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"Congratulations, Yami."
"From today on, you are a Chūnin."
Hiruzen handed Yami the green Chūnin vest that symbolized the identity of a Chūnin. The size had been specially chosen to be small.
[Congratulations to the Host for promotion and salary increase, deepening the bond with Konoha Village, and enhancing the special effect 'Leaning Against a Big Tree']
[Leaning Against a Big Tree (Chūnin): Within the Land of Fire, training speed increases by 40%, and chakra recovery speed increases by 40%. The effect improves with job title level.]
Seeing Yami staring at the Chūnin vest with visible distaste, Hiruzen kindly added, "It doesn't matter. It's just a symbol of status. You don't have to wear it if you don't want to. Just wear it according to your preferences."
"Alright." Yami nodded slowly and accepted the vest.
"I'll go show it off to that little brat Uzumaki Naruto in a bit. This is something he'll never get in his life."
Hiruzen's smile froze, and he coughed awkwardly. "You're already eight years old… don't compare yourself to a three-year-old child."
"Let's talk about your team's mission assignments first."
Changing the subject, Hiruzen's expression grew serious. "I know that because of Danzō, you've been exposed to a lot of darkness at Root. Your personality has grown extreme, but the world is still beautiful. Not everything has to be resolved through killing."
"That's why I went out of my way to argue with Danzō and asked for you to be reassigned. I just don't want you to fall further into the shadows."
Hiruzen showed a kindly smile. "In fact, it would be best if a child your age could stay at the ninja academy. The curriculum has recently been revised, and it's quite interesting."
Yami's mouth twitched slightly.
With Izumi around, he already knew about the curriculum changes.
How should he put it… 'The Third Hokage is the strongest Hokage.' had become a core part of the new history textbooks. The academic curriculum had been "lightened," reducing a lot of battlefield knowledge and adding more historical content.
Most of it introduced the "great deeds" of the old man in front of him.
"So Old Man, what's your actual plan for me?"
"It's actually pretty simple."
Hiruzen set down his pipe with a smile. "Your teacher Hizashi has returned to the Hyūga clan and is no longer your Jōnin instructor. From now on, you'll be the new captain of your team."
"That's it?" Yami was surprised. "You're not putting me in the Anbu?"
"Konoha isn't in such a dire situation that we need to send a child like you to the Anbu." Hiruzen shook his head. "I just don't want you to fall into darkness, but that doesn't mean I want to control your whole life."
Having arranged the fates of far too many people in his time, Hiruzen understood one thing very well:
Ordinary words and lectures only lay the groundwork in a ninja's subconscious. They don't genuinely make someone loyal to the village or inspire them to give their all.
What matters most are real, personal bonds.
Uzuki Yugao and Yuhi Kurenai both had good personalities. Spending time with them would gradually influence Yami through their presence.
Clever.
Very clever.
Yami also understood Hiruzen's intent. If he were just an ordinary talented child, it might have worked.
Unfortunately, he understood Hiruzen's nature far too well—and he knew exactly what he wanted.
"When can I be promoted to Jōnin?" Yami asked seriously.
Hiruzen frowned. "You just became a Chūnin. Why are you already thinking about Jōnin?"
"Once I become a Jōnin, people will have to call me Yami-sama instead of just Yami," he answered as if it were obvious.
"That depends on your performance."
Hiruzen's frown eased again, and he smiled gently, painting a hopeful picture. "If you build up enough merit, one or two years would be enough. You'd be promoted to Jōnin even younger than Kakashi."
Realizing there was nothing concrete in Hiruzen's answer, Yami lost interest in staying any longer.
"Give me a month off. I didn't get to rest properly because of the exam prep."
This time, Hiruzen didn't beat around the bush and approved right away. However, before Yami left, he still advised him to stay away from Root.
After leaving the Hokage building, Yami carried his Chūnin vest to Naruto's house to show it off, making the little rascal scream and nearly cry with envy.
But deep down, Naruto was happy.
