The training grounds behind the village were empty under the orange glow of twilight. Crickets had just begun to hum, and the last rays of sunlight shimmered over the trees like embers.
Ren Uzumaki stood alone in the clearing. His eyes focused on the dummy across from him — scorched, cracked, but still standing. His chest rose and fell slowly.
He pressed his hands together. A deep breath.
"Wind first. Shape. Guide."
Chakra swirled through his arms, sharpening. He exhaled, palms sweeping outward.
"Fūton: Reppūshō."
A burst of wind cut through the grass, blasting the dummy backward.
Ren adjusted his stance.
"Now fire. Shape. Ignite."
He inhaled again.
"Katon: Endan."
A stream of focused flame launched from his mouth, crisp and hot, striking the dummy mid-air. Smoke curled upward. Controlled.
But now... the hard part.
He lowered his stance, pressing both palms to the ground as he closed his eyes.
"Flow them together. Not force. Harmony."
His chakra split in two directions inside him — the sharpness of wind, the heat of fire. One wanted to move faster. The other wanted to burn everything.
He opened his eyes.
"This is why control matters."
Wind swirled around his arms, fire heating beneath it — not touching, not yet.
Then he moved.
A punch forward.
The wind spiraled out, and for a split second, fire caught the edge of it — a flicker of combustion snapped in the air.
Too unstable.
He stopped.
Breathed.
"Not yet. But close."
"Not bad."
Ren turned sharply.
Sasuke Uchiha stood at the edge of the field, arms crossed, face unreadable.
"You shouldn't sneak up on people."
Sasuke shrugged. "You shouldn't train alone like you're hiding something."
Ren didn't answer.
Sasuke stepped closer, eyes scanning the scorch marks.
"You're strong. Calm. Smarter than the rest of us. Why do you act like you're not?"
Ren looked away.
"Because power doesn't mean you have to prove it."
Sasuke frowned slightly. "Spoken like someone hiding a lot more than just skill."
They stood in silence for a beat.
"You don't trust anyone with it? Not even your brother?"
Ren turned, meeting his eyes. "I trust him with my life. But some things... need to grow in silence."
Sasuke didn't push further.
Just nodded once.
"Hn. Makes sense."
He turned and left, leaving only smoke behind.
That night, Ren returned home.
Naruto was still awake, slouched on the couch, swinging his legs.
"You came back late."
Ren nodded, tossing a towel onto the table.
Naruto stared at him.
"You never lose control. Even when stuff gets crazy. Why?"
Ren sat down beside him.
The night was quiet.
"Because I had to learn early. If I lost it, no one would stop me."
Naruto looked down.
"That ever scare you?"
Ren smiled softly.
"Every day."
Naruto bumped his shoulder gently.
"Good thing you got me then. I'm older, y'know."
"By five seconds," Ren said.
They both laughed.
And the night passed with no jutsu, no fighting — just the silence of two brothers figuring the world out, one question at a time.