It started with a whisper.
Not from outside, but from within. A low, crackling whisper that rose from the deepest pit of Sora's chest as the air around him grew hot, heavy, and hungry.
Today, his body would burn—and from that fire, a new weapon would be born.
---
Morning – A New Trial
Ayame stood atop a stone outcrop, arms folded, the sky behind her glowing with the color of smoldering coals. The sun hadn't risen yet—but the heat had.
"This is your first elemental release," she said. "Your chakra affinity is… unusual."
"Because of the devourer?" Sora asked.
"No. That power warps chakra—but it doesn't determine your nature. This comes from you."
She threw a single hand seal.
Tiger.
Suddenly, a wall of flame erupted around them—ten meters tall, blazing bright in a perfect ring. The heat scorched the stone. The trees around the clearing withered from its presence.
"You're not leaving this circle," she said. "Not until your chakra speaks flame."
Sora stepped forward.
The heat didn't frighten him.
It called to him.
---
Midday – Kindling
Sora sat cross-legged in the center of the fire ring, sweat pouring from his skin. His chakra shimmered, resisting the external heat—but Ayame had warned him not to use protection jutsu. This was not about resisting fire.
It was about becoming it.
He extended his hands and began the chakra conversion.
Too slow.
Too scattered.
A puff of steam, then nothing.
Again.
This time, he tried to mimic Ayame's form—Tiger → Ram → Monkey → Boar → Horse → Tiger.
A flicker. A spark.
Then it fizzled out, and he coughed, smoke curling from his nostrils.
Ayame said nothing.
Silence was punishment—and permission.
---
Flashback – A Memory of Flame
He remembered war.
Not from this world. A past life.
He remembered standing in a burning palace, laughing as meteors fell from the heavens. Fire danced around his shoulders like loyal pets. His name then had not been Sora—but something older, darker.
He remembered fire obeying him.
And he remembered consuming it whole.
---
Present – Burn to Learn
By late afternoon, he stopped suppressing his instincts.
Ayame watched closely as he let go.
No seals. No chants.
Just hunger.
He opened his mouth and inhaled part of the fire ring.
The flames bent unnaturally, drawn toward him. Ayame's eyes widened as his chakra flared—red-orange with streaks of black void, spiraling into his stomach like a reverse explosion.
"Sora—!"
He coughed once.
Then opened his palm.
A tiny, unstable flame flickered to life.
Not like normal katon chakra.
This was denser, darker.
Devoured.
"I didn't create this flame," he whispered. "I stole it."
Ayame's lips tightened.
"You must be careful," she said. "Fire wants to grow. If your chakra fuels it without control…"
Sora clenched his fist.
The flame vanished.
"I am the control."
---
Dusk – Baptism by Fire
Ayame stepped into the fire ring.
"Then prove it."
She unleashed a Great Fireball Jutsu, wide enough to swallow the whole clearing.
Sora didn't run.
He stepped into it.
The flame consumed him—but it didn't incinerate. Instead, his chakra reacted violently—absorbing, warping, fusing.
He screamed—not from pain, but from sheer overload.
Ayame's Sharingan flared as she watched in awe.
The fireball collapsed inward, spiraling around Sora until it formed a cloak—like a burning second skin—churning and pulsing with hungry chakra.
He stood in the center, arms raised, eyes glowing like twin embers.
Then he roared.
"Fire Release: Devouring Flame Cloak!"
The fire peeled outward—alive, sentient, snapping at the edges of the ring like a predator uncaged.
Ayame jumped back, shielding herself as the ground scorched black.
When the smoke cleared, Sora stood tall, his breath even.
The flames had vanished.
Only steam remained.
And in that silence… Ayame smiled for the first time in days.
"You've earned it," she said.
"Earned what?"
She tossed him a small scroll.
Katon: Advanced Release Theory – Level Two.
His first step into real elemental ninjutsu.
---
Later That Night – Reflection
Sora sat beside the river, holding a flickering flame between his fingers.
He didn't just command it now.
He understood it.
Fire wasn't chaos.
It was hunger.
Just like him.
He whispered softly to the flame, watching how it danced.
Not in defiance.
In devotion.
---
Elsewhere – Root's War Room
Danzo stared at a new file.
"Subject Sora – Elemental Affinity Confirmed: Katon. Mutation of standard Fire Release. Preliminary threat level: A-class."
He clenched his hand slowly.
"His chakra… it's evolving faster than I expected."
A cloaked figure entered the room—Mantis.
"The new Ghost units are ready," he said, voice cold, mechanical.
"And Ayame?"
"She'll protect the boy to the death."
Danzo smirked.
"Then we'll give her the chance."