The silent path back to Konoha should have been peaceful. But Naruto felt the presence again—just beyond the trees, slipping from shadow to shadow. Whoever it was, they were skilled enough that even ANBU didn't detect them.
Shikamaru whispered,
"Still following us?"
"Yeah," Naruto muttered. "And they're good. Really good."
As they neared the main road, Naruto stopped abruptly.
"Come out!"
Silence.
Then the air rippled—like heat waves—before a figure materialized on a branch above. Cloaked in black, face hidden behind a cracked porcelain mask etched with ancient symbols.
Shikamaru stiffened.
"That mask… that's not ANBU. That predates ANBU."
The figure spoke in a voice that sounded layered—like several people talking at once:
"You freed the light… and now the shadows stir."
Naruto stepped forward.
"Who are you?"
The figure tilted its head.
"A remnant of the Abyssal Orders. A watcher of calamities. And you, Hokage, have awakened what should have stayed buried."
Naruto's eyes narrowed.
"If more monsters like that Hoshigan are coming, then tell me where—"
But the figure vanished.
A whisper lingered in the wind:
"Prepare, Hokage of the Sun. The first beast was only hunger.
The next… is wrath."
Naruto clenched his jaw.