The night was heavy with fog—a thick veil crawling across Konoha's rooftops like smoke that refused to rise.
Beneath the Hokage Tower, past walls sealed by chakra and time, lay the Hokage Archive Vault. Very few knew how to enter it. Fewer still dared.
But Kuro wasn't most people.
And tonight, he had no choice.
System Objective – Infiltration: Hokage Vault
Quest Activated: Silent Flame, Hidden Truth→ Objective: Access the sealed records of pre-Konoha chakra sects.→ Sub-Objective: Avoid triggering ROOT's chakra sensors.→ Bonus: Extract reference to "Third Fire" without copying entire records.Warning: Failure may result in permanent ANBU hostility.
The Approach
Kuro moved beneath the tower under a cloak of distortion—his "Step of the Ember Ghost" technique rendering him invisible to all but the most refined chakra sensors. Even ANBU wouldn't detect him unless they were actively looking.
Still, it was a tight line to walk. The Archive was rigged with layered fuinjutsu—seals that whispered warnings through the floorboards.
He traced a route in his mind: three floors down, eastward turn behind the First Hokage's statue, under the false door behind the war record room.
The final door loomed before him—an obsidian slab inlaid with gold-leafed kanji:
"Only Fire Shall Pass."
Kuro paused, studying the inscription. He reached into his cloak and pulled out the seal shard he'd recovered from Hirano Crater.
It pulsed faintly.
He pressed it against the center of the door.
For a second, nothing happened.
Then—
Click.The door slid open with a hiss of old air.
The Forbidden Record
Inside was a circular chamber lined with scrolls, tomes, and stone fragments. Dust floated in shafts of moonlight filtering from a skylight above.
Kuro moved to the oldest section. There, bound in black silk and sealed with wax, lay the Codex of Iskai—a record so ancient even the Nara clan had only whispered of it in riddles.
He broke the seal.
Inside, he found it.
A single phrase:
"The Third Fire—neither Wind nor Flame nor Leaf. A Sect born of unity… twisted by hatred."
And then a warning, scrawled in old ink:
"They believed that Jinchūriki were the keys to the elemental purge. And that the Nine-Tails was the first lock to break."
Kuro's eyes narrowed.
"Naruto…"
Suddenly—
Alarm Seal Triggered.
The chamber pulsed red.
Kuro vanished in a blink, scroll still in hand.
Meanwhile – A Flicker in the Alley
In a quiet alley near Ichiraku Ramen, a figure crouched atop a shadowed rooftop. He wore no headband, no allegiance, and no face—just a bone-white mask etched with a spiral flame.
Below, a boy with blonde hair laughed, slurping noodles loudly.
Naruto Uzumaki.
The figure raised his hand.
A kunai materialized—its blade lined with Wind chakra. Silent. Deadly.
Then he flicked his wrist—aiming directly for the boy's heart.
Time slowed.
A second later—Clang!
Kuro's blade intercepted the kunai midair, sparks scattering across the tiles.
Naruto blinked, mid-slurp.
"Eh?"
The masked assassin stood slowly, silent, his gaze falling on Kuro.
"You follow whispers well," he said in a voice like wind across glass.
Kuro didn't answer. His stance dropped, low and fluid.
"You're from the Crater," he said. "You survived the collapse."
"I was meant to," the assassin replied. "To deliver judgment to the beasts of chakra. Especially the one in him."
Naruto looked between them, confused.
"Hey, what's going on—?"
"Naruto," Kuro said, eyes still on the attacker. "Run. Now."
Naruto hesitated—but the look in Kuro's eyes froze him. Then he turned and bolted.
Battle – Ember vs. Gale
The Third Fire assassin moved like a falcon in a dive—his blades invisible in motion, curved and serrated like ripples of wind itself.
Kuro countered with the Silent Blade Form, his movements tight, measured. His strikes carried no sound, only intent.
Steel met air.Air cut steel.A dance of flame and wind in the shadows of a sleeping village.
"You protect the jailer?" the assassin hissed. "Why?"
"Because I remember what came before the hate," Kuro replied. "You're not purification. You're just another tyrant in disguise."
The assassin lunged with a barrage of kunai.
Kuro vanished—
Then reappeared behind him.
Strike – Ember Ghost Step.
His blade slashed a glowing arc across the attacker's back.
The masked figure stumbled.
"You're too late," he spat. "Others will come. The Wind will awaken. The Beast will burn."
Kuro lunged—
But the assassin detonated a wind seal beneath his own feet.
BOOM.
A shockwave of concussive air shattered the rooftop and sent Kuro flying backward. When he recovered, the figure was gone—leaving only the smell of burnt dust and a single charred mask fragment.
System Update – Intercept Successful
You have prevented the Third Fire from assassinating Naruto.→ Reputation: +15 (with Jōnin Command and Iruka)→ Hidden Trait Unlocked: "Unseen Protector"→ Naruto's trust: Gained.→ ROOT Surveillance: Doubled. Danzo suspects your motives.→ Faction Alignment Progress: 2% with "The Forgotten Firebreakers"
Naruto – A Glimmer of Recognition
Later that night, Kuro found Naruto perched alone on the Hokage Monument, kicking his legs off the edge, quiet for once.
Kuro approached and sat beside him.
"You okay?" he asked.
Naruto nodded, slower than usual.
"That guy… he said something weird. Like I was a beast or something."
Kuro didn't answer immediately.
"Do you feel like one?"
"No," Naruto said, after a pause. "But sometimes people look at me like I am."
Kuro glanced up at the stars.
"People are afraid of what they don't understand. That doesn't make you the problem."
Naruto looked at him, then gave a small grin.
"You're weird, you know that?"
"Yes."
"Thanks for saving me, weird guy."
Kuro almost smiled.
"Don't make a habit of needing it."
Elsewhere – Danzo's Ultimatum
Danzo sat in his chamber, mask fragment in hand.
"He interfered."
A ROOT agent knelt before him.
"He stopped the Third Flame from killing the boy."
Danzo's voice was cold.
"Then Kuro's allegiance is no longer unknown. It is opposition."
He rose.
"Notify the elders. Begin preparation for containment. If he cannot be controlled…"
His eyes narrowed.
"…he will be removed."