After saying that, Kuugetsu closed her eyes. When she opened them again moments later, she had returned to her usual timid demeanor.
She glanced at Hoshiyomi, visibly startled, and instinctively shrank back. Hoshiyomi, clearly intrigued, gave her a thorough look before speaking with interest:
"Do you have any idea what that other 'you' just did?"
The moment Kuugetsu heard him say "the other you," her whole body trembled. She looked at him with fear in her eyes and shook her head.
"Did… did she cause you any trouble? If she did, I'd like to apologize. Please forgive us…"
She wasn't lying. Kuugetsu was the dominant personality and fully aware of the other persona, but when the inner personality (referred to as the "inner personality" from now on) took control, she would subconsciously fall into a state of dormancy. Some kind of built-in protective mechanism, perhaps.
Hoshiyomi found this version of Kuugetsu a bit disconcerting. Just moments ago, she'd been a sharp-tongued, aloof little rebel—and now she was back to this wide-eyed, stammering rabbit. Anyone would need a moment to adjust.
After a quick mental reset, Hoshiyomi felt a mischievous impulse rise. Stroking his chin, he said slyly:
"Well… there was a little trouble."
The words had barely left his mouth when Kuugetsu immediately bowed ninety degrees.
"I'm terribly sorry! I'll make sure she behaves better in the future!"
What the hell, how are you so good at this? Hoshiyomi inwardly grumbled before continuing his little game:
"She kept pestering me to take her as a disciple. She just wouldn't give up, so I finally agreed. But the moment I said yes, you showed up. And now I'm stuck in a dilemma."
"Ah…?" Kuugetsu tilted her head cutely before quickly ducking again, tapping her index fingers together nervously. "Umm… that was her idea… I'm not quite ready yet… Would it be okay if—"
"You're rejecting me?" Hoshiyomi asked with mock injury. "You know… that really hurts my feelings."
Meanwhile, in Kuugetsu's mental world, her inner personality was sitting cross-legged on the ground, clearly exhausted as she watched the conversation unfold.
Hearing Hoshiyomi shamelessly guilt-trip them, she spat on the imaginary ground and muttered:
"Is this guy really the legendary Silver Moon of Konoha? Is it even possible for someone that powerful to be this thick-skinned?"
She had originally wanted to explain everything to the outer personality, but the earlier battle had drained her too much. After several failed attempts to communicate, she gave up and lay flat with a sigh.
"Whatever. It's fine. Being this guy's disciple doesn't sound too bad anyway. He doesn't seem like he has bad intentions. Might even make her a bit stronger."
"If she gets stronger, I won't have to keep cleaning up after her all the time."
Though her tone was casual, a subtle smile had crept onto her face without her realizing it.
Back in the real world, Kuugetsu was visibly torn. She wasn't good at saying no, and after agonizing for a while, she finally came up with a reason:
"But… something like this… shouldn't I get my father's permission first? He's still deployed in the Land of Rain…"
Hoshiyomi simply repeated what he'd told her inner personality earlier, adding that if she became his student, she'd eventually join him on the battlefield—and possibly see her father.
Looking up at him, Kuugetsu was nearly in tears. First her inner personality had already accepted the apprenticeship, then this guy turned out to be her father's commanding officer—how was she supposed to say no now?
In the end, she couldn't resist "the hand of fate." She gave a small bow and mumbled so quietly it was almost inaudible:
"Sensei… Hoshiyomi-sensei."
Hoshiyomi beamed with satisfaction and reached out to pat her on the head.
Kuugetsu instinctively tried to dodge, but of course, she wasn't nearly fast enough. His large hand landed squarely on her head, ruffling her hair.
To his surprise, her hair was soft and silky—he found himself reluctant to stop.
Kuugetsu didn't dare resist. She stood there with a look of pure despair, like a helpless bunny caught in a trap.
Hoshiyomi finally withdrew his hand and, looking at the girl who was now trembling like a rabbit in a thunderstorm, said cheerfully:
"Let's go."
"…Go where?" she asked, puzzled.
"To get your bangs trimmed. They're too long and block your vision. That's no good for combat. Then we'll grab a bite to eat to celebrate you becoming my student."
"N-no, please!"
The moment she heard the word haircut, Kuugetsu threw both hands over her fringe and shook her head violently.
Hoshiyomi put on a stern face and scolded:
"Disobeying your teacher on your very first day? Uchiha Kuugetsu, that's very naughty of you."
Kuugetsu was ready to cry. Weren't you the one who forced this apprenticeship on me?!
But her timid nature stopped her from pushing back further.
"…But people might see me…"
Hoshiyomi gave her another reassuring head pat.
"Don't worry. As long as you don't activate your Sharingan, no one will notice. And even if they do—so what? You're my student. Let's see who dares lay a hand on you."
That last line was dramatic, sure, but it hit Kuugetsu harder than she expected. No one had ever said something like that to her before—not even her father.
She looked up at Hoshiyomi hesitantly, and seeing this, he smiled and offered a compromise:
"Tell you what—how about we just trim half?"
Kuugetsu wanted to ask What kind of compromise is that?! But in the end, she nodded weakly. Half is better than all, I guess…
And so, Hoshiyomi grabbed Kuugetsu and led her out of the Uchiha compound.
Yes—they climbed over the wall.
Once outside, he created a shadow clone and sent it off to notify Minato and Kushina, inviting them to join them for dinner to celebrate the formation of his new team. Meanwhile, the real Hoshiyomi took Kuugetsu straight to the hair salon.
As soon as they entered, Hoshiyomi got to work:
"Thin out her bangs. They're too thick. Let's go with a 70–30 side part—expose the right eye, and keep the left covered."
Since it was just a bang trim, it didn't take long.
But the effect was dramatic.
Originally, her thick, heavy fringe had completely obscured both eyes—no matter how pretty her face might be, it barely showed. But now?
With the bangs thinned out, that oppressive weight vanished. Her right eye, now visible, was striking. The size was just right, and slightly upturned at the edges, giving a natural eyeliner effect without any makeup.
The gloom and isolation she used to project were gone. Though she still looked shy, her aura had changed—timid to soft and sweet.
The covered left eye added a hint of mystery.
Even though she was just a ten-year-old girl, it was already obvious—this one would grow up to be beautiful.
Hoshiyomi gently tapped her on the back, prompting her to straighten her spine and relax her shoulders.
And just like that, the duckling became a swan.
Right on cue, Kushina's excited voice echoed from outside the salon:
"Kuugetsu? Oh my gosh—I had no idea you were this pretty!"
Kuugetsu stood there, completely flustered, staring at Minato and Kushina like a deer in headlights. She instinctively reached up to pull her bangs back down—only for Hoshiyomi to catch her hand mid-motion.
Grinning, he turned to the three of them and declared proudly:
"From this day forward, Team Hoshiyomi is officially established!"
Author's Note:
I don't know much about dissociative identity disorder, so I did a bit of research. Unfortunately, most sources were vague anecdotal accounts, not very helpful. So I made up my own version of how it works in this story. If anyone reading has real insights, feel free to educate me—if necessary, I'll make revisions.
Also, about the "two boys, one girl" team structure usually seen with genin teams—it's already been broken earlier in my version of events, so breaking it again isn't a big deal. If it still seems odd, just assume that at this point in the timeline, the Third Hokage hadn't formalized the team structure yet. After all, older teams like Ino-Shika-Chō and Minato's peers were all-male trios too.