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Chapter Text

"Do not grieve. Anything you lose comes round in another form."

Rumi

They say that to understand what happens in the present, it is necessary to know what happened in the past. The fruit of the divine tree Shinju was the reason for the so-called Kaguya rabbit goddess achieved sufficient powers to end the cycle of wars that had been going on for millennia and these powers were passed on to her children still in the womb of the goddess.

However, Kaguya was corrupted by Shinju's powers and prevented from continuing her tyranny by her sons Hamura and Hagoromo who sealed her into the moon, the latter being the one who later taught the rest of humanity how to take advantage of the energy called Chakra.

Unfortunately the humanity did not use Hagoromo's teachings to keep the peace and again the ground was stained by blood knocked over and over during the wars of humanity. From this blood knocked down the Shinju tree nourished itself, gathering enough nutrients so that once again, a millennium later another fruit would arise.

900 years before the construction of Konohagakure no Sato

In the center of a great valley, a large construction was surrounded by farms and a small village remained to its environs. In one of the main rooms of this little castle, a woman with clearly aristocratic features sat on the floor with a serene expression on her face, before her was a koto, an instrument of which she strung the strings perfectly. The melody played by the strings was elegant and calm and seemed to perfectly portray the personality of the person playing.

A black-haired man with aristocratic features silently appreciated the song his beloved played on the instrument. From the moment Emperor Tenji first spotted Kaguya, he knew that he was hopelessly in love with the woman who came from outer space. Everyone at court also noticed this, so it was no surprise to anyone when the emperor started to stay more and more time with the woman with white hair.

"Tenji-dono! Tenji-dono!" The serene melody was interrupted by the arrival of one of his servants.

"What happened Akira-san?" The Emperor asked, worried about what would have left his servant so agitated.

"It's Ka no Kuni, they army is on our borders." Akira explained the situation and as he spoke the eyes of the moon princess and emperor grew in horror.

The emperor feared this since the premonitions of the war began to appear, unfortunately despite his avoiding the war as far as the Sou no Kuni, it seemed that this was inevitable. He could only pray that that impending war would not happen.

"Akira-san, summon our soldiers, we must march to the border immediately!" Tenji ordered while he get up from Kaguya's side, apparently the war could not be avoided. "Kaguya-chan, unfortunately I will have to finish listening to your tune another day. I must go to the front line to defend our peace." Tenji spoke to his lover with a sad smile on his lips. "Aino-san, leave the capital with Kaguya and take her to the Inari temple."

The woman's handmaid nodded in agreement to her emperor. "Kaguya-sama, we must leave immediately." The woman spoke.

The moon princess smiled at the man she had fallen in love with, she knew that he hated the war as much as she did and this whole thing was doing so much bad to his heart. Looks like it will not be today that I can give you the good news. The princess thought as she walked out of the hall with her servant touching her belly.

Some time later in the temple Inari

Kaguya Ootsutsuki watched the sky closely, she was worried about Tenji, that man had charmed her with his determination and search for peace and she had not been able to avoid falling in love with the emperor of Sou no Kuni. Beside her, her servant Aino slept peacefully.

Unfortunately Aino's sleep and Kaguya's thoughts were interrupted by shouts warning the enemy attack on the temple. Ka no Kuni soldiers soon appeared before the moon princess.

"So this is where you were hiding." The malicious grin on the general's lips from Ka no Kuni army was scary, yet Kaguya's expression remained unchanged.

"How dare you talk to Tenji-sama's concubine like that? Who are you?" Asked Aino standing in front of Kaguya in a protective way.

"Tenji? I'm Suzaku from Ka no kuni and soon I'm no Kuni will be no more ruins." Suzaku laughed, laughing debauchedly at the servant's words. "Soon what's about that Tenji bastard will be mine."

"Kaguya-sama, run away!" Aino exclaimed and soon Kaguya took the girl's hand to escape the invaders.

However it seemed that luck was not in favor of the moon princess, because soon was surrounded again by the soldiers of Ka no Kuni. Looks like there's no way around it. With that thought Kaguya started down the stairs toward the enemies.

"Oh ... It seems like you're not afraid. It only makes me like you more." murmured Suzaku, raising an eyebrow. "Get her."

