The Temple of Threads had fallen into silence, but the aftershocks of the encounter with the Threadreaver lingered. As dawn broke over the ruins of Uzushio, the group emerged from the temple with new knowledge—and heavier burdens.
Jiraiya walked ahead, his steps slowed not by exhaustion, but by contemplation.
"The Spiral isn't just some force of chaos," he muttered. "It's conscious. It wants to reshape destiny—and it's found a host."
Minato, walking beside him, furrowed his brow. "Do we know who the host is?"
Jiraiya hesitated.
"I don't know the name… but I saw his face. Young. Not someone I've met, but… something about him felt tied to Naruto. Not by blood. But spiritually."
Tsunade stepped in. "So, what now? We hunt him?"
"No," Jiraiya said. "We find him before the Spiral finishes corrupting him. If we kill the host after full integration, the Spiral will jump to the next viable vessel. We need to sever it first."
---
New Destination: Mount Reimei
From ancient maps, Jiraiya deduced the next location of interest—Mount Reimei, a chakra-sensitive mountain range east of the Land of Fire, where spiritual disturbances had been recorded even before the founding of Konoha.
Jiraiya: "The mountain amplifies inner turmoil. If the host is unstable, the Spiral's essence will flare."
Shizune looked uneasy. "Won't that affect us too?"
Tsunade smirked. "Let it try. I'm ready for round two."
---
Elsewhere: The Host Awakens
Far from their location, the young man—the Spiral's chosen vessel—wandered alone through a forested trail. He had no memories of who he was or how he came to be, but instinctively, he understood things he shouldn't.
Chakra flowed to him naturally. Seals etched themselves into trees as he passed. Time around him bent subtly: birds flew in looping paths, wind reversed direction.
He stopped beside a dying shinobi—likely a rogue caught in some border skirmish. The Spiral whispered.
"Touch him. Learn him."
The boy reached down.
Memories flooded him: pain, regret, loss. A whole life absorbed in seconds.
The Spiral laughed inside his mind.
"You are the new Sage. A god reborn from threads."
But the boy's eyes, while glowing, trembled with uncertainty.
"I don't want to be a god…"
"Then be a demon."
Mount Reimei: Trial of the Self
Upon arrival at the base of Mount Reimei, the atmosphere changed. The air shimmered faintly, and each team member felt their emotions magnified.
Minato grew hyper-alert, his mind racing with plans and counter-plans.
Shizune felt memories of her childhood with Dan flooding back, forcing tears to her eyes.
Tsunade clenched her fists, seeing her brother Nawaki standing beside her—laughing, alive—then vanishing just as quickly.
Jiraiya closed his eyes and saw a boy with yellow hair standing atop the Hokage monument.
Naruto.
He smiled gently. "This time… we'll give you the peace you deserve."
---
At the Peak: Clash of Destiny
As they ascended, chakra signatures spiked ahead. The Spiral's host had reached the summit—and a group of rogue shinobi had tracked him, seeking to claim the bounty placed by underground organizations sensing his unusual power.
The battle erupted before Jiraiya's team arrived.
The host stood in the center of a circle of chaos. He moved without thought, instinct taking over as time slowed around him. Seals danced along his arms, lashing out like whips.
He didn't kill. He erased.
Every strike removed not just a life—but the memory of that life. Even the landscape warped as the Spiral's power bent the mountain's chakra threads.
Jiraiya's team burst into the clearing as the last rogue turned to ash.
The host turned, eyes glowing with twin spirals. His expression was blank.
Jiraiya stepped forward slowly, hand raised.
"I'm not your enemy, kid."
The Spiral's voice echoed from the host's mouth.
> "You are the anomaly. The tether. You were not supposed to exist in this time."
Minato flinched. "He… knows?"
Tsunade drew a kunai. "Back off, or this gets ugly."
But Jiraiya stood firm. "Let me speak to him. Not the Spiral."
---
Breaking Through
Jiraiya walked forward, ignoring the whirling chakra storm building around the boy.
"You're not this… thing inside you. You're still someone. And whatever the Spiral is telling you—you can fight it."
The host trembled.
"I… don't remember who I am."
"You don't need to. Just remember this: the people you meet now, the choices you make from here—they define you."
For a moment, the storm died down.
But the Spiral roared.
> "Too late. His fate is sealed. When the moon turns red, time shall unravel!"
The ground cracked.
Jiraiya's team rushed in, forming a protective seal around the summit.
But the Spiral released a pulse of chakra that knocked them all back.
Jiraiya coughed blood, catching himself with one hand.
"We're out of time. The final phase… it's starting."