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Chapter – Shadows Before the Exams
The air in the Forest of Death was heavy, humid, and crawling with predators. For many years, the hidden laboratory buried beneath its roots had been Kirito's sanctuary, his forge of power. Here, he had dissected forbidden scrolls, trained through impossible regimens, and walked paths even the Sannin feared.
But now… it was time to disappear.
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Sealing the Lab
Kirito stood at the entrance of the underground chamber, his palm pressed against the last layer of fuinjutsu script etched into the stone. Complex symbols glowed faintly before fading, locking the chamber in layers of concealment, barriers, and destruction seals.
Concealment Layer: Erased traces of chakra, making the entrance invisible to sensors.
Barrier Layer: Repelled intruders and triggered a paralyzing backlash.
Final Layer: If breached, the lab would implode in a fiery collapse of explosive tags and sealing arrays.
He exhaled softly. Not even an ANBU squad will stumble onto this place. My secrets will remain mine.
Turning away, he leapt into the treetops. His time in this forest was over.
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The Exams' Shadow
A week later, the rumors reached him. The Chūnin Exams were to be held soon in Konoha—young genin from across nations gathering to test their strength. And the second stage?
Here. In the Forest of Death.
Kirito smirked faintly beneath his cloak. If I had lingered, careless, they might have found the remnants of my work. Timing couldn't have been sharper.
By then, he was already miles away, blending once more into his "ordinary" Konoha identity, a capable chunin who never stood out too brightly.
But even as he lived his role, his shadows were at work.
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The Corpse of Haku
Far north, at the site of the Wave mission, a lone clone stood on the quiet, mist-covered bridge that had once been soaked in blood. The great battle was long over. Gato's body was gone, the mercenaries scattered, and the villagers had rebuilt the bridge into a symbol of freedom.
But the dead had been buried nearby.
The clone knelt, hands glowing faintly with sensory chakra. It didn't take long—beneath the soil, traces of Haku's chakra still clung to his body, like frost refusing to melt.
The earth parted under silent Earth Release manipulation, revealing the still, pale form of Haku Momochi. Even in death, his face was serene, almost too delicate for a shinobi.
Beside him, half-buried under stone and moss, lay the Kubikiribōchō—the Executioner's Blade, chipped and dulled but still carrying the presence of blood-soaked history.
The clone's hand brushed over Haku's corpse. Hyōton—Ice Release. A Kekkei Genkai long thought lost. Your body will answer questions the texts could not.
With practiced seals, the clone stored both body and weapon into a scroll. Then, without another sound, it vanished in a puff of smoke—memory and spoils rushing back to the real Kirito in Konoha.
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Return to the Present
In his small, unassuming apartment near the edge of the village, Kirito sat cross-legged as the clone's memories merged into his own. The cold sensation of Haku's preserved chakra trickled into his awareness, along with the weight of the massive blade.
He opened his eyes. A faint glimmer of satisfaction flickered in them.
With Haku's bloodline, I can further unravel the nature of hybrid elements… and with this sword, I will examine the properties of chakra metal infused with regeneration seals.
But he did not rush. The time for experiments would come later, in secret. For now, he had to play the part of the ordinary chunin—observing, preparing, blending.
The Chūnin Exams were about to begin. The world was about to shift again.
And he would be there, unseen, one step ahead of everyone.
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