---
"That lets him return… The eagle always learns to soar into the sky. Now, his strength should be enough."
The Third Hoshikage glanced at Summer Star (Natsuhoshi), then back out the window. Natsuhoshi hesitated before asking,
"What do you mean…?"
"The world outside Hoshigakure is vast. If he stays here, the limits of this village will only stifle his growth. Let him go, and one day, he may return strong enough to revitalize the Star. I can hold on with these old bones for a few more years…"
The Third Hoshikage exhaled a thin trail of smoke as his gaze followed the blue sky beyond the glass.
Natsuhoshi, though partly in agreement, still frowned.
"You'd let Chen Xing leave the village? Aren't you afraid of what he might do?"
"It would be a lie to say I have no worries," the old Kage replied, "but tell me—what great shinobi was ever forged without bloodshed? We are ninja, not civilians. Our duty is to support him from the shadows…"
He took another slow drag on his pipe before speaking again.
Natsuhoshi nodded in silence.
Ninja are born into a life painted in ominous colors, she thought. Our path is one of killing… and blood always follows.
---
Chen Xing returned unexpectedly—before anyone could even summon him. This left the Third Hoshikage with a wry smile and a shake of the head.
Soon, the three of them—Third Hoshikage, Natsuhoshi, and Chen Xing—were walking along a narrow path in the village, the air between them heavy with unspoken thoughts.
"Chen Xing, do you wish to leave?" The old Kage tapped the end of his pipe against a tree trunk, smiling at the boy. Though his eyes were clouded with age, he had known Chen Xing's heart for years—ever since the boy had been pressing against the invisible boundaries of this small village.
Chen Xing paused, then nodded lightly.
"My strength has reached a bottleneck. What I lack is experience against true power. I want to travel—train in the outside world."
The Kage didn't protest. Chen Xing knew he was not the kind of leader to forbid risk just to keep someone safe. In the life of a shinobi, danger is ever-present; the world offers no true peace—only fleeting moments of it. Even in the great Konohagakure, the First of the Five Great Shinobi Nations, that truth holds.
"I understand… but you'll need to pass a test before I give you permission," the Third Hoshikage said with a faint smile.
"What test?" Chen Xing asked.
"As long as you can defeat Red Star (Akasaboshi), I'll let you go."
Chen Xing gave a slight grin. "Alright."
The Kage knew Red Star wasn't truly Chen Xing's match; the fight was more of a formality—an opportunity to announce Chen Xing's existence to the village. Few knew of his true power. But nothing earns respect like an undeniable display of strength.
---
Word spread quickly. The boy who had disappeared from Hoshigakure had returned—and in three days would face Red Star, one of the village's strongest. The duel would be open to every shinobi in the Star. The Third Hoshikage himself had ensured that.
For Red Star, the match was a chance to measure this prodigy. Ever since Chen Xing had once absorbed nearly all of the "Star" chakra—a feat unheard of—there had been whispers about his potential.
---
Three days later…
Morning sunlight spilled across the quiet village. In front of the training hall, Chen Xing sat cross-legged, a green leaf balanced on his right palm. His hands formed a seal, channeling wind-nature chakra into the leaf. The leaf split neatly into seventeen segments—each cut smooth and clean—but not yet to the fine powder he was aiming for.
He sighed, letting the fragments fall.
"Still not there…"
Looking up at the golden light of the morning, he brushed the leaf dust from his clothes, tidied the area, and set off for the training grounds.
---
The Star Village arena was unusually lively. Over a hundred people had gathered, most of them chūnin and jōnin, with even a few genin mixed in. Patrol schedules had been shifted so that nearly everyone could attend.
A tall, thin shinobi whispered to his friends, "You've heard, right? Chen Xing—only twelve years old—is fighting Red Star today."
"I saw him when he was eight," a kunoichi replied. "He was already at jōnin level then. A rare genius."
A shorter, stockier ninja shook his head with envy. "We'll probably live and die as mid-rankers… but he dares to challenge one of the village's elite."
In the crowd, two veteran jōnin—Yoru Taka and Sōma no Haka—watched silently. They had fought alongside Red Star for years, but neither was confident in his victory today. They knew what it meant for someone to endure the Peacock Method and survive the "Star" chakra's strain.
---
At last, the Third Hoshikage, Natsuhoshi, and several other senior ninja arrived. When Chen Xing finally appeared, dressed in deep violet, heads turned all around the arena.
Chen Xing vs. Red Star — the match was about to begin.
---
"Sensei, it's been a while," Chen Xing greeted respectfully. Whatever their match would bring, Red Star had once been his teacher.
Red Star studied the boy who had grown from a frail child into a formidable shinobi. "You've grown well. Don't hold back. I've been waiting to see how far you've come."
Chen Xing smiled faintly. He knew his speed alone could overwhelm the Peacock Method's attack patterns.
---
The signal was given.
Chen Xing exploded forward like a lightning strike, three kunai flashing in a zigzag throw pattern to disrupt his opponent's sightlines. Gasps rippled through the crowd at his sheer speed.
"Peacock Method: Feather Dance!"
Purple chakra wings burst from Red Star's back, feathers hardening into chakra projectiles. They shot forward, smashing through Chen Xing's thrown kunai with the sound of metal striking metal, then diving toward the boy like a predatory hawk.
Chen Xing sidestepped, the chakra beast slamming into the ground and leaving a two-meter crater in its wake.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
A roaring sphere of flame—eight meters across—blasted from Chen Xing's mouth, illuminating the arena in an orange glare. Heat rolled across the stands as the fireball collided with the returning chakra beast.
The explosion sent a wave of smoke and embers billowing across the field…
And the crowd held its breath.
---