The next morning, Gekkō Samukaze was woken once again by the noise outside. The culprits were, as always, the clan members who gathered in the backyard at dawn for training.
Remembering the experiment he had planned, Samukaze scrambled up from his futon, rubbed the sleep from his eyes, and rushed outside.
The sun was just rising, its pale red-and-white light spilling across the world like a sweeping arc of brilliance. In the backyard, the same eight clansmen from yesterday were locked in paired sparring drills, steel blades clashing with a shrill, metallic rhythm.
Scanning the yard, Samukaze quickly spotted the good-natured Gekkō Suzukaze and sprinted straight toward him.
The moment Samukaze stepped onto the practice ground, the eight sparring men stopped immediately, terrified of accidentally cutting down the reckless little brat.
"Big Brother Suzukaze, please teach me the Clone Technique!"
Samukaze barreled up to him without a hint of hesitation, his eyes shining with anticipation—as if Suzukaze were a rabbit trapped in an experiment cage.
"Samukaze!"
From the veranda, Gekkō Hoshino, Samukaze's father, fixed him with a stern gaze. "Stop disturbing them!"
But Samukaze, taking full advantage of his age, whined and pressed, "Just five minutes, that's all!"
Suzukaze looked helplessly at Hoshino, then gave a small nod. "Alright."
Hoshino shook his head and sighed. "The rest of you, continue training."
"Yes, sir!"
…
Samukaze dragged Suzukaze into a corner of the yard, his eyes glittering with impatience. "Quick, quick—show me!"
Suzukaze felt uneasy under that gaze, something about Samukaze's intensity not quite right. But under the boy's urging, he shoved the odd feeling aside and began forming seals.
"Watch carefully. These are the hand signs for the Clone Technique. Remember, your chakra must flow with the sequence of seals. Got it?"
As Suzukaze slowly demonstrated, there was a sharp puff of smoke at his feet. A moment later, an identical copy of him stood at his side.
Samukaze's eyes flashed. Without hesitation, he activated his Gathering Technique.
A swirl of green light filled his mind, and in the next instant, a pale-blue light orb emerged within him.
Collection successful!
Delighted, Samukaze wrapped his consciousness around the newly-formed light.
This was—the Clone Technique!
His theory had been correct!
Ecstatic, Samukaze realized that as long as he guided it properly, he could collect any jutsu at all. Sage Mode, Flying Thunder God, Rasengan… even kekkei genkai like the Sharingan, Byakugan, Ice Release, or Shikotsumyaku. The thought made him nearly drool.
"Uh… Samukaze?"
Suzukaze grew nervous as he watched the boy suddenly making a lovestruck pig-faced grin. "You alright?"
"Huh? Oh—yeah, I'm fine, I'm fine." Samukaze forced his expression back to seriousness. "Big Brother Suzukaze, it's fine now. I've already learned the Clone Technique."
"What? Really?" Suzukaze looked doubtful.
Sure, the Clone Technique was considered basic, but for a boy who'd only been in the Academy for a single year—and with a reputation for poor talent—it wasn't exactly easy. More likely, Samukaze was pretending to have learned it just to show off.
Suzukaze gave him a knowing smile, convinced he had figured the boy out.
Samukaze smiled back, but inside he was thrilled: Chakra Refinement, Transformation Jutsu, Clone Technique—he had already collected three skills from Suzukaze!
Which meant Suzukaze no longer had any collection value.
Samukaze's eyes drifted toward the other seven clansmen. Who should I collect from next?
He wanted to use up his remaining two daily collection attempts immediately, but with his father still glaring nearby, he thought it wiser to wait until after breakfast.
Still, one thing nagged at him—where was Gekkō Hayate?
Back inside, Samukaze looked around, but his younger brother was nowhere to be seen. His mother, Gekkō Megumi, was missing as well.
What about breakfast?
He was just a kid! Without breakfast, how could he grow taller?
Storming up to his father, Samukaze demanded, "Dad, where's Mom? I'm starving!"
"Hayate wasn't feeling well this morning," Hoshino explained. "So your mother took him to the hospital. Breakfast is already made—you'll find rice balls in the kitchen pot. Eat them while they're still warm."
"…Rice balls again."
Why again?
Samukaze's face fell. Sure, the onigiri were wrapped with nori and sprinkled with sesame seeds, but eating them every single meal was soul-crushing.
Dragging himself into the kitchen, he lifted the pot's lid and found two rice balls, still faintly steaming. With a resigned sigh, he took them out and began eating.
As he chewed, he couldn't help but think of Hayate. Did the little guy push himself too hard yesterday in training and collapse?
In the original story, Hayate had always been frail—coughing three times for every sentence. Could it be that his childhood overtraining had ruined his body?
But wait—hadn't Hayate possessed a kekkei genkai?
The thought reignited Samukaze's excitement. He wolfed down the rice balls in a few bites and dashed back to the backyard to ask his father.
"Dad, does our Gekkō clan have a kekkei genkai?" Samukaze asked, tilting his head up.
Hoshino froze, then looked at him curiously. "Where did you hear about kekkei genkai?"
"You answer first!" Samukaze shot back.
Hoshino shook his head. "Unfortunately, the Gekkō clan has no kekkei genkai. If we did, we would've long stood alongside the Nara or Akimichi, maybe even rivaled the Hyūga and Uchiha as a great noble clan."
His voice dimmed with regret as he spoke.
Samukaze frowned. So did I remember wrong? Does Hayate really not have a kekkei genkai?
No—that the clan lacked one didn't mean Hayate couldn't. What if he was born with a mutation?
As Samukaze's thoughts spiraled, a sudden shout came from the entryway.
"Hoshino! Hoshino! Wonderful news!" It was Megumi's voice, brimming with excitement. "Hayate's test results show he awakened a kekkei genkai!"
Hoshino jolted, whipping his gaze down at Samukaze in disbelief.
Samukaze blinked up at him with wide, innocent eyes, silently praying to dodge suspicion, while inside cursing himself. Too hasty! If I'd just waited two more minutes, none of this mess would've happened!
"Samukaze… you haven't awakened a kekkei genkai too, have you?" Hoshino asked in a low voice.
Samukaze shook his head frantically. "No, no! Not me!"
But Hoshino clearly didn't believe him.
By now, Suzukaze and the other clansmen had overheard Megumi's announcement and were rushing over, astonished.
"Hayate has a kekkei genkai?""Is that true?""Amazing!""This is monumental!"
"What's all this racket?!" Hoshino snapped, his stern presence cutting through the noise. "Did I tell you to stop training? Back to it!"
"Yes, sir!"
The eight men straightened, bowed respectfully, and returned to their sparring drills.
Only then did Hoshino whirl around and hurry inside, Samukaze trailing close behind.
"Megumi, is it really true? Hayate's tests show a kekkei genkai?" Hoshino asked, dead serious.
Megumi, still flushed with excitement as she took off her shoes, nodded. "It's true. The head physician himself confirmed it."
"That's incredible!" Hoshino clenched his fists, barely containing his joy. "Megumi, let's go back to the hospital immediately—I want Samukaze tested too."
"…What?" Megumi froze in surprise.
Samukaze, meanwhile, was struck dumb, then horrified. No! I'm innocent! I don't have any mutations—I refuse to be tested!
(End of Chapter)