The Elder Lotus

Chapter 2: Shadows of the Past

“D…Dad,” Jack whispered, his voice trembling as tears streamed down his face. The realization hit him hard for two reasons: first, this shinobi—his father—had sacrificed himself to save him because Jack had been frozen in fear and unable to move. But second, this man looked exactly like his dad from his own world, only much younger. And when he turned to the woman screaming his father’s name, he saw that she looked just like his mother too.

It dawned on him: the mysterious entity that brought him here didn’t just pull him into this world—it had somehow reshaped his family into it as well.

Before Jack could even begin to process the “how” or “why” of it all, he was suddenly yanked away by his mother. “Come on, Jack, we can’t let your father’s death be in vain!” she cried, clutching him tightly in one arm as she ran.

In her other arm, Jack realized there was a baby. A sibling? he thought. But he didn’t dwell on it—his mind was still fixated on his father, lying crushed beneath debris. Why didn’t I call him more when I had the chance? Why did I let all those days pass without saying anything?

The weight of his regret felt like it would swallow him whole.

Another Realm: The Void

The entity that had sent Jack to this world frowned as he watched. “Crying already? That didn’t take long,” the being said, its voice echoing in the empty darkness. “Not like he was missing much. In his world, his father would’ve passed in five years anyway. All I did was…fast-track it a little.” It reclined lazily, amusement playing on its lips. “He doesn’t even care about that baby yet. If he did, he’d realize he didn’t have any siblings in his world.” The entity chuckled. “I did him a favor by giving him one.”

With a sigh, the being waved its hand dismissively. “Of course, I gave him a pretty big challenge, what with his little brother being Rock Lee. But hey, maybe he’ll surprise me. He did say he could make Rock Lee reach his ‘true potential.’ Guess we’ll see.”

Konoha: Uchiha Compound

“Get Lady Mikoto and her children to safety!” one of the Uchiha shinobi barked. “Move, now! Fugaku will kill us if anything happens to her!”

Mikoto, holding infant Sasuke close, nodded to the shinobi. “Itachi, come,” she said softly, urging her older son to follow as they made their way out of the compound.

Itachi, his sharp eyes wide with the chaos around them, obediently took his mother’s hand. “Mom,” he said quietly as they moved through the frantic streets, “will Dad be okay? I heard the Nine-Tails is the strongest of the tailed beasts. Can he handle it?”

Mikoto’s heart clenched, but she forced a calm smile. “Of course, Itachi. Your father is one of the strongest shinobi in the village. He’ll be fine.”

But deep down, she wasn’t sure. Fugaku had always taken too many risks for the sake of their clan, and now he was out there fighting a force of nature. She couldn’t bear to voice her fears, though—not with Itachi and Sasuke depending on her.

Itachi scanned the village, his young eyes taking in the destruction, the death. It was worse than the battlefields his father had shown him during the Third Great Ninja War. The sight of so many people suffering, so much life snuffed out, filled him with sorrow. Why must people suffer like this? he thought, tears gathering at the corners of his eyes. I’ll train harder. I’ll become strong enough to make a world where no one has to die anymore. A world where people won’t even know the word ‘war.’

As they moved through the village, something caught Itachi’s eye—a mother running with a baby and a small child in her arms, unaware that a massive piece of debris was falling toward them.

Without hesitation, Itachi broke away from his mother’s grip. “Itachi!” Mikoto shouted, trying to follow him but unable to run quickly while holding Sasuke.

Chakra surged through Itachi’s small body, flooding his muscles with warmth. In a single leap, he propelled himself forward, his fist meeting the falling boulder. With a sharp crack, the rock shattered into harmless pebbles, raining down on the ground as the mother and her children continued running, oblivious to the fact that they had just been saved.

Mikoto reached Itachi, her heart pounding. She knelt and gathered him into her arms, trying to hide her fear. “Don’t ever run off like that again, Itachi,” she whispered, her voice trembling. But Itachi wasn’t listening. He was still watching the mother and her children vanish into the distance, a small, satisfied smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

“Yes, ma’am,” he said quietly.

The Void

The entity watching from the void clapped its hands mockingly. “Wow, just…wow. Standing ovation! I wasn’t expecting this crossover so soon. And that save from Itachi? Impressive! Didn’t think Jackie would mix things up this fast.” It reclined deeper into its chair, eyes glinting with anticipation. “Can’t wait to see what else you stir up, Jack. Let’s see if you can really bring that ‘true potential’ out of Rock Lee.”