Ten years flew by almost in the blink of an eye, and if she used to carry her son in her arms, now he was almost as tall as her and even broader in the shoulders. His successes in studies and training made all the few girlfriends green with envy and filled her chest with a warm feeling of pride. Even her brother's offspring, considered a genius of the clan, lagged behind, despite the obvious age advantage.
Looking back on the past years, she couldn't remember Ryo playing with other children almost ever. Until the age of three, he was always hilariously focused on exploring the world around him, driven by inexhaustible curiosity. After learning to read and write, he immediately became eager to study fuinjutsu and tried to impress Ryuta with his achievements.
Then a letter came from Uzushio, and Ryo focused on supporting her, allowing her to get through a difficult period in a few months. Immersed in memories, Saya smiled happily - they were practically inseparable then, even sleeping in the same bed, despite Ryo's grumbling complaints and the fact that he had his own room for a year now.
Next was the journey to the homeland of the red-haired seal masters, where they spent more than half a year laughing and smiling among the friendly relatives, surrounded by a sea of care and sympathy.
Looking back, the kunoichi realized that this period not only helped her cope with the loss but also laid the foundation for her son's developing character - meeting the reality of being a shinobi always leaves its mark, and when it happens at such an early age, the consequences are often severe. For Ryo, they manifested in an unstoppable urge to train and learn new things, with a significant role played by Ryuuji Uzumaki, who took on the training of his grandson.
Not the worst option considering the circumstances, and the chances of survival in becoming a shinobi were much higher. Ryo never answered questions about the reason for such obsession, but there was something in his responsive gaze that made Saya drop the subject and experience mixed feelings of excitement and worry.
The piercing gaze of his green eyes reminded her very much of her still living grandfather from her distant childhood. Just as warm, knowing, caring, and understanding, literally warming from within. As if it were Ryo the caring adult, and she was again a five-year-old waiting for another fairy tale or praise. Even her father, who always paid more attention to Shenesu, did not evoke such feelings.
The unwavering determination, not characteristic of lazy and apathetic Naras, did not disappear with age, only toughened and led to predictable results. But who would have thought that a seven-year-old child could, at such a young age, not only undergo initial training in the hospital but also receive a fifth-degree iryo-nin card when most candidates are eliminated at the early stages?!
For a child to absorb and assimilate the necessary amount of information for this? Unheard of! It was even more surprising for her when, not yet a genius, Ryo created a completely original combat technique and its various variations. Saya simply didn't know what to say - even recognized geniuses like the Senju or Sarutobi brothers were not famous for such achievements at such a young age, despite all their merits.
Of course, rumors of this event did not immediately spread throughout the village solely because of the secrecy of the clans, but the Rasengan was at least a B-class technique and often came in handy in difficult situations, attracting the attention of allies.
Like the numerous seals that greatly eased the consequences of a long period out of service. And even the result of recent sad events filled Saya's chest with a huge sense of pride in her son, despite the injury.
Even if, in the worst case, she could no longer walk for the rest of her life, just the fact that Ryo turned out to be so talented and hardworking made her look optimistically to the future!
Wiping away another unwanted tear, now of happiness, the former kunoichi mentally promised herself not to give up and to support her son no matter what. And no nightmares would stand in the way of that!
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