Two years had passed.
Konoha had changed.
The small village Karma remembered from his first year had grown considerably.
More houses had been built.
More shops had opened.
The streets were busier, and the number of shinobi moving through them had increased.
Karma stood on the roof of Hashirama's house, looking over the village.
He was seven now.
And he was no longer the same five-year-old who had first stepped outside the village on a D-rank mission.
His body had grown.
His chakra had grown.
His understanding of ninjutsu had grown.
Most importantly, his experience had grown.
Karma had become a Chūnin the previous year.
There had been no Chūnin Exams.
Konoha was still too young for something like that.
Instead, the village leadership had evaluated him over time.
His missions.
His combat ability.
His judgment.
His ability to make decisions under pressure.
His ability to lead.
The final decision had been unanimous.
Karma was ready.
He hadn't been given the rank simply because he was Hashirama's student.
If anything, that connection had made the evaluation stricter.
Karma didn't mind.
A higher rank meant more responsibility.
More responsibility meant more opportunities.
And more opportunities meant more experience.
'Not bad for seven.'
Karma smiled.
He was about to jump down from the roof when he heard footsteps behind him.
"Karma."
He turned.
Ren stood there.
Karma raised an eyebrow.
Ren was nineteen now.
And something about him looked different.
Not dramatically.
Just enough for Karma to notice.
His clothes were different.
His equipment was different.
There was a familiar mask hanging from his waist.
Karma stared at it.
Then at Ren.
"What's that?"
Ren glanced down.
"This?"
"Yes."
"New equipment."
Karma narrowed his eyes.
"That's not a normal shinobi mask."
Ren smiled faintly.
"You notice too much."
"That's literally your fault."
Ren sighed.
"Fair."
He looked toward the training grounds.
"Shodai-sama and Madara-sama are waiting for you."
Karma blinked.
"Both of them?"
"Both."
Karma immediately became interested.
"Training?"
"Probably."
"Probably?"
Ren shrugged.
"They didn't tell me."
Karma jumped from the roof and landed beside him.
"Let's go."
They started walking.
Karma glanced at Ren again.
"You've been acting strange."
"I always act like this."
"No."
Karma looked at the mask hanging from Ren's equipment.
"Something changed."
Ren said nothing.
Karma smiled.
'He's hiding something.'
Interesting.
They continued toward the training grounds.
The closer they got, the more Karma noticed the difference in Ren.
His movements were quieter.
His awareness seemed sharper.
Even the way he walked had changed slightly.
Karma looked at him.
"Ren."
"Hm?"
"Did you get promoted?"
Ren glanced sideways.
"How did you know?"
"You carry yourself differently."
Ren smiled.
"Good observation."
"Jōnin?"
"Yes."
Karma grinned.
"Congratulations."
"Thanks."
Karma looked at the mask again.
"But that still doesn't explain that."
Ren's smile became slightly wider.
"You'll find out."
Karma hated answers like that.
They reached the training ground.
Hashirama and Madara were already there.
Karma immediately walked toward them.
"Hashirama-sensei."
"Karma."
Karma turned toward Madara.
"Madara-sensei."
Madara nodded.
Karma looked around.
"Why did you call me here?"
Hashirama smiled.
"First, because we wanted to see how you've been doing."
Karma frowned.
"You see me almost every day."
"That's true."
"Then there's another reason."
Hashirama laughed.
"You really have gotten good at this."
Madara folded his arms.
"Ren told you?"
Karma pointed toward the older shinobi.
"He told me you were waiting for me."
Madara looked at Ren.
"Good."
Ren stepped forward.
"Shodai-sama."
Hashirama nodded.
"Report."
Ren's expression changed.
The relaxed young man Karma had been speaking with a moment earlier disappeared.
His posture straightened.
His voice became calm and professional.
"Mission report completed. No casualties. Intelligence has been transferred to the appropriate personnel."
Karma stared.
'Oh.'
Hashirama nodded.
"Good."
Ren then reached for the mask at his waist.
Karma's eyes widened slightly.
Ren held it out.
"I thought you might notice eventually."
Karma looked at the mask.
Then at Ren.
"You're ANBU?"
Ren nodded.
"I joined after becoming a Jōnin."
Karma stared at him for a moment.
Then smiled.
"That's actually really cool."
Ren laughed.
"I was expecting a more dramatic reaction."
"Why?"
"I don't know."
Karma picked up the mask.
He examined it carefully.
"So you're working directly under Hashirama-sensei?"
"Yes."
Karma looked toward Hashirama.
Hashirama smiled.
"Ren will be part of the ANBU operating directly under my command."
Karma nodded slowly.
That made sense.
ANBU were different from normal shinobi.
Covert operations.
Intelligence.
Reconnaissance.
Assassination when necessary.
Protecting the village from threats that couldn't be handled openly.
It suited Ren.
Especially after everything he had taught Karma.
Tracking.
Observation.
Genjutsu.
Reading false trails.
Understanding what an enemy wanted you to see.
