At this moment, the chakra flowing through Yoruha's body was Senjutsu Chakra.
Although the amount of chakra was only on par with an elite jōnin, its quality had already far surpassed that level.
Kakashi frowned, suddenly recalling something.
"This chakra… it feels a bit like Lord Jiraiya's."
"No… it's exactly like Lord Jiraiya's chakra when he enters that special state."
Kakashi had once witnessed Jiraiya in Sage Mode.
Now, the chakra radiating from Yoruha gave him that very same feeling.
"This kid… he really hides a lot of secrets."
At this thought, Kakashi found himself conflicted.
By all rights, he should report Yoruha's situation to the Third Hokage.
But after everything he had experienced—years in the ANBU, countless missions in the shadows—Kakashi understood all too well what would happen once such a report reached the Hokage's desk.
Whether Yoruha posed any real threat to the village or not, his life would no longer be his own.
At best, he'd be monitored for the rest of his days.
At worst… he'd end up as a specimen on a laboratory table.
Realizing this, Kakashi exhaled quietly and composed himself.
"I just hope you won't become a threat to Konoha," he murmured.
In the end, Kakashi decided to conceal Yoruha's condition.
In Konoha, aside from the Hyūga clan, only he possessed the ability to see chakra with such precision.
As long as he kept silent, no one—not Asuma, not even the Third Hokage—would ever realize that Yoruha's chakra was different.
Having made up his mind, Kakashi disappeared from Yoruha's balcony.
Yoruha remained sound asleep, completely unaware that he had just narrowly escaped being reported to the Hokage.
Even if he had known, he probably wouldn't have cared.
After all, he had already lived one lifetime.
He didn't mind how this second one unfolded.
Even if the village eventually used him as an experimental subject—it didn't matter.
If he could resist, he would.
If not, then so be it.
Yoruha's heart was calm—neither ambitious nor apathetic, simply at peace.
---
The next morning, Yoruha arrived early at the training grounds.
He immediately noticed something off about Motonoya Toko.
Unlike yesterday, she seemed more distant from him today.
Yamada Jumoku, however, was the same as ever.
Sidling up beside Yoruha, he whispered conspiratorially,
"Hey, Yoruha—did you and Toko talk about anything on the way back yesterday?"
Yoruha gave him a flat look. "What exactly do you want to hear?"
Jumoku grinned mischievously. "You know what I want to hear."
"There's nothing to tell," Yoruha said dryly. "What are you imagining?"
Jumoku pouted. "You really didn't notice that Toko likes you? That was such a perfect opportunity! You totally blew it. Don't tell me you think she isn't cute?"
Yoruha sighed, speechless. "What are you even talking about? Did you really have something to do at home yesterday?"
He was starting to suspect that Jumoku had made that up just to set him up with Toko.
Jumoku shook his head dramatically, sighing like a disappointed parent.
"Don't ask. I'm just… so disappointed in you."
"A golden chance like that, wasted!"
"Toko might not be from a great shinobi clan, but she's from one of the Fire Country's noble families. She's beautiful, gentle, and she clearly likes you! If I were you, I'd have confessed on the spot."
Yoruha's expression darkened. "You're twelve. Why do you sound like a thirty-year-old matchmaker?"
He knew kids in this world matured fast, but this was ridiculous.
Was Jumoku secretly an adult trapped in a child's body?
Jumoku raised a hand, signaling dramatically, "Enough. Don't talk to me. I'm too disappointed."
"Unbelievable," Yoruha muttered.
"If only you trained as hard as you gossip, maybe you wouldn't still be this weak."
Among their graduating class, Jumoku's skill level was average.
Yoruha was officially the same—but in truth, his strength was far beyond Itsuki's.
Nearby, Toko stood silently, her face red enough to drip blood.
She could hear bits of their conversation, though the two were whispering as if trying to keep it from her.
Yoruha's thoughts, she couldn't read.
But last night, she had nearly confessed to him—nearly.
She just hadn't had the courage.
Now, even though she was following her mother's advice to keep some distance, she still couldn't hide her affection for him.
---
As the three of them chatted, Yoruha suddenly sensed something.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The sharp ring of steel echoed through the air.
In an instant, Yoruha stepped forward, shielding Jumoku and Toko, a kunai flashing in his hand.
Around them, several throwing knives and short swords embedded themselves into the ground.
Frowning, Yoruha looked toward the distant treeline.
"Sensei, you've gone too far," he said coldly. "We just graduated yesterday."
The sudden ambush had been so swift and precise that no ordinary genin could have reacted in time.
If Yoruha hadn't intervened, both Jumoku and Toko would have been skewered before realizing what happened.
He wasn't angry at being tested—he was angry that his teammates had nearly been killed.
From behind a tree, Mikoto Tōichi emerged, clapping slowly.
"Not bad. Just as I thought—this level of attack poses no threat to you."
He seemed entirely unconcerned by Yoruha's reproach.
Jumoku and Toko finally grasped what had happened.
Their teacher had attacked them.
Looking at the weapons scattered at their feet, cold sweat trickled down their backs.
If Yoruha hadn't acted, they'd already be corpses.
Since yesterday, both of them had feared their instructor.
His aura, his pressure—everything about him was suffocating.
And now, after this sudden strike, they knew just how ruthless he could be.
Yet when they looked at Yoruha's back, standing tall in front of them, it seemed like an unyielding mountain shielding them from harm.
Still, Yoruha himself was far from calm.
In his eyes, Tōichi had treated their lives like nothing more than tools in an experiment.
Seeing Yoruha's anger, Tōichi walked closer, speaking casually,
"Don't be so tense. I was only testing your reflexes. I'd never let my students truly be in danger."
But Yoruha didn't buy that excuse.
Still, since no one had been hurt, he said nothing more.
What Yoruha didn't realize, however, was that his swift, precise movements—the way he'd blocked Tōichi's kunai and shuriken—had left his teacher quietly astonished.
---
Advance chapters at Ko-Fi (currently at Chapter 175)
https:// ko-fi.com/sami27