(AN: Thank you for reading the Chapter enjoy and Happy Holidays!!!)
Raizo Uzumaki turned three beneath a sky painted in pale orange and soft gold.
Dawn crept slowly over Uzushiogakure, lighting the red spiral banners that hung from stone walls and wooden posts. They fluttered gently in the morning breeze, their shadows stretching and curling like living things across the paths below. Beyond the village, the sea breathed in long, patient rhythms. Waves rolled in, curled, broke, and retreated again—never rushed, never chaotic.
Raizo sat cross-legged on the porch beside his mother, small hands resting neatly on his knees.
Akane watched him from the corner of her eye, pretending to focus on the tea cooling in her cup. His breathing caught her attention almost immediately.
It wasn't the quick, uneven breathing of most children his age. It was slow. Measured. Deep enough that his small chest rose and fell with quiet intent, as if he were listening to something only he could hear.
The ocean, maybe.
He had changed.
Not in the loud ways other children did. Raizo didn't tantrum when told no. He didn't shout or cry when frustrated. He didn't throw himself into danger the way Hina did, chasing excitement without fear or thought.
Raizo changed inwardly.
He changed in the space behind his eyes. In the way he paused before acting. In the way he looked at the world as if it were something layered—something that could be peeled apart if you were patient enough.
Akane reached over and brushed a stray lock of hair from his face. "You're very quiet this morning."
Raizo blinked, eyes still on the sea. "I'm listening."
She smiled faintly. "Listening to what?"
He lifted one hand and pointed toward the tide wall below. "It pulls before it pushes. Always."
Akane's breath stuttered for just a second.
The way he said it—simple, certain—sent a chill down her spine. It didn't sound like a child repeating something he'd heard. It sounded like something he had noticed on his own.
"Do you know why it does that?" she asked softly.
Raizo frowned, genuinely thinking. He looked at the water, then back at her. "…Because everything needs a beginning. And an ending."
Akane stared at him.
At three years old, most children were struggling with colors and numbers. Raizo was contemplating cycles.
She didn't know whether to laugh or pull him into her arms and hide him from the world.
Maybe both.
Footsteps approached along the stone path, and Riku appeared carrying a small bundle wrapped in cloth. Steam curled upward as he unwrapped it, revealing warm dumplings from a nearby stall.
Hina arrived seconds later.
"RAIZO!" she yelled at full volume, sprinting toward the porch.
Her foot caught on a raised stone.
Raizo turned before she fell.
He reached out and caught her arm with startling precision, steadying her before she hit the ground. The movement was fast—too fast for a child who shouldn't have seen the stumble yet.
Hina blinked, then burst into laughter. "You saved me!"
Akane and Riku exchanged a glance.
Hina tried to sneak behind him immediately.
Raizo pivoted smoothly and stared straight at her.
She squawked. "That's not fair! How did you KNOW?"
Raizo tilted his head, thinking. "…I heard your heart."
Hina leaned closer, curious. "My heart?"
"It went faster," he said simply.
She crossed her arms. "That's cheating."
Raizo said nothing.
But Akane felt a familiar chill settle into her chest.
The Ketsuryūgan hadn't awakened fully yet—but its shadow was already there. Sensing rhythm. Predicting movement. Feeling changes before they happened.
This wasn't just unusual.
This was dangerous.
A week later, the Council summoned them again.
The hall glowed dimly beneath red lanterns carved with ancient spirals. Seven elders sat in a half-circle, their expressions carefully controlled. Raizo sat quietly in Akane's lap, eyes wandering over the endless sealwork etched into the walls.
"The boy's chakra coils have expanded again," the eldest woman said gently. "Faster than any child we've recorded."
Another elder folded his hands. "And we have reports of a flare when his mother was frightened."
Akane stiffened. "That was an accident."
"We know," the elder replied. "But accidents are what concern us."
Riku straightened. "He wasn't angry. He was overwhelmed."
The room fell silent.
The head elder nodded slowly. "Yes. And that is the problem."
Akane swallowed. "You think he's dangerous."
"We think," the elder corrected, "that he is a storm. And storms must be understood before they break villages."
Riku's jaw tightened.
"What do you want from him?" Akane asked quietly.
"To teach him," the elder said. "Not combat. Not ninjutsu. Balance."
Breathing. Calm. Grounding.
Akane agreed immediately.
Riku hesitated—then nodded.
Raizo stared up at the elder, eyes faintly glimmering as his chakra reacted to the tension in the room. The light faded quickly, but the elders noticed.
The dojutsu was coming.
Early.
Training began the next morning.
Akane took Raizo to the tide pools at dawn. The water shimmered with reflected light as waves rolled in slow, steady rhythms.
She sat cross-legged and pulled Raizo into her lap, guiding his hands to rest on her stomach.
"Breathe," she whispered. "Like the water."
"In…" she said as a wave approached.
"Out…" as it retreated.
Raizo tried.
At first, his breaths were uneven. His chakra reacted instinctively—spiraling outward in unstable patterns, like a storm forming too quickly.
Akane held him close. "Slowly, little storm. Feel it."
Raizo listened.
Not just to her.
To the waves.
Gradually, his breathing matched the tide. In. Out. In. Out.
A cool pulse of chakra formed between his palms, swirling once before dissolving harmlessly.
Akane smiled through tears. "Perfect."
They did this every day.
And slowly, Raizo learned not to drown in the world.
Seals came next—not through lessons, but instinct.
One evening, Riku found Raizo drawing spirals on a wooden board with chalk. Clean lines. Balanced curves.
"A holding circle," Raizo said when asked.
Riku's fingers trembled.
At three years old, Raizo corrected stabilizing seals he shouldn't even recognize.
But not everything worked.
One afternoon, Raizo tried to copy a pattern from Akane's scrolls. His chakra surged unevenly.
The board shattered.
Raizo fell backward, stunned and terrified.
"I broke it," he whispered.
Akane scooped him up. "You're not hurt."
"It was wrong."
"And now you know," Riku said gently. "Mistakes teach."
Raizo nodded, shaken but listening.
The village whispered.
Genius. Storm child. Dangerous.
Hina defended him loudly.
Raizo felt the weight of their emotions press against him even when no one spoke.
That night, he woke and went to the window.
The sea shimmered beneath storm clouds.
For one heartbeat, his eyes glowed red.
Fully.
Then it vanished.
"Mama…" he whispered. "The storm was inside me."
Akane gathered him up, holding him fiercely.
"You are safe," she whispered. "Always."
Riku tucked him back into bed, brushing his cheek.
"Truth can hurt," he murmured. "But it can also save."
Raizo didn't understand the words.
But he understood the love.
Outside, the ocean curled inward in perfect spirals.
Inside, the storm child slept—learning, slowly, how to breathe.
Thanks for reading, feel free to write a comment, leave a review, and Power Stones are always appreciated.
I have two other stories I am currently working on
The first story is called Reborn as Stephen Cooper it currently has 20 chapters go and check it out tell me your thoughts
The second story has a work in progress name but it is a story a soul reincarnated as Cain (Bible) in the world of TVD/Originals.