Ren had always been suited for this kind of work.
Karma looked at him.
"So that's why you've been acting differently."
Ren nodded.
"Partly."
Karma grinned.
"Congratulations, Ren."
"Thanks."
"You'll have to teach me some ANBU tricks."
"No."
"Why?"
"Because you're seven."
"I'm a Chūnin."
"Still seven."
Karma looked offended.
"Age discrimination."
Hashirama laughed.
Madara shook his head.
"Enough."
Karma turned toward him.
"So why am I here?"
Madara drew his sword.
Karma's expression immediately changed.
His hand moved toward the tanto at his waist.
The weapon was the same one Madara had given him on his fifth birthday.
A real blade.
Karma had grown with it.
The tanto had become familiar.
More than familiar.
It was his weapon.
Madara's eyes settled on it.
"Because your swordsmanship needs to change."
Karma tilted his head.
"Change?"
"You're no longer five."
Madara raised his sword.
"Your body has developed."
Karma understood.
For the past two years, Madara had been teaching him the fundamentals of swordsmanship.
Stance.
Footwork.
Distance.
Timing.
Reading opponents.
But Karma's body was different now.
His reach had increased.
His speed had increased.
His strength had increased.
His fighting style needed to grow with him.
Karma drew his tanto.
The steel caught the light.
Madara's sword rested at his side.
Hashirama stepped away.
"Begin."
Karma moved.
His tanto flashed forward.
Madara's sword intercepted it.
Steel struck steel.
Karma immediately changed his angle.
Madara blocked again.
Karma stepped inside.
Madara shifted his stance.
Karma retreated.
Then attacked again.
This time, he didn't rely on Lightning Release.
He watched.
He waited.
He searched for an opening.
Madara attacked first.
Karma blocked.
The force pushed him back.
Karma recovered instantly.
His feet moved.
One step.
Two.
Then he accelerated.
Lightning chakra surged through his legs.
Karma disappeared from Madara's immediate line of sight.
Madara turned.
Karma's tanto stopped just short of his shoulder.
Madara glanced at the blade.
Then at Karma.
"Better."
Karma grinned.
"That's another compliment."
"It isn't."
"It absolutely is."
Madara sighed.
"Again."
Karma laughed.
He attacked.
This time, Madara attacked seriously.
Their blades clashed repeatedly.
Karma moved faster than he had two years ago.
His attacks were more precise.
His movements were smaller.
More efficient.
He wasn't trying to imitate Madara anymore.
The foundations were Madara's.
The style developing from them was Karma's.
A fast, precise style built around his tanto, Lightning Release, clones, and constant adaptation.
The tanto suited him.
It was fast.
Precise.
And dangerous in close combat.
Karma liked it.
Very much.
Madara had given him the weapon.
Now Karma was making it his own.
Hashirama's training had developed the rest of him.
His ninjutsu had expanded rapidly.
He had become comfortable with all five basic nature transformations.
Lightning remained his favorite.
Wind was useful for cutting and precision.
Earth gave him defense and terrain control.
Water provided versatility.
Fire was powerful but required careful control.
Hashirama had also begun teaching him more advanced techniques.
Tobirama had spent countless hours explaining chakra theory and technique construction.
Karma had absorbed those lessons quickly.
Sometimes too quickly.
Tobirama would explain a principle once.
Karma would understand it.
Then immediately start thinking about how to modify it.
Tobirama had learned to expect this.
Mito had contributed differently.
She continued teaching him sealing fundamentals.
But more importantly, she kept reminding him that becoming Hokage wasn't simply about being powerful.
A village couldn't be ruled through strength alone.
Karma understood that now.
At seven, he still had the same confidence.
The same arrogance.
The same tendency to tease people.
But he was beginning to understand people better.
That was perhaps the biggest change.
He knew what villagers wanted.
He knew why shinobi feared certain things.
He understood why reputation mattered.
He understood why Hashirama cared so deeply about the village.
And he understood that trust couldn't simply be demanded.
It had to be earned.
That afternoon, Karma left the training ground with Ren.
They walked through Konoha together.
"You've gotten stronger," Ren said.
Karma looked at him.
"That's it?"
"What else do you want?"
"Something more impressive."
Ren thought for a moment.
"You're still annoying."
Karma smiled.
"Perfect."
They continued walking.
Karma glanced at Ren.
"You know, you're actually pretty talented."
Ren raised an eyebrow.
"Actually?"
"I originally thought you were just experienced."
"That's rude."
"But you're genuinely gifted."
Ren smiled slightly.
"Coming from you, I'll take that as a compliment."
"It is."
For a moment, they walked in silence.
Karma looked around the village.
Children were running through the streets.
Shopkeepers were talking.
Shinobi were coming and going.
The village was alive.
Two years ago, he had still been learning what Konoha meant.
Now he was beginning to understand what it meant to protect something.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
'The village is growing.'
'So am I.'
And somewhere beyond those walls, the world was changing too.
Karma just didn't know yet how much it was going to change.