The soldiers approached Kaguya prepared to capture the woman. The moon princess's expression finally changed to something like anger and the first two soldiers were hurled away.

"Do not touch me!" exclaimed Kaguya.

"Do not fear, take the woman." Suzaku ordered his soldiers.

I warned. As soon as the other four soldiers approached the white-haired woman their bodies were torn apart and in spite of the great amount of blood, not a single drop even stained the purity of the princess's white hair.

"Bakemono ..." stammered Suzaku while Aino took the princess away. "Sou no Kuni will pay for it."

The next day

Kaguya and Aino were walking through the woods around Sou no Kuni, none of them even imagined that Suzaku had already intimidated Tenji and said that Kaguya was the one who killed several of Ka no Kuni soldiers. The Emperor Tenji in an effort to avoid the war had sent his soldiers to hunt Kaguya for doing something that could start the war.

"What is this? Persecutors?" Aino asked loudly as she saw from far a large crowd armed with torches climbing the woods behind the women.

Aino did not have much time to think about it, because soon as she spoke several arrows were sent towards her and Kaguya, being prevented by a gust of wind that Kaguya did.

"It's from Sou no Kuni!" Aino exclaimed confusedly as she saw the symbol of her country on the arrows. "Why are they attacking us?"

Inside her chest Kaguya's heart squeezed in pain with the visible betrayal of her beloved, but as always the princess did not let her pain be shown on her face.

"Come on, my destiny is to be with the Shinju tree!" Kaguya said, pulling Aino's hand.

As they ran, Kaguya was concerned not only with her and the tree, but with the life that was being raised inside her.

"Kaguya-sama, this must be some misunderstanding, I'm sure if I explain to Tenji-sama he'll-" Aino's words were interrupted by another wave of arrows toward the women, Kaguya tried again to use his powers, but they failed.

"My strength... I should reach the Shinju tree." Kaguya murmured while touching her belly, and Aino's eyes widened at the realization of what was happening to the woman.

"Kaguya-sama ... Are you pregnant?" Aino murmured. "That's awful ... Keep going, I'll slow them down." Aino spoke determinedly before running to the crowd that followed the both women.

"Wait, Aino!" shouted the white-haired woman in horror at the sight of her maid who always accompanied her, being killed by several arrows. "Aino ..."

Kaguya continued toward the great shinju tree, she had to end this cycle of war, not only for her, but for Aino and her unborn child.

In the center of the great crater the Shinju tree stood imposing, its roots were the size of houses, and Kaguya itself stared with admiration at the great tree. Kaguya soon reached the center of the tree and a small fruit wrapped in a light that would leave any star with envy floated to the front of the woman who bit the shiny fruit in determination.

The change was immediate, a strong burst of energy enveloped the woman, and in the center of her forehead appeared a red eye surrounded by concentric circles and with several tomes in the lines of the circle. Kaguya's bright body then rise to the heavens, and her formerly serene expression was now filled with anger and pain.

"Shine under this world, kingdom of the infinite nightmare!" exclaimed the woman and in the heavens a rift with an exact representation of her third eye appeared, hypnotizing the world beneath her.

The roots of the Shinju tree began to move by attacking all the humans around and wrapping them in cocoons. These poor humans would now live eternally in a world of dreams, without war. In the sky, Mugen Tsukuyomi shone in the place of the sun, hypnotizing everyone beneath him.

Once on the ground, Kaguya watched before Tenji while he was enveloped by Shinju in his cocoon, the man's eyes were no longer those warm browns that Kaguya had become accustomed to seeing, now they were replaced by a representation of the Rinnegan that marked the man as one more prisoner in Mugen Tsukuyomi.

"Kaguya ... Who are you?" muttered Tenji before being completely enveloped by the Shinju tree.

"I will dominate this world... Together with my children!" The woman exclaimed in a tone of determination touching her belly.

1002 years later

The forty-fourth training area of Konohagakure no Sato was a place that frightened even high-rank shinobi. The forest was extremely misleading and full of unique creatures. A rumor ran around the ranks of the shinobi of Konoha that the forest hid something that could lead to the end of the hidden villages and therefore Hashirama Senju had isolated part of the forest with the help of the Uzumaki clan using several seals that not even the current Hokage could break.

