The training field was quiet in the late afternoon, the sun dipping low behind the Hokage Monument. Wind stirred the grass gently, and the rustle of leaves filled the silence between every precise movement.
Ren Uzumaki stood in the clearing, his jacket hung on a nearby stump. His shirt clung slightly from sweat as he practiced — fluid strikes, sharp transitions, and bursts of chakra-charged movement.
He moved with purpose — weaving seals with practiced speed.
"Fire Style: Flame Bullet."
A focused stream of flame surged forward, precise and sharp.
"Wind Style: Gale Palm."
A burst of compressed air followed, amplifying the flames into a searing wave.
Then — another seal chain.
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu."
The iconic sphere of flame roared to life, larger than standard, then compressed by wind chakra before impact.
Ren exhaled slowly, his chakra settling.
"Control, expansion, precision. All three… getting better."
He had mastered the three jutsu granted to him by the Hokage — two fire techniques and one wind technique. And more importantly, he'd begun successfully combining them.
Then — a subtle shift.
Ren paused.
He felt it before he saw it — the pressure of being watched.
From a branch above, a voice broke the silence.
"Are you Naruto... or Ren?"
Ren looked up.
A tall man leaned against a tree trunk, his gravity-defying silver hair unmistakable, a face mask hiding everything but a single sharp eye — one narrowed in amusement.
"You're definitely not shouting or grinning like an idiot," the man said.
Ren didn't answer immediately. He straightened and grabbed a towel from a nearby rock, wiping his face before replying.
"Ren. Naruto's my brother."
"Ah. Thought so. You move like a ghost, not a storm."
The man jumped down lightly, hands still in his pockets.
"Hatake Kakashi," he introduced casually. "Jōnin instructor. I've been watching some of the genin candidates. You're not part of a team yet, are you?"
Ren shook his head.
"Not yet."
Kakashi tilted his head slightly.
"But you're already ahead, aren't you? I've read your file. You graduated three years ago. Been handling internal missions ever since."
Ren gave a small nod.
Kakashi studied him.
"You're holding back. Even now. On purpose."
Ren didn't deny it.
"You don't want to be noticed."
"Not yet."
A moment passed in silence.
Kakashi turned slightly, his voice quieter now.
"Naruto's loud, reckless, and unpredictable. But he's got heart. You… you're steady. Too steady for twelve."
Ren said nothing.
Kakashi started to walk away but paused.
"If you ever need a second set of eyes, or a question answered — find me. Not everything has to be figured out alone."
Then, in a blink, he was gone.
Ren stood still for a moment, then picked up his jacket and slipped it on.
"Kakashi… So that's him."
He looked up toward the sky, the last light of day flickering across the carved faces of past Hokage.
"Good. He'll be watching Naruto. I'll keep moving."
Then, without a sound, he returned to training — wind swirling gently around him, fire flickering at his fingertips.