Because of that, Haruto desperately wanted to find a way to use his abilities without his eyes transforming into those flashy Mangekyō patterns.
Unfortunately, after searching through every bit of knowledge he possessed, he still hadn’t heard of any sealing technique capable of doing something so convenient.
After enthusiastically testing his new powers several more times, exhaustion finally caught up to him.
Satisfied, Haruto collapsed into bed and fell asleep.
The next morning, the explosive news of the Uchiha Clan’s extermination spread through Konoha like a plague.
The once-mighty noble clan had been reduced to a single surviving heir:
Uchiha Sasuke.
Sasuke didn’t show up at school that day.
Rumor had it that the psychological trauma had been so severe that he was still being treated in Konoha Hospital.
After all, Itachi certainly hadn’t held back the previous night.
One Tsukuyomi later, Sasuke was probably still trapped in an endless nightmare, reliving the massacre of his entire family over and over again.
Inside the classroom, Hinata and Ino sat on either side of Haruto.
Their curiosity was burning brightly.
“Haruto, did you hear?”
“The Uchiha Clan was wiped out last night!”
“And the killer was Sasuke’s own brother!”
Ino leaned close and whispered dramatically into his ear.
The warm breath made Haruto’s ear itch slightly.
On his other side, Hinata nodded worriedly.
“Sasuke-kun must be suffering terribly right now…”
“Something like that…”
Her small hands twisted together nervously.
Kind-hearted as always, Hinata instinctively empathized with other people’s pain.
Haruto merely shrugged.
His tone was as casual as discussing the weather.
“No idea.”
“I got up this morning and came straight to school.”
“Haven’t heard a thing.”
Of course, he knew exactly what had happened.
More than that—
He’d practically had front-row seats.
He’d even nearly become part of the event himself.
If Haruto had been born an Uchiha, seeing that hellish scene would have made him want to skin Itachi alive.
Corpses everywhere.
Blood flowing like rivers.
The entire place had resembled a realm of demons.
The most horrifying part was that the executioners weren’t foreign enemies.
They were family.
People who had lived beside their victims their entire lives.
Over a thousand lives had been erased by Itachi and Obito working together.
Honestly, the Uchiha Clan really did have a tendency to produce extremists.
Whether it was Madara, Obito, or countless awakened clan members throughout history—
Their thought processes always seemed to drift toward dangerous extremes.
Still, Haruto firmly believed in self-preservation.
He had no intention of getting entangled in this mess.
So he maintained an unusually indifferent attitude.
Hinata looked at his calm expression and asked quietly:
“Haruto…”
“Do you think something like this could happen to the Hyūga Clan one day?”
Haruto immediately waved off the thought.
“Relax.”
“The Hyūga Clan isn’t nearly as chaotic as the Uchiha.”
“With your ancient, rigid Main House and Branch House system, nobody even gets the opportunity to pull something like this.”
He paused.
“Besides, the real issue isn’t whether a madman exists.”
“It’s whether one person could possibly kill that many people alone.”
Hinata froze.
Her brows furrowed as she processed his words.
“You mean…”
“There was more than one killer?”
Haruto casually scanned the room.
The other children were too busy gossiping to pay attention.
He didn’t sense any ANBU nearby either.
Only then did he lower his voice.
“Obviously.”
“Do you really think Sasuke’s brother could wipe out the entire Uchiha Clan by himself?”
“The Uchiha weren’t weak.”
“They had over a dozen elite jōnin with fully matured three-tomoe Sharingan.”
“Sure, Itachi was a genius.”
“But at that time he was still basically operating at jōnin level.”
“Even if he was stronger than most jōnin, fighting over a dozen Sharingan users of comparable rank alone would be pure fantasy.”
He looked at both girls seriously.
“Keep these thoughts to yourselves.”
“Don’t repeat them.”
“The waters behind this incident run very deep.”
“People like us are tiny fish.”