However these were just rumors and this year several Gennins from several hidden villages were spending time inside the forest during the second test of the Chuunin Examination. One of those eager competitors was Uzumaki Naruto, the current jinchuuriki of the nine-tailed fox, Kyuubi.

That same gennin was actually waking up in a clearing alone. His orange and blue striking jacket was completely destroyed and what covered him was only his pants that were torn and a black shirt with the red swirl symbol of the Uzumaki clan, not that Naruto knew that little detail at the moment.

Moments before, his team had encountered a shinobi above their level, one of the three legendary ninjas, Orochimaru. After an intense battle and unconsciously using Kyuubi's chakra, Naruto was defeated by Orochimaru and had his chakra sealed. His teammate Haruno Sakura can only watch in horror as Naruto falls several meters toward the ground and after having his other mate marked with a kind of seal by the legendary ninja, the girl tryied to throw a kunai to stop the fall from her teammate but missed and could just watch in horror the fall of Naruto. Sakura wasn't prepared for the harsh reality of ninja life. Being the daughter of two important merchants of the village, her conception of Shinobi life was frivolous and when faced with a situation in which she did not know what to do she panicked. 

"What should I do? I should look for Naruto? But what I will do with Sasuke? I can't hold his weight while I search for Naruto and he is hurt." The girl bit her lip anxiosly.

The girl breath deeply and took the decision to find some place near to put Sasuke to rest and look for Naruto after Sasuke wake.

"O-Ounch ... What happened?" murmured the blue-eyed teen, feeling the pain of his previous wounds.

If Naruto was anyone else, he would have died from the wounds he received fighting against Orochimaru or the fall of several meters he suffered but he was from the Uzumaki Clan, a clan famous for their long vitality and regeneration and he was also ta jinchuriki.

"Where's the teme? What about Sakura-chan?" He wondered if Uzumaki got up and walked without a specific direction in an attempt to find his companions. "Did they abandon me? No... It's not possible, they would not do it... I'm very hungry."

The faith in his teammates that Naruto had made the thought that they had abandoned him to be something incomprehensible. In his daydreams trying to understand what had happened and the immense hunger that resulted from using too much of his chakra to recover, Naruto did not notice the sealed papers in the trees that he passed, papers that seemed to have been there for years.

"Oh, how I wanted a big bowl of Ramen!" Exclaimed the Uzumaki exasperated, not realizing that he had inadvertently crossed a barrier that no one passed for centuries.

If it was another shinobi, the barrier would probably have prevented him from pursuing, but that particular barrier had been made jointly by Shodaime Hokage and the leader of the Uzumaki clan. When the barrier had been made, the Shodaime had taken precautions that only one chakra equal to his was accepted within the barrier, however, the Shodaime chakra was the same chakra that Hagoromo's youngest son, Ashura Öotsutsuki possessed, since the man was his reincarnation and since Naruto was another cycle of reincarnation of Ashura, the barrier accepted his chakra as if it were the one of the own Hashirama.

"Wow, that's pretty big roots dattebayo!" exclaimed Naruto, seeing roots as large as his apartment around him. "Hm, if that's the roots of this tree, how should the size of the fruit be?" Naruto then got lost in reveries thinking of a giant fruit he could devour.

Soon the Uzumaki arrived in the center of the crater where the tree was and without even realizing it stayed in the same place where a thousand years ago Kaguya Öotsutsuki had proved of the forbidden fruit of Shinju.

Elsewhere in the forest, a poor young team of genins from Amegakure no Sato weren't very well. In front of them was a young man with white hair with an evil smile on his face. The three genins were thembling as they felt the murderous intent on Kabuto's face.

"You are unlucky, I don't have time to play... So please, just die fast." The boy's voice was calm and gentle but his intentions became clear when his hands began to glow and he run against the three genins.

A few moments later the body of the three genins was on the ground and the blood was flowing to the ground of the forest of death. Yakushi Kabuto walked away unaware the fact that blood was the necessary nutrients for shinju tree needed to finally create a new fruit.

At the same instant a sphere, the same size as an apple, so bright that Naruto for an instant thought he might go blind, came down from the tree branches and stopped in front of the Uzumaki.

What is it? It's so brilliant ... Why do I feel so tempted to eat?

