It was a quiet, peaceful morning. The air was still damp from last night's rain, bringing a refreshing chill to the breeze. The village was already stirring. Civilians rose early for work, training, or simply to enjoy the morning air. Shinobi moved with purpose, slipping through the streets like shadows.
Past the village's edge lay a sprawling compound, with a smaller one nestled beside it. The larger compound was immaculate, every stone and blossom placed with intention. A black‑and‑crimson fan symbol marked the walls and gates. Cherry blossoms drifted lazily in the morning sun, painting the sky in soft hues of orange and pink.
The smaller compound beside it woke more slowly. Its streets were clean, though not immaculate; its people valued precision, but not perfection. The Kano clan was respectable—steady hands, sharp eyes, and a reputation for both fine detail and broad, decisive strokes.
Shhhk…
A door slid open. A young man stepped out, rubbing at the rough beard forming on his chin. He squinted against the light.
"Ugh… I need to lay off the soju," he muttered.
The house behind him was large—the largest in the Kano compound—belonging to his father, the clan head. Despite its size, it was humble in design. The inner layer of the compound held the homes of the head family, elders, and jōnin; the outer layer housed everyone else.
Riku straightened, exhaled, and sent a pulse of chakra through his body. A faint steam rose from his skin. The headache dulled, though it didn't disappear. He rubbed his temple and started down the path toward a smaller home deeper in the inner layer.
He knocked. Waited. Nothing.
He sighed. As one of the rarer sensory‑nins, he knew perfectly well the boy inside was still in bed, unmoving.
Riku slid the door open and stepped inside, closing the door behind him.
The smell hit first—stale air, old food, and something faintly metallic. The room was dark, curtains drawn tight. Trash littered the floor: ramen cups, chopsticks, half‑eaten plates. It was silent, heavy.
He moved deeper into the house and opened the side room. Somehow, it was worse.
Stains marked the walls. Piles of clothes and trash left barely enough space to walk. But Riku didn't feel disappointment—only a familiar ache in his chest.
The boy lay curled on the bed, gray eyes open but lifeless, staring through him rather than at him.
Even under the blanket, Masaru looked thin. Fragile. Riku remembered the day the boy was returned to them—parents slaughtered, Masaru missing for weeks before a passing jōnin found him.
No one knew what happened during that time. Only Genzō and the Third Hokage knew the truth, and that alone told Riku enough.
Masaru's body had been covered in scars. Not the jagged kind earned in battle, but clean, surgical lines hovering over vital organs—heart, liver, kidneys, spine, shoulders, hips, shins.
Everywhere. Too many for a child.
Riku knelt beside the bed. "…Masaru. How are you?"
For a long moment, nothing changed. Masaru's dead eyes stayed fixed on him.
Then he blinked.
…
Again. And again. Then rapidly.
Sweat beaded on his brow. His breath hitched. Suddenly he lurched upright—then toppled off the bed entirely, hitting the floor with a thud.
Riku jerked back, startled. He had never seen the boy move like that.
Masaru groaned, clutching his head. His body trembled, then went still. Slowly, he lifted his gaze, eyes darting around the room in confusion.
"What?" he croaked.
He pulled himself upright using the bed frame, breathing hard. His gaze swept the room—the mess, the darkness, the unfamiliarity—and finally landed on Riku.
"…Where am I?"
|AN| Hello peeps! This is my second attempt at writing a naruto fic and I'm honsetly exited about my set up! A disclaimer before we go on- I am a college student and I have terrible ADHD, so please don't fret if I forget to update or go a long while without writing. I have a job and many other duties I have to keep up with before I follow my little hobby. With that out of the way we move onto the ovbious: I have created my own original clan. Many will hate this, but know that they are a medium sized clan and are won't have a ground breaking effect on the inner workings of the story.
Okay thats it for now. Love yall, see you when I see you!