The amber sun dipped below the horizon as shadows stretched across the Hidden Leaf Village. In the Hokage's office, tension hung thick in the air.
Kazuki stood beside his teammates—Hinata, Ino, and Tenten—eyes fixed on Tsunade. Her expression was grave, her fingers steepled beneath her chin.
"Your mission takes you to the Land of Snow," Tsunade said, her voice unwavering. "There are whispers of a rogue shinobi group. They're organized, deliberate. Led by a woman we've never seen before."
Kazuki's brows furrowed. "Is she connected to the Raijin priests?"
Tsunade's gaze sharpened, locking onto his.
"Not directly," she said slowly. "But I believe she knows more about the Violet Oath than anyone alive."
The room went silent.
Kazuki's heart stuttered in his chest. The Violet Oath—an ancient bond made in the name of Raijin. A promise spanning lifetimes. And in one of those lives, Kazuki had been someone else. Someone who'd once whispered that oath into the ears of a woman named Rin.
"Prepare yourselves," Tsunade warned. "You may face more than mercenaries. Someone powerful is trying to stop you."
The Land of Snow was a land of silence. Pristine fields of white stretched endlessly, broken only by jagged cliffs and ancient pine. The cold cut into their skin as they approached the capital, wrapped in cloaks and wary silence.
Hinata's Byakugan scanned their surroundings. "Too quiet," she murmured, her breath fogging in the frozen air.
Kazuki nodded, senses on edge. Every step into the capital felt like stepping into a forgotten memory. They booked a small inn near the city's edge. But Kazuki couldn't sleep. Something lingered just beyond the horizon of his mind—watching, waiting.
At dawn, they were attacked.
Snow exploded beneath their feet as rogue shinobi descended from rooftops. Steel clashed with chakra, but before the battle could escalate, a voice sliced through the chaos.
"So this is where you've been hiding."
Everyone froze. From the alley's shadow stepped a woman clad in black and violet. Her hair flowed like a dark river, eyes glowing with power both ancient and intimate.
"Raijin's heir," she said, her gaze on Kazuki. "Kazuki Arata."
The name struck like thunder.
Kazuki's sword lowered, breath caught. That voice… it was cold. But familiar. Like a song he'd once known in a dream.
"I've heard of you," she continued, stepping into the light. "But you don't remember me, do you?"
She pulled back her hood.
Kazuki's world shattered.
"Rin?"
The woman gave a wry smile. "Not quite. My name is Yuuki Kage. I'm your past life's shadow."
Hinata's breath caught. Tenten's kunai shifted in her hand. Ino stepped protectively in front of Kazuki.
"Your shadow?" Tenten asked.
Yuuki's eyes narrowed. "The one who swore the Violet Oath. I never stopped searching for him. Even after death."
Kazuki felt the storm inside him stir. Yuuki was more than just a shinobi—she was bound to him through an oath deeper than blood.
In the ruins beneath the capital, Yuuki led them into an ancient temple, carved with symbols of thunder and devotion. Inside, the air hummed with old chakra.
"The Oath was never meant to be broken," Yuuki whispered. "It binds us beyond time. When Raijin died, I waited… and now, here you are again. But not alone."
She looked at the girls, her gaze a blade.
"You left me," she accused, her voice trembling. "You forgot me."
"I didn't choose that," Kazuki said, his tone soft. "I died. I sacrificed everything."
"But you moved on," Yuuki said. "You made new bonds. New promises. And yet I remained—unchanged."
Kazuki's guilt surged. She was right. In some way, her soul had never left his side. But neither had the women now standing with him.
"I won't let you take him," Ino said sharply, stepping forward.
Yuuki didn't blink. "You think this is a game? You think love is something new you've invented? I've walked with his soul across lifetimes."
"You don't own him," Tenten said.
"I don't need to. But I'm the only one who understands the burden he bears."
Hinata's voice cut through the room, soft but certain. "You say you love him, but you've brought nothing but pain."
Kazuki closed his eyes. The storm inside him churned. Three voices behind him. One voice from his past. All pulling.
"Then we'll test your bond," Yuuki said, chakra flaring like lightning. "If you truly think your future is stronger than the past… prove it."
With a wave of her hand, the ancient temple came alive. Raijin's Tempest burst into being—a swirling storm of violet chakra.
Kazuki flared his own storm in response, blocking the first surge. The girls formed a defensive seal, but Yuuki's bond to Kazuki ran deeper than any they had. Her chakra pierced their shield.
"I won't fight you!" Kazuki shouted, but Yuuki pressed forward.
Steel clashed with memory. Storm met storm.
The girls watched, helpless as Kazuki's chakra flickered.
"Choose, Kazuki!" Yuuki cried, tears lost in the storm. "Choose me!"
Kazuki dropped to one knee, gasping. Images swirled before him—of Rin, of Yuuki, of a forgotten life. Of Hinata's soft smile. Of Ino's fire. Of Tenten's strength.
And he understood.
"I don't need to choose," he whispered, rising. "My past gave me strength. But it doesn't own me. My love… is for now."
He turned to face Yuuki, his storm coalescing into radiant blue.
"I choose my future."
The violet tempest cracked—and shattered.
Yuuki stepped back, eyes wide with sorrow. Then… she smiled. A sad, gentle smile. "Then go," she said, fading into mist. "Be free."
The temple lay quiet in the aftermath.
Kazuki stood in the center, breath shallow, his body aching—but whole. The girls approached, their chakra still humming.
"You really did choose us," Ino said, a smirk on her lips.
Hinata reached for his hand. "We're proud of you."
Tenten slugged his arm. "About time."
Kazuki looked at each of them, humbled.
"I don't deserve you," he said honestly. "But I'll keep trying. I'll protect this future with everything I've got."
And as the snow began to fall again, the storm inside him finally began to calm.