The academy courtyard was unusually quiet. The sun had begun its descent behind the distant mountains, painting the village in long, warm streaks of orange and gold. Ethan lingered in the shadows of a small archway, observing the familiar streets of the Hidden Leaf with an almost surgical detachment. He had let events unfold naturally, but now the moment had arrived.
Naruto was there, chasing a makeshift training dummy with boundless energy, unaware of the danger approaching. The boy's cheerful shouts echoed, bouncing off the walls of the small village square.
Mizuki appeared suddenly, emerging from a side alley with predatory grace. His eyes gleamed with malice, hands already shaping hand seals.
"Finally, the academy brat gets what he deserves," Mizuki hissed, stepping toward Naruto with lethal intent.
Naruto froze for a moment, confusion written across his freckled face. "Mizuki… what—what are you doing here?"
"You've been lied to, boy," Mizuki sneered. "And now it's time you learn the truth… in pain."
The attack came swiftly. Shuriken whirred past Naruto's head. Naruto stumbled backward, catching his breath as Mizuki closed in, a vortex of malicious chakra twisting around his fingers.
---
Ethan Intervenes
From his shadowed vantage point, Ethan's mind ran through the possibilities in milliseconds. His hand twitched, fingers brushing the edge of his invisible interface.
Probability of success without interference: 21.6%.
Probability with intervention: 99.7%.
Decision made. He stepped forward.
The light from the sunset glinted off his calm face. He didn't run. He didn't shout. He simply appeared, and the world seemed to bend slightly around his presence.
"Ethan?" Naruto squeaked, eyes wide.
Ethan ignored him. His voice, calm but impossibly firm, echoed:
"Stop."
Mizuki's attack faltered, his hand mid-air. He blinked. "Wha—what is this?"
Ethan's eyes glowed faintly, a soft pulse matching his breathing. "You cannot touch him. Not today."
Time seemed to slow as Ethan extended his palm, and the invisible threads of his Taming Space wove outward.
---
Taming Mizuki
Mizuki recoiled, feeling an almost magnetic pull against his will, yet resisted instinctively. But Ethan's power was absolute, and the binding began to take root.
"You're done," Ethan said. His tone was clinical. "Your actions, your anger, your intent… all of it—now subject to consent alignment."
Mizuki's eyes widened as the Taming threads wrapped around his mind, gently reshaping the instinct to attack into something neutral. He staggered, confused but unharmed.
"No… this isn't…" Mizuki's words faltered as the binding completed.
Ethan didn't speak further. The battle was already over.
---
Iruka's Fall
But then Ethan noticed the figure behind the chaos. Iruka Sensei had rushed in to protect Naruto, and a stray kunai, deflected from Mizuki's attack, struck him in the side. The teacher crumpled to the ground, clutching his wound, blood seeping through his hands.
"No!" Naruto cried, running toward him, panic overtaking his usual courage.
Ethan acted instantly. He knelt beside Iruka, scanning him with the calm detachment of someone who had seen far worse.
Vital signs critical. Probability of natural recovery negligible.
Ethan pressed his hand to Iruka's chest. "I can save him," he murmured, activating Taming Space again—this time on the man himself.
The threads of his ability flowed inward, weaving through Iruka's body, aligning his life force with the algorithmic flow of Ethan's control. Every cell, every heartbeat, every breath restructured.
When the process finished, Ethan stepped back. Iruka stood—or rather, something like him stood.
His body was whole, but no longer entirely human in its natural sense. A Death Body had been imposed: functionally perfect, immune to injury, bound to obey ethical constraints and preserve life at all costs.
Naruto stared, horrified yet awed. "Sensei…?"
Iruka turned, expression fixed but calm, eyes glowing faintly with the subtle pulse of Ethan's influence. "I… am okay," he said, voice steady but faintly mechanical.
Ethan gave a small nod. "He will recover. And he will protect this village, and you, without faltering."
Naruto fell to his knees, trembling, but relief overwhelmed terror. "Thank you… Ethan… thank you!"
Ethan's expression softened slightly, though his voice remained measured. "You still have much to learn, Naruto. And much to protect."
---
Aftermath
Mizuki, now tamed and neutralized, sat on the ground, watching silently. His rage and violence restrained, he could not act without consent.
Naruto hugged Iruka's restored body, tears streaking down his cheeks. "I almost… almost lost you…"
Ethan stood a step back, hands in his pockets. Calm, collected, and observing the scene as if it were a simulation, not just a life-and-death moment.
But in his mind, he logged everything:
Mizuki node stabilized.
Iruka saved.
Naruto emotional state: high alert, trauma mitigated.
Taming Space functional on humans with full-body reconstitution.
He exhaled softly. One battle had ended. Another had only begun.
And somewhere in the village, the whisper of Ethan's quiet intervention would ripple, unseen but permanent.