Yami was the first person to visit him on his own, aside from the Third Hokage.
Before leaving, Yami gave him two books.
A dictionary, and How to Look Up a Dictionary.
"I'll test you next time I visit. A ninja can't be illiterate. When I was your age, I already knew more than you. If your results don't satisfy me, I won't come again."
At first, Naruto was confused, but the moment he heard Yami say he wouldn't return, he immediately hugged the two books tightly and shouted, "Don't look down on me! I… I'll definitely learn lots of words!"
Yami smiled and ruffled his hair again.
"Alright, if you learn enough, I'll treat you to Ichiraku Ramen."
"It's a deal!" Naruto's eyes lit up.
Yami left.
He visited Naruto not just to receive a bond reward, but because he genuinely wanted to.
Even if Naruto's future was manipulated, even if he did countless things wrong.
He ignored Sasuke's pain, pleaded for his return, forgave the enemy who killed his parents, and even destroyed the promising unification of the ninja world...
But still… it was this guy, and a few other passionate idiots, who accompanied Yami through his youth.
Two days later, after helping Izumi move, Yami quietly left Konoha and headed toward the Land of Grass.
There were countless small countries between the major nations in the shinobi world. Some weren't even as large as Konoha Village. Some didn't have their own shinobi forces and had to hire others to complete missions.
Still, their existence was important—as buffer zones between the great nations, and... as battlegrounds.
The Land of Grass was one such nation.
Situated between Konoha and the Iwagakure border, it was a strategic location fought over during the Third Great Ninja War.
The most famous was the Battle of Kannabi Bridge, which established Namikaze Minato's reputation as the Yellow Flash and set him on the path to becoming Hokage.
In the future, the Land of Grass's Tenchi Bridge would also witness the reunion of two "wall-hangers."
Kusagakure Village had two factions: radicals and conservatives. The two sides were constantly in conflict, mainly over the ownership of a sacred artifact.
So battles broke out in the village nearly every day.
Inside the hospital...
A woman lay pale-faced, her dry red hair streaked with gray.
"Mom…" A bespectacled little girl clutched her mother's clothes tightly, eyes full of worry.
"Karin, be good. Mommy's fine." The woman smiled gently and stroked the girl's red hair—far prettier than her own.
The woman's name was Uzumaki Misa, a survivor of the Land of Whirlpools. In search of shelter, she had joined Kusagakure.
As a price, she had to heal injured Kusagakure shinobi.
So long as they sucked her blood, their injuries would recover quickly.
But in reality, it was her life force that was being consumed.
Uzumaki Misa had long accepted her fate. She only hoped her daughter Karin wouldn't follow the same path.
"Hey! Uzumaki woman, get over here! Don't you see someone's injured?!"
A nurse barked impatiently.
"Coming!"
Uzumaki Misa forced herself to stand and slowly walked over.
At that moment, loud noises erupted outside the hospital. There were shinobi shouting, ninjutsu being released, and the clash of weapons.
Uzumaki Misa froze. She sensed an extremely powerful chakra slaughtering Kusagakure shinobi without restraint.
"Hurry, Karin, come with me."
Without hesitation, she led Karin to the hospital's rear exit. The chakra was stronger than anyone in Kusagakure.
If it belonged to an enemy, they definitely wouldn't be spared.
They needed to escape.
But unfortunately...
Her body was too weak. Even a distance of a few dozen meters was slow going for her.
The hospital had fallen into chaos. Some lightly injured shinobi had picked up weapons and were rushing out to see the situation.
Boom!
A ball of scorching fire blasted open the hospital doors. Stepping through the smoke, a masked man with a sword entered.
"Go to hell!"
A shinobi charged at him and was killed in a single strike.
The man scanned the room and locked eyes on Karin and her mother, his voice low and threatening.
"Don't move, or I'll kill you."
Over a dozen shinobi rushed him. The man lowered his head.
Silvery sword light bloomed like petals, dazzlingly beautiful. Young Karin couldn't help but exclaim, "So pretty."
