A drop of blood seeped from beneath Kakashi’s mask.
He still struggled for a moment, but as the black thorns tightened around him, he finally accepted defeat.
“Damn it, Nii-san.
I didn’t think your kekkei genkai would make you this much stronger.” Envy flickered across Kakashi’s eyes.
They were both children of the Hatake clan, yet he hadn’t awakened any powerful bloodline ability.
After calming himself, he looked directly at Muzan.
“Don’t get too full of yourself.” “I’ll master the Hatake Sword Technique.” “Next time, I’ll cut those thorns apart!” “Hahaha!
I’ll be looking forward to it.” The warm scene between the two brothers was interrupted by an angry voice from behind them.
Hearing the commotion in the courtyard, Hatake Sakumo had assumed the two kids were doing nothing more than competing with Great Fireball Techniques.
Instead…
He walked outside to discover his courtyard in ruins.
Even the cherry blossom tree he’d “borrowed” from the Hokage’s residence had been stripped bare.
“You little brats!” “What have you two done?!” A Kage-level shinobi…
Reduced to cleaning the house and now the entire courtyard.
Pointing furiously at his sons, Sakumo roared, “Get over here and clean this mess up!” “We’re sorry!” Once he learned that this destruction had been caused by Muzan’s kekkei genkai, Sakumo’s anger subsided.
His expression turned serious as he asked Muzan to demonstrate Black Blood Brambles once more.
“A very powerful kekkei genkai.” “If an ordinary Genin failed to dodge this…” “They’d be killed instantly.” “From now on, both Muzan and Kakashi will train together in ninjutsu and the Hatake Sword Technique.” Under the personal guidance of a Kage-level shinobi, the two brothers improved rapidly.
Their paths gradually diverged.
Whenever he had free time, Kakashi sparred with Gai to sharpen his taijutsu.
He remained Konoha’s most celebrated young genius, surrounded by admirers wherever he went.
Sometimes Muzan couldn’t help wondering…
Why did the future Kakashi never get married?
Could it really have been those dead-fish eyes?
Compared to his dazzling younger brother, Muzan remained practically invisible within the Ninja Academy.
He devoted nearly all of his spare time to reading.
Most of it was spent studying medical texts borrowed from Konoha’s library.
After a year of relentless effort, he ranked first in both medical theory and the Will of Fire classes.
Eventually…
The academy gave him a nickname.
“Bookworm Muzan.” “The whole school says Kakashi’s already strong enough to become a Genin.” “Doesn’t it bother you, having a little brother like that?” Obito looked toward Muzan, who was quietly reading beneath a tree.
Ever since the incident where he’d accidentally pulled off Muzan’s cloak and received a thorough beating from Kakashi afterward, he’d learned about Muzan’s skin condition.
Feeling guilty, Obito made a habit of chatting with him every day.
After all…
As the class dead last, the only person he could comfortably talk to was the academy’s other invisible student.
Even Rin preferred geniuses like Kakashi.
“Hmph.” “Damn Kakashi.” Closing his book, Muzan leaned comfortably against the tree.
Seeing Obito sinking into self-doubt, he answered calmly.
“Why would I be bothered?” “My little brother is talented.” “That just means I have more time to study.” “But…” Obito couldn’t find anything to argue with.
Honestly…
Kakashi’s talent eclipsed everyone else’s.
He’d assumed that, as Kakashi’s ordinary older brother, Muzan had simply given up trying to compete.
Jumping to his feet, Obito struck an enthusiastic pose.
“Once I awaken my Sharingan…” “I’ll definitely surpass Kakashi!” “When that happens, I’ll let you be my follower!” “Pfft.” “That’s a nice dream.” “But you’d better work hard, Obito.” “If Kakashi surpasses you first…” “I’ll just stick with my little brother.” Muzan smiled awkwardly.
Become Obito’s follower?
So in the future I’d be standing behind Madara too?
