Three years had passed since the night the Kyūbi ravaged Konoha — an eternity for those carrying invisible scars. Though the village had been rebuilt, a lingering atmosphere of mistrust and sorrow remained. At the center of this quiet tension lived two small boys, forgotten by most, hated by others.
In a small, barely maintained house on the outskirts, the Uzumaki twins were growing up in silence far too heavy for children their age. Naruto Uzumaki, the loud, blond whirlwind, was a storm of emotions. His cries and laughter rarely pierced the indifference of the guards stationed at a distance. His clothes were often torn, his knees scraped from unsupervised falls. Kenzo Uzumaki, his twin brother, stood in contrast — his hair a brilliant flaming red streaked with subtle silver highlights, a constant reminder of the transformation he had undergone in the dimension beyond.
At three years old, Kenzo still hadn't spoken. His deep, unnaturally blue eyes seemed to observe everything… and remember everything.
One afternoon, the door creaked open to reveal Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage. His back was hunched, his gaze distant. The burden of leading a broken village, the grief over his wife Biwako's death, and the growing unrest in the shadows had distanced him from the orphans of the Fourth.
"Hokage-sama," said the ANBU on duty, her tone flat. "The children are… here." She made no effort to approach them.
Hiruzen nodded, not even glancing at the boys playing on the cold floor. His attention remained on the scroll in his hands. "The funds for their upkeep... have been reduced again. Reconstruction demands sacrifice. Just make sure the seal remains stable. That's the priority."
"...Naruto had a fever last night, Hokage-sama. Kenzo... didn't sleep. He watched over him," the ANBU added, her voice betraying a hint of unease.
Hiruzen sighed — a deep, tired sound. "They are jinchūriki. Their bodies are resilient." He didn't bother questioning how a three-year-old could care for another. "The village fears them. We must keep our distance. For their safety, and ours."
He turned and left, vanishing into the rain, leaving behind the silence that had become their home.
Since the death of their parents, the twins had become pariahs. Rumors of "demons" and "monsters" echoed through Konoha's alleys. Shopkeepers refused to serve them. Adults whispered, pointing fingers. The few shinobi assigned to monitor them did so with a mix of fear and revulsion, offering only the bare minimum. Supplies were sparse, food often expired or moldy. Kenzo and Naruto grew up in complete isolation — all they had was each other.
One rainy evening, Naruto cried from hunger. His small stomach growled painfully. That day's rations hadn't come, and the leftover porridge from the day before had gone sour.
"Kenzo... hungwy..." Naruto whimpered, clutching his brother's tattered kimono.
Kenzo knelt beside him, gently brushing Naruto's blond hair. His deep blue eyes shimmered with silent empathy. The silver gleam in his flaming red hair flickered faintly in the dim room. He couldn't speak, but his gaze was filled with fierce determination.
Rising with unexpected grace for his age, he walked to the kitchen cabinet. It was empty. He placed a small hand on the wood — for a fleeting instant, a faint, invisible pulse rippled through it. When he opened it again, a warm, fresh loaf of bread and a glass of milk had appeared inside.
Naruto, eyes wide, sniffed the air. "Whoa! Bread!"
He snatched it eagerly, biting into it with a delighted grin. Kenzo gave a soft smile — a rare show of emotion — and watched him eat. He took nothing for himself. His own body seemed to have transcended hunger. Unaware of the truth, Kenzo had become a master of reality and creation, drawing energy from the world itself. He didn't need to eat — but he used his power only for his brother.
The ANBU stationed outside noticed nothing. They had grown used to Kenzo's silence and Naruto's tears, only prepared to intervene in the face of physical threats.
In the days that followed, Kenzo continued to care for Naruto. When Naruto cut his finger playing with a stick, Kenzo gently touched the wound, and it vanished without a trace. When Naruto shivered in the cold, Kenzo remained still — yet the air around them would grow warm and soothing.
His powers of healing and energy manipulation were purely instinctual — guided by brotherly love and an unshakable will to protect.
One afternoon, while Naruto chased a butterfly, he tripped and fell hard into a muddy puddle. He burst into tears, soaked and filthy.
Kenzo, sitting quietly some distance away and gazing at the sky as if sensing distant stars, turned his head. He saw his brother in distress. Without moving a muscle, the mud vanished from Naruto's clothes. His body was clean, dry. Even the tears on his cheeks disappeared.
Naruto blinked in surprise. He looked at his brother, then down at his now-pristine clothing. "Kenzo... you did that?"
Kenzo met his gaze, eyes unreadable, and gave a small nod — his first direct response to a question.
Naruto laughed, bright and carefree, and ran to him, wrapping his arms around him in a tight hug.
The ANBU on duty that day observed from afar and noted the strange incident in her report. She described Naruto's sudden cleanliness and Kenzo's unusual reaction. But with no clear explanation and no immediate threat, the matter was not marked as urgent.
Hiruzen, flooded with daily security and reconstruction reports, never gave it more than a passing glance. The boy was just a jinchūriki, he assumed — perhaps a strangely quiet one.
Thus, Kenzo's powers remained a secret, known only to himself and to Naruto, who perceived them as the comforting magic of an older brother.
Kenzo continued to learn at a rapid pace. He deciphered old picture books and forgotten maps left in the house, absorbing knowledge with startling speed. His flaming red hair with silver reflections remained the only visible hint of his origin — the child who had touched the infinite void and been reshaped by it.
Kenzo, the silent master of reality, creation, life, death, time, space, gravity, void, destiny, chaos, harmony, beginning, and end, continued to watch over Naruto.
He was the hidden guardian of his twin, a primordial force wrapped in the body of a three-year-old, waiting for the day when the world would call on his true nature.
But for now, they were forgotten.
And he — simply a brother.