The blonde looked closely at the bright fruit floating in front of him, he felt hypnotized. Without much thought of what he was doing, Uzumaki took the fruit in his hands and bit, enveloped by a silver glow soon after. So after a millennium, Uzumaki Naruto was the second person to taste the forbidden fruit of the Shinju sacred tree.

Chapter Text

"Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win." Sun Tzu

Forest of Death, second day of Chunin Exams

***

Sakura Haruno was never the strongest physically or even the best in jutsus, but she always had a great intellect, so after the battle against Orochimaru, when she saw Uchiha Sasuke unconscious and Naruto probably dead after falling several meters, she did her best in such a situation and drag the unconscious Uchiha under a hollow tree in a nearby clearing. Leaving Sasuke lying under the tree, Sakura wet a piece of cloth with the last water left in her canteen and placed it over the boy's forehead as an attempt to lower the fever in his body.

"Sasuke-kun..." The girl bit her lip. She was feeling frustrated, not even during the wave land mission she felt like this.

"I can't stay here like this, if any enemy team finds us we will be doomed. I can't defend Sasuke-kun being like this..." Sakura thought before she started to set some traps she learned at the academy around the perimeter.

***

At Shinju's tree

***

The moment Uzumaki Naruto ate Shinju's fruit, the thick roots of the tree completely enveloped the boy's body forming a cocoon and in the cracks between the roots of this cocoon it could be seen three different chakras mingling, one silver like moonlight, one red as blood and one blue as the sky.

Inside Naruto's body, a nine-tailed fox stared in despair as the sewage in which it had been imprisoned for twelve years was filled with the same roots that formed the cocoon in Uzumaki's body.

Scum-bag what did you do? And what is this feeling? The kitsune wondered when started to feeling something he hadn't felt in a while, fear. The bijuu tried to release his chakra to combat the invading chakra, but the seal that had been placed on his jinchuuriki early intercepted his efforts.

The fox only had time to widen his eyes before the roots entered the bars of the cage that held him and enveloped his body just as they had with their host.

***

With Sakura

***

Sakura was scared, in her months as Genin she realized that things didn't happen like the books at the academy said, being a Shinobi was dangerous. Lee was unconcious in front of her after battling the sounding ninjas that attacked her, her pink hair was scattered around the clearing after she had to cut it in an attempt to break free of Kin's grip, team 10 was scattered watching intently. The sound team.

All these people, Ino, Lee... They all came to protect me... I'm so weak... Sakura clenching her fist tightly as she tried to keep the tears in the corner of her eyes from falling.

Team nine had been looking for their lost mate a while ago and when they came across the situation in the clearing they were prepared to take action against the sound team, not for some sense of Konoha genin companionship, but for the simple fact of avenging they teammate who had been injured while defending Sakura.

Hyuga Neji observed the situation cautiously and stared at the strange device on the sound genin's arm with his byakugan. "It appears to be some type of device that transmits chakra through sound". He was prepared to move against the sound village genin named Dosu when his eyes widened and he took a step back.

"Neji? What happened?" Tenten asked, raising her eyebrow in confusion as she saw his teammate retreat.

"This chakra ..." In the hollow tree where Uchiha Sasuke was resting a purple chakra with vile energy emerged, the purple chakra gave goosebumps to everyone in the place and in the center of that chakra was a silhouette of the last Uchiha.

"Sasuke-kun you woke u-" Sakura's words died in her throat the moment she clearly looked into Sasuke's face. The smile that was forming on her face when she realized that the Uchiha had woken up disappeared.

Everyone in the clearing looked at the figure of Uchiha Sasuke with fear in their eyes, black marks similar to flames was rising halfway up his face, his eyes were red, showing the famous Uchiha clan doujutsu to everyone. A purple chakra surrounded the boy's body so strong that it was visible but no one was feeling well, the feeling of that chakra was heavy.

"Sakura ... who did this to you?" Sasuke's voice was thicker than usual, he has a annoyed stare in his eyes while he looked at his teammate. "Who was?"

The marks.. are all over his body. Dosu thought, his body was unable to stop shivering as he watched the demonstration of power before his eyes.

"Sasuke-kun ... What happened to you?" Sakura asked worried about her crush.

"This power... "A smile appeared on Uchiha's face at the feeling of pure power that coursed through his body. "Don't worry, I'm fine, it's just the power flowing through me. In fact I've never felt better, that man... he gave me this gift, made me remember what I really am, I'm an avenger." Sasuke spoke with a resolution tone in his voice.

