Chapter 12: A Dream Rekindled
The forest fortress was beginning to resemble a proper base—if your idea of a proper base included tree branches being shaped into banisters by shadow clones, a cooking pot bubbling with overly enthusiastic stew, and children racing a dragon around the courtyard. It was, in short, delightfully chaotic.
In the midst of it all, Arche stood before Naruto with her wand (carved from elderwood and surprisingly elegant), ready to showcase what she could do.
"Alright," she said, brushing a strand of pale hair behind her ear. "These are the spells I know. I've practiced them a lot, so… just don't blink."
She began with a simple wave of her wand and a muttered word. A nearby stick began to glow with a soft, golden light—like a tiny lantern.
"Continual Light," she explained. "Good for lighting dark places or pretending you're fancier than you are."
Naruto gave an approving nod. "Good for night missions. Or pretending you've got a better torch than your friends."
Next, she whispered another incantation, and her eyes shimmered faintly. "Dark Vision. Lets me see in the dark. Doesn't help much with your terrifying clones, but it's useful underground."
"Nice," Naruto said. "That would've saved me a lot of trouble when I got lost in that snake-infested cave once. Long story."
Then, Arche stepped back, whispered again—and her body lit up like a flare, blindingly bright for a moment. Naruto stumbled back with a yelp.
"Flash," she said, grinning. "Sorry! Warned you not to blink."
"That's perfect for throwing enemies off," Naruto said, blinking spots from his eyes. "You know, that might work really well between two attacks."
Arche nodded proudly and took a deep breath. "This next one's harder."
She chanted, and suddenly her feet lifted off the ground. Her robes billowed around her, and she hovered a few feet in the air. A bit wobbly, like a balloon that wasn't sure which way the wind was blowing.
"Fly. Third-tier. Drains a lot of mana if I keep it up too long."
Naruto watched, arms crossed, impressed. "That's... actually awesome. You could do sneak attacks from above. Ever tried divebombing with lightning?"
Arche blinked. "No… but now I really want to."
She landed again and held her wand forward. "Invisibility," she whispered—and poof! She vanished. Only her voice remained. "Temporary, but good for escape or sneaking."
"Okay, that's kinda creepy," Naruto said, squinting. "And very useful."
Next came her proudest spell: "Lightning." She raised her wand, whispered with fierce concentration—and a crackling bolt shot forward, sizzling across the training area and scorching the bark of a poor tree clone had been painting earlier.
"That's my strongest spell," Arche said, a bit breathless. "Third-tier. Pure destructive force."
"Deadly," Naruto said, rubbing his chin. "Also very cool."
Finally, she demonstrated Magic Arrow—a shimmering bolt of blue mana formed at her wand's tip and zipped through the air like a dart. And Reinforce Armor, which cloaked her in a faint sheen like magical chainmail.
"All right," Naruto said, hopping up. "So you've got all the right tools—but casting all this while standing still? That's not gonna work in a real fight."
Arche frowned. "It's just how we're taught. Magic takes focus. Casting while moving… the spells fall apart."
"Exactly," Naruto said, forming a Rasengan in one hand while jogging backward. "But even for ninja, that's a problem. Takes practice. Focus under pressure. So—training time!"
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They started with Magic Arrow. It was simple, direct, and didn't demand a ton of mana. Naruto had Arche sprint, jump, and dodge while firing them. At first, they wobbled like confused pigeons. One accidentally hit a clone in the bottom. But after ten tries? They were slicing through the air like kunai.
"Now try adding a spin to it," Naruto suggested, mimicking the Rasengan's spiral. "It'll hit harder."
She stared. "A spinning arrow of death?"
"Exactly."
It took several attempts (and a lot of shouting from clones diving for cover), but eventually, she managed to spiral the mana like a drill. The next arrow shattered a rock in half.
"Now that's an upgrade," Naruto said proudly.
Reinforce Armor was next.
"You're spreading the defense too evenly," Naruto explained. "If you're about to be hit in one spot, why waste mana shielding your toes?"
So Arche practiced focusing the spell to strengthen just her arms or chest depending on the situation. It was tricky—like trying to wear half a jacket—but by the end of the day, she was shielding her left side from Naruto's kunai throws like a seasoned ninja.
"We also need to get you a barrier spell," Naruto mused. "Something that can block big attacks."
"And traps," Arche added. "In case someone's chasing."
"Perfect," Naruto grinned. "We'll find those. Maybe 'borrow' them from somewhere…"
"No magical theft!" she said quickly.
"No promises!" he laughed.
As the sun dipped low and the twins snuggled against Ryu's now thoroughly disheveled fur, Naruto and Arche flopped down on the grass, exhausted and laughing.
"You really think I can do it?" she asked quietly.
"I know you can," he replied. "We'll make you a moving, invisible, lightning-hurling nightmare."
Arche smiled, the kind of smile that hadn't touched her face in a long time—full of real hope, not just magic.
And under the stars, in a half-built fortress filled with clones, kids, and chaos, a new kind of mage was being forged.
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From behind a stack of half-constructed training dummies and a lopsided log bench, Kuuderika and Ure had been watching the training session with gleaming eyes and wide, fascinated stares.
It was, in many ways, like watching fireworks at a festival. Arche's arrows sparkled, her lightning crackled, and Naruto—who was half-warrior, half-circus act—shouted encouragements like a proud older brother at a talent show. And when the final drill ended, and the grown-ups flopped into the grass with heavy sighs and matching grins, the twins could no longer contain themselves.