But Misa couldn't praise it.
The lights were beautiful, yes… but they represented nothing but pure killing.
When the light faded, only the man and the mother-daughter pair remained standing.
Doctors, nurses, patients—dead.
The man looked at them again. Karin trembled and instinctively hid behind her mother.
Then, she stepped out again, spreading her arms to protect her mother. Her face was full of fear, but her eyes were determined, and tears fell.
"Don't kill my mother. You can kill me. Please… please."
[Host establishes a fear bond with Uzumaki Misa. Reward: Mind's Eye of the Kagura]
[Host establishes a fear bond with Uzumaki Karin. Reward: Mind's Eye of the Kagura]
"Karin."
Misa hugged her daughter tightly, then nervously asked, "Child, who are you? Why are you here for us? We've never met."
The man had clearly targeted her and Karin the moment he arrived.
Through her sensory ability, Misa also realized that this was just a Transformation Technique. The man's real age… wasn't much older than Karin.
Bang!
A puff of smoke exploded, and Yami returned to his true form.
"The sensory ability of the Uzumaki clan really lives up to its reputation."
"My name is Shimura Yami. I'm a shinobi from Konoha, and I'm indeed here for you."
Yami stepped forward slowly toward the mother and daughter.
Infiltrating another shinobi village without permission would normally cause big trouble, so Yami had used a disguise. But Uzumaki Misa still saw through it.
"I heard the Uzumaki clan possesses immense chakra and terrifying vitality, perfect for being my subordinates."
"Come with me."
Yami was direct. He stated his purpose in one sentence and reminded them, "You'll be my subordinates, not Konoha shinobi. From now on, you only need to obey my orders. Understood?"
"Do I have the right to refuse?" Misa asked with a bitter smile.
"No," Yami replied bluntly.
"Then let's go." Misa accepted her fate without resistance.
It's not that she hadn't considered going to Konoha. The Uzumaki and Senju clans had been allies for generations, and they had signed a formal alliance.
But... so what?
The Land of Whirlpools was still destroyed. Where was Konoha then?
Besides, the Uzumaki physique was suited for becoming Jinchūriki. She didn't want her daughter to carry a monster inside her, so she'd rather be drained of blood in the Land of Grass than be exploited elsewhere.
But now, she had no choice.
When they left the hospital, Misa immediately covered Karin's eyes.
The streets were littered with the corpses of Kusagakure shinobi. Nearly a hundred were dead. Civilians had fled. The whole village was like a ghost town.
Misa looked at the masked Yami with deep fear in her eyes.
Such a young boy, yet his methods were far too extreme.
And he was far too strong.
Yami himself didn't feel much of anything.
This was just a minor shinobi village. An average Jōnin could be the leader.
Most of the over one hundred shinobi were Genin. Only two were Jōnin, and even they hadn't mastered any powerful jutsu.
Killing them was effortless.
After leaving Kusagakure's range, Yami returned to his original appearance.
Misa was too weak to travel quickly, so they moved slowly.
They traveled by day, resting in towns or villages at night.
In seven days, they hadn't even made it halfway back.
After a few days together, Misa and Karin realized...
This boy wasn't as cruel as he first seemed. He acted just like other kids.
He complained about bad food and bad lodging.
But he didn't kill without reason.
"Yami-oniichan."
Children naturally grew familiar quickly, and soon they'd begun calling him that.
While her mother slept, Karin ran over to Yami.
"What's up?"
Yami, staring at the ceiling in a daze, sat up and held her.
Karin giggled, then put on a pitiful expression.
"Yami-oniichan, if you ever get sick in the future, could you not bite my mom? Bite Karin instead. My blood can heal too."
Yami froze for a moment, then gently shook his head in the red-haired girl's disappointed eyes.
"I won't bite your mother… or you."
Yami's expression was calm. He picked up the Kusanagi sword beside him. A sword-shaped mark had appeared on the previously smooth hilt.
"Because I will never be hurt."
(To be continued.)
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