Now I understand, those marks on he are the marks of Orochimaru-sama's curse and to think he would survive Lord Orochimaru's cursed seal... If this is Orochimaru-sama's mark then... Dosu thought taking a step back.

"Sakura, tell me, which of these people did this to you?" Asked the Uchiha again looking at everyone in the clearing.

"I did it!" Zaku stated with a confident smile. "I liked to hurt this pink bitch, she was so weak."

Zaku, you idiot! Dosu's gaze flicked to his mate quickly as did Sasuke's.

"Shikamaru, what is going on?" Choji asked Nara as they hid with Ino's body behind a thicket.

"Ino get back to your body! Now!" Shikamaru shouted to Ino who had transfered her mind to Kunoichi of the sound.

"I don't know, Choji, but whatever it is, we better get away and watch from afar." Shikamaru's eyes drifted to the tree and hollow that was now empty thanks to Sasuke's absence.

Naruto... Where are you? Nara wondered having noticed the blonde's absence a long time ago. And what is this chakra? This feeling... It feels dirty, wrong... What did team seven get into?

The black marks on Sasuke's body spread further as the purple chakra around him intensified. The Uchiha raised his hands to his line of vision, admiring the feeling of power in his body. With this power... Maybe I can kill that man.

"Dosu, I hope you're not afraid of this guy now." Zaku spoke pressing one hand against the other while preparing his jutsu.

He ... He's getting even more powerful. We can't fight against him! The horror was visible on Dosu's face.

"Zaku, wait, you don't understand!" Dosu turned quickly toward his mate trying to stop him.

"Heh, I'll take care of it with one move." He extended his hands toward Sasuke. "ZANKŪKYOKUHA"

A gust of biting wind blew out of the holes in Zaku's hands toward Sasuke, cutting everything in its path forcing even those not in the jutsu's path to protect themselves by the force of technique.

"Heh, who would say, they were all blown away." Zaku spoke arrogantly with a smile on his face.

"Not exactly." Uchiha's voice behind him was the last thing Zaku heard before being struck by an elbow to the far end.

"How fast, he still managed to get the girl out of the way." Dosu said noting that the Uchiha beyond getting out of the way of Zaku technique had taken Sakura too.

Rat, tiger, dog, ox, rabbit, tiger... the seals flowed through Sasuke's fingers quickly. "Katon - Housenka no Jutsu!" With an exhalation small fireballs flew from Uchiha's lips flying toward the ninjas of sound. Zaku reacted quickly by raising his hands and sending a gust of wind stronger than fire to extinguish them, only to widen his eyes as he realized that inside the fireballs were shurikens spinning toward him as he tried to protect his torso and head hiding behind his arms.

"Zaku, get down!" shouted Dosu trying to alert his mate.

When Zaku opened his eyes was too late, Sasuke in the short time when the sound ninja had looked away to protect himself from the shurikens had come close and was now behind Zaku firmly holding both arms with one foot pushing the torso of sound genin against the floor.

"You seem very proud of those arms." Sasuke stated with a mischievous smile on his lips, his eyes staring at the ninja of sound as if it were just an insect in front of him. "You must be very attached to them, don't you?"

"No! What are you doing?" Zaku shouted as Sasuke's pressure increased and the pain in his arms began to become unbearable.

The smile on Sasuke's lips just widened, he really seemed to be enjoying the pain of his opponent. That power is exactly what I need to defeat that man. Sasuke thought excited by the power that Orochimaru's seal gave him.

Putting even more pressure on the key that held Genin's arms from Sound Village. A snap, that was the only noise before a loud scream erupted from Zaku's throat signaling that his arms had been broken, Sasuke just looked disdainfully and pushed the ninja away before his red eyes turned to stare at Dosu.

"AAAAHHHHHHHHH" Zaku's scream of terror and agony resounded through the forest and the boy passed out from the pain of having his arms broken.

This boy... We have no chance of defeating him. Dosu took another step back.

"Looks like you're the last one left, I hope it's more fun than your friend." Sasuke said starting to walk towards the sound ninja who took another step back in pure fear of the Uchiha.

