(AN: Thank you for reading the Chapter enjoy and Happy Holidays!!!)
Raizo Uzumaki turned four beneath the calmest sky Uzushiogakure had seen in weeks.
Thin silver clouds drifted lazily above the coastline, stretched wide and unhurried, as if the heavens themselves had decided to rest. The morning breeze carried the salt-sweet scent of the sea, warm and familiar, brushing gently against the village's stone paths and red spiral banners. The ocean rolled below the cliffs in slow, even rhythms—patient waves rising and falling like steady breaths.
Raizo sat at the window before the sun had fully risen.
His legs were folded beneath him, back straight, hands resting lightly on his knees. He wasn't staring at the sea for comfort or beauty. He wasn't daydreaming the way other children sometimes did.
He was listening.
Akane woke quietly and found him there, still as stone, eyes dark and reflective. For a moment she simply watched him, a strange mixture of pride and unease settling in her chest. Four years old, and already he carried himself like someone far older—too aware, too composed.
"Good morning, little storm," she whispered.
Raizo didn't turn his head. "The ocean feels heavy."
Akane blinked and crossed the room to sit beside him. "Heavy?"
He nodded once, slowly. "Like it's holding its breath."
She rested a warm hand against his back, feeling the steady rise and fall of his breathing. "Maybe it's just a quiet morning."
Raizo hummed softly, unconvinced.
He sensed the world differently now. Happiness came to him like sunlight warming his skin. Anger felt sharp and crashing, like waves breaking against stone. Fear clung like cold mist, seeping into his bones. And some days—days like this—the world simply felt loud without making a sound.
Akane pressed her palm gently between his shoulders. "Come eat breakfast."
Raizo obeyed, but not before casting one last glance toward the sea, eyes narrowing just slightly as if committing its stillness to memory.
Hina arrived two hours later.
She burst through the door like a thrown rock, nearly tripping over the threshold as she shouted, "RAIZO! You're awake—finally!"
Raizo blinked. "I've been awake since before the sun."
"I know! That's what makes it finally!"
Hina tripped again, flailed wildly, and crashed face-first into a pillow Akane had learned to keep near the doorway specifically for moments like this.
Hina popped back up, grinning. "Let's go outside!"
Raizo nodded. "Okay."
As he slipped on his sandals, Hina studied him closely, head tilted.
"You look weird today," she announced.
Raizo paused. "…Weird how?"
"Your eyes look like you're thinking extra hard."
"I think the same amount," he replied.
"Nope," Hina said with total confidence. "Extra."
Akane handed them wrapped rice balls. "Be careful today."
Raizo nodded once, solemn as always.
Hina grabbed his hand and dragged him outside. Akane watched them go, smiling—though her gaze lingered on Raizo just a moment longer. He walked calmly, but something beneath his quiet felt unsettled, like a current shifting far below the surface.
They headed for the docks.
Hina loved the fishermen's area because it was loud and chaotic—men shouting, ropes slapping against wood, seagulls screeching overhead. Raizo liked it because it was honest. The emotions there were clear, unhidden.
As they walked, Raizo felt heartbeats around him. Two fishermen arguing, pulses sharp and jagged. A child crying somewhere distant, rhythm uneven and frantic. A mother calming her baby, heart slow and steady. And Hina—bright, bouncing, joyful, her heartbeat racing even when she stood still.
Hina ran ahead, pointing wildly. "Boats! Boats! Boats!"
"You saw them yesterday," Raizo said.
"They're still great!"
He had no argument for that.
She dropped down beside a coil of rope. "Show me the twisty one again!"
Raizo knelt and guided her hands patiently, adjusting her fingers when they slipped.
"My fingers are stupid," Hina groaned.
"They're not stupid," Raizo said calmly. "They're learning."
Hina looked at him like he'd given her a treasure.
Akane once said Hina made Raizo's world simpler.
Riku agreed.
Later, they wandered back toward the tide pools.
Raizo crouched and dipped his fingers into the cool water, watching his reflection fracture and reform with every ripple.
"The water's cold," Hina said.
"It's sad," Raizo murmured.
Hina frowned. "Can water be sad?"
"Sometimes."
She stared at the pool very hard, then shrugged. "I don't feel anything."
"That's okay," Raizo said.
Hina leaned against his shoulder. "You're weird."
He didn't disagree.
Training came at midday.
Akane led Raizo to a quiet tide pool tucked between the rocks. She sat behind him, hands steadying his shoulders.
"In with the wave," she whispered.
Raizo closed his eyes.
The ocean breathed.
So did he.
As he exhaled, the water rippled outward. As he inhaled, it pulled back in. His chakra flowed softly, no longer surging like a storm but moving like a gentle current.
"The world isn't as loud," Raizo murmured.
"That's because you're listening the right way," Akane said.
Riku trained him next.
Not combat. Not ninjutsu.
Balance.
Riku placed a plank across a rock and set Raizo atop it. "Lower your center."
Raizo adjusted instantly, feet steady, posture perfect.
"Where are you looking?" Riku asked.
"The waves," Raizo replied. "They show me how not to fall."
Riku smiled faintly. "Just remember to learn from people, too."
Raizo frowned. People were harder.
That evening, Raizo drew seals again.
This time, he created something new.
A light seal.
The stone became weightless, flying forward like a thrown blade.
Akane froze.
Riku stepped in immediately. "Don't show that to anyone."
Raizo nodded. "I won't."
Riku exhaled slowly. The world was not ready for this child.
The Council summoned them days later.
Fear. Awe. Curiosity. All loud.
"The danger isn't the child," the head elder said. "It's the world that may want to own him."
Riku's voice was cold and firm. "Then the world will learn he belongs to no one but us."
No one argued.
That night, Raizo sat at the window again.
The world felt loud.
Akane knelt beside him. "As long as you stay you," she whispered, "you'll be fine."
Raizo leaned into her warmth.
Outside, waves curled in endless spirals.
Inside, the echo of storms settled quietly—waiting.
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.