Night, Forest of Death
Two figures stepped out of a shimmering portal. On the left stood a young man with black hair and warm brown eyes. Beside him, a silver-haired woman with piercing blue eyes took in the surroundings.
"So, this is your world?" asks the silver-haired lady.
"Yes," the young man replied, scanning the shadowed forest. "Ah… This brings back so many memories."
"What kind of memories?" Kisara tilted her head, curiosity in her gaze.
Kuro smiled faintly. "It's easier to show you than to explain."
He reached out and gently tapped her forehead with his finger.
Moments passed. Then Kisara laughed, her eyes misting with tears.
"I didn't know you were such a troublemaker when you were young."
Kuro chuckled, a sheepish grin spreading across his face. "Yeah… but it was all harmless fun."
He looked up, watching the moonlight filter through the gently swaying trees.
"Harmless for you. Not for the victims."
Kuro didn't reply.
"Well, let's go home. I've missed it," he said.
"Sure. Home." Kisara nodded, a touch of melancholy in her eyes. "It'll be my home now too."
And with that, the two figures vanished from the quiet forest clearing.
Leaf Village, Nara Clan Compound
Two figures appear like ghosts in front of a house, standing still for a moment.
Kuro looked at the familiar wooden door. A breeze rustled the trees overhead, and the scent of night-blooming flowers drifted in the air.
"This place hasn't changed," Kuro murmured.
Kisara glanced at him, her eyes reflecting the dim lantern light hanging by the entrance. "Is that comforting or strange?"
"Both," he admitted.
Kuro reached out and gently pushed open the door. It creaked softly, a sound Kuro hadn't heard in years but still remembered perfectly.
They step into the house, as Kuro senses two presences inside. Both seem to be fast asleep.
Not wanting to wake them up, he and Kisara made their way toward his room.
Opening the door to his room, Kuro was greeted by the familiar layout that hadn't changed since he left.
There was also no dust inside the room, suggesting that someone has been cleaning it.
Kuro got the futon out and realized there was only one. He looked at Kisara with a weird smile.
"There is only one."
"I can see that."
"How about you sleep?" Kuro asks as he prepares the futon.
"How about you?"
"I have things to do. I can't rest without checking on a few things."
Kisara looked at him and did not say anything. She then sighed as she stepped forward.
"Be back by morning, OK?"
Kuro looked at her and nodded. "By the way, the bathroom is over there." Kuro pointed at the door beside the entrance before disappearing from the room.
Kisara then made her way toward the bathroom to clean and prepare for bed.
***
Kuro appears in front of a giant villa located behind the Hokage monument.
The villa was dilapidated and full of weeds.
"What happened here?" Kuro questioned himself as he made his way toward the villa.
"HALT!" Suddenly, a shout came from behind Kuro as he halted and turned to see who it was.
Before him stood a girl with raging red hair as she pointed a kunai at Kuro.
"Who are you and what are you doing here?" Ask the red-haired girl.
Kuro raised his hands slowly, not out of fear, but to show he meant no harm.
"I could ask you the same," Kuro replied calmly. "This place used to belong to my master."
The girl narrowed her eyes, her kunai still steady. "Liar. Lady Mito didn't have any students."
Kuro narrowed his eyes when he heard that. 'No student?' He was pretty sure that was a lie, unless something was wrong.
"I am not lying. I study under Lady Mito after Hiruzen recommended me. You can ask the Hiruzen."
Instead of making the situation better, the girl became more alert. "I ask again. Who are you? Why are you calling the Hokage by his name?"
Kuro sighed, not wanting to continue to charade any longer.
"The name is Kuro. Kuro Nara to be more precise. As for why I called that hypocrite by his name? Well, a weakling doesn't get to choose what those stronger than them call them." Kuro did a gentlemanly bow as he spoke.
The red-haired girl was stunned by Kuro's reply. "What?"
There was a heavy silence, broken only by Kuro.
"I have introduced myself. It would be rude for you not to do so, right?"
The red-haired girl's kunai trembled slightly in her grip, hearing the words of the arrogant young man before her. But she still introduced herself.
"Kushina. Kushina Uzumaki."
Kuro nodded his head, hearing the girl answer. He thought he recognized her, but just couldn't put the pieces together.
Kushina studied him with narrowed eyes, still unconvinced.
"You said this place was your master's. Then tell me, what's behind the second scroll cabinet in the study?"
Kuro didn't answer immediately. Instead, he walked toward the villa and entered the cracked doorway. Dust swirled around his feet as he stepped inside, his boots brushing against the scattered remains of a once-vibrant villa.
He found the scroll cabinet in question and knelt beside it. His fingers found the familiar hidden latch beneath the wood and pulled.
A click. A small compartment opened.
Kushina gasped.
Inside was a simple red ribbon, a jade pendant, and an old, crumpled note in Mito's elegant script: "For my student. When the time is right."
Kuro felt sad when he looked at the note. 'Even though I don't know you for long, the time I spent here was precious.'
Kuro picked up the ribbon and ran it between his fingers, the hint of Mito's chakra still lingering in its fibers.
"I never took it," he said softly. "I thought I'd come back before she… before everything changed."
Knowing the story of Naruto, he guessed Mito was no longer around.
Kushina's kunai clattered to the ground behind him.
"You're telling the truth," she whispered. "But why hasn't anyone ever mentioned you? Why didn't the Hokage—?"
Kuro's gaze hardened.
"Because people like Hiruzen are hypocrites," he said. "Especially when there is someone who could threaten their position."
Kushina looked at him like she was seeing a ghost.
Silence stretched between them, heavy and uncertain, until finally, she asked:
"…Why did you come back?"
Kuro tucked the ribbon into his robe and looked at her.
"Why not? It is my home after all." Kuro shrugged as he started making his way out of the villa. "Not like they can beat me."
Kuro then stops before looking Kushina in the eyes.
"Even a shadow must return to the light eventually."
Kushina looked at those dark eyes and felt a shiver go down her spine. It was as if those eyes were connected to the darkest abyss.
When she snapped out of her trance, Kuro was nowhere to be found.