Chapter 4

The sun hung low in the sky, casting a golden hue over the dense woodland as Regef Hills moved cautiously through the undergrowth. The encounter with the masked figures still weighed on him, his mind replaying the confrontation as if searching for some hidden meaning in their words. Who were they? And how did they know about the egg?

His fingers tightened around the strap of his pack, feeling the slight but significant weight of the fragile object within. The egg had become more than just an enigma—it was a symbol of his journey, an embodiment of the unknown future he was walking toward. But it was also a danger. If those two had been after it, others might follow. He needed to be careful.

The forest had grown denser, the canopy above blocking out much of the light, casting eerie shadows across the forest floor. The air was thick with the scent of damp earth and foliage, and every step he took was muffled by the layer of fallen leaves beneath his boots. Despite the quiet, Regef felt far from alone. His senses remained on high alert, his Sharingan flickering to life every so often, scanning for movement beyond the trees.

Hours passed before he reached a clearing. Before him stood the remnants of what had once been a grand temple, now reduced to nothing more than crumbling stone pillars and broken archways. Vines had overtaken much of the structure, nature reclaiming what had been left to decay. Regef approached cautiously, drawn by an inexplicable pull. He had seen ruins like these in old books—temples that once belonged to ancient clans, long before the current great villages had formed.

He stepped over fallen debris, his footsteps echoing faintly within the hollowed remains of the temple. It was eerily silent, save for the occasional rustle of leaves in the wind. His gaze settled on an altar at the far end of the temple, partially hidden beneath overgrown moss and ivy. There was something about it—something familiar, yet foreign.

As he reached out, brushing away the moss, he saw a marking etched into the stone. His breath caught in his throat. It was a symbol he recognized. The Uchiha crest.

A lump formed in his throat. How had this place come to be? The Uchiha had never spoken of temples beyond the village, but then again, they had also kept secrets even from their own. Was this one of them?

Regef traced the carving with his fingers, feeling the cold stone beneath his touch. His mind wandered back to his childhood, to the stories of power and betrayal whispered among his kin. Had his clan's reach once extended even here, far beyond Konoha's walls? Had they abandoned this place as they had abandoned so much else?

A sudden noise snapped him from his thoughts. Footsteps. Light, precise.

He turned sharply, kunai already in hand, but what he saw was not an enemy. A young girl, no older than thirteen, stood at the edge of the clearing. Her dark eyes locked onto him, her stance wary yet unafraid. She wore tattered clothes, her long black hair tangled with leaves and dirt. But it was her eyes that struck him. There was intelligence there, and something else—recognition.

"You're not supposed to be here," she said simply, her voice steady.

Regef frowned, studying her carefully. "Neither are you."

The girl hesitated before stepping forward. "This place doesn't belong to outsiders."

Something about the way she said it made Regef's stomach twist. Was she implying he was an outsider, even to his own clan's forgotten ruins? He kept his posture relaxed but ready, watching her closely. "And yet, here you are."

She glanced at the altar, then back at him. "You carry something valuable. That's why they were after you."

Regef's fingers instinctively twitched toward his pack. "Who are they?"

The girl's lips pressed into a thin line. "They call themselves the Cinders. Mercenaries, thieves, scavengers of forgotten power. They've been searching for something like that egg for a long time."

His heartbeat quickened. "Why?"

A silence stretched between them before she answered. "Because it's not just an egg. It's a remnant."

Regef narrowed his eyes. "A remnant of what?"

The girl exhaled, glancing toward the altar as if weighing her next words. "Of something that should have died a long time ago."

A cold breeze swept through the ruins, stirring the fallen leaves around their feet. The weight of her words settled on Regef like a heavy shroud. The egg wasn't just a symbol of new beginnings—it was tied to something far older, something buried in history.

And now, he was at the center of it.

Regef took a slow breath, tightening his grip on his pack. If the Cinders wanted this egg, then it meant one thing—

His journey was about to get much more dangerous.