“Don’t get yourselves killed because of curiosity.”
Ino frowned, clearly wanting to ask more questions.
One glare from Haruto shut her down.
Hinata, who always listened to him, obediently remained silent despite her curiosity.
Putting the grim topic aside, Hinata hesitated before speaking again.
“Um…”
“Haruto.”
“About what happened at my house last night…”
“I’m really sorry.”
“I didn’t expect Father to act like that.”
Haruto waved dismissively.
“It’s not a big deal.”
“You’re the Hyūga Clan’s princess.”
“If your father hadn’t reacted, that would’ve been weird.”
“Honestly, if he’d done nothing, I’d have suspected an impostor.”
Gathering her courage, Hinata pressed further.
Her cheeks reddened.
“Haruto…”
“Do you really not feel anything special toward me?”
Seeing the mixture of hope and fear in her eyes, Haruto couldn’t help ruffling her soft hair.
“We’re eight years old.”
“We haven’t even grown up yet.”
“Stop thinking about this kind of stuff.”
Though disappointed by the vague answer, Hinata nodded obediently.
“Okay.”
Deep down, she wanted a clear response.
But Haruto always seemed to dodge the issue deliberately.
In his own opinion, however, he had already rejected her quite clearly and politely.
Beside them, Ino covered her mouth and giggled.
She seemed rather pleased by the almost-love-triangle that had failed to materialize.
The truth was that Ino’s situation wasn’t much better.
The Yamanaka Clan didn’t have absurd restrictions like the Hyūga.
But that didn’t mean outsiders could casually marry into the family.
The famous Ino-Shika-Chō alliance clans all maintained strict unwritten marriage traditions.
They rarely married outside their own circles.
Especially not with someone like Haruto—a civilian with no clan background. New chapters come out on g.com first.
The Yamanaka were simply less aggressive about enforcing those rules.
If Ino actually declared she wanted to marry Haruto one day, Yamanaka Inoichi would be the first person to object.
This was an era obsessed with bloodlines.
Clan loyalty weighed heavily on everyone.
Even clans without kekkei genkai guarded their secret techniques fiercely and avoided outside marriages whenever possible.
So Ino’s confidence that she could end up with Haruto was really just a teenage crush running wild.
A beautiful fantasy.
The Yamanaka Clan would never approve.
Especially since Ino was their designated heir.
As the aftermath of the Uchiha massacre gradually settled, a week passed.
Only then did Kakashi finally return to the village.
The timing was suspiciously convenient.
So convenient that Haruto couldn’t help wondering if the Third Hokage had deliberately sent Kakashi away.
Kakashi had already heard about the massacre before returning.
All he felt was regret.
After all, it had been Obito’s clan.
The way he later treated Sasuke almost like a favored disciple revealed everything.
He was trying to make up for his guilt toward Obito through Sasuke.
He even passed down his signature technique, Chidori.
Now that the Uchiha were gone, Kakashi’s feelings were undoubtedly complicated.
In Konoha’s forested mountains, Haruto arrived at their usual training ground.
Today, Kakashi wasn’t holding his copy of Icha Icha Paradise.
Instead, he stood there wearing a full ANBU uniform with a short sword strapped to his back.
Beside him stood another masked ANBU.
A graceful figure.
More importantly—
Someone Haruto knew very well.
At this moment, he almost wanted to turn around and leave.
Unfortunately, it was too late.
He could only walk over and greet them.
“Kakashi-sensei.”
“Yugao-nee.”
Before Kakashi could respond, Uzuki Yugao strode forward.
She hooked an arm around his neck and began mercilessly pinching his cheeks.
“Well, if it isn’t little Haruto.”
“Miss your big sister after all this time?”
Haruto endured the assault expressionlessly.
“Yugao-nee.”
“Can we please stop with the cheek pinching?”
“You’re going to stretch my face.”
Ever since they’d become familiar with one another, Yugao had genuinely treated him like a younger brother.
