"Mom, look, I found a strange fruit."
"Give it back, it's mine."
"Stop fighting or I'll eat it."
"You think I won't? Watch me."
A bite. Bitter, foul, burning down the throat. "It tastes like poison. I can't breathe."
Heat spread through his veins, fire raging under his skin. His body felt like it was melting, his bones breaking apart. He screamed for his mother, begged for it to end. Darkness came, then light. A warm, endless light.
Out of that glow, a child appeared. Familiar yet strange.
"Hello, big brother. I am Uchiha Renji, but everyone calls me Xiao Yang. That is what my parents call me."
The older boy blinked. "If you are Uchiha Renji, then who am I?"
"You came with the light," the child said. "You entered my body. I know I am already dead. What you see now is my consciousness. That sphere of light kept me here." He pointed to a glowing orb floating beside them.
"It locked this space. I shared all of my memories with you because I could not stand the thought of my parents grieving. In your world, our clan's massacre was just a story in a manga. But here, it is real. Every child, every parent, every friend would be cut down. Tell me, why should they die?"
His eyes flared, spinning into a full three-tomoe Sharingan. "I refuse."
He stepped toward the orb. "There is a way. If you become stronger, you can protect our family, protect our home, and give our parents joy. Leave the rest to me."
"Mangekyo Sharingan."
The light trembled.
"Turn illusion into reality." The orb grew brighter, shaping into a golden fruit.
"Steal fate, rewrite destiny." The fruit melted into his chest. His scream tore through the air, body dissolving into radiance until he was nothing but light.
The older boy closed his eyes as the glow consumed him. A voice lingered. "Brother, from now on you are me and I am you. We are one. My family is your family. Do not let them cry. Do not let our clan disappear. Farewell, child of light."
Warmth enveloped him. For the first time, he felt whole.
He awoke on a bed, head wrapped in bandages. A masked doctor leaned over, panicked. "You are awake. Can you hear me? Can you see me? Please, not blindness."
Renji scowled. "Blind? You must be deaf, shouting like that. I hear you just fine, idiot."
The doctor froze.
Retsu muttered with a smirk. "Something about him feels different. Maybe he really did hurt his brain."
Yan's gaze softened. "No, he seems lighter. Like he dropped a burden."
Renji smiled faintly. "I had a dream. My brother gave me a mission. To save all of you. I am no longer just myself. I am a man of the light."
The doctor tried to laugh it off, but Retsu grabbed him by the collar. "If this surgery fails, I'll bury you myself."
Yan watched carefully. "Are you sure you're alright?"
"I am fine. I just needed time to adjust."
Two days later, Renji removed his IV and stepped out into the sun. In disguise, he left the infirmary, the doctor muttering to himself that this boy was far from ordinary.
Renji walked to the waterhole where they had nearly died. The battlefield was silent now. He tested his jutsu, releasing fire, wind, and earth. Everything felt sharper. His chakra flowed smoother. He tried sword drills, still sloppy, but he laughed at himself. Swordsmanship needed time.
Lying in the grass, he felt the sun on his face. Warm, alive. His Sharingan spun open without warning. The dream returned. The boy. The fruit.
He raised his hand. Chakra burned, not blue but gold. He struck the ground. The earth split open, a crater forming. It reminded him of Tsunade's monstrous strength, though weaker.
Renji's eyes widened. "So this is what you left me."
He tried again, mixing the golden chakra with fire, lightning, and wind. It was not normal chakra. It was something higher.
"Light Release," he whispered. "This is a bloodline elimination, on par with Dust Release."
He clenched his fist. "No one can know. Not yet. I will keep it hidden until the time comes."
A grin tugged at his lips. "But with this power, I can shape techniques. Chidori. Even Rasengan. If I pass them to the clan, our strength will never fade."
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