Lying quietly on the ground was a small child dressed in white, seemingly unconscious. Judging from his size, he was about six or seven years old. Long hair draped down to his shoulders, and his features were so delicate that one could barely tell whether he was a boy or a girl. He was beautiful — so beautiful that it stirred the instinct to protect him.
Three Konoha ANBU, each wearing an animal mask, stood in a triangular formation around the child, alert and ready.More precisely, however, their caution was directed at the large, broad-shouldered figure guarding the child — a fat man standing protectively before him.
"Gluttony's so hungry! But… but Yoru said I can't eat…"
Drooling as he sucked on his thumb, saliva pooled beneath him until it formed a small puddle.Watching this from where he lay pretending to be unconscious, Mizunotsuki Ye silently rolled his eyes. What a disgrace of a pet!
"The first thing I'm doing when I get a new pet card is replacing this gluttonous idiot…"
As he expected, the newcomers were Konoha ninjas sent to retrieve him. To avoid exposing unnecessary secrets, he'd chosen to play dead.After all — how else could a six-year-old explain annihilating over a dozen trained assassins and walking away unharmed?
This wasn't the idealized anime version of the shinobi world, full of "bonds" and "peace."This was the real ninja world — cruel, treacherous, and deadly.
And as someone about to live as an outsider in Konoha, it was only wise to keep a few cards hidden.
Only those who remain cautious at all times deserve to live long.
"Captain!"
Kakashi hurried over to his teammates. His gaze first landed on the unconscious child, then he pulled a scroll from his vest and carefully compared the image on it. After a few glances, he confirmed that this was indeed the mission target assigned by the Third Hokage.
But when his eyes shifted to Gluttony — and he felt that chaotic, violent intent emanating from him — Kakashi's expression hardened.
Such twisted killing intent…
"What's going on?" he asked coolly, though his entire body had already tensed like that of his three subordinates.A being with that kind of aura wasn't someone to underestimate. In a world as vast and strange as the shinobi world, appearances meant nothing. Recklessness could cost you your life — just once was enough.
"When we tried to approach the child to check his condition, that… thing suddenly attacked us! If Fire Monkey hadn't dodged in time, he would've been bitten!"
The ANBU referred to as Fire Monkey gave a small nod, confirming the statement.
"Bitten?"
Kakashi glanced again at Gluttony, who was still sucking on his finger.Noticing Kakashi's gaze, Gluttony suddenly grinned — and the corners of his mouth split wide, all the way to the back of his ears, large enough to swallow a basketball whole.
Kakashi drew in a sharp breath. What kind of ability is this?
A unique kekkei genkai? Some sort of bodily modification?
He'd been on countless missions under his teacher — the man already set to become the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze — yet he'd never encountered anything this bizarre.
"What should we do, Captain? The child's our target, and that creature seems to be his protector."
One ANBU voiced what everyone was thinking. If not for that, they'd have attacked already.
"No time to waste. We need to bring the target back to Konoha immediately before anything unexpected happens. Subdue that creature first."
"Yes!"
Kakashi made his decision without hesitation.One Jōnin and three elite Chūnin — unless the opponent was a high-level Jōnin, capture shouldn't be difficult.And besides, he still had that.
Kakashi's hand brushed over his tightly shut left eye.
Just as the four ANBU exchanged silent signals and prepared to strike, Mizunotsuki Ye — who'd been carefully waiting for the right moment — let out a faint groan.
Slowly, he "woke up," sitting up weakly with a dazed expression, one hand on his forehead as his eyes wandered around in confusion.
"Who are… you?"
His bewildered tone and hazy gaze carried just the right amount of innocence and disorientation.Inwardly, Mizunotsuki Ye gave himself thirty-two silent thumbs-up for his performance.
In the forest, several figures darted swiftly from branch to branch. Mizunotsuki Ye lay sprawled lazily on Gluttony's back, looking utterly exhausted.
"So you suddenly awakened your clan's bloodline limit, then passed out?" Kakashi said, analyzing the situation seriously as they moved. "That massive phenomenon we saw earlier must've been caused by your kekkei genkai's eruption. You must have overdrawn your chakra — hence your current weakness."
He spoke as if explaining it to himself as much as to Ye.
Mizunotsuki Ye nodded along obediently, though inwardly, he was stunned.He hadn't expected that the person sent to retrieve him would be Kakashi Hatake!
This man — known among fans of the original series as "Fifty-Fifty" — had always been one of his favorite characters.
How did he recognize him so quickly?Well, the snow-white hair and that perpetually closed left eye gave him away instantly.
"Captain Hawk," Ye called out suddenly.
In ANBU, real names were forbidden — a rule consistent across all villages. Members were identified only by their codenames. Kakashi's was "Hawk."
"Do you know what will happen to me once I reach Konoha? I mean… I'm basically a homeless orphan now."
"I'm sorry," Kakashi replied calmly. "You'll have to ask the Hokage yourself once we return. My mission is only to ensure your safe arrival."
Looking at the boy's still-innocent face, Kakashi couldn't help but feel a flicker of admiration.This child — who had just lost his entire clan — remained composed and thoughtful beyond his years.
Most people in his position would either collapse into tears or be consumed by vengeance.
A rare talent, Kakashi thought silently. I hope Lord Third handles him wisely.
Mizunotsuki Ye simply nodded at the answer, saying no more.
Whatever awaited him in Konoha, he'd find out soon enough.
He slowly closed his eyes, pretending to rest.But in truth, he was using this brief moment of calm to study the mysterious system that had only recently become his greatest weapon.