Ino didn't sleep.
Not that night.
Not the one after.
Her body rested, yes.
But her mind—
Her mind drifted through impossible timelines.
Future loops.
Dead memories.
And one name.
Kaito.
Whole.
Watching her.
Not attacking.
Not hiding.
Just… waiting.
She stood on Hokage Mountain.
Wind cold.
Sky gray.
No mission today.
Just silence.
The kind that warned of a storm not yet formed.
Then—
Rei appeared beside her.
He didn't speak.
He never did unless it mattered.
She asked anyway.
"How many of you are left?"
His answer came slow.
"Four. Including me."
Her breath hitched.
"Not many."
He nodded.
"But not by accident."
Flash.
Old memory.
When Kaito shattered—
He didn't scream.
He didn't break.
He planned.
Each fragment.
Each copy.
Each version seeded into reality with one function.
Observe.
Adapt.
Prepare.
And then…
Eventually…
Return.
In the depths of the Nara compound, Shikamaru lit a single candle.
Sat cross-legged.
Scrolls sprawled around him.
Each one filled with symbols they didn't teach in the Academy.
Not fuinjutsu.
Not genjutsu.
Something else.
He muttered.
"She's walking between layers now."
Behind him, Shikaku listened silently.
"Are you sure?"
Shikamaru nodded.
"She's remembering things that haven't happened yet."
A beat.
Then—
"She's not the only one."
In the ruins of the Land of Waterfalls—
A shinobi meditated over a frozen lake.
Eyes closed.
Breath even.
But his chakra—
Chaotic.
Half-human.
Half-something else.
His reflection shimmered.
Then stood on its own.
Smiling.
Another fragment.
Not violent.
Not cunning.
Just alive.
It whispered, "She's close."
In Konoha—
Ino walked past the Academy.
Children laughed.
Ran.
Practiced hand signs with chalk in the dirt.
She paused.
Watched.
One girl—black hair, serious eyes—turned and looked directly at her.
For a second…
Her eyes spun.
Faint spiral.
Then blinked.
Gone.
Ino didn't smile.
She whispered, "It's spreading."
Later.
Tsunade summoned her.
Urgent.
Scroll on the desk.
Black wax seal.
Not official.
Not coded.
Just one line:
"The Eye is not alone."
Tsunade frowned. "Message came via hawk. No chakra signature. No origin."
Ino took the scroll.
Didn't open it.
Just held it.
Tsunade leaned back.
"You know what this means?"
Ino nodded.
"It means he's waking them."
That night.
She entered the mental realm voluntarily.
Didn't wait for sleep.
Didn't anchor herself.
She walked through the fracture.
And saw—
The Core.
A throne.
Floating in a sea of broken timelines.
Kaito.
The real one.
Whole.
Eyes calm.
Expression soft.
Not hostile.
Not warm.
Just knowing.
"Ino," he said.
She stepped forward.
"You've watched long enough."
Kaito tilted his head.
"And you've killed enough of me."
A silence passed.
Heavy.
Then—
"You didn't resist."
He smiled.
"I didn't need to. Each one you faced was… a trial."
Her fists clenched.
"You broke the world."
He didn't deny it.
"I corrected its symmetry."
She stepped closer.
Eye glowing.
"No more riddles."
Kaito's eyes gleamed.
"You still don't see it?"
He raised one hand.
Reality peeled back.
She saw it—
Images flickering.
Other users of the Eye.
Some past.
Some future.
Some not born yet.
And then—
A circle.
Nine golden spirals.
Each representing one host.
Each connected.
One seat was empty.
Hers.
Kaito spoke low.
"The Eye wasn't meant for domination."
"It was meant for balance."
She trembled.
"You chose me?"
He shook his head.
"I didn't choose anyone. The Eye did."
Her voice broke.
"Why me?"
He finally looked sad.
"Because you broke first. And survived."
Suddenly—
The world convulsed.
A scream tore through the mindscape.
Kaito looked up.
One of the spirals dimmed.
"A fragment is dying," he whispered.
"Not one of mine."
Ino's breath caught.
"Then who?"
He looked her in the eyes.
And for the first time—
There was fear.
"Someone else has taken a piece."
Back in Konoha.
In the shadows beneath the Uchiha compound.
A boy woke.
Eyes wide.
Breathing heavy.
His Sharingan spun—
Then changed.
Spiral overlay.
Not red.
Violet.
He blinked.
Reality warped.
Stone cracked.
Rats nearby turned to ash.
And he whispered.
"Too loud…"
Ino opened her eyes.
Back in the real world.
Sweat soaked her collar.
She stood.
No hesitation.
Straight to Tsunade's office.
"We have a problem."
Tsunade blinked.
"What now?"
Ino's voice was steady.
"Someone else has touched the Eye."
Not a fragment.
Not Kaito.
Not her.
Someone new.
Someone outside.
Tsunade stood slowly.
"Do we know who?"
Ino turned away.
"No."
A pause.
"But I will."
End of Chapter 113