The rain had stopped by the time Ren climbed out of the tunnel.
Dawn crept across Konoha in pale gold light.
From the outside, nothing had changed.
The village still breathed peacefully.
Birds called from rooftops. Shopkeepers prepared to open. Smoke rose from chimneys.
But Ren could still hear it.
Doom.
Slow.
Steady.
He walked back toward the Uchiha district without rushing.
Every step felt lighter.
His ribs still ached—but duller now.
His body felt… elastic.
He kept his hands in his sleeves.
No need to test anything in public.
Not yet.
As he entered the district, the training grounds were already active.
Sparks of fire lit the morning air.
Ren paused at the edge.
A boy stood at the center of the field.
Eight years old.
Black hair tied back.
Calm posture.
Sharingan active.
Uchiha Itachi.
Even at that age, his movements were precise.
Efficient.
No wasted motion.
A kunai flew toward him from behind.
He didn't turn.
He deflected it cleanly.
The watching clan members nodded in approval.
"A genius," someone whispered.
Ren watched silently.
Then—
Itachi's head tilted slightly.
Not toward the instructors.
Not toward the spectators.
Toward Ren.
Their eyes met across the field.
Sharingan red.
Black eyes calm.
For a brief second—
Itachi's gaze sharpened.
He felt it.
Something was different.
Ren looked away first.
He didn't want attention.
He continued walking.
But behind him—
Itachi kept watching.
Later.
Ren stood alone at the far end of the training field once it emptied.
He flexed his hand subtly.
His fingers stretched a few centimeters longer—
Then snapped back.
Controlled.
Good.
He stepped toward a wooden post and threw a normal punch.
Thud.
He hit harder than usual.
He tried again.
This time—
He let his arm extend slightly at the moment of impact.
CRACK.
The wooden post splintered.
Ren blinked.
That was too much.
He scanned the area.
Empty.
Or so he thought.
From the tree line—
A faint shift.
Someone watching.
Ren didn't turn.
He pretended not to notice.
He stepped back and examined the broken post.
Elastic release multiplied impact.
If he compressed—
Then released—
The force spiked dramatically.
Interesting.
Doom.
The rhythm grew louder for a moment.
Ren pressed a hand to his chest.
The air around him felt lighter.
Less resistant.
He exhaled slowly and forced it down.
The drums softened.
Control.
He needed control.
A twig snapped behind him.
This time he turned.
Itachi stood there.
Silent.
Observing.
"You broke it without chakra reinforcement," Itachi said calmly.
Not accusation.
Observation.
Ren shrugged slightly. "Maybe the wood was weak."
Itachi's eyes lingered on the post.
Then back to Ren.
"You're different today."
Ren tilted his head. "You're observant."
A pause.
The wind moved softly between them.
"You were attacked last night," Itachi said.
Not a question.
Ren's expression didn't change.
"People talk."
"No," Itachi replied quietly. "People don't. Not about Root."
Silence fell.
Ren studied him.
Eight years old.
Already seeing too much.
"You shouldn't say that name openly," Ren said.
Itachi's gaze didn't waver.
"They move because someone allows them to."
Ren's faint smile returned.
"Then maybe someone should stop allowing it."
For the first time—
Something flickered in Itachi's eyes.
Curiosity.
Not fear.
Not hostility.
Curiosity.
"You don't sound like the others," Itachi said.
"I'm not," Ren replied.
Another pause.
The tension between clan and village hung heavy in the air.
"You should be careful," Itachi said finally.
Ren stepped past him.
"I am."
As he walked away—
The drums echoed once more.
Doom.
Itachi's eyes narrowed slightly.
He felt it.
A distortion.
Subtle.
But unnatural.
He watched Ren disappear into the district streets.
Something had changed.
And Itachi knew one thing instinctively:
It wasn't just the village that was watching.
Deep beneath Konoha.
A masked Root operative knelt before Danzō.
"Subject Ren engaged in combat last night," the operative reported.
"Survived."
Danzō remained silent.
"Unusual physical distortion observed."
Danzō tapped his cane once.
"Continue surveillance."
Above ground—
The sun rose fully over Konoha.
And for the first time—
The village had two anomalies growing within it.
One destined to destroy the clan.
The other destined to bend the world.
The drums echoed faintly.
Doom.
History had begun to shift.