Johan's POV
The sun rose gently over Konoha, casting warm gold across tiled rooftops and fluttering leaves. For once, the morning didn't feel heavy with duty or shadow. Just quiet. Just light.
I had no mission today.
A rare thing.
Naruto's voice rang out, sharp and cheerful. "Brother! Are you going to train today?"
I turned to him, offering a faint smile. "Yes. No mission today."
His eyes lit up with excitement. "Yes! You said you'd teach me a jutsu!"
I chuckled softly. "I also told you to finish your chakra control training first."
He scratched his head, grinning. "Well, I did! My control's way better now! I've learned the basic jutsu too, just… still kinda messing up with the Clone Jutsu." His voice dropped slightly, worry sneaking in.
I stepped closer and put a hand on his shoulder. "It's okay. That one was tough for me too, at first."
His eyes widened. "Really?"
I nodded. "You've done well learning the others. That's not easy."
His grin returned, bigger than before. There was pride in it, earned, not given.
"Alright," I said, stepping back. "Let's start with tree walking."
He blinked. "Who wants to walk on trees?"
I showed him anyway, channeling chakra to my feet and calmly walking up the nearest trunk.
He scoffed. "Tch. That's easy, I can do that too!"
He charged at the tree and as expected, slipped halfway up and landed flat on his back.
He groaned, rubbing his head. "What the hell?! I did what you did!"
I knelt beside him, patience soft in my voice. "You need balance. Precision. Let me show you how."
We practiced together. He failed a few more times but then, something clicked. Slowly, shakily, he stayed on longer with each try.
As I watched him climb, breathless but smiling, a thought stirred quietly in my chest.
He really is a genius. A different kind. A stubborn, brilliant one.
After a while, I told him to keep practicing. "If you master this," I said, "I'll teach you a real jutsu."
He beamed, fists clenched. "Just you wait, brother!"
I left him to his training and stepped into the clearing.
It was my turn now.
I sat down, forming the seals. Summoning Jutsu.
With a puff of smoke, a small bat appeared—sleek, quiet, hovering in the air with uncanny stillness.
I watched it. No words, just… observation.
"Let's test your ability," I murmured.
The bat emitted a soft pulse, ultrasonic communication. I felt the message resonate within my chakra field. Clear. Subtle.
Good.
I summoned more.
They scattered as I commanded, spreading into the forest around us. One remained, circling overhead.
Moments later, the bat near me clicked softly.
It relayed a presence nearby.
Naruto.
So… you can be used for surveillance. Quiet eyes in the dark.
I gave them a new command: attack the stone at the edge of the field.
In a sharp burst, they unleashed an ultrasonic wave, subtle but devastating. The rock cracked. Then crumbled. Molecules shaken apart from the inside.
My eyes narrowed in quiet awe. These summons… they're more than I thought. I'll test them further soon.
After some more training , I returned to Naruto.
He was still at it, panting, sweating, chakra flickering but he was halfway up the tree, focused and unrelenting.
I stood beneath him, watching silently. Then said, gently, "That's enough for today. You've done well."
He slid down and nodded, exhausted. "Okay, brother…"
We walked home together.
No missions. No shadows. Just a peaceful day… shared between brothers.
And for once, that was enough.
---
It's been a month since I officially joined Team Ro.
I've blended in well enough that they trust me. Good. Trust makes people predictable. And predictability… is useful.
I've also refined some genjutsu, subtle ones that work in tandem with the bats. Silent illusions, laced through ultrasonic pulses. Invisible threads for those who deserve to be manipulated.
Today, we've got another mission.
Inside the ANBU base, the air was colder than usual. Still. Tense.
Team Ro gathered silently, masked and waiting. Shadows with names.
Tenzo's voice broke the silence, low and level. "It's an elimination mission this time."
The word hung in the air like blood on steel.
We all straightened. Eyes sharpened.
"A jōnin has defected."
"He fled the village last week. Intel says he's still within the Land of Fire. Hiding. Avoiding capture."
This wasn't a retrieval.
It was a purge.
"We were chosen," Tenzo continued, "because of our completion rate."
Because we finish what we start.
We nodded.
I said nothing, but the thought curled inside me like smoke.
Elimination.
Just what I needed.
We leave at 4 early morning....
Then We dispersed without a word.
---
When I returned home, Naruto was already there, back from the academy, messy-haired and tired but smiling.
I cooked dinner. Simple. Quiet.
As we ate, I asked, "How's your jutsu training going?"
He grinned through a mouthful of rice. "I already learned it!"
I nodded slightly. "Good."
After he mastered the tree-walking technique, I kept my promise, I taught him a jutsu. A wind-style one: Wind Release: Wind Blade Flick.
A simple flick of the fingers sends a narrow arc of razor-sharp wind at the enemy. Elegant. Swift. Deadly. And when fueled by Naruto's overflowing chakra… it becomes more than a basic technique.
Most wouldn't have given him such a jutsu this early.
In the original timeline, Naruto barely knew anything before graduation, just the Shadow Clone Jutsu. But I've already taught him chakra control, tree walking… and now, a C-rank jutsu.
It took time. He struggled.
But he learned.
And that means he'll grow stronger. Faster.
Stronger than before.
Then he said, voice cheerful, oblivious.
"Oh! Today Iruka-sensei treated me to ramen!"
I looked at him, listening quietly.
So Iruka managed to form a bond with him…
That's good for Naruto..
Naruto needs people like that, someone steady, someone kind. Someone who can offer him warmth when I can't.
I can't always be there, not with the missions, the secrets, the things I can't speak of. But if Iruka's watching out for him, even a little...
Then maybe Naruto won't feel so alone.
I smiled, letting him keep talking about his day, his classmates, the dumb joke someone told at lunch.
We do this every night I'm home.
It's a quiet routine now. Simple. Familiar.
But it's more than that.
It's ours.
And without even realizing it, it's become one of the few things that keeps me tethered to something real—to him.