Location: Konoha Training Grounds | Time: Six Months After Naruto's Departure
The sun hovered high over the Hidden Leaf Village, casting a warm light across the training fields. Wind stirred the tall grass, carrying with it the faint scent of earth and steel. The village had been stable lately—but only on the surface.
There was always something under it.
From the tree line, Arata stood with his arms folded, quietly observing the lone figure at the center of the field.
Ren Uzumaki sat cross-legged on the worn training ground, eyes closed, posture unmoving. His breath was steady. Calm. Controlled. A kunai lay beside him, untouched. The hem of his flak jacket fluttered gently in the wind.
Kenji, standing just behind Arata, let out a low whistle. "How long's he been like that?"
"Hour and a half," Aika answered from his other side.
Arata didn't take his eyes off Ren. "He's been pushing himself harder since Naruto left."
"He's barely been around," Aika added. "Missions nonstop. Tracking rogue ninja, killing units, high-level escorts. You name it."
Kenji frowned. "That's what happens when the village keeps getting probed. All those rogue shinobi… They're testing us."
"Or looking for weak points," Arata murmured. "And Ren's been sent to close them all."
The three watched in silence for a moment longer as a small breeze picked up—and around Ren, the wind shifted unnaturally. A faint ring of movement in the dust around him kicked up in a perfect circle.
"He's been focusing on wind chakra," Arata said finally. "Honing it. Not just in training. He's using it in missions—blades, movement, detection."
Kenji raised a brow. "Trying to master it?"
"No," Arata said. "Trying to refine it."
They stood there quietly, watching as Ren slowly opened his eyes and exhaled. His expression was unreadable—focused, but distant.
A shinobi trained to breathe between violence.
A brother waiting in silence for the return of someone who carried the storm.
End of Chapter 178
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