Watching from the Shadows

The last embers of the fire died out, and darkness settled around them.

Ryuto looked at the blackened charcoal and spoke.

"Hashirama, there's something I want to discuss with you."

"Go ahead." Hashirama finished the last of his water.

"I want to go back to the Uzumaki Clan Grounds," Ryuto said. "See how Mito and Rena are doing. I left in such a hurry last time. They've been on my mind ever since."

Hashirama glanced at him.

"Worried about them?"

"Yeah." Ryuto nodded. "I promised I'd help if the Uzumaki were in trouble. Now that the battle's over and I've settled in with the Senju for the time being, I should go back and see how things are."

Hashirama thought for a moment.

"All right, go ahead. But the situation in these warring times is delicate. Be careful traveling alone."

"I understand," Ryuto said. "I'll just check on them and come right back."

Hashirama added, "You've made quite a name for yourself now. The Uchiha are watching you, and other clans might have heard about you too. Keep a low profile."

"Got it."

"When are you leaving?"

"First thing tomorrow."

"All right." Hashirama stood up. "Get some sleep."

Ryuto stood up too and returned to his tent.

Ryuto got up at first light the next morning.

He packed his things, which really amounted to two changes of clothes and the Taijutsu scroll Hashirama had given him.

When he stepped out of his tent, Hashirama was already beside the training ground.

"You're up early." Ryuto walked over.

"I came to see you off." Hashirama handed him a cloth bundle. "Food for the road."

Ryuto took it. Inside were dry rations and water.

"Thanks."

"Remember what I told you." Hashirama's expression was serious. "You're not on your own anymore. You represent the Senju as well as yourself. Think things through before you act."

"I will."

"Off you go." Hashirama waved.

Ryuto turned, pushed off the ground, and unleashed his ki, shooting forward like an arrow.

Within a few breaths, he disappeared into the woods outside the camp.

Hashirama watched from where he stood for a while, then turned to organize the day's training.

Ryuto flew toward the Uzumaki Clan Grounds.

Combining the Flight Technique with high-speed movement made him very fast.

But he kept low, skimming the treetops to avoid drawing attention.

After flying for roughly four hours, he landed in a patch of woods to take a break.

He had just sat down and was about to eat his rations when something suddenly felt wrong.

He felt as though he was being watched.

It wasn't the clear malice of the Sharingan, just a kind of... very well-hidden observation.

Ryuto immediately extended his Ki Sense.

There were no obvious chakra fluctuations within several hundred meters.

There were only a few small animals and the sound of wind rustling the leaves.

"Am I imagining things?" Ryuto frowned.

He carefully scanned the area again.

Still nothing.

But the feeling of being watched refused to go away.

Ryuto stood and looked around.

The woods were dense, the light dim, and shadows lay everywhere.

He searched for a long time but found nothing.

"Forget it. Maybe I'm just being too sensitive."

He sat back down, quickly finished his rations, drank some water, and continued on his way.

He failed to notice a patch of shadow shift slightly behind the tree where he had just been sitting.

A black figure blended completely into the tree's shadow, its breathing almost imperceptible.

Those eyes quietly watched the direction in which Ryuto had flown.

Then the dark figure followed without a sound.

After another two hours or more of flying, Ryuto reached the Uzumaki Clan Grounds.

He descended from the sky and stood at the entrance.

He froze.

The last time he had come, fighting had still been underway, and ruins had been everywhere.

The ruins were still there, but one area had already been cleared.

Many Uzumaki clanspeople were busy hauling stones and repairing houses.

"Lord Ryuto?"

A familiar voice reached him.

Ryuto turned and saw Rena Uzumaki holding a bundle of timber, staring at him with wide eyes.

"Rena." Ryuto smiled.

"It really is you!" Rena dropped the timber and ran over. "What brings you here?"

"I came to see you," Ryuto said. "Where's Mito?"

"Mito's over there directing the rebuilding." Rena pointed toward the center of the grounds. "Come on, I'll take you!"

