted on impulse. Don't make it two."
"What then? Am I supposed to live in fear?" Naruto glared.
"Enough!" Jiraiya's voice thundered, silencing them both. "Shut it for a minute. You can't even perceive the gap in power. A charge now is just a faster way to get yourself killed. They are on a level you haven't even dreamt of yet."
Jiraiya sighed, turning back to the green-clad Jonin. "My apologies, Guy. I didn't step in sooner... I thought of the boy's pride. To spare his feelings, I miscalculated."
Shorai turned his attention to Guy, ignoring Naruto's brooding silence for a moment. "They mentioned Kakashi-san during the exchange. If they encountered him... is he stable, Guy-sensei?"
Guy's face darkened. "He is bedridden. Drained by the same technique. There's no timeline for when he'll wake."
"So even a fully matured Sharingan wasn't a shield," Shorai mused. He went quiet, thinking to himself: 'The timeline holds. No major deviations in the casualty list... yet.'
"Not just him," Guy continued gravely. "Asuma and Kurenai are also hospitalized. Asuma's arm was stripped to the bone; Kurenai suffered neural damage to her hearing and a broken rib."
Naruto's blue eyes widened. The realization that even the village's elite had been dismantled so easily seemed to sap the last of his bravado.
Guy looked down at Sasuke, his jaw tight. "I was too late again... it pains me to see my students suffer when I can do nothing but watch."
"On that note," Jiraiya said, sparing a glance at Shorai. "We are searching for a solution to that very problem."
"Really?" Guy looked up, a spark of hope in his eyes.
"Heh. The one and only," Jiraiya smiled. "The legendary gambling addict with the seal on her back. A Sannin like myself. Princess Tsunade Senju."
Fuw. Fuw. Fuw.
Three shadows blurred through the hole in the wall, landing with the synchronized precision of a strike team.
"Guy! We told you to wait for the perimeter check! Damn it!"
The ANBU trio—Eagle, Boar, and Cat—stood in the settling dust. Shorai felt a momentary shift in his pulse. He stood tall, his lips curling into a faint, knowing half-smile as he exchanged a look with his mentors.
"You!"
Cat moved first, her steps measured as she approached the white-haired duo. She stopped herself a heartbeat before the codename slipped out.
"You?" Jiraiya and Shorai asked in unison, both pointing at themselves.
Cat jolted, realizing she was standing in the presence of a legend. "My apologies!" She bowed quickly. "I meant the boy, Master Jiraiya!"
"You called for backup, yet rushed in solo?" Jiraiya's voice was dry. "That was a textbook failure in coordination, Guy."
"You were late by ten minutes," Shorai noted, looking directly into the slits of the Cat mask. "We're still breathing. Stressed, drained, and tired—but intact."
Cat stared at him, her gaze lingering on his disheveled hair before flicking to the body on Guy's shoulder. "The Uchiha kid. He's clearly not 'intact.'"
"He chose the path of a fool," Shorai said flatly. He turned to Naruto. "Keep this image in your mind, Naruto. This is the result of letting emotion dictate your tactics. I hope, for his sake, the lesson sticks."
Naruto shifted uncomfortably. "Shorai... I should have done something. Sasuke—"
"He is alive," Shorai interrupted, patting the blonde boy's shoulder. "That is the only victory we have today. His growth from here is his own burden."
"I see," Eagle's calm voice cut through the heavy air. "Any intel on their extraction route?"
"None," Shorai shook his head. "They utilized a high-level Fire Release to breach the 'inescapable' barrier and vanished before we could close the gap."
"Master Jiraiya," Eagle turned to the Sannin. "The situation is volatile. They may return. Please, let us provide an escort."
"Let them," Jiraiya replied firmly. "This was the last time they catch me off-guard." He raised a hand as Eagle began to protest. "I'm satisfied with my current company. Do I look like a man in need of two butlers and a maid to change my socks?"
The three ANBU tensed, a silent flicker of indignation passing between them.
"Clearly, yes," Shorai muttered, casting a sly side-glance at Jiraiya. "Who was the one who said 'young ones should take care of the elderly'?"
Jiraiya's eyes narrowed. "No."
Cat glanced at Shorai, her posture softening for a fraction of a second before she turned back to her team.
"My answer stands," Jiraiya said, stepping forward to put a heavy, proprietary hand on Shorai's shoulder. "Konoha's internal security is paper-thin right now. Your presence is needed there. I am more than enough to keep these two safe."
Eagle stared at the Sannin, then at the white-haired trainee. Finally, he gave a curt nod. "So be it. We leave them in your care. Good luck."
After Shorai handled the hotel damages—at Jiraiya's insistent "request"—the group gathered at the town's exit. Guy prepared to leap with Sasuke on his back.
"Bring her back," Guy said, his thumbs-up lacking its usual luster. "For all their sakes."
"We will," Naruto vowed, his resolve returning. "Lee, Sasuke, Kakashi-sensei... we'll bring her back immediately!"
Guy's face relaxed. "You've got guts, Naruto! I like that!" He reached into his flak jacket. "Lee used this to find his strength... I want you to have it."
Shorai's smirk widened. He knew the horror that was about to be unleashed.
"Here... it is!"
Guy presented the emerald-green spandex suit with a blindingly bright smile.
