Naruto a Silent Change.

The sun hung low on the horizon, casting an orange hue over the dense forest. The air was heavy with tension, and the faint rustling of leaves accompanied the quiet footsteps of the Shinobi moving through the shadows.

Naruto walked slightly behind the group, his expression unusually calm and composed. The once impulsive and loud-mouthed boy seemed almost... detached from the world around him.

Ever since the mission in the Land of Waves, something within him has been slowly shifting. The death of Haku had shaken his very core, forcing him to confront the brutal reality of the Shinobi world. Yet, what truly changed him was not sorrow — but awakening.

The world around him felt... different.

The movement of the wind, the pulse of the earth, and the flow of chakra in the surroundings — Naruto could feel them all as if they were extensions of his own body.

Even the presence of hidden beings lurking within the shadows ahead...

'Three... no, four... there's another shinobi hiding further behind,' Naruto's eyes narrowed slightly as he sensed the faint fluctuation of chakra from afar.

Kurenai Yuhi, the jonin leading Team 8, silently observed Naruto from the side.

Her sharp crimson eyes, trained in detecting the slightest fluctuations in chakra, couldn't help but notice the strange aura surrounding the boy.

'This boy... what's happening to him?'

She had heard about Naruto being a Jinchūriki, but this... this was something completely different.

It felt as if Naruto was not simply sensing chakra...

He was seeing through the very fabric of reality itself.

Suddenly, Kurenai's eyes widened in disbelief.

For a brief moment, she saw it — Naruto's bright blue eyes flickered, shifting into a pattern that shouldn't exist in this world.

A ripple-like pattern, spreading across his pupils...

The Rinnegan.

Kurenai's heart skipped a beat.

'The eyes of the Sage of Six Paths... Why does Naruto...?'

Before she could process the situation, she noticed another pair of eyes that had caught the same scene.

Sasuke Uchiha, who had been walking beside Naruto, halted in his steps.

His Sharingan activated out of instinct, his eyes reflecting the ancient dojutsu that had just manifested within Naruto's.

'Those eyes... That's impossible...'

A cold chill ran down Sasuke's spine as he clenched his fists.

Jealousy?No.

What Sasuke felt was fear.

The boy who had once been beneath him... The boy who always chased after him...

Now, Naruto was walking a path far beyond his comprehension.

Naruto blinked, unaware of the ripple that faded from his eyes the moment he suppressed his emotions.

He had yet to fully grasp what had awakened within him.

But in that moment...

The world he saw was no longer the same.

"It's strange…" Naruto muttered under his breath.

Kurenai's gaze shifted toward him, her expression serious. "What is?"

Naruto hesitated for a moment before answering, "There are... shinobi mixed within the bandits up ahead. Three of them... no, four... they're hiding their chakra."

Shino, who had been walking ahead, immediately stopped and turned to Kurenai.

"Sensei, if that's true, this isn't a simple bandit mission anymore."

Kurenai narrowed her eyes, already coming to the same conclusion. "You're right. We need to approach this carefully."

Without hesitation, Shino quickly began forming a strategy.

"We'll split into two groups. Hinata and I will use Byakugan and bugs to detect their exact positions. Kiba and Akamaru will flank from the side. Naruto and Sasuke... you two will remain hidden and provide support when needed."

"Got it," Sasuke responded coldly.

Naruto simply nodded, though deep down...

He felt as if his eyes could already see through everything.

As the team prepared for battle, Kurenai silently observed Naruto from the corner of her eyes.

'Those eyes... They've awakened far too early...'

But for some reason...

She couldn't shake off the feeling that Naruto's fate had already begun to drift toward something far greater than any of them could comprehend.

In the distance, the shadows of the hidden shinobi lurked, completely unaware...

That tonight, they would be facing a boy...

The sun was slowly setting over the forest, casting long shadows on the dirt path as Kurenai's team and Team 7 advanced toward the bandit's hideout.

The mission was supposed to be simple—eliminate the bandits causing trouble in the nearby village.

However...

"Oi, oi... are those bastards seriously hiding now? We already gave them half a day to prepare!" Kiba complained, crouching next to Akamaru.

