Malphegor
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Ch. 175: Team 7
🕑 Added 2024-12-10 10:33:23 +0000 UTCThe white-haired boy outside the door nodded. "If Hayate-nii and Kagami-nii also came, it would be even more fun."
"Yes, when Hayate-nii returns, we'll celebrate again as a family."
Kagami gently patted Haku's silky hair; it felt exceptionally smooth.
No matter how much he tried to stop him over the years, Haku kept wearing women's clothing. When not on missions, he moved around the village in feminine attire.
As for why Haku ended up with Kagami? Well, it all started three years ago.
News of the Fourth Mizukage's mysterious death spread across the ninja world.
This event inevitably affected Konoha, shaking its leadership.
To verify the truth of the news, Konoha's top brass dispatched several ninja teams to the Land of Water for investigation.
Kagami was one of those sent.
Danzō believed that if the Fourth Mizukage was truly dead, the Land of Water would be in chaos, making it easier for the ninja teams to infiltrate unnoticed.
During their stay in the Land of Water, Kagami not only found the orphaned and destitute Haku but also led his team to discover a Cthulhu statue.
After bringing him back to Konoha, he used Haku's bloodline limit as a justification to persuade Danzō to allow Haku to stay in the village and serve Konoha.
However, to reduce Danzō's interest in Haku, he deliberately downplayed the purity of Haku's bloodline limit, making it appear comparable to the ice ninjas from the Land of Snow.
The final arrangement was for Haku to be fostered in Kagami's household.
Kagami once asked Haku whether "Haku" was his full name.
The boy replied that he didn't know; ever since he could remember, his mother had only called him by that name.
He speculated that Haku likely had a surname, but due to his family's decline, his mother had concealed it to avoid drawing attention.
Now that he had joined the Gekkō clan, there was no need to recall his old family name.
The boy's full name was now Gekkō Haku.
In the three years since, Haku's strength had improved dramatically. Within two years, he graduated from the Ninja Academy, and within another year, he was promoted to chunin.
Although the Academy no longer encouraged early graduation, Haku had already been 12 years old when he arrived in Konoha. Age-wise, his graduation wasn't early—it was even delayed by two years.
As a result, he was fortunate enough to be in the same class as Naruto, Sasuke, and other rising stars of Konoha.
With his stunning looks, his popularity in the grade was undeniable. Even Sasuke couldn't outshine him.
Although Haku was three years older than his classmates, his years of malnutrition made him no taller than the others, allowing him to fit in seamlessly.
Even Sakura and Ino were infatuated with him for a time, chasing him to the Gekkō dojo to deliver flowers.
However, after Haku graduated, Sakura and Ino quickly forgot about him and returned to pursuing Sasuke.
Ah, women—they were so fickle.
---
Today was the day Haku was promoted to chunin, and the original plan was to celebrate.
But Hayate had been called away on an urgent mission, and Kagami, wanting to observe the chosen one's fate, feigned illness to stay home.
"Are you feeling better now?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah, after a nap, much better."
"Are you hungry? Should I make dinner?"
Haku's question reminded Kagami that he was indeed a bit hungry.
Having a younger brother like Haku was a blessing. Ever since Haku learned essential life skills, he had taken on household chores and cooking, allowing Kagami to live like a lord at home.
"Just make something simple," he said. "Something light will do."
"Got it. Just give me a moment," Haku replied.
He was about to head downstairs but suddenly turned back and said, "Oh, by the way, Anko-senpai seemed pretty disappointed not to see you today. She didn't look happy during the meal."
With that, he closed the door, and the sound of footsteps heading downstairs echoed through the house.
"That crazy woman..."
Faced with Anko's persistent attention, Kagami could only shake his head helplessly.
Taking advantage of the time while Haku was busy cooking, Kagami mentally pulled up his information.
Over the past three years, he had risen by two tiers. However, unlike before, these advancements hadn't unlocked new Great Old Ones.
According to the previous unlocking rules, the deities unlocked were always those he needed most. But in these past three years, nothing particularly