Evan Kamiyo sat quietly in the living room, a cup of warm tea resting between his palms. Steam curled upward in thin, lazy ribbons, but his eyes weren't focused on the vapor. They were fixed on the wreckage scattered across the room.
A chair leg was snapped clean in half. Long, jagged scratch marks trailed along the wall like a map of a struggle. One cushion lay torn open near the window, white stuffing spilling out like it had lost a fight it wasn't prepared for.
He exhaled slowly, the sound heavy in the quiet house. "So this is what she meant by 'well-trained.'"
The small ninja dog sent by Hana Inuzuka was sprawled across the floorboards, belly up and tongue lolling out. Its tail thumped rhythmically and happily against a broken piece of the coffee table. As a pup, it had looked harmless—cute, even. Now that it had matured and its chakra coils had begun to thicken, its true nature had surfaced: chaos wrapped in fur.
If Evan hadn't raised it himself over the last few years, providing the medical-grade nutrients and chakra-balancing snacks that had made it so robust, he might have seriously considered turning it into a hot pot.
He nudged the dog outside with his foot and finally allowed his focus to turn inward, closing his eyes to the physical mess. "System," he said calmly into the silence of his mind. "Extract Indra's chakra."
The moment the command was processed, a cold, razor-sharp current surged from his core. It felt like a river of liquid ice flowing through his veins. Deep, concentrated Yin chakra condensed and surged upward, flowing straight toward his optic nerves. His thoughts sharpened instantly. The world felt clearer—vibrant and hyper-defined—as if a thick fog had been stripped away from his consciousness.
When Evan opened his eyes, his reflection stared back at him from the mirror across the room. Three tomoe spun slowly within crimson pupils, their rotation as precise as clockwork.
The Sharingan.
The rotation began to accelerate, and for a brief, flickering second, a deeper, more geometric pattern threatened to surface—something heavier, more ancient, and far more dangerous. Evan felt the drain on his vitality and immediately narrowed his eyes, cutting the flow of chakra before the transformation could complete.
"Not yet," he whispered.
The evolution had begun. The Mangekyō was no longer a distant, mythical concept; it was now a matter of timing and chakra density. With both Indra's and Ashura's chakra now stabilized and harmonized within his Sage Body, the path toward the Rinnegan was already etched into his DNA.
Still… something was missing. Six Paths power wasn't something one reached through lineage alone. It demanded a physical completion that his body still lacked. The Tailed Beasts. Once those pieces were in place to act as the ultimate battery, the ceiling above him would finally shatter.
The pressure in Evan's chest eased. For the first time in days, he allowed himself to relax. Using a combination of Fire and Water Release, he created a simple, artificial hot spring in the courtyard behind the house. He soaked in the steaming water until the tension bled out of his muscles and the phantom hum of the Sharingan faded from his mind.
That night, he slept deeply, undisturbed by the gears of the village turning outside.
Graduation day arrived with the clarity of a spring morning.
Iruka Umino stood at the front of the classroom, his expression a mix of professional seriousness and a strange, lingering sadness. The exam conditions were the same as they had been for decades: successfully perform the Clone Technique, and you received your forehead protector.
For most students, it was a routine formality. For the clan heirs like Sasuke and Shikamaru, it was almost an insult to their skills. But for Naruto… it was a nightmare he had lived through twice before.
Evan watched quietly from the back as name after name was called. Each student stepped forward, formed the seals, and produced a functional, albeit translucent, clone. They weren't perfect—most were barely capable of standing still—but they were sufficient to satisfy the basic requirements of a Genin.
Then, only one name remained on Iruka's ledger.
"Naruto Uzumaki."
The blond boy walked forward, his orange jacket looking too bright in the sterile light of the classroom. Sweat was already forming at his temples, and his hands shook visibly as he brought them together. He took a deep breath, his face contorting with the effort of trying to tame the tidal wave of chakra within him.
"Clone Technique!"
Puff.
A massive cloud of white smoke burst outward, filling the front of the room. When it cleared, the class erupted into a chorus of snickers and outright laughter. A limp, pale, half-formed clone lay flat on the floor, looking more like a discarded doll than a ninja. It wasn't even conscious.
Silence followed from Iruka's side of the desk. The instructor looked down at his clipboard, the pain clear in his eyes. He wanted the boy to pass more than anyone, but the rules of the Academy were written in stone.
"Unqualified," Iruka said quietly. "Uzumaki Naruto. You fail."
Naruto clenched his fists so hard his knuckles turned white. "Wait! I—I still have another technique! I can do better! Just give me one more chance!"
Iruka hesitated, his gaze drifting to Mizuki, who sat beside him with a deceptive, encouraging smile.
Evan leaned back in his seat, his expression completely calm. He didn't join in the laughter, nor did he offer a look of pity. He knew the script of this world better than anyone.
"It'll work out," Evan muttered under his breath, so low that only he could hear.
Because Evan knew exactly what Naruto would gain today. The real test wasn't the exam in this classroom; it was the betrayal and the blood that would follow in the woods tonight. Naruto wasn't meant to be a master of the basic clone—he was meant for the shadow.
As the class was dismissed, Evan stood up and adjusted his forehead protector, which Iruka had handed him earlier without even asking for a demonstration. As he walked past the dejected Naruto, Evan paused for a fraction of a second.
"Don't let the stone determine your path, Naruto," Evan said quietly. "Some trees take longer to bloom, but they grow the tallest."
Naruto looked up, surprised by the lack of mockery in Evan's voice, but before he could respond, Evan was already out the door. The Graduation Ceremony was just a curtain-raiser. The real game was about to begin, and Evan had a dog to feed and a destiny to watch over.