The masked stranger haunted me for days.
Not because they attacked me. They didn't.
Not because they revealed anything concrete. They hadn't.
But because they knew.
They knew I didn't belong here.
And they weren't surprised.
---
I didn't tell Naruto. Or Iruka. Or anyone.
Because what would I say?
"Hey, sensei, I'm actually a dead guy from another universe, and I'm power-leveling with burpees"?
Yeah. No.
Instead, I trained harder.
Naruto kept up surprisingly well. He didn't have my system, but he had drive. When he collapsed, he got back up. When he failed, he tried again. No complaints. Just grit.
I respected that.
Sasuke started watching more often. One morning, he actually walked over.
"I want in."
I blinked. "Come again?"
"You're doing something. It's working. I want in."
I studied his expression. Calm. Controlled. But his fists were clenched.
This wasn't about me. It was about him falling behind.
"Fine," I said. "But I don't do shortcuts."
"I don't need them."
"Good. Because this sucks."
---
> New Training Bond: Sasuke Uchiha
Bond Perk: +5% Speed when training with Sasuke.
Passive Synergy: 'Competitive Edge' – Training with a rival increases all stat growth by 10%.
Between Naruto's endless stamina and Sasuke's silent intensity, our morning sessions turned into war zones. Sprints, weighted pull-ups, obstacle runs—whatever broke us, we did.
The system responded in kind:
> Strength: 6
Speed: 6
Endurance: 8
New Skill Unlocked: Shock Step Lv. 1
– Short-distance high-speed movement.
– Leaves afterimage at Lv. 2.
I was becoming something dangerous.
So why did I feel more uneasy each day?
---
Rumors started.
"Hey, did you hear? Mizuki-sensei got reassigned."
"Someone saw a masked figure near the Hokage's office."
"The Uchiha kid's been meeting with ANBU."
Normally, I'd write it off as academy gossip.
But everything felt… off.
Timelines weren't lining up. Mizuki's betrayal should be soon—but he was gone. Sasuke's training was escalating early. Even Naruto was more focused than I remembered.
It wasn't just me changing things.
Something else was moving pieces.
---
After class, I confronted Iruka.
"Sensei. Hypothetically… what would happen if someone really powerful was watching the village. From the shadows."
Iruka looked at me carefully. "…You mean like the Hokage?"
"No. I mean someone the Hokage doesn't know about."
His smile faded. "Michio… is someone following you?"
"…Maybe."
He didn't press. Just nodded.
"Stay close to the village core. Don't train alone at night. If anything feels wrong, tell me."
The warmth in his tone surprised me.
Maybe I wasn't as alone as I thought.
---
That night, I climbed the outer wall of the Academy rooftop to clear my head. The stars in this world felt closer. Shinobi moved under them. Fates collided beneath them.
And one of them? Was mine.
Naruto showed up minutes later, two rice balls in hand.
"You keep doing that dramatic rooftop thing," he said, sitting beside me. "What's going on in that weird head of yours?"
I took the rice ball, smiled.
"Just thinking about the future."
He nodded. "Me too. One day I'll be Hokage, y'know?"
I looked at him.
Not the joke version. Not the loudmouth.
But the kid who was already carrying the weight of a village on his shoulders—and didn't even realize it.
"…You might actually pull it off."
"Damn right I will."
We sat in silence after that, watching the stars. The world was quiet—for now.
But I could feel it.
The storm was coming.