Hatake Kusuo suddenly noticed that the look in his cousin's eyes had changed when he gazed at him.
It felt... unusually intense.
"Ahem. Sorry about that, cousin. I didn't realize it was you just now. I thought it was a spy sent by another village, so I…"
"Hmm."
Kakashi was surprisingly calm about it.
"High alert is never a bad thing. That move of yours—"
"Forget it. Everyone has their own secrets. I won't pry into yours. But remember this. Whatever you do, don't let your secret be exposed too early."
"There are times when the village isn't as peaceful as we like to believe."
Kakashi spoke earnestly, adopting the tone of an adult as if convinced Kusuo could understand him.
Kusuo nodded.
Danzo, that old schemer… yeah, he understood.
Seeing his five-year-old cousin nod thoughtfully like a grown man, Kakashi gave a self-deprecating smile.
He reached out and gave Kusuo's head a firm ruffle. "Without realizing it, our Hatake clan has produced such an incredible genius."
When he said the word genius, a fleeting trace of melancholy crossed Kakashi's face.
After all, wasn't he once a genius admired and envied by all?
That was why, in the moment he saw Kusuo, Kakashi felt almost as if he were in a dream.
"You're five this year, right? By my count, the ninja academy should be starting soon. Even though your swordsmanship is amazing, the ninja world isn't just about fighting and killing. You'll need to learn essential knowledge and ninjutsu too."
"Have you thought about it?"
Seeing Kakashi looking at him expectantly, Kusuo pondered for a moment.
At his age,
by the timeline, he'd probably be in the same class as Naruto and Sasuke.
Those two reincarnated children of destiny… who could have guessed that ten years later they'd become the saviors of the world?
But Kusuo, with his system, had confidence that he could surpass anyone by relying on his own strength. His sword alone was enough.
Since that was the case, it wouldn't hurt to meet the future protagonists of the ninja world in advance.
So at once he said,
"Alright, I'll do it."
Kakashi was a little surprised to see his cousin agree so readily.
He'd thought geniuses like this would look down on something as basic as the ninja academy.
He'd felt that way. Itachi had felt that way too.
Both of them had graduated the moment they had the chance.
"In that case, get yourself ready. School starts next week. I'll personally take you there."
Sensing Kakashi's good intentions, Kusuo didn't say much more.
He understood that after losing Hatake Sakumo, the Hatake clan really only had Kakashi left to uphold its name.
The week that followed passed without much change for Kusuo.
He continued his grueling daily training as always. But now the focus was on refining his breathing technique and practicing [Sun Breathing slashes].
Every day he precisely calculated his stamina. As long as he had strength left, he'd swing with all his might to raise his portrayal level.
Every time he used [Sun Breathing First Form], his portrayal level would increase by a fraction of a percent. By his calculations, all he really needed was about a thousand strikes.
But don't think it was easy. [Sun Breathing] wasn't just ordinary sword swings. Every use drained a huge amount of his energy and strength.
Yet for Kusuo, who longed endlessly for power, none of that mattered.
Finally, on the day before the academy opened, the system's voice rang out again.
[ Ding! Congratulations, host. You have successfully used Sun Breathing 1000 times. First stage of the template unlocked. ]
[ Current portrayal level: 3%. Reward: Sun Breathing Second Form - Rising Scorching Sun. Mark successfully activated. ]
Kusuo felt new memories surface automatically, and it was as if his muscles had strengthened too.
On his forehead, a black mark rose from the right side and slowly spread to cover the entire right temple.
The mark was black and mysterious, like ink splashed across his skin, wild and fierce in its shape.
Such a mark on a five-year-old child looked both twisted and strangely harmonious.
Lightly tracing the mark on his forehead, Kusuo murmured to himself,
"Finally, the Mark is activated. With the Mark, my strength has truly taken a leap."
In the Demon Slayer world, it was because of the Marked Swordsmen that demons were once driven to the brink of destruction.
After the Marked Warriors vanished, the Demon Slayer Corps fell into decline, always on the back foot against the Twelve Kizuki.
That alone showed how powerful the Mark really was.
But activating the Mark also signaled a limit on lifespan.
Not one person who awakened the Mark ever lived past twenty-five. Only one was the exception.
That was the man born with the Mark, the supreme swordsman Yoriichi Tsugikuni.
And as it happened,
the template Kusuo had inherited was Yoriichi Tsugikuni's.
"So really, I don't need to worry about lifespan limits. As long as I fully unlock Yoriichi's template, I can become the second Yoriichi Tsugikuni."
"No… I'll be Yoriichi Tsugikuni in the Naruto world, breaking free of all limits and unleashing my full talent."
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100 P.S = 1 Extra Chapter