Combined with the fact that he’d saved her life once, their relationship was extremely close.
Yugao laughed and patted his shoulder.
“Oh?”
“Getting cheeky now?”
“Talking back after being apart for a while?”
Haruto sighed.
“I’m eight years old.”
“Not three.”
“Oh really?”
“Eight is impressive?”
“I’m eighteen—a flower in full bloom.”
“In my eyes, you’ll always be a little brat running around in split-crotch pants.”
As she spoke, she removed her ANBU mask.
A stunning face appeared beneath.
Her rare purple hair shimmered beautifully under the sunlight.
Though undeniably gorgeous, Haruto wasn’t in the mood to admire her today.
He got straight to the point.
“You heard about the Uchiha incident, right?”
Yugao’s smile faded.
She nodded gravely.
“Yeah.”
“We received the report while still on mission.”
“Honestly, I still can’t believe Itachi did it.”
Yugao had previously served in a different ANBU squad.
After returning, she had been reassigned as Kakashi’s regular partner.
In a sense, she’d filled the vacancy left behind by Itachi.
To her, Itachi had always been a respected elite.
His reputation within ANBU had been exceptional.
Haruto turned toward the silent Kakashi.
The latter finally spoke.
“I don’t believe Itachi could’ve accomplished this alone.”
“He’s talented, sure.”
“But if the Uchiha were that easy to wipe out, they would’ve gone extinct during the previous wars.”
He paused.
Then looked meaningfully at Haruto.
“So…”
Haruto smiled.
Teacher and student spoke simultaneously.
“Inside and outside cooperation.”
Yugao blinked.
Then thought it through.
“…That actually makes sense.”
“Itachi was a genius.”
“But at most he was still jōnin-level.”
“Meanwhile, Fugaku was a genuine Kage-class fighter.”
“He earned his reputation during the Third Great Ninja War.”
“How could Itachi defeat his father alone?”
As an ANBU elite, Yugao wasn’t among the strongest shinobi.
But she had access to far more classified information than ordinary ninja.
Her mind worked quickly.
Haruto nodded approvingly.
“Good analysis.”
“I’d bet this massacre involved a lot more people behind the scenes.”
“Probably some filthy political dealings too.”
“Everyone knows how powerful the Uchiha were.”
“Erasing them quietly would’ve been difficult even for the Third Hokage personally.”
Kakashi nodded.
“Exactly.”
“But the waters are too deep.”
“If you keep digging, you’ll uncover far more than you want.”
He fixed Haruto with a warning look.
“Drop it.”
“Curiosity gets people killed.”
As someone who had served in both ANBU and Root, Kakashi knew perfectly well that neither organization could have been uninvolved.
The idea that Itachi had silently exterminated an entire clan alone?
Ridiculous.
Only fools would believe it.
Even with Mangekyō Sharingan, Itachi at that age wasn’t a match for Fugaku. Enjoying the story? Read on at g.com.
He probably couldn’t even use Amaterasu properly yet.
What was he supposed to fight a veteran Mangekyō wielder with?
Fortunately, this affair didn’t really affect Haruto’s interests.
He nodded obediently.
“I know.”
“I was just talking.”
“By the way, Kakashi-sensei.”
“You’re still wearing your ANBU gear.”
“Just got back from the mission?”
Kakashi nodded.
His voice carried a trace of sadness.
“Yeah.”
“A-rank mission.”
“Things went wrong.”
“We lost several teammates.”
A faint sorrow flashed across his eye.
Not wanting the atmosphere to become too gloomy, Haruto looked toward Yugao.
“So what brings you here, Yugao-nee?”
She grinned mysteriously and pulled a scroll from her pouch.
“Tada!”
“Guess what this is?”
“A kekkei genkai fusion manual.”
“We picked it up during our mission.”
“Didn’t you say you were interested in this sort of thing?”
Haruto froze.
Then his eyes lit up.