"WOW!" Naruto shouted, eyes sparkling. "The hell..." Jiraiya backed away in physical discomfort.
Shorai watched with a smug, silent amusement as Guy began the sales pitch for his "masterpiece of form, function and unprecedented beauty." Naruto was already lost in a trance of imagination, convinced the suit was the key to his ascension.
Shorai stepped closer to Jiraiya, subtly tugging his sleeve. "You're going to allow this, right? Just to spare his feelings. The boy's pride and all that."
Eagle blinked behind his mask, while Boar's shoulders began to shake with suppressed laughter. Cat simply turned her head, unable to watch the "prince" of the fashion world encourage such a stylistic disaster.
The ANBU and Guy finally departed, carrying the Uchiha toward the Leaf. Naruto stood there, beaming at his new green treasure.
"What a... unique gift, Naruto," Shorai said, his voice trembling with a suppressed chuckle. "It will certainly make you stand out. The coolest-looking ninja in the whole village—"
"Stop! Don't even think about it!" Jiraiya barked at Naruto. "That thing is dorky! I refuse to be seen with a student wearing those gross rags!"
"Eh? But Shorai said—"
"Pff... ha-ha-ha!" Shorai finally broke, his laughter ringing out across the path.
"Shorai! You lied to me!"
After the bickering died down, the journey resumed. Hours passed as they walked the winding mountain roads. Jiraiya led the way, his steps light but his eyes constantly scanning the trees.
"You're quite a nugget, Shorai," the Sannin's voice drifted back. "That move you were preparing in the hall... it looked like it carried a high price."
Shorai gritted his teeth. He had hoped the Sannin's flamboyant distractions had blinded him to the chakra buildup. "It did."
"Is that why the old man kept you under a veil?" Jiraiya glanced back.
"Kekkei Genkai," Shorai admitted, his voice low.
Jiraiya slowed his pace, falling in line with the boy. "What kind?"
"Quick and lethal. I call it Swift Release."
"Swift Release... elemental based?"
"A fusion of Wind and Lightning," Shorai revealed. "Built on a foundation of extreme chakra control."
Jiraiya's expression became deadly serious. "Those are the two most volatile elements to fuse. Can you actually regulate the friction?"
"I don't apply them as a projectile," Shorai explained. "I use them to enhance neural firing, muscular reflexes, and overall body acceleration."
"Ho-ho! A biological boost," Jiraiya mused. "That falls under the classification of a Forbidden Jutsu. The moment you push past the body's natural limits, the vessel begins to crack."
"I'm aware," Shorai sighed. "That's why I studied Iryo-ninjutsu as one of my specializations. Once I took it to the second stage, I had to learn how to heal the damage I cause myself."
"The hell?" Jiraiya stopped walking and stared at him in genuine shock. "A Genin who developed his own Kekkei Genkai, took it to a second stage, and mastered medicine to bridge the gap... you're a monster, kid."
Then, as if the realization had only just hit him, his already wide eyes went blank. "You have multiple specializations?!"
"I also took Fuinjutsu," Shorai added, a small, tired smile on his face.
"Talent like Minato's..." Jiraiya whispered, more to himself than to them. "Does the Academy know?"
"I kept the mask on. I didn't want the wrong kind of attention without a shield. Iruka-sensei and the Hokage were the only ones who knew the full picture." Shorai locked eyes with the Sannin. "Naruto is still in the dark."
"Huh? Shorai, what are you guys whispering about?" Naruto blinked, coming back from his own thoughts.
"Just your terrible grades, Naruto," Shorai teased.
"It all makes sense now," Jiraiya smiled warmly, ruffling Shorai's hair.
Shorai blinked, momentarily taken aback by such a gesture from a Sannin.
"You must have had quite the fan club."
"They tried. But I already have my eyes on a specific flower," Shorai said calmly, his gaze drifting toward the bracelet.
Jiraiya followed the look, then gave him a knowing wink. "A very specific girl, eh?"
"Let's move on. We need to focus on Naruto's security," Shorai replied, pointing toward the blonde boy.
"Right," Jiraiya's tone shifted back to that of a guardian. "Naruto, they aren't after you. They're after what's inside you."
"The Nine-Tails?" Naruto asked, touching his stomach. "I heard it's a demon... a harbinger of cataclysm."
"Not a demon, Naruto," Shorai interrupted, his voice steady. "It is an incredibly massive concentration of intelligent chakra. It takes the form of a fox with nine tails, but it is a sentient force of nature. That is why they want it—to wield that power."
Jiraiya looked at the sky. "I don't know their ultimate goal, but they want its power under their thumb. It's going to be a hard road for you, kid."
Shorai stepped forward, placing a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "It's inevitable. A Destiny. But you aren't walking it alone. We're here."
"Don't you worry, Naruto!" Jiraiya smiled.
"Then I just have to get stronger!" Naruto shouted, his azure eyes clearing. "Let's find Tsunade. She'll fix Sasuke, and then I'm going to train until I can blow those guys away!"
Shorai watched the boy—naive, yet brimming with determination—with a faint smile on his lips.
'A harbinger of what's to come... and a fate-altering presence. Two vessels carrying the fundamentals of existence. What a frightening duo.'