Naruto Card King

"Heal his wounds!" White Fang didn't waste any words, stepping back and gesturing with his head.

A medical-nin named Seiso flickered into place beside Haruto Saito, his hands forming a series of hand seals.

Haruto's injuries weren't severe, but he had quite a few of them. Seiso's hands glowed with a soft green light as he moved them over Haruto's body, systematically healing his wounds. Within moments, the surface cuts and bruises vanished. When he moved to heal Haruto's eye, however, Seiso paused, noticing something unusual.

"Huh… strange." Seiso withdrew his hand and turned back toward White Fang. "Was his eye always dual-colored?"

"No," came the reply from Chinmoku. "When we first caught him, both of his eyes were the same. Then, during interrogation, we hit him once—right in the eye. He faked his death, and when he woke up, he had lost his memory."

"He changed from a single blow?" Seiso examined Haruto's left eye more closely.

Haruto remained stiff, his body tense. He wasn't fond of people getting so close to his face.

"It's not bruising… His iris itself has turned red. How odd. Just one hit and…" Seiso muttered.

"What's wrong with my eye?" Haruto finally asked. Seiso was scrutinizing his left eye—the one that allowed him to see ninja data.

"It's red. Completely red." Seiso pulled a small mirror from his pouch and held it up in front of Haruto's face.

In the reflection, he saw his youthful face—around eleven or twelve years old—smudged with dirt, his lips cracked from dried blood.

But that wasn't the shocking part.

His left eye—red!

From an anatomical perspective, the human eye consists of three main sections: the sclera (white), the cornea, and the pupil. Normally, his right eye had a dark brown cornea due to the pigmentation of his iris beneath it. But now, his left eye was an eerie blood-red.

It almost resembled the Sharingan of the Uchiha Clan, except it lacked the signature tomoe marks.

Haruto had an inkling of what had caused it—his system. The system had integrated into his left eye, triggering this mutation. Or perhaps his True Sight was naturally meant to be red.

"Does it matter?" White Fang asked in a flat tone.

"Oh… uh…" Seiso hesitated, looking momentarily flustered. "No, not at all."

"Then stop wasting time. Remove his restraints." White Fang ordered, already turning to leave.

Seiso worked to unshackle Haruto, while Chinmoku stepped forward, pulling out a black cloth. Without warning, he tied it over Haruto's eyes, blindfolding him before guiding him forward to follow White Fang.

They exited the prison into a long, dimly lit corridor.

Haruto couldn't see, but he understood why. This was likely the most classified Anbu base in Konoha. Although he had joined the village, he wasn't an Anbu operative. Naturally, they couldn't allow him to memorize the layout.

"Remember my words—stay vigilant," White Fang's voice echoed ahead of him. "For now, the village won't assign you missions outside, but you can be sure that Rain ninja assassins will infiltrate Konoha to kill you."

"Hmm… I do have a few questions," Haruto responded.

"Such as?"

"What's my name?"

"You don't remember even that?"

"No."

"We don't know either. As far as I'm aware, ninja like you—raised in Amegakure—never had names, only codenames. But that was the past. Now that you've defected to Konoha, you can start fresh. You're free to choose a new name for yourself."

"Then… I'll be Haruto Saito!" Haruto said after a moment of deliberation.

"Saito? A surname?"

"Yes. There are others in Konoha with that surname, right?"

"There are… Why did you come up with that name so quickly?"

"Just feels familiar. Maybe I knew someone named Haruto Saito before." Haruto casually made up an excuse.

"Hmm." White Fang made a neutral sound, dropping the subject.

"Also," Haruto continued, "What exactly happened before I was captured? I don't remember anything."

"You were a Rain ninja sent to assassinate," Chinmoku interjected. "A day ago, in the northern forest outside Konoha, six young ninja between the ages of nine and twelve—including you—attempted to bypass our patrols and infiltrate the village. The guards at the border were from the Hyuga Clan. By the time we noticed you, you had already killed three Chunin. The other five died. You were the only one captured alive. Your motive and mission remain unknown."

"So that's what happened…" Haruto murmured.

"The Land of Rain produces some of the best assassins in the ninja world. Despite being only a Genin, you managed to eliminate Chunin in a surprise attack. Your talent is undeniable." White Fang's voice carried from ahead. "However, because you lost your memory, you've forgotten your skills. You may still have chakra, but you don't remember how to use it. I suggest you begin retraining as soon as possible—ideally, you'll recover some knowledge of jutsu or secret techniques. If you don't regain your strength quickly… your chances of survival will be slim."

White Fang kept emphasizing Haruto's likelihood of dying. It made Haruto uneasy.

Was Konoha so incompetent that they couldn't protect a single person?

If that were true, then how had their intelligence operatives—who relied on brains rather than brawn—not all been wiped out already?

"White Fang… Is there something you're not telling me?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean… exactly how many people want me dead?"

The four continued walking down the shadowed corridor. White Fang led in silence, while Chinmoku and Seiso flanked Haruto.

White Fang didn't answer immediately. He was privy to Konoha's most classified information. While he knew the truth, he wasn't about to tell Haruto everything.

"You'll find out soon enough," White Fang eventually replied as they turned a corner. And with that, the conversation ended.

Haruto didn't press further. He already suspected the danger wasn't just from outside Konoha—it was also from within. After all, he had once been their enemy. He had killed Konoha's ninja. The Hyuga Clan, for instance, had every reason to want him dead.

Ten minutes later.

Haruto wasn't sure where they had led him, but suddenly, he felt a firm grip on his shoulder.

Chinmoku tightened his hold, and in the blink of an eye, Haruto felt himself soaring through the air.

It was over in an instant.

The stark contrast in atmosphere was shocking. The previous space had been silent, suffocating. Now, he felt the wind on his skin, heard the distant calls of birds, smelled fresh air. Leaves rustled in the breeze.

It was clear—they were outside!

"We're out?" Haruto asked.

"Yeah," Chinmoku grunted, pulling off Haruto's blindfold.

Light flooded his vision—blinding!

Haruto winced, squeezing his eyes shut. After a moment, he slowly reopened them.

A bright morning sky stretched above him. He stood beneath towering trees, their canopies reaching skyward. The scent of flowers lingered in the air. Dew clung to the lush green grass. A brilliantly feathered bird flitted from a branch, spiraling upward toward the heavens.

Everything was beautiful.

He had finally seen the light of day again.