Chapter 1
The air tasted of copper and smoke. Senju Haruto, a jonin of Konohagakure, felt his chakra fading like a dying ember. The Third Shinobi War had been particularly brutal—the Iwa nin had ambushed their squad at the border, and despite his mastery of multiple nature transformations, he'd been overwhelmed. A poisoned kunai had found its mark in his lung. As he lay against the splintered bark of a great tree, the world blurred at the edges. *So this is it*, he thought, *another name on the Memorial Stone*. His last conscious sensation was the cold rain mixing with his blood.
Then—nothing.
And then—everything.