She took Ryuto by the hand and led him inside.

The Uzumaki clanspeople they met along the way stopped what they were doing and nodded to Ryuto.

"Lord Ryuto."

"Hello, Lord Ryuto."

Ryuto responded to each of them.

He could feel that the way they looked at him had changed.

Before, there had been curiosity and wariness.

Now, there was respect and gratitude.

"Everyone's really grateful to you," Rena said quietly. "If it hadn't been for you last time, we might have..."

She didn't finish, but Ryuto understood.

"It was only right," Ryuto said.

They reached the center of the grounds, where Mito Uzumaki was speaking to several clanspeople with plans in her hands.

"Mito!" Rena called.

Mito turned, paused at the sight of Ryuto, then smiled.

"Ryuto, what brings you here?"

"Just checking on you." Ryuto walked over.

Mito handed the plans to someone beside her and approached.

"Good timing. Let's find somewhere to talk."

The three went to a house that was still reasonably intact and sat on its steps.

"Rebuilding the grounds... must be hard." Ryuto looked around.

"Yes." Mito nodded. "The losses last time were too great. More than half the houses were destroyed, and we're short of hands. Fortunately, Hashirama sent people over with supplies. That helped a great deal."

"Have the Uchiha come to harass you again?" Ryuto asked.

"Not for now," Mito said. "They suffered considerable losses last time too. Izuna was badly injured, and Madara is probably adjusting his strategy as well. There are still small skirmishes along the border, but the fighting hasn't reached the clan grounds."

Ryuto breathed a sigh of relief.

"That's good."

Mito looked at him.

"You didn't come just to check on us, did you?"

Ryuto scratched his head.

"There is something I need to tell you."

"Go ahead."

"I joined the Senju Clan," Ryuto said directly.

Both Mito and Rena froze.

"When did that happen?" Mito asked.

"Just a few days ago." Ryuto briefly recounted what had happened on the battlefield, including Madara testing him and his conversation with Hashirama.

When he finished, he looked at Mito.

"Do you think... I made the right choice?"

Mito was silent for a while.

"In terms of strength, yes," she said slowly. "The Senju are currently the only clan capable of facing the Uchiha head-on. Joining them gives you backing and some assurance of safety."

"But?"

"But you need to think it through." Mito looked at him. "Joining the Senju means choosing a side. From now on, the Uchiha will definitely consider you a priority target. Other clans, such as the Hyūga, will also reassess where you stand."

"I know," Ryuto said. "Hashirama warned me about that too."

"There's something else," Mito said. "Your power is unusual. It doesn't belong to any existing system. The Senju recruited you partly because they need your strength in battle, but they may also want to study your power."

Ryuto nodded.

"Tobirama is studying my ki."

"So you need to stay vigilant," Mito said. "Don't rely entirely on the Senju, and don't trust them completely either. In these warring times, there are no permanent allies, only permanent interests."

She was very blunt.

Ryuto took her words to heart.

"I understand."

"Also," Mito continued, "you should maintain a degree of independence. Don't become nothing more than the Senju's hired muscle. Your own system of power is your greatest trump card. Don't let anyone figure it out completely."

"All right."

When Mito finished, her expression softened a little.

"Of course, personally, I'm very happy you joined the Senju. We'll be on the same side from now on, and it'll be easier to see each other."

Rena nodded vigorously beside her.

"Exactly! Now Lord Ryuto can visit more often!"

Ryuto smiled.

"Yeah, I'll visit often."

The three chatted a while longer. Ryuto asked about the specific difficulties of rebuilding the clan grounds, and Mito asked how things were going with the Senju.

Once they had talked enough, Ryuto stood.

"I should go."

"So soon?" Rena was a little reluctant to see him leave.

"Hashirama only gave me one day," Ryuto said. "I have to get back before dark."

"Be careful on the way." Mito stood too. "Remember what I told you."

