Chapter Four: A Tremor in the Silence

"No one may hear the tremor of your heart, but the city turns when your steps begin to shine."

The First Days, and a Hint of CalmThe early days after Kazuya opened his shop passed with a quiet that resembled the whisper of a tree in early autumn.It wasn't bustling with customers, nor did the village necessarily need a new shop.But some passersby stopped, exchanged light words, then left—thinking about that strange boy with emotionless eyes.

On the shelves:Books stacked with discipline,Medical kits wrapped with care,Simple ninja weapons—shiny and sharp.

As if the place echoed its owner's soul.

Every night, after closing the shop, he would sit by the long window, staring at the wooden ceiling.He didn't think of anything specific, nor did he remember anything.But sometimes, he felt... that silence alone wasn't enough.

In those early days, Kazuya wasn't alone.

Hashirama sent secret orders to monitor him.Tobirama drew a precise intelligence circle around him.And Madara, though he thought himself above such details, found himself wandering near the area... without admitting it.

But Kazuya paid them no attention.He knew he was being watched, and he chose the silence of waiting—to learn when the observation would end.

On the Fifth DayHe decided to close the shop for a few minutes.Not for anything important—just a need to walk outside.

His feet moved quietly through the market,His eyes scanning the details like a surgeon inspecting an open wound.

Workers lifting wooden beams,Children chasing a cloth ball,A man shouting from a half-built kitchen,And the smell of bread beginning to burn.

Life... unlike his own, yet flowing before him.

When the Stillness ShatteredA scream.A massive plank slipped from the second floor of an under-construction restaurant.

The children were below it—running, laughing... unaware of the danger.

Time froze. Everything became silent.

Before anyone moved,Before anyone shouted...Kazuya ran.

A blue flash...Steps that cut through the wind itself.A high leap, a spin, then a kick.

The plank ricocheted to the side and shattered against a stone wall.

The children fell to the ground… uninjured, just stunned.One of them gasped:"He flew!"

The First FeelingKazuya knelt before them—not pretending.

The dead mask everyone always saw on his face fell, revealing his true expression and feelings for the first time."Are you okay? Did anyone get hurt?"His voice wasn't cold… it revealed a humanity that had always lived within him.

One child cried, another nodded.A small girl suddenly hugged him:"You saved us!!"

Kazuya froze for a moment... then placed his hand on her head, wordlessly.Some of them began to cry, some laughed, and some ran toward him.And for the first time… Kazuya felt his eyes widen, his heart whispering something he didn't understand.

Above the Rooftop… at the CornerFrom above, on a nearby rooftop, stood Tobirama.

A rare surprise passed his face, but he said nothing.That speed...That control...Even without a seal or visible flicker, Kazuya surpassed many ordinary shinobi.

On the other side, Hashirama and Madara had been on a light stroll—but now stood still in silence.

Hashirama muttered softly:"The first time I see him show emotions this clearly… He intervened without hesitation."

Madara said quietly:"It's as if he revealed the will of the shinobi living inside him… Even if he wants to forget he was once a shinobi, a shinobi is still a shinobi."

A Parent Started ClappingThen a mother.Then a child shouted:

"Thank you, mister! Thank you, shopkeeper!"

In a moment, the street shook with applause.But Kazuya didn't move.He stood there, amidst the clapping, eyes on the ground.

Something in his heart changed.He didn't understand it, but he felt it.

In the Heat of the Village's PraiseThe trio approached him.They stopped in front of him.No one spoke for a few seconds.

Hashirama said with a calm smile:"You don't want to be a shinobi… but you move like one."

Madara stepped closer, staring:"What separates civilians from shinobi is their ability to protect others.Even if you try to escape the life of a shinobi, those skills never leave."

Tobirama asked directly:"Why hide your skills? We've seen them before… But why are you so insistent on concealing your strength?"

Kazuya replied in a low voice—but without weakness:"I don't fight to show anything.… But I knew I didn't want to see them die."

His gaze remained steady… no excuses, no defense.

After He Walked Away from ThemThe first to speak was the Leaf's Hokage.

Hashirama:"I saw him come out of his shell… for a moment."

Madara:"He's a different kind of shinobi, Hashirama. A special one—like us."

Tobirama, studying the young man's retreating back:"We'll leave him be… but we'll be present.Not to watch him—but to learn from him."

And in a Small Room of Wood and Mirrors...Kazuya sat, watching the children he saved earlier through the window.He didn't know if the incident was the beginning of something…But for the first time, he felt the silence itself echo.

Just Before SunsetWhile Kazuya was rearranging medicinal herbs on a lower shelf,He heard a soft knock at the shop door.

He opened it slowly...And saw one of the children he had saved, holding a wildflower and another wrapped in a white ribbon.

Behind him stood three more children, giggling shyly.

"Ha... We just wanted to say thank you again!"Said the child, extending the flower.

Kazuya didn't speak.He slowly took the flower and placed it in a cup of water beside the books.Then he said without looking at them:

"Go home before your mothers start worrying."

The children laughed and ran off, looking back repeatedly.

And for the first time…Kazuya smiled.He smiled after a long time of frozen expressions.

Between the Two Brothers in the ShadowsLater that evening...Izuna lay on his futon at the Uchiha compound,Staring at Konoha's stars with boredom, until Madara sat beside him and woke him up.

"Something interesting happened today."Said Madara, looking at his brother.

Izuna raised an eyebrow:"Don't tell me Tobirama invented a new dishwashing jutsu."

Madara laughed softly with sarcasm:"No… But Kazuya moved today."

"Kazuya? The shop boy? What did he do?"

"He ran.He jumped.He kicked a massive construction beam before it crushed a group of children...With a speed I've never seen."

Izuna's eyes widened slightly:"Faster than Tobirama's flicker technique?"

Madara smiled, but his tone wasn't joking:

"It wasn't a flicker…It was as if a shadow decided to shine."

Izuna went silent.Then quietly said, raising his left eyebrow:"Didn't he say he's a shinobi but wants to live as a civilian?"

Madara looked forward, where the market lights shimmered, and whispered:

"Maybe…But this boy doesn't crack under curiosity.He blooms… when no one's looking."

And in the tiny shop, where the walls trembled without sound…Sat the boy who didn't like the spotlight...And something inside him had begun to bloom—something that felt like a heartbeat.