Just then, his gaze shifted toward the large tree behind Obito.
A faint presence lingered there.
Chakra perfectly blended into the surrounding nature.
If not for the distinct scent…
Even Muzan would’ve overlooked it.
“So Madara has already set his sights on Obito.” “White Zetsu has gotten awfully bold.” “It actually infiltrated Konoha.” This wasn’t the weakened Konoha of the future.
Not only was the Hokage still in his prime, but numerous Kage-level shinobi remained stationed within the village.
Muzan had no intention of interfering with Madara’s plans.
Old Madara would die the moment he disconnected himself from the Demonic Statue.
Besides…
Muzan was still just a child.
As long as Madara didn’t target Kakashi…
Everyone could mind their own business.
“Since White Zetsu came to Konoha…” “I might as well see whether devouring one will make me stronger.” After all…
Muzan’s true nature was that of the Demon King.
He refused to eat humans.
But White Zetsu wasn’t truly human.
It was an artificial lifeform.
That made it worth experimenting on.
After coming up with an excuse to send Obito away, Muzan casually walked toward the tree.
His harmless appearance…
Combined with the complete absence of killing intent…
Successfully fooled the White Zetsu hidden inside.
Who would suspect a mere child could kill it?
Without warning…
Muzan’s arm transformed into a grotesque mass of writhing flesh.
A gigantic mouth split open, capable of devouring everything before it.
“Blood Demon Art…” “Devouring Flesh: Ravenous Feast!” The hidden White Zetsu didn’t even realize what was happening.
By the time it sensed danger…
It was already too late.
The monstrous mouth swallowed both the White Zetsu and the entire tree in a single bite.
In truth, White Zetsu wasn’t particularly strong.
Its greatest abilities lay in its spores and cloning techniques.
Muzan, on the other hand, already possessed the strength expected of a Genin.
If he fought recklessly, he could even drag a chunin down with him.
More importantly…
His body was almost impossible to kill.
In terms of regeneration…
He was even more terrifying than Hashirama.
Crunch.
Crunch.
Several loud chewing sounds echoed through the training ground.
Muzan felt a new power merging into his body.
Unable to suppress it, he tilted his head back and let out a satisfied sigh.
“Ah…” “That feels incredible.” “If I could devour more White Zetsu…” “My strength would increase at an unbelievable rate.” ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ Deep within an underground cavern…
White Zetsu suddenly sensed that its clone inside Konoha had vanished.
The shock on its face immediately caught old Madara’s attention.
“What happened?” “My clone was destroyed.” “When did Konoha gain a sensory ninja powerful enough to detect it?” Madara slowly raised his head.
The tubes connected to his body rattled softly.
Frowning, he began to think.
He hadn’t paid much attention to Konoha in years.
Lately, most of his focus had been directed toward Amegakure.
“The Uchiha boy in Konoha is an essential piece of my plan.” “Find a way to replace that old woman.” “I want Obito to experience the darkness of this world.” “Understood.” Poor Obito had no idea his own ancestor had already chosen him.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ No sooner had Obito left than a thunderous crash echoed across the academy training grounds.
Arashikawa Kaizen hurried over immediately.
Looking at the shattered tree, he noticed that the trunk hadn’t been cut.
It looked as though something had violently torn it apart.
Then he spotted Muzan standing calmly beside it.
“That kid really never lets me relax.” As Muzan’s instructor, Kaizen understood better than anyone how frightening the boy’s talent truly was.
His chakra control was unbelievably precise.
His chakra reserves were monstrous.
If Muzan hadn’t intentionally kept such a low profile…
His reputation might already have surpassed Kakashi’s.
After learning what had happened, Kaizen waved away the gathering students to avoid exposing Muzan’s abilities.
“If this keeps up, you’ll tear the entire Ninja Academy apart.” “As for the favor you asked of me…” “I’ve made some progress.” CREATORS’ THOUGHTS Hidden_Quill Thank you so much for reading!