Morning had barely broken.
The first rays of sunlight stretched across the Hidden Leaf, filtering through tree branches and glinting off quiet rooftops.
Satoru walked along the stone-paved road, the ground still damp with morning mist. Each barefoot step left a faint trace as vapor curled softly in his wake.
He wore no shirt—only simple black shinobi trousers.His white hair was tousled from a sleepless night, muscles defined and drawn tight under pale skin chilled by the morning air. Dust clung lightly to his broad shoulders.His eyes… distant.
Some villagers passing by couldn't help but glance his way.Some were drawn to his striking appearance.Others… by the quiet, ominous presence he carried like a second skin.
But Satoru didn't notice.
His heart was heavy.
The Demon Legion…The pirates…The Stone Village…Danzo…Orochimaru…And Madara… Zetsu… the true phantoms of this world…
He ran a hand through his wild, silver hair, gripping it in frustration.
It felt as if the entire world were moving on a giant chessboard—And he couldn't see the whole game.
Just a single piece.
A pawn.
A Silent Presence Waiting
By the time he returned to the small inn, the sun was just beginning to rise behind the treetops, casting a soft golden glow across the floorboards.
The old wooden door creaked as he opened it.The scent of aged timber mixed with the chill of morning dew.
Eren was already there.
Tall and quiet, sitting lazily in a wooden chair, hands tucked into his pockets, blue eyes calm—like an ocean at daybreak.
No greetings.Just a passing glance.
Satoru said nothing either.He simply collapsed into the chair beside him, one arm draped over the back, head tilted toward the ceiling—Exposing a neck marked with faint scratches from the battle the night before.
"You're late."
Eren spoke—not with reproach, but as a passing comment.
Satoru gave a small, crooked smirk.
"No one in this village wants me to sleep peacefully."
Then he told him everything.
The ambush.The battle with Kuriarare.The late-night council with the Third Hokage.And… Danzo.
Eren listened quietly.
But when Danzo's name came up, his eyes drifted shut.He inhaled deeply.
And when Satoru mentioned how the council wanted to control him, to use him for reviving Wood Release—
Eren's gaze darkened.
Echoes of the Past
A crack—Somewhere deep within his mind.
Again…
Once again… I'm not free.
From the moment of his birth, his fate had never been his own.
Eldian. Founding Titan. Savior. Monster.
In that old world, he had broken every chain.Shattered every cage.
He thought—Here, things would be different.
But they weren't.
No matter the world, people were the same.
They fear power.They crave power.They seek to bind it, control it, possess it.
So then—
Was there ever any path for me… other than the one I've already walked once?
A flicker of killing intent gleamed behind his eyes.
But at that very moment—
Something soft pulsed against his wrist.
The Celestial Echo Bracelet—the gift Satoru had given him on his birthday—emitted a faint, warm glow.
A gentle energy flowed through it—Calm. Reassuring.Like a voice whispering "You're still here."
The storm in his chest… subsided.
Eren blinked slowly.
And just like that—The darkness inside him faded.
He breathed in, clenched his fist, then slowly loosened it.
The Calm Before the Storm
Outside, the Hidden Leaf had fully awakened.
Merchants called out from the small market square.Young shinobi ran through alleyways to receive morning missions.Old men and women opened their shops, beginning another ordinary day.
Peaceful. Too peaceful.
Both Satoru and Eren knew—It wouldn't last.
Satoru let out a long breath, head resting against the back of the chair.
"Eren. What will you do?"
Eren was silent.
He didn't look at Satoru—Just stared out at the horizon.
"I don't know.But I won't let them decide my fate for me."
Satoru's lips curved slightly, eyes gleaming with the edge of a blade.
"Then we'll just have to move faster than they do."
He wouldn't let them decide.
He wouldn't let Eren walk the same path again.
They sat in silence.
Side by side.
As the first light of a new day bathed their faces in gold.
🔥 END OF CHAPTER 110 🔥