After returning home, Shane Mountain carefully packed his gear. He checked every pouch and scroll twice, making sure nothing was missing. Only when he was certain everything was in order did he sling the backpack over his shoulders and make his way toward the village gates.
"Seriously? At such a dangerous time, they're still letting us leave the village on a mission? Feels like a one-way trip…"
He muttered to himself as he walked, half joking, half uneasy.
When Shane arrived at the Konoha gates, his squad leader, Aoyama Noboru, was already there. Noboru stood beside a wagon, calm as stone, clearly ready to depart at any moment. On the wagon sat two cloaked figures, straw hats pulled low to cover their faces, giving the impression they were dozing. But Shane's senses told him otherwise. Their breathing was too controlled, too precise these were no ordinary passengers.
"It seems whatever we're escorting isn't simple at all…" Shane thought, his brows furrowing slightly.
"Ha! I'll take the lead!" Yamada charged ahead with exaggerated bravado, striding like a warrior leading an army.
Shane and Okita Ayaka walked at the wagon's flanks, while Aoyama Noboru brought up the rear. Together, their formation was basic but functional, just enough to discourage opportunistic attacks.
Along the road, Ayaka's eyes constantly scanned their surroundings, her hand never straying far from the kunai pouch at her thigh. Every rustle of the wind through the grass made her tense.
Shane, in contrast, looked utterly relaxed, strolling as though this were a casual outing. His expression was calm, almost indifferent, but appearances deceived. Beneath that composure, his Observation Haki swept across the environment like a silent net. If even the faintest ripple of hostility stirred nearby, he was ready to grab his teammates and retreat without hesitation.
Something about this mission reeked of hidden danger. Shane had no intention of exposing his true power here, but abandoning his teammates outright wasn't an option either. If things turned dire, he'd drag them along whether they liked it or not. After all, they were fresh genin no match for what might be waiting.
Because of the wagon, their pace was slow. It took them three full days to finally reach the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Rain. There, they handed over the supplies to the forward camp.
"Phew… looks like nothing actually happened. As long as we return safely, this mission will be a complete success." Shane exhaled, relief quietly softening his chest.
But Yamada clearly didn't share the sentiment. He scowled, frustration bubbling over.
"What's with this boring trip? Three days on the road and not even a single chance to show off my skills?!"
Shane raised his hand, ready to thump Yamada on the head, but Ayaka beat him to it. With a sharp smack, her palm landed squarely on Yamada's skull.
"Argh! Ayaka, why'd you hit me?!" Yamada wailed, clutching his head, tears welling in his eyes.
Shaking out her hand, Ayaka shot him a glare. "What's wrong with peace and quiet? You'd rather risk your life?"
Shane chuckled and added his own jab. "She's right. If trouble really did show up, you'd be the first to die. If you're that eager for glory, maybe stay here at the front lines. See if you last even two days."
Their words left Yamada fuming, his cheeks red with embarrassment. He stomped his foot and snapped back. "Hmph! What kind of ninja never faces bloodshed?!"
With that, he stormed off in a sulk. Shane and Ayaka exchanged weary looks, both sighing inwardly.
"This guy's far too reckless," Ayaka murmured, her tone heavy with realism. "We're not special we don't even know a single C-rank jutsu. If danger comes, we're finished. He doesn't understand that yet."
Her words mirrored Shane's own thoughts. He wasn't arrogant about his strength. Compared to true shinobi of the war, he was still far from a powerhouse. Jumping headfirst into battle would be nothing more than suicide.
Neither of them chased after Yamada. Inside Konoha's forward camp, there was little he could do to get himself into real trouble.
At the front lines, Shane deliberately avoided using Chidori. Safety came first. For two days, he stayed quietly in the rear camp. Unless Aoyama Noboru himself called, Shane made sure nobody could find him.
"Wait… our mission was already completed, wasn't it? Why are we still stuck here? Don't tell me something dangerous is coming…" Shane muttered to himself in his tent, unease gnawing at him.
Still, he reasoned, he was just a fresh graduate a genin. No commander in their right mind would toss him into a decisive battle.
His guess proved true. The very next day, news swept through the camp: Jiraiya and his comrades had clashed with Hanzo the Salamander in a full-scale battle. The camp erupted in motion, jonin and chunin rushing to join the fight, leaving only medical-nin behind for support.
Genin like Shane's squad? They weren't even considered for deployment. Their orders were simple: stay behind, assist where needed, and survive.
That day, Shane was assigned grunt work carrying wounded shinobi into the medical tents.
It wasn't glamorous. It wasn't even fighting. But it was grim.
Bloodied ninja screamed as they were hauled in. Limbs missing, faces torn, bodies burned by jutsu gone wrong. Shane's face never changed. He carried them silently, dumped them on stretchers, and returned for the next.
"Am I really this cold-blooded?" he wondered faintly. Then he shook the thought away. No this was survival. A soft heart was nothing but a death sentence in a world like this.
He had read enough fanfiction, thousands of tales filled with betrayal and backstabbing, to know this truth: even Konoha shinobi could stab their own comrades in the back. Compassion would only blind him.
Days blurred into nights. His team worked endlessly hauling the injured, collecting corpses, burning what couldn't be saved. Even Yamada grew quiet, his usual bluster drowned by the reality of war. The endless screams and blood had carved humility into him.
Then came the news that shook the entire camp.
"Hanzo has bestowed upon Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru the title of 'Legendary Sannin.' What a disgrace!" one jonin spat, his voice filled with venom. "To be named by the enemy, like pets branded with a collar it's humiliating!"
Others muttered their own outrage. Yet beneath the anger was awe. The three had survived Hanzo. That fact alone was enough to make their names echo through history.
Orders soon followed. "Prepare to support Jiraiya's group! And bring those genin they need to see the reality of war with their own eyes."
Inside his tent, Shane overheard everything.
"So it's happening," he thought grimly. "The battle with Hanzo is over. Soon, Jiraiya will disappear for three years. Tsunade and Orochimaru will rise as commanders of other fronts. The title of 'Sannin' will shake the entire shinobi world."
He clenched his fists, the weight of destiny pressing down on him. But then he sighed.
"And what does that have to do with me? I'm just a genin fresh out of the academy."
Closing his eyes, he let his consciousness sink into the mysterious Brother Space.
The moment he entered, a figure appeared before him a man in a white lab coat. He looked older, perhaps in his thirties, but his face bore an unmistakable resemblance to Shane's own.
"You are…?" the man asked, confusion written across his features. He peered down at Shane, as though recognizing a younger version of himself.
"I'm you," Shane replied with a calm smile. "This place is called the Brother Space. It's a little complicated to explain, but if you bump fists with me, you'll understand everything."
He raised his fist, waiting patiently.
The man in the white coat hesitated for a long moment, torn between suspicion and curiosity. But finally, with a grim set to his jaw, he extended his fist to meet Shane's.
Their knuckles touched.
And then everything changed.
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