Morning silence.
But it wasn't peaceful.
It was heavy.
Like the world was holding its breath.
He woke up sweating.
Not from a nightmare.
From pressure.
Something was watching him.
Something that hadn't left since the Forest.
He looked toward the floor.
The ring was still there.
Motionless.
But it felt alive.
He didn't touch it.
Just got dressed.
The mirror showed both his eyes.Normal.Brown.
But he knew better now.
The eye wasn't broken.
It was... layered.
It had stages.
And each one cracked something inside him.
He was scared of how many layers were still left.
Outside.
Sunlight couldn't touch him.
Not really.
He walked past people but felt distant from them all.
Like glass between them.
Naruto ran up to him, smiling wide.
"Oi! You ready for the Genin trials next week?! Iruka-sensei said we're getting tested again!"
He blinked.
Had he forgotten?
Yes.
"...Yeah."
Naruto gave him a puzzled look. "You okay?"
He nodded. "Just tired."
Naruto laughed. "That's what ramen is for!"
He tried to smile.
Didn't reach his eyes.
Inside the classroom.
Everyone had that look.
Something was coming.
A shift in the air.
Sasuke's eyes were sharper than usual.
He wasn't just looking at people.
He was reading them.
Hinata kept glancing in his direction.
Worried.
Neji's words still rang in his head.
"Things born broken destroy themselves."
He wondered—
Was he destroying himself?
Or was something else cracking the shell from the outside?
Iruka arrived.
Late.
Everyone noticed.
His eyes were grim.
"We've been informed that an early Chunin Exam will take place in the coming weeks."
Murmurs.
Shock.
Excitement.
Fear.
Iruka held up his hand.
"You're not being forced. But some of you will be selected."
Naruto raised his hand. "What if we're not ready?"
Iruka looked directly at him.
"I think the question is… what happens if we are?"
That evening.
He didn't go straight home.
He walked.
Back to the alley where the old man gave him the scroll.
It was empty now.
Dust in the air.
He leaned on the wall.
Took a deep breath.
A voice whispered near his ear.
"You're being watched."
He turned.
No one there.
Just the ring in his pocket.
It had moved.
He returned home and locked the door.
Sat down.
Pulled out the ring.
Placed it on the table.
Stared at it.
Whispers grew louder in his mind.
He reached forward—
The moment his finger touched it—
Crack.
A sound.
From deep inside his skull.
He gasped.
Fell back.
Blood ran from his nose again.
The world around him slowed.
He looked up.
Saw himself.
A mirror image.Standing.Smiling.
The copy had red eyes. Spiral wide open.
"You're progressing," it said.
He couldn't move.
The mirror-self walked around him.
"But you're still too soft. Still afraid of what you could become."
He clenched his fists.
"What am I becoming?"
The mirror-self stopped. "You're the curse that breathes."
Then vanished.
The ring rolled across the table.
Back into his hand.
The next day.
He arrived at the Academy before anyone else.
Sat alone.
The moment the door opened—he felt her.
Anko Mitarashi.
Wild chakra.Smell of blood.Eyes that had seen too much.
She walked in, chewing dango.
Paused.
Looked at him.
Smirked.
"Hmm."
He didn't blink.
She walked past, but not before whispering:
"You don't belong here, kid. But you're the reason I'm here."
He frowned. "What does that mean?"
Anko just grinned wider.
"You'll figure it out… if you survive."
Training that day was different.
They were tested.
Basic taijutsu.Chakra control.Genjutsu resistance.
He did well.
Too well.
Even Sasuke noticed.
After class, Sasuke approached.
Arms crossed.
Eyes locked.
"What are you?"
He didn't answer.
"Your chakra doesn't move right," Sasuke said. "It's like... it hesitates. Then attacks."
Still no answer.
Sasuke narrowed his eyes.
"I'll find out eventually."
Then walked away.
That night.He stared at the moon.
Alone in his room.
Ring on his finger.
And then… it happened again.
Another crack.
This time louder.
He screamed.
Collapsed.
The spiral turned.
And now, the world looked different.
He could see veins under walls.
He could feel chakra across the village.
The ring glowed.
And a new word appeared on it.
"Awaken."
His body stopped trembling.
And for the first time—
He smiled.
Far away.
A masked man watched from a rooftop.
Sharingan spinning.
He whispered—
"He's waking up faster than expected."
Another voice replied from the shadows.
"Should we interfere?"
The masked man shook his head.
"No. Let him break a little more."