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Naruto: Shadows of the Forgotten Clan Chapter 1 – The Boy with the Crimson Eyes The Hidden Leaf Village was peaceful once again. The Fourth Great Ninja War had ended years ago. Naruto Uzumaki had become a hero admired throughout the Five Great Nations, and a new generation of ninja was beginning to rise. But deep beneath the Hokage Monument, inside a forgotten stone chamber, a seal that had remained untouched for centuries finally cracked. A pair of crimson eyes slowly opened. At the Ninja Academy, thirteen-year-old Ren Akatsuki sat alone beneath a tree while the other students trained. Ren wasn't the fastest. He wasn't the strongest. Most teachers believed he would never become more than an average shinobi. Only one thing about him stood out. No one knew where he had come from. He had been found as a baby outside the village gates during a thunderstorm, wrapped in a cloak marked with a symbol that matched no known clan. Even the Hokage kept the cloak locked away. "Ren!" A familiar voice interrupted his thoughts. Konohamaru waved him over. "Today's your final survival test. Don't be late." Ren nodded and hurried to Training Ground Three. The students were divided into teams and told to retrieve a scroll hidden somewhere in the forest. The exercise was supposed to be simple. 1
Instead, the ground shook. A masked shinobi burst from the trees. His chakra felt cold enough to freeze the air. Without hesitation, he defeated three instructors in seconds. "I've found him," the masked man whispered. His gaze settled on Ren. "So...the last heir still lives." The students scattered in panic. Ren had no idea what the stranger meant. The attacker vanished in a blur and appeared directly in front of him. Before anyone could react, the masked shinobi reached toward Ren's forehead. A strange symbol hidden beneath Ren's hair began to glow. Pain shot through his body. His vision turned red. A voice echoed inside his mind. "The Crimson Gate recognizes its master." Ren screamed. A wave of scarlet chakra exploded outward, tearing apart the training ground. Trees snapped in half. The masked shinobi was thrown backward. Even Konohamaru stared in disbelief. When the light faded, Ren's eyes had changed. They weren't Sharingan. They weren't Byakugan. 2
They were something no one in Konoha had ever seen before—crimson irises surrounded by rings of black. The masked shinobi smiled. "So the legends were true." Then, in a flash of smoke, he disappeared. Silence filled the forest. Moments later, Naruto Uzumaki arrived with several jonin. One look at Ren's eyes was enough to wipe the smile from the Seventh Hokage's face. He spoke quietly, almost to himself. "I hoped this day would never come." Far away, in the ruins of an ancient temple, five cloaked figures gathered around a stone table. "The Crimson Gate has awakened," their leader said. "Prepare the hunt." The peace of the shinobi world was about to end. 3