"...Nee-san."
"Nee-san…"
"Damn it…"
Amamiya Rei drifted back home like a wandering ghost.
His mind was filled with nothing but the echo of that word—Nee-san. It spun in circles, refusing to leave.
"Waaah… waah…"
In the cradle, baby Naruto was grabbing at his toys. The moment he saw Amamiya Rei, his little body immediately came alive. He waved his tiny hands toward Rei with all his strength, squealing in excitement.
Rei stood by the cradle, half-heartedly humoring him, shaking the toy once or twice in perfunctory fashion.
But Naruto was still just a baby. His stamina was short-lived. After a few moments of playing, his bright eyes began to glaze over, tears shimmering faintly as drowsiness overtook him.
Once Naruto drifted into sleep, Rei quietly withdrew to his own room.
But the absence of Naruto's voice only made the echo of sister in his head grow louder and sharper.
Rei shook his head, forcing himself to expel the endless playback of that voice from his thoughts with sheer willpower.
And his so-called "sheer willpower"?
—It was none other than employing the Flying Thunder God Study Technique.
As soon as numbers and calculations flooded his brain, his mind turned blank.
Forget Uchiha Itachi's "nee-san," even the system itself was overwhelmed by the raw brutality of mathematics.
When Rei eventually resurfaced from his stupor, it was already noon.
Life was so much more comfortable when the Fourth Hokage and his wife weren't home—even waking up late no longer carried consequences.
After a quick wash, Rei tied his hair into a ponytail, slung a sword and a biwa across his back, and headed toward the small grove where he used to train.
With Kakashi, Shisui, and Fugaku all dispatched to the frontlines, the area had grown unusually quiet. Along the way, only the echo of Rei's own footsteps filled his ears.
Once inside the forest, Rei wasted no time drawing the long blade from his back.
The movement was smooth, practiced—so familiar it was as if he had performed it tens of millions of times before. With a sharp flourish, the blade traced an elegant arc through the air.
Facing the towering trees all around, Rei pressed his lips together and murmured with reluctance, "Forgive me. I'm going to have to hurt you."
Destroying nature—Amamiya Rei was guilty of that.
His sins should be carried on the backs of Shisui, Kakashi, Fugaku, Uchiha Itachi, Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke, Sarutobi Hiruzen… and the rest.
Amen.
Confession complete.
Rei inhaled deeply, letting the air sink through him until it reached his very core. Energy coursed through his limbs, surging restlessly like a raging river. Fingers tightening around the hilt of his blade, Rei fixed his eyes on the tree before him, oblivious to the way the steel in his hands was already shifting to a soft shade of pink.
From an onlooker's perspective, they would have been shocked to discover that the very presence of Rei's sword had diminished to the barest minimum.
It was as if his entire being had fused with the blade itself.
It was no longer a separate weapon, but rather an extension of his body.
Where the heart willed, the blade followed.
Where the blade pointed, the heart aligned.
"Breath of Flowers, Second Form—Honorable Shadow Plum!"
In an instant, Rei's long sword swept across.
Countless curved slashes erupted from his blade, spreading outward in every direction from his position at the center.
A powerful wind roared through the forest.
The flying arcs of sword-light scattered like petals of plum blossoms.
So beautiful…
So fragile… like delicate falling flowers—harmless, weightless, as if they carried no killing intent at all.
Yet beneath that beauty lurked a cruel truth: those same slashes, if they landed on a human body, could sever them cleanly in half in an instant.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A series of thunderous impacts followed one after another.
Deep gashes etched themselves across the trunks of surrounding trees.
But Rei's movements did not cease. Fluid as water, his motions continued seamlessly as he lifted his sword once more:
"Breath of Flowers — Sixth Form: Whirlpool Peach!"
His body leapt into the air, as light as if the wind itself carried him. He spun once, weightless, like a flower petal caught in the breeze.
He spun in midair, completing a full rotation, and with the momentum brought his sword down in a sweeping slash. The sword's energy sharpened to near solidity, condensing into a crimson arc of force that shot toward a distant tree.
The grass on the ground bent low. The massive tree groaned as its trunk bowed beneath the pressure.
And then — silence.
Crack!
The sound of splintering wood rang sharp and clear in the still forest, jarring against the silence.
A thin white line appeared across the tree's thick trunk.
The line widened, spreading deeper and deeper—until, with a final shudder, the massive tree gave way and toppled.
Boom!
Dust and dirt exploded upward.
The giant tree had been cleaved cleanly in two. Its freshly exposed cross-section gleamed smooth and flawless.
Petals continued to flutter gently through the air.
Rei lifted his hand and caught one, lowering his eyes to his blade, now gleaming with a peach-pink hue. His expression flickered with surprise.
Even though this isn't a Nichirin Blade… the color still changes with the Breath?
The Breath of Flowers was far more stylish than he had expected.
A scene beyond beauty itself.
Rei's lips curved in satisfaction.
He sheathed his blade, intending to test out Destructive Kill and Infinity Castle next—but before he could, footsteps sounded behind him.
Which bastard is spying on me? Rei cursed inwardly, turning his head—
—only to find it was none other than that old geezer, Sarutobi Hiruzen.
"What exquisite swordsmanship!"
The Third Hokage applauded with genuine praise, his eyes filled with sincere admiration.
He hadn't even seen the rest of Rei's abilities, and yet, just this swordplay alone was enough to command respect.
From what he had gathered, Amamiya Rei had been in Konoha for less than a month, with very little time for formal ninja training.
For her to reach such a level of mastery in so little time… Hiruzen found himself reassessing Rei's worth entirely.
Replaying Rei's movements in his mind, Hiruzen grew certain: this swordsmanship was already among the finest in Konoha.
And since those two techniques were unlike anything he had ever seen before—there was only one possibility: Amamiya Rei had created them herself.
Given that Rei was also a Wood Release user, it made sense that her sword techniques would be tied to flowers.
What astonishing talent… what a terrifying genius.
Though Minato was gone, it seemed he had left behind a gift for Konoha.
"Your praise is too much, Hokage-sama," Rei said humbly. "Compared to the shinobi of Konoha who have received years of training, what am I worth?"
"…"
Hiruzen fell silent.
He studied Rei carefully.
Those eyes shone with sincerity. That posture radiated humility. It was the kind of self-effacing modesty that made one believe every word.
Hiruzen found himself breaking into a cold sweat.
Rei's heartfelt declaration unsettled him far more than any pretended modesty could.
Who filled this child's head with such nonsense?
But then again — Rei had only been exposed to the shinobi world for barely a month. It was natural for her not to understand.
Hiruzen steadied himself and nodded.
"That's right, Rei. Compared to the true masters of the shinobi world, your strength is insignificant."
The thought struck him then, and his eyes lit up with sudden resolve. Yes—this idea could be put into practice. For Rei's own good.
Rei: "…"
What the hell did you just say, old man?
Back when his chakra reserves were pitifully small, Rei could have admitted Hiruzen was right. But now…
Now Amamiya Rei was proud.
He wouldn't claim to be the strongest in the shinobi world, no—but among his peers, he had no doubt he stood at the very top.
"That's why, Rei," Hiruzen continued, voice solemn, "if you want to protect yourself, and protect those you care for… you must continue to train harder, and make yourself even stronger."
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