Naruto Uzumaki—a boy who kept appearing in my dreams. He lived in Konoha, that much was clear from how often he talked about becoming Hokage. But the strangest part? I was certain there was no Naruto Uzumaki in this village. Was he just a figment of my imagination? Probably. Still, it was concerning that I started dreaming about him after the concussion I got from Kakashi.
It's been two weeks since that incident, and every night, I've had these dreams about Naruto. What's unsettling is how real everything in the dreams feels. Disturbingly real. I say that because some of the things I've seen in these dreams are details I didn't even know existed. For example, Ichiraku Ramen—apparently, it's a pretty famous ramen shop in Konoha, though I've never been there. Not that I could, anyway. Thanks to my house arrest—or rather, compound arrest—I haven't been able to leave to check it out.
The other thing that troubled me was the reflection in the window. I tried looking again, but this time, there was nothing—no reflection at all. Who was he? If this was all just a figment of my imagination, shouldn't I know this boy? Why did he feel so familiar, like I'd known him for years, yet I clearly didn't? The unsettling thought gnawed at me. Was I losing my mind? Should I tell someone? But the idea of a Yamanaka probing around in my head was far more terrifying than whatever strange dreams I was having.
– 3rd person POV –
Fugaku watched his son meditating with a leaf stuck to his forehead. He could tell Ryuichi was distracted, yet the boy still managed to keep the leaf in place—an impressive feat. Most children his age took months to master this exercise, but Ryuichi had done it in just a week. He was a genius, quickly grasping taijutsu and learning new techniques with remarkable speed. Yet, despite his brilliance, Ryuichi didn't stand out as much, especially being so close to Sakumo's son, who was also a prodigy.
Ryuichi suddenly shuddered, causing the leaf to fall from his forehead. He clicked his tongue in frustration. Fugaku raised an eyebrow in mild surprise.
"You okay, Ryuichi?" Fugaku asked.
"Yep," Ryuichi quickly replied, placing the leaf back on his forehead. Stupid Yamanakas and their mind-reading abilities, he grumbled to himself.
"You know what, that's enough for today," Fugaku said, snatching the leaf away. "How about we go to that ramen place you mentioned? Your mom, you, and I—it's been a while since we've been there." There was a hint of excitement in Fugaku's voice, a rare sight.
"Sure, dad, I'm down for that. But, you know I can't leave the compound, right?" Ryuichi sighed. The compound arrest wasn't too bad since it was large enough to explore, but he was itching to go outside and see if the things in his dream were real.
"That's fine. We'll make an exception for today... but just today," Fugaku said sternly. "After that, we go back to your punishment.
"That's fine," Ryuichi said, getting up from the ground.
"Your mother will meet us at Ichiraku's directly after her mission," Fugaku added as they both started walking toward the ramen shop.
Ryuichi and Fugaku were greeted by several villagers as they made their way to Ichiraku Ramen. It was a pleasant walk, with the warm weather complementing the friendly atmosphere.
Ichiraku Ramen itself was a modest stall on the side of the road, nothing flashy, but the aroma wafting from inside was heavenly. However, Ryuichi was too distracted to notice. His mind was elsewhere. It's exactly like in my dream... maybe a little older, but everything looks the same. And I've never even been to this part of the village before, he thought, a sense of unease creeping in. What this meant, he wasn't sure.
Ryuichi snapped out of his thoughts and took a seat at the counter, right next to a red-haired jounin who seemed too focused on slurping down her ramen to notice anything around her. He glanced at her briefly, a bit judgmental, before turning his attention to the menu.
"Fugaku! How have you been?" the man behind the counter greeted warmly.
"I've been well, old friend. How about you? I trust your daughter's doing fine?" Fugaku replied, settling down beside Ryuichi.
"Oh, she's a bundle of cuteness, what can I say," Ichiraku laughed. "And this must be your son."
"Yes, this is Ryuichi. Ryuichi, meet Teuchi-san, an old acquaintance of mine," Fugaku introduced.
"Good afternoon Teuchi-san, my name is Ryuichi. It is nice to meet you" Ryuichi replied
Without missing a beat, Ryuichi glanced at the menu, then back to the older man. "I'll have a pork chashu ramen, please."
"One pork chashu ramen, coming right up," Ichiraku chuckled as he got to work on the dish.
The lady next to Ryuichi finished her ramen with a loud slurp, placing the bowl down with a thud. She turned to him, her sharp eyes locking onto his.
"So, you're Mikoto's son, huh?" the red-haired woman asked, her voice casual but probing.
