NIHM: Ch. 09

Ding-ling-ling~

In the next moment, the Chidori that had been piercing toward Kazuha's body dissipated right in front of him. Kakashi directly stopped his finishing move.

"Aiya, that was dangerous. I almost lost control there."

He shook his hand, wearing a completely nonchalant expression, as if saying "what a pity" without the slightest sincerity.

Kazuha, however, paid no mind to this. Instead, he raised the bell in his hand and asked, "Kakashi-sensei, did I pass?"

"Mm, you passed. But no need to call me sensei, I don't think there's anything I can teach you. Just call me captain."

"Yes, Captain Kakashi."

"Then, welcome to the ANBU. Report to this location tomorrow. For now, I'll be your temporary captain."

"ANBU?"

"You didn't actually think this was just a regular genin test, did you?"

"Is that so?"

"I believe it won't be long before you become a ninja capable of working independently."

"Perhaps. Then, I'll be counting on you, Captain!"

Kazuha nodded to Kakashi, and for the first time, a smile appeared on his face. At that moment, the sunlight happened to shine down on his face, warm and gentle, completely devoid of the earlier tension.

Only Kakashi truly understood the weight behind this young man standing before him. In terms of being terrifying, this boy was even scarier than Itachi before awakening those eyes.

Because just now, he knew, if it had been a true fight to the death, and his Chidori had actually struck Kazuha, he might have been seriously injured, but definitely wouldn't have died instantly.

And in that opening, Kakashi would have been unable to dodge Kazuha's counterattack.

In a ninja's battle, aside from skills, techniques, mentality, and combat strength, the final factor was courage.

In a life-or-death struggle, to win, one must have sufficient resolve, including the resolve to face death itself.

---

That evening, Sasuke came over after school to deliver a gift, "Congratulations on graduating. I'll catch up to you soon."

He said no more and left Kazuha with his signature cool silhouette.

Kazuha watched him leave and shook his head silently.

Although Sasuke wasn't exactly likable in the original story, honestly, aside from his tsundere nature, he wasn't a bad person at all. If the Uchiha massacre hadn't happened, he probably would've grown up to be a gentle person.

He might even have been like Madara, once moved by Hashirama's words, and in turn, inspired by Naruto's dream, carrying the burden of his clan's will and contending for the Hokage title alongside Naruto.

But there was no "what if" in this world.

The tragedy of the Uchiha clan meant that he could never live life according to his own wishes. At the very least, after that rage within him completely dissipates, he would never be able to truly be himself again.

Maybe that was why this generation's Indra only knew how to posture but struggled to truly shine.

What am I thinking about all this for? Right now, improving my strength is the key. Before the plot officially begins, my eyes should still have a chance to evolve further.

Yin Release governed the spirit; Yang Release governed vitality; the Mangekyō Sharingan was a special ocular power awakened through intense emotional trauma.

Because it was activated under extreme circumstances, the body was pushed into an abnormal state during its use. Every activation placed a burden on the body.

However, his HP was already on par with Pirate Kazuha. Even if he activated the Mangekyō Sharingan, the physical burden during its use would be much lighter than for other Uchiha.

I don't know if it's just my imagination, but it feels like my One Piece version not only increased my HP, but also somehow enhanced me overall. At the very least, I can clearly feel that my Yin Release powers have been growing rapidly lately.

If I could get another version, maybe my eyes wouldn't even need trauma to evolve, they might naturally progress on their own.

He thought this to himself, filled with both longing and anticipation.

And so, he graduated and immediately joined the ANBU, beginning his career as a ninja. As for how he got along with the team after joining Kakashi's squad, he could only describe it in one sentence: Through his actions and strength, he once again reinforced the belief among ANBU that "no Uchiha is ever mediocre."

Of course, he also established a completely new image of the Uchiha in everyone's minds.

He wasn't arrogant in the slightest, and even when his Sharingan were activated, there was no trace of coldness or obsession in them. Even the Third Hokage was very pleased with his performance.

After all, while a person could deceive others through appearances, chakra couldn't lie.

His chakra signature felt completely different from that of many Uchiha from the past. Even Shisui, who was considered the most loyal to Konoha, had a certain obsessive tone to his chakra.

But Kazuha didn't.

This piqued the Third Hokage's curiosity and made Danzō skeptical, they even ran several tests on him.

However, he didn't have to do anything special, he simply faced everything openly and calmly.

On the night of the Uchiha massacre, he had already made contact with the Third Hokage through Shisui's connections.

Back then, he had tried to appear as a firm believer in the "Will of Fire," hoping to get protection from either Itachi or the the Hokage during the clan's downfall. Unfortunately, that effort ended up being unnecessary.

Now, even though he had a cheat, he no longer had the intention to play political games. But the impression he left during those early interactions remained.

Ironically, the continued testing only accelerated the Third Hokage's trust in him, smoothing the way for his rise through the ranks.

Of course, a major turning point was when Kakashi, due to psychological issues, was removed from the ANBU by the Third Hokage.

With the position of ANBU squad captain suddenly vacant, the Third Hokage sought someone else to fill the role. And here was a unique Uchiha, without any clan baggage, with incredible talent, and unlike the rest.

He seemed like a perfect fit.

Thus, Kakashi began his more laid-back ninja journey, waiting for the fated team that would one day be his.

Meanwhile, Kazuha, relying on his abilities and achievements, reached the same level that Itachi had once attained: ANBU squad captain.

At this pace, it wouldn't be long before he was poised to take over Kakashi's former position and become a full ANBU captain.

Kazuha, however, didn't appear overly ambitious, he actually seemed quite easygoing about it. He wasn't obsessed with power, nor did he have any intention of overdoing missions.

At work, he was like a brick, moved wherever leadership needed him.

After work, he focused entirely on training, steadily increasing his HP, and even regularly trained in taijutsu with Guy, as usual.

During this time, he obtained the training method for the Eight Gates through missions, and even asked Guy for guidance on how to train in it.

Unfortunately, although the Eight Gates was a taijutsu technique, it still required chakra to function as a power source.

RIP. Pirate Kazuha.