"I will."

Ryuto said goodbye to them both, took flight again, and headed toward the Senju camp.

On the way back, Ryuto flew a little slower.

Mito's words were still on his mind.

Stay independent. Don't rely entirely on the Senju. Don't let anyone fully figure out your trump cards.

That makes sense.

As he was thinking, the feeling of being watched returned.

This time, it was clearer.

Ryuto immediately dropped lower and landed in a patch of woods.

He pushed his Ki Sense to its limit.

Still nothing.

"What the hell?" Ryuto muttered.

He stood still, sensing carefully.

The wind rustled through the leaves.

Birds called in the distance.

Everything was normal.

But the feeling of being watched was like a thorn lodged in his back.

Ryuto thought for a moment, then suddenly flung a blade of ki in one direction.

Whoosh!

The ki blade sliced through a patch of bushes and struck a rock, shattering it.

No one was there.

Ryuto flung another blade in a different direction.

There was still no one.

"Was I really just being paranoid?"

He shook his head and took flight again.

This time, he flew very high, almost beneath the clouds, and pushed his speed to the limit.

He wanted to see whether he could shake anyone off, if someone really was following him.

After he had flown for about fifteen minutes, that feeling disappeared.

Ryuto breathed a sigh of relief.

"Looks like I really was overthinking it."

He lowered his altitude and continued flying toward camp.

What Ryuto did not see was that, deep in the woods where he had stopped earlier, that black figure slowly "seeped" out of a large tree trunk.

Yes, seeped out.

Like ink seeping out of paper, first an outline, then an entire person.

The dark figure stood beneath the tree, looking up in the direction Ryuto had flown.

Beneath the mask, the corners of the figure's mouth curved up slightly.

"Such sharp perception... I almost got caught."

The dark figure murmured in a hoarse voice that gave no indication of gender.

"That energy... it really is completely different from chakra. Could it be a threat?"

With that, the dark figure merged into the tree's shadow again and vanished.

As though the figure had never appeared.

It was just getting dark when Ryuto returned to the Senju camp.

He landed at the edge of the training grounds, where Hashirama was talking to Tobirama.

"You're back?" Hashirama spotted him.

"Yeah." Ryuto walked over.

"How are things?"

"The clan grounds are being rebuilt. It's tough, but as long as the people are still there, there's hope," Ryuto said simply.

"What about Mito and Rena?"

"They're both doing fine." Ryuto paused. "Mito reminded me to maintain my independence."

Hashirama smiled.

"She certainly is direct."

Beside him, Tobirama snorted.

"Mito Uzumaki has always been cautious."

"She's right." Hashirama looked at Ryuto. "You really should keep your own judgment. The Senju are your allies, not your masters. You have your own ideas and your own path. That's a good thing."

Ryuto was a little surprised.

He had not expected Hashirama to say that.

"I thought you'd want me to fully integrate into the Senju."

"I want you to believe in the Senju's ideals, not become a tool for the Senju." Hashirama patted his shoulder. "Remember, we're partners, not superiors and subordinates."

Warmth stirred in Ryuto's heart.

"Understood."

"Go get some rest," Hashirama said. "Training continues tomorrow."

Ryuto nodded and returned to his tent.

He lay down and went over the day's events in his head.

The rebuilding of the Uzumaki Clan Grounds.

Mito's reminder.

And... that strange feeling of being watched.

"Who could it be?"

Ryuto could not come up with an answer. He was not actually very familiar with the "plot," especially the story before the plot began.

He closed his eyes and decided to stop thinking about it for now.

Whatever came his way, he would deal with it.

What he needed to do now was grow stronger.

Strong enough to handle any trouble.

Outside the tent, the night deepened.

The camp grew quiet.

Only the footsteps of patrolling ninja sounded from time to time.

No one noticed a pair of eyes quietly open in the darkness of the woods beyond the camp, glance toward Ryuto's tent, then slowly close again.

As though they had never existed.