Ryuichi frowned slightly, feeling a twinge of annoyance. "That I am, but don't you know it's proper manners to introduce yourself before asking others who they were?" he replied, a bit irritated by her forwardness.
The woman smirked. "I'm Kushina Uzumaki, kid."
Hearing her name made Ryuichi's heart skip a beat. Uzumaki… just like the boy in his dreams. His mind raced as he struggled to keep his composure.
Kushina leaned in slightly, raising an eyebrow. "So, wanna tell me why you've been asking people about the Uzumaki clan around your compound?"
With the constant dreams haunting him for the past week, Ryuichi did what any curious 5-year-old would do—he started asking the nearest adults some questions.
Ryuichi suddenly felt uncomfortable, his thoughts scrambling. 'What am I supposed to say? That I've been dreaming about some Uzumaki boy and I want to figure out why? That'd sound ridiculous!' he thought, panic rising.
After a brief pause, he blurted out the first thing that came to mind, "I heard the Uzumakis are the best when it comes to fuinjutsu, so I thought I could learn a bit about it."
The words left his mouth before he could even process them, confusing him further. 'Wait… how do I even know that Uzumakis are good at fuinjutsu? I didn't even know who they were a second ago,' he thought to himself, unsettled by the sudden surge of unfamiliar knowledge.
"do you even know what fuinjutsu is kid" kushina asked curiously
"stop bullying my son kushina" kushina heard from behind her only to find Mikoto Uchiha herself standing there in all her glory
"Mikoto, it's nice seeing you too" kushina got up hugging Ryuichi's mom forgetting everything that happened a couple of seconds before. Ryuichi sighed with relief and decided to concentrate on the bowl that was placed in front of him
"I didn't know you were interested in fuinjutsu, Ryuichi," Fugaku said, his interest piqued by his son's sudden revelation.
"Uh… yeah, I just wanted to learn a bit about the field," Ryuichi replied, trying to sound casual while mentally scrambling to figure out why he'd said that.
Fugaku simply hummed in response, his gaze lingering on Ryuichi for a moment before returning to his meal. The brief exchange left an odd feeling in the air, but it quickly passed as everyone settled into their own thoughts.
-{0}-
Ryuichi's pov
I sat there with a leaf on my head again, though this time, I wasn't even meditating. I had mastered the exercise to the point that it had become second nature.
"Alright, I think that's enough," I heard my dad say, snapping me out of my thoughts. "How about we start learning the basics of ninjutsu?"
That got my full attention.
"There are twelve basic hand signs you need to learn before attempting any jutsu," Fugaku explained, slowly demonstrating each one. His movements were precise, and I focused on memorizing them as he showed them to me one by one.
I carefully mimicked each hand sign exactly as Dad demonstrated, and every time I did, I felt an odd sensation in my body. Curious, I focused on the feeling, trying to understand it. It didn't take long for me to realize what it was—each hand sign caused my chakra to move in a specific way.
For example, when I formed the Tiger sign, my chakra heated up slightly, like a warm current surging through me. When I used the Snake sign, my chakra vibrated, almost like a subtle hum resonating within me. Each sign had its own unique effect on the flow of my chakra.
I repeated the hand signs slowly, focusing on the flow of chakra as I moved through each one. The sensation was oddly refreshing, and I found myself enjoying the process. As I cycled through the hand signs again, I heard my father's voice break through my concentration.
"Very well done," he said, a hint of pride in his tone.
I looked up, feeling a surge of excitement.
"Now, keep practicing. If your hand signs are satisfactory, I might even teach you a jutsu tomorrow."
My eyes lit up at that. "Thank you, Father!" I said, standing up quickly, eager for the possibility of learning my first jutsu.
"Now, why don't you head back home? I wouldn't keep Kushina-san waiting if I were you," he added.
Apparently, Kushina-san had taken it upon herself to teach me fuinjutsu after I expressed my 'interest' in the subject. I'd also recently learned that she was very close to my mother—and, to my surprise, she was actually my godmother.
As for the Uzumakis, I still had no idea who Naruto was, but I wasn't going to push it, especially after getting caught by Kushina. I'd have to be more discreet in finding out information from now on.
I entered the main hall and spotted Kushina-san talking to my mother. As soon as they noticed us, I quickly greeted them.
"Kushina-san, you actually came," I said, secretly hoping she might've forgotten about the conversation we had at Ichiraku's.
"Of course I did. Did you really think I would go back on my word? Besides, I have to take my role as your godmother seriously. Can't have your mom here accusing me of being lazy," Kushina replied with a playful grin, making me sigh a little.
