Kairo packed in silence. Outside, the sky hung heavy and gray, and the wind whispered cold warnings. Beside him, Lumora hovered—her glow a soft ember in the gloom.
He stepped toward the gate of their small home, but a voice broke the stillness.
"Kairo... wait! Where are you going?"
It was his mother. Her voice trembled—woven with fear, love, and the ache of loss.
Kairo turned. His eyes were steady, but his heart throbbed with pain.
"Mom," he said gently, "I have to go. There's so much I need to do. I want to fulfill Dad's dream. I want to defeat the Ninja King... and become King myself."
Her eyes brimmed with tears.
"No... please, my child. Don't go. I've already lost your father. I can't lose you too. You're all I have left."
Kairo stepped closer and took her hands in his.
"I know, Mom. I feel it too. But I can't stay here forever. I need to uncover the truth—how Dad died, and why. I need to see the world for myself."
His mother's eyes filled with tears.
"No... my child. Please, don't go. I already lost your father. I can't lose you too. You are all I have left."
Kairo stepped closer and gently took her trembling hands.
"Mom... I know. But I can't stay here forever. I need to find out the truth about Dad... how he died... and why. I need to see this world with my own eyes."
Tears streamed down her face. She clutched his hand tightly, as if letting go would break her.
"Kairo, you are my heart. If something happens to you, I won't survive it."
He gave her a sad, quiet smile.
"Nothing will happen, Mom. I promise."
Then he placed her hand over his chest, where his heart beat strong and steady.
"I will come back... not as a boy, but as the Ninja King. I'll return with the title, and you'll be proud. Believe me, Mom... I'll come back to you."
She tried to smile, but her tears kept falling.
"Then go, my son. But remember — wherever you go, my prayers will follow you."
Kairo bowed his head, unable to speak. His throat tightened with emotion.
He took one last look at her — the woman who had given him everything — and stepped away.
Lumora floated low to the ground, her soft eyes fixed on Kairo's mother. She chirped quietly—gentle, wistful—almost as if saying goodbye too.
Kairo turned once more.
His mother stood at the doorway, watching him. Her hands trembled, her eyes wide with sorrow.
He whispered to himself,
"I'll come back, Mom. I promise."
And then he stepped into the mist.
Lumora glowed beside him, a flicker of light in the deepening gray.
The road ahead was long.
The world—vast, unknown, waiting.
But Kairo's heart was strong.
Full of love. Full of loss.
And full of a promise that would shape his destiny.
The road was long. The wind was soft.
Kairo and Lumora moved through shadowed forests, crossed silver rivers, and wandered across empty fields. They didn't know what waited ahead—only that their hearts were being pulled toward a single name.
Master Renga.
Once Raizen's closest friend, Renga was a wise old ninja who now studied an ancient weapon said to be over 5,000 years old. Legends whispered that it had belonged to the greatest Ninja King in history—a warrior so powerful, even time feared him.
Kairo needed to find Master Renga.
He needed to learn about the Gateway.
He needed to understand what it meant to become the next Ninja King.
Days passed. They walked, climbed, and slept beneath the stars. And then, at last, they reached Konohagakure City.
It was unlike anything Kairo had ever seen.
The city pulsed with life.
Colorful lights danced in the air. Floating paper lamps drifted like dreams.
Shops overflowed with gleaming weapons.
Ninjas of every age trained in the streets.
Children laughed and chased glowing animal spirits—rabbits made of light, silver foxes with shimmering tails, tiny blue dragons that purred like kittens.
Lumora zipped through the air, her wings glowing bright with excitement.
Kairo smiled.
"Easy, Lumora. We just got here," he said, laughing softly.
A girl sped through the street on a bicycle, her long black hair streaming behind her like a banner in the wind. She wore a light ninja outfit marked with violet streaks, and her eyes sparkled like stars—bright, mischievous, alive.
Behind her, two boys gave chase on strange creatures—one astride a swift, silver-furred wolf, the other gliding on a floating bird with wings like glass.
"Stop them!" one of them shouted. "She took the scroll again!"
They laughed, wild and free.
"Then run faster!"
she comming towords kairo
Before Kairo could move—CRASH!
They collided.
He stumbled back.
Lumora squeaked in surprise.
The girl fell off her bicycle, landing softly. Her eyes were wide.
"Ouch! Are you okay?" she asked, brushing herself off, still flustered.
Kairo didn't answer.
His heart was racing.
His mind went blank.
A warm, strange feeling spread through his chest.
For a moment, it felt like time had stopped.
The girl looked at him, confused.
"Hey... are you okay? You just froze!"
Kairo didn't speak.
He just nodded slowly, still stunned.
Lumora chirped, almost laughing at him.
Inside, Kairo felt something new.
A spark. A jolt.
Like lightning in his heart.
The girl jumped up and shouted toward the street,
"Go! Catch them! Hurry!"
Kairo didn't speak.
His heart raced like never before.
His mind went blank, and a strange warmth filled his chest.
For a moment, it felt like time had stopped.
The girl looked at him, confused.
"Hey... are you okay? You just froze!"
Kairo's lips didn't move.
He only nodded slowly, still stunned.
Lumora chirped softly, almost laughing at him.
Inside, Kairo felt something he couldn't explain—
a spark, a jolt, a sharp shock of something new.
The girl jumped up and shouted toward the street,
"Go! Catch them! Hurry!"
Then she ran off, chasing someone in the distance—
leaving Kairo frozen in place.
He watched her go, heart pounding.
No one around could see what he felt.
Even he didn't fully understand it.
But one thing was clear:
the world had shifted just a little...
and he would never forget her.
TO BE CONTINUED...