Sasuke-kun... This is not you. Sakura thought thinking of the boy, she knew Sasuke-kun wasn't like that, he wasn't that bad thing, this one in front of him couldn't be the boy whose one she loved. Sakura held out her hand in preparation to stop the Uchiha from continuing to fight.

"Sasuke-teme ... What do you think you're doing?" Uzumaki Naruto's voice surprised Sasuke and everyone in the clearing who turned in the direction the voice came from.

Whatever people were expecting, it wasn't that. The Uzumaki Naruto whose everyone knew before entering the forest of blond death, short with a goofy smile on his face, was gone, the only similarities of the boy who entered the clearing with confidence and the goofy who had entered the exams were the orange pants torn at various points, the konohagakure bandana on the forehead and the blue eyes and even those blue eyes that once looked like a blue sky on a summer day now seemed colder, like the sky hiding lightning before a storm.

His once blond hair, as bright as the sun, was now pale, a shade even lighter than Ino's being more like silver than yellow, also was longer than before falling below his shoulders still spiky as before, his pale dark blue eyes stared at those in the clearing with an expression of boredom.

Before entering the forest of death, Uzumaki Naruto was one of the lowest genins in the village, now his height reached 5'4, the baby fat that once filled his cheeks had now almost completely disappeared, the birthmarks that before and the three streaks on her cheeks were now thick stripes (as in Kyuubi's shippuden cloak) and the black shirt with a orange spiral he wore clung perfectly to his body demonstrating the definition of the muscles hidden behind.

With each step of his bare feet toward the shinobi in the clearing it seemed that the evil pressure of the purple chakra faded further, the pressure of the Uzumaki's presence seemed to dispel the fear that the evil seal chakra had installed in place.

"Naruto!" Exclaimed the Uchiha with the smile on his lips widening even more as he faced his lost teammate. "You'll be a good test of this power. Show me that power of yours from before!"

The Uchiha stared at Naruto with a crazed smile before running toward Uzumaki faster than anyone present could react. Behind the konoha bandana a silver glow shone for just a second before Naruto disappeared and appeared behind Sasuke.

"Sasuke... Go to sleep." Naruto murmured, those words were the last Uchiha heard before he felt a twinge in his neck and his vision darken. The marks on Uchiha's body disappeared until only left the three-tone mark on his neck while the boy became unconscious. Naruto picked up the Uchiha and threw it over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes before facing Dosu, who was trying to catch his teammates and leave during the mess.

"You there! I don't know exactly what's happening but looks like this whole mess is your fault. Leave your scroll." The Uzumaki spoke in a cold tone staring at the shinobi of sound. "Unless you wish to continue the fight."

After those words left Naruto's lips, Dosu felt a murderous intent greater than anything he had ever felt before, his body started to shaking violently as he stared at the owner of Naruto's blue eyes.

He is dangerous ... We have no chance! Thought the genin of Sound Village.

"I... I'll leave the scroll, we don't want to fight!" Said Dosu quickly hoping the other one would accept his words. The sound's genin removed the scroll with the sky symbol and set it on the floor. "Please let us go."

"Go away! Quick!" Uzumaki spoke and he didn't have to repeat twice before Dosu caught his teammates and started running for his life.

What's going on with this team... Fist the Uchiha boy with cursed seal of Orochimaru-sama and this boy... Dosu thought while he ran away from the place.

After the sound village's genins left, a moment of silence affected the entire clearing only to be broken with Ino running towards Sakura to take care of her injuries, followed by her hesitant teammates.

Neji and Tenten also came out of their hiding place to catch the unconscious Rock Lee in the corner, Hyuga looking cautiously towards Naruto.

It seems that this team is more dangerous than imagined. And that chakra... Neji thought staring at the unconscious Uchiha on Naruto's shoulder.

Naruto was actually confused, since eating that strange fruit he felt stronger, faster, an energy throbbing in all his veins and his memories were confused, trying to organize. He felt different, it was as if he had lived thousands of lives. Who was Tenji? Why did his name irritate him so much? The main thing now is to get out of this forest, I don't know how, but I feel like I know this place completely. Naruto thought feeling his head hurt, his movements were strange, it was as if his body were different. He opened his eyes and faced his fellow villagers gathered in the clearing.

"Well guys, looks like you went through a war dattebayo!" Commented Uzumaki with a small smile appearing on his lips.