"Kushina-san, thank you for taking the time to teach Ryuichi. And welcome to the Uchiha Clan Residence," my dad greeted her as soon as he saw her.
"Oh, Fugaku-san, no need to thank me. I really just wanted to see what the little guy's up to," Kushina-san replied casually, shrugging off the formalities.
With the greetings out of the way, my mother led us to my study room, which wasn't far from the entrance. Once there, my parents left me alone with Kushina-san to start my lesson. In the room, a small table sat on the floor, stacked with sheets of paper, a box, and a bottle of ink nearby. We sat down near the table, and Kushina-san turned toward me, ready to begin.
"So, Ryuichi-kun, before we start, how about you tell me a little about yourself? I've always heard about you from your mom, but it's better to hear it directly from you," Kushina-san said, smiling warmly.
I tilted my head at her question. The last time I had to introduce myself was on the first day at the academy, and that had been exhausting enough. At least this time, I didn't have to deal with a room full of noisy kids.
"My name is Ryuichi Uchiha, and honestly, I don't know much about myself," I said, looking straight into Kushina's eyes.
"Fair enough, kid, fair enough," Kushina muttered with a slight chuckle.
"Well, through our sessions, I'm sure we'll get to know each other better, so let's skip the intros and dive into our first lesson," Kushina said with a grin.
"Alright, before we start, let me ask you a question—what is fuinjutsu?" kushina asked
"Fuinjutsu is the art of sealing," I replied quickly. That was pretty much the only thing I knew about it. I had tried skimming through some books on fuinjutsu in the clan library, but they were filled with way too many complicated words for me to grasp.
Kushina smiled, clearly amused.
"Well, you got the general definition right," Kushina said with a nod. "Fuinjutsu is the art of sealing, which involves sealing objects, living beings, chakra, and a variety of other things into another object."
She continued, "Fuinjutsu also requires a lot of written seals and kanji. The person designing and writing the seal needs excellent calligraphy skills. One mistake in writing a seal, and the whole thing could blow up in your face. That's why we're going to start by improving your calligraphy skills."
Kushina picked up the sheets of paper and the ink bottle, setting them on the table. Then, she opened the nearby box and took out a brush, handing it to me. From her pouch, she pulled out a piece of paper with writing on it, though the symbols were foreign to me.
"Now, dip the brush in the ink and try to copy the kanji on the paper I've provided. Just do your best to replicate the symbols. It's alright if it's not perfect—this kind of thing takes time to master," she reassured me.
With that, I dipped the brush into the ink and stared at the unfamiliar kanji, ready to give it my best shot.
Ten minutes later, I was close to slamming my head on the table in despair. Looking down at my handiwork, it was painfully clear I had messed up. The strokes were uneven, the kanji barely resembled what they were supposed to be. To make it worse, Kushina-san was staring at my attempt, clearly trying to find a way to soften the blow.
"W-well, it's not that bad for your first time, is it, Ryuichi?" she said, her voice strained with forced optimism.
"It's horrible," I replied in a flat tone that perfectly mirrored how I felt inside
Kushina-san moved closer and gently placed her hand over mine, guiding the brush in my grip. As she helped me replicate the symbols on the paper, she began to explain softly.
"Calligraphy isn't only about creating something beautiful for others to see," she said softly. "It's about cultivating inner beauty, the kind that emerges when you are fully immersed in what you are doing. When your mind, body, and spirit are aligned, the lines you create reflect that harmony. Every stroke, no matter how small or simple, holds intention."
I noticed how the ink spread differently when I applied even a slight change in pressure. Each letter felt like a reflection of my current state of mind—when I was tense, the lines were harsh and uneven, but when I relaxed, they flowed effortlessly. Kushina-san smiled, sensing my realization.
"Your strokes reveal much about you," she said. "Calligraphy exposes the state of your heart. When you're distracted, it shows. But when you let go of everything else and allow yourself to be present, that's when your true artistry begins to emerge. It teaches humility, too—accepting imperfection and striving for improvement with each practice."
As the afternoon wore on, the quiet scraping of the brush against the paper became meditative. I found myself sinking deeper into the process, more aware of each breath, each movement. My mind, which had been cluttered with the mysteries of my dreams, began to clear. I could feel a sense of peace settle within me, as though I had tapped into something greater than myself.
Kushina-san's words echoed in my mind as I completed another character. "In calligraphy, just as in life, every stroke is important. You must be patient with yourself, and trust that with time and dedication, each line will contribute to the whole picture—one of beauty, grace, and meaning."
=chapter end=