Deep within the Schatten Bereich,
In the center of the silent house, Ren's eyelids flickered.
He sat up slowly, his movements a bit jerky. He looked down at his hands—they were unchanged, the skin smooth and unblemished.
"Ren?"
A voice thick with disbelief came from the doorway. Ren turned his head. Satoshi and Kaori stood there.
Kaori didn't wait. She crossed the room in a blur of motion, her speed far exceeding anything a normal ninja could achieve. She slammed into Ren, wrapping her arms around him so tightly it would have crushed a lesser man's ribs.
"You're awake," she sobbed into his shoulder, her body trembling violently. "You're finally awake, my baby boy."
Satoshi approached more slowly, though his eyes were glistening with unshed tears. He placed his hand on Ren's head, his fingers trembling slightly as he felt the warmth of his son's skin.
Ren leaned into his mother's embrace, the cold void in his chest finally feeling full. He looked at his father and then back at his mother.
"I'm sorry," Ren said softly, his voice still carrying the youthful tone of a teenager. "But... you are acting like I have been sleeping for years."
"It's been eight years, Ren," Satoshi whispered, his voice hoarse. "We began to wonder if you'd ever come back to us."
Ren was momentarily taken aback. He looked at them closely. Eight years? If that were true, his parents should have some signs of aging. But they looked exactly the same as the day he gave them the fragments.
'They haven't aged a day,' Ren realized. 'The soul fragments did more than just heal them and grant them Quincy powers. It stopped their biological clocks.'
"We need to talk about our condition and the aging process," Satoshi said from the side, his analytical mind trying to take over.
Kaori wiped her eyes, her expression shifting instantly from relief to a fierce, protective glow. She whipped her head around and glared at Satoshi.
"He has just woken up and you want to talk?" she scolded, her voice rising. "Let him rest!"
Satoshi immediately took a 180-degree turn, shrinking back under he gaze. "I—I mean, we don't have to talk right now. It can wait."
Kaori huffed and turned back to Ren. She immediately began checking his body for any anomaly, her hands glowing with medical chakra. Ren consoled her, assuring her he would be in perfect shape after a period of recuperation.
"You have become so thin lying here for years," Kaori fretted, pinching his cheek.
Ren looked down at himself. His growth had frozen in time. Eight years had passed in the outside world, he was still fifteen.
"You must be hungry," Kaori said.
Ren simply nodded.
Her maternal instincts went into overdrive. "I will cook your favourite dishes for you. Just wait for a while!"
She hurried out of the room, leaving Ren and Satoshi alone. The atmosphere shifted instantly from emotional to serious.
"So, Dad..." Ren sat up straighter. "What happened in the past eight years?"
Satoshi sighed, sitting on the edge of the bed. "Many things have happened. Where should I start? First, after you went into a coma, it took two weeks for Kaori to regain her senses. After another week, she regained her mobility."
Satoshi's gaze drifted to a patched-up wall where a large hole had clearly been repaired. "When she realized you tore your soul apart to save her... the grief triggered her eyes. She awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan."
Ren noted the hole in the wall but didn't ask. He knew his mother's temper.
"We waited," Satoshi continued. "Four years passed, and you didn't wake up. One day, while I was out of the Shadow Realm gathering supplies, I encountered that white humanoid creature. Like every other time, I tried to ignore it, but this time it appeared directly in front of me."
Satoshi's eyes darkened. "Before it could do anything, I cut it in two. But another appeared and said they meant no harm. He told me they knew that you had awakened the Mangekyō and claimed you would be on the verge of blindness."
Satoshi leaned forward. "They didn't know your Mom was cured because she never left your side. They referred to themselves as White Zetsu. He told me to contact them if I wanted revenge for your mother's state or to cure your blindness. He also confirmed that Danzo was behind all this. He also told me about nine tails transfer."
"And?" Ren asked.
"I simply cut him in half and killed him," Satoshi said dismissively. "I didn't need their help. Interestingly, Ren... neither I nor your mother have felt even a hint of blindness since you gave us those soul fragments."
Ren looked at his hands, clenching them into fists. "We have to test what the soul fragments have changed inside you and Mom. It seems I've inadvertently created a biological immortality or a stasis effect."
Satoshi nodded and continued his report. "We ignored the White Zetsu. We directly attacked Konoha on the night of the Nine-Tails transfer. That was when we eliminated Danzo. We would have killed everyone present—the Hokage, his students, all of them—but we had limited time to maintain the connection to the Shadow Realm from the outside without you anchoring it."
Ren's expression hardened. "Dad, that was too reckless. Attacking Konoha with just the two of you? You were gambling with your lives."
Satoshi offered a confident, sharp smirk. "Don't worry. If anything had gone wrong, we would have teleported out of the village instantly using my Mangekyō. And as you can see, we are perfectly fine."
Ren exhaled, "It's fine for now, but you better not do that kind of stupidity again.
"And the rest of the world?" Ren asked.
Satoshi's expression grew grave. "That is where things get complicated. Nawaki Senju, the kid you saved back then... he awakened Wood Release eight years ago."
Ren froze. "Wood Release? Naturally?"
"Yes. He has become quite strong. Currently, he is defending the Cloud Frontline alone. Reports say he has been suppressing the Third Raikage, his son, and the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki, Killer B, all by himself."
Ren's mind raced. 'Nawaki dying was a canon event. Him surviving and unlocking Hashirama's power changes everything.'
"And there is one more thing," Satoshi added. "Tsunade became the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki."
Ren sat in silence, processing the information.
'I don't remember Tsunade being a Jinchūriki. And anyone awakening Wood Release naturally other than Hashirama is unheard of. I have caused massive butterfly effects.
He looked up at his father.
"We have to get ready," Ren said, "I can feel changes in my eyes and in myself. I have to test it. And need to check the changes you and Mom."
A/N: I have to pause the updates till 31 January 2026 because of exams. I will definitely complete the fic.