They ran over like thunderclouds on tiny legs—lightning-fast and full of energy.
"Arche! Arche!" Ure panted, flinging herself forward to grab her sister's hand.
"Can we learn magic too?" Kuuderika asked, eyes huge and hopeful.
Arche blinked, sitting up straight. Her smile faltered just a little.
"Oh, girls," she said softly, brushing a leaf from Ure's hair. "I… I don't know if that's a good idea."
"But we want to learn!" Ure said. "We want to fly and sparkle and go zooooom!"
Kuuderika nodded solemnly. "And we want to protect you, too."
That—more than anything—struck Arche like a soft blade. Protect her? They were children. They should be reading books and arguing about the last piece of honeybread, not asking for power. Not even thinking about protection.
She turned to Naruto, silently pleading for help. He met her eyes, gently but firmly.
"Arche," he said, brushing some grass from his sleeve. "Think about the kind of world we're living in."
She froze.
"You didn't leave your home because you wanted to," he said. "You ran because you had to. And you didn't take your sisters and escape earlier because…"
"…because we were too weak," Arche whispered, her voice small.
The memories came back unbidden: the night she'd realized they could never escape their father's debts. The hours she'd cried, wondering how to save them. The weight of every choice she'd made—not because she wanted power, but because she needed it.
"I understand wanting to protect them," Naruto continued, his voice low, "but wouldn't you feel better if they could protect themselves, too?"
Arche looked down at her sisters. Kuuderika's hand was clenched into a tiny fist. Ure's eyes still shimmered with wonder, not fear. They weren't asking for weapons. They were asking for strength. Like a bird asking for wings.
"But… they're still so young," she murmured.
"Then we start small," Naruto said with a smile. "Basic chakra control. Maybe a little meditation. Let them build their foundations. It's the same as teaching them how to swim—you hope they never fall into the river, but if they do… they'll know how to survive."
Arche was quiet for a long moment. Then she nodded.
"Alright," she said, quietly but firmly. "But I'm their teacher."
"Of course," Naruto said with a grin. "You'll be amazing."
"Can we start now?" Ure asked, bouncing on her heels.
"Now?" Arche blinked. "I was hoping for at least… a nap."
Naruto laughed. "Welcome to teaching."
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A soft wind rustled the trees as twilight wrapped the forest fortress in silvery shadows. The clones had lit floating lanterns (thanks to Arche's Continual Light) and a warm fire crackled in the middle of the courtyard.
Arche knelt between her sisters, a small orb of mana gently glowing in her palm.
"This," she said gently, "is the beginning. Not everyone has magic like me. But with training, you can feel the energy around you. It's like… a heartbeat that's not yours. And when you feel it, you start to learn how to shape it."
Kuuderika reached out cautiously, as if touching a star.
"Can we really learn?" she asked.
"You can," Arche said, her voice steady now. "But it takes patience. Magic isn't about wanting to hurt others. It's about understanding the world—and yourself."
Ure leaned closer. "I want to fly like you."
Arche chuckled softly. "Let's work on floating a leaf first, alright?"
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The lanternlight flickered gently as the wind rolled through the leaves, whispering secrets to the trees that only the oldest among them might remember. Somewhere nearby, Ure was trying to lift a pebble with sheer willpower and puffed cheeks, while Kuuderika argued that blowing on it counted as "wind magic."
Arche, ever patient, was guiding them like a proper professor, adjusting their posture, correcting their breathing. The little lesson unfolded like a scene from a peaceful bedtime story.
But Naruto—Naruto was staring into the fire, quiet, his eyes dancing with embers.
He hadn't spoken for a while.
His expression had shifted—no longer that easygoing grin or boyish smirk. It was something more reflective, something deeper. Like someone staring at a long path winding through mountains he'd yet to climb again.
It was the twins' laughter that pulled him into this old, aching space inside himself. Something about them reminded him of Konohamaru, of the children in the Hidden Leaf village, of the innocent people he'd once sworn to protect.
"I used to say I wanted to become Hokage," he thought, his eyes glinting orange from the firelight. "Not just to be acknowledged, but to create peace. To protect people. To make decisions that mattered."
That dream—though he'd achieved it once—had never really left him. Even in this strange, faraway world, with different systems of magic and politics, with dragons and sorcerers and ancient empires, the fire inside his chest still burned with the same heat.
"I can't live like I'm a nobody when I have this power," he thought, his jaw tightening. "I won't watch people suffer, not when I can stop it."
The memories pressed in: the war, the sacrifices, the Sage's decision to leave the fate of the world in others' hands.
"You chose someone else to shape the world. But I'm still here. Still breathing. Still fighting."
"I will make a better world than the one you left behind."
He rose slowly, brushing dirt from his pants, his eyes locked on the sky. Stars blinked back at him—unbothered, distant, but bright.
"Naruto?" Arche's voice floated toward him. She had noticed the shift in his aura—like a silent thundercloud had formed around his thoughts. "Is everything alright?"
Naruto turned to her and smiled. Not a loud grin. Not a theatrical one.
Just warm. Purposeful.
"Yeah," he said, voice firm but kind. "I just remembered what I'm fighting for."
And in that moment, standing beside a campfire in a half-built fortress in a world that wasn't his own, Naruto Uzumaki—warrior, teacher, and dreamer—reaffirmed a promise to himself.
He would create peace.