Shino adjusted his glasses calmly. "Incompetent bandits... typical. They fear us shinobi, so they choose to ambush from the shadows."

"Stop whining, Kiba," Sasuke said coldly, his Sharingan already activated, scanning the area.

"You're the one who looks too eager to fight," Kiba shot back.

"Enough," Kurenai's calm voice echoed from the front.

Her sharp eyes scanned the surroundings, feeling something off.

Naruto, walking at the back, remained unusually quiet.

His hands were inside his pockets, and his gaze was fixed ahead.

'Something... doesn't feel right...'

Hinata, walking beside him, glanced at Naruto with concern.

"N-Naruto-kun...?"

Naruto blinked and turned toward her.

"Ah... I'm fine, Hinata." He smiled faintly.

But deep inside...

He could already feel the chakra beneath the ground shifting.

Suddenly—

SWOOSH!

The ground beneath their feet trembled violently.

BOOM!

The earth split apart as spikes of stone shot out from the ground, separating the group.

"Ambush!" Kurenai shouted, her body flipping backward to dodge.

Kiba and Akamaru leaped to the side.

Sasuke used a kunai to balance himself on a rock.

Hinata activated her Byakugan, scanning the area.

From the shadows, three shinobi with earth-release jutsu emerged, smirking.

"You damn shinobi... always looking down on us," one of them sneered.

"Do you think we're just ordinary bandits?" another laughed.

Shino narrowed his eyes. "So... they've been hiding among the bandits from the start..."

Kiba growled. "Tch! Bastards were playing dirty from the beginning!"

Sasuke's eyes glowed red with Sharingan.

"This makes things interesting..."

However, Naruto's expression remained blank.

As if...

He already saw this coming.

The enemy made their move.

"Earth Style: Rock Burial Jutsu!"

The ground beneath the team collapsed, creating a pit to trap them all.

"Scatter!" Kurenai ordered.

Everyone leaped to escape, but the enemy shinobi used their Earth Release to manipulate the terrain, sending spikes and boulders flying toward them.

Hinata dodged, but a sharp rock almost grazed her leg.

In that moment...

Naruto's eyes trembled.

A strange pulse spread from his pupils.

Everything... slowed down.

The movements of the enemy...The flow of chakra within the ground...The angle of every attack...

He could see...

Everything.

Naruto's body moved on its own.

SWOOSH!

With a sudden burst of speed, Naruto grabbed Hinata's arm and pulled her away from the incoming rock spikes.

Kurenai's eyes widened in shock.

'Fast...! What was that movement?!'

Sasuke barely caught Naruto's movement with his Sharingan.

'Damn it... this guy... he's moving even faster than me...'

The enemy shinobi grinned.

"Got you!"

They raised their hands to cast another earth jutsu...

But before they could finish—

BOOM!

Naruto's figure vanished.

In an instant, he appeared behind one of the shinobi and struck his neck with precise force.

CRACK!

The man's eyes rolled back as he collapsed to the ground.

"W-What?!" The second shinobi turned, but—

SWISH—

Naruto was already behind him.

With a clean, sharp strike to the back of the head, Naruto knocked him unconscious as well.

The last shinobi, terrified, backed away.

"H-How... how is he so fast...?!"

Before he could react, a kunai from Sasuke flew toward him, cutting his arm.

Shino's insects swarmed the man, draining his chakra.

The battle ended within seconds.

Everyone stared at Naruto in disbelief.

'That speed... that timing...'

Kurenai's heart trembled.

Hinata clutched her chest, her face slightly red as she looked at Naruto's back.

'Naruto-kun... how are you moving like that...?'

Far behind the group...

Naruto stood silently.

His hand clenched into a fist.

He lowered his head slightly as a faint ripple flashed in his eyes... the Rinnegan.

No one saw it.

Except...

Kurenai.

Her eyes widened in shock as she caught a glimpse of Naruto's eyes turning purple with strange rings.

'W-What... did I just see...?'

🌑 [Rinnegan Passive Abilities Unlocked in Battle ✅]

Perfect chakra perception

Ground movement tracking

Precise attack timing

Enhanced reaction speed