“Seriously?”
“You actually got something like that?”
Yugao solemnly placed the scroll into his hands.
“Completely genuine.”
“Kakashi-senpai and I already confirmed it.”
“The theory behind creating kekkei genkai isn’t actually top-secret among high-level shinobi.”
She shrugged.
“Knowing the theory is one thing.”
“Successfully doing it is another.”
“That’s why bloodline users are still so valuable.”
Haruto immediately opened the scroll.
The more he read, the faster his heart raced.
Then Kakashi poured cold water on his excitement.
“Haruto.”
“The theory is sound.”
“But creating a kekkei genkai artificially is playing with fire.”
“Historically, only a handful of people have succeeded.”
“If you aren’t absolutely certain, don’t try it.”
“Your current combination techniques are already powerful.”
“There’s no need to obsess over this.”
Deep down, Kakashi thought the idea was unrealistic.
If kekkei genkai were easy to create, the world would be full of Ice Release and Wood Release users.
They wouldn’t be so rare.
Still, he didn’t want to crush Haruto’s enthusiasm.
The scroll had fallen into their hands anyway.
If nothing else, it might help Haruto understand how difficult the task truly was.
Haruto closed the scroll and smiled confidently.
“Don’t worry, Kakashi-sensei.”
“Yugao-nee.”
“I value my life more than anyone.”
“I won’t do anything reckless.”
Kakashi rolled his eye.
Clearly unconvinced.
“Whatever.”
“If I didn’t give it to you, you’d probably try figuring it out yourself.”
“At least now you’ll have proper instructions explaining exactly how impossible it is.”
Haruto grinned.
“I’ll just experiment.”
“What if a bicycle turns into a motorcycle?”
“Besides, I won’t devote all my time to it.”
Yugao couldn’t resist pinching his cheeks again.
“My rational side says you’ll fail.”
“But emotionally?”
“I’m rooting for you.”
“If you actually pull it off, Konoha will gain another genius.”
Haruto quietly slapped away her hand.
Both Kakashi and Yugao were only trying to protect him.
They feared he’d hurt himself pursuing an impossible dream.
At the same time, they knew Haruto’s stubborn personality.
Once he set his sights on something, he wouldn’t stop until he’d hit a wall.
And so began Haruto’s long and tedious experiments in kekkei genkai fusion.
This wasn’t as simple as mixing two chakra natures together and waiting for fireworks.
It required absurd physical resilience and chakra control.
One mistake could destroy a person’s chakra pathways.
Spring passed into autumn.
Years flowed by.
Four entire years vanished in the blink of an eye.
Haruto’s routine became incredibly disciplined.
School.
Training.
More training.
Whenever Kakashi wasn’t away on missions, Haruto was subjected to brutal practice sessions.
During these four years, he stopped obsessively learning new jutsu.
Instead, he focused entirely on combat.
Kakashi.
Might Guy.
Uzuki Yugao.
Even the Wood Release user now known as Yamato.
All of them became his free high-level sparring partners.
By now, Yamato had become one of the Third Hokage’s elite subordinates.
His status ranked just below Kakashi’s.
While his Wood Release couldn’t compare to Hashirama’s godlike abilities, it was still a nightmare for most shinobi to deal with.
Four years of relentless effort sharpened Haruto like a blade.
His strength rose from ordinary jōnin level all the way to the threshold of Kage-class power.
Yet even Kakashi remained unaware of just how much he’d grown.
Everyone still believed Haruto was merely an elite jōnin at most.
Even that would have been shocking.
After all, he was only twelve years old.
Kakashi himself had only recently become a jōnin at that age.
Haruto’s growth rate was even more outrageous.
Because they had operated so cautiously over the years, neither the Third Hokage nor Danzō had noticed that a young dragon was quietly maturing beneath their noses.
And at the academy?
Haruto continued playing the role of an average, forgettable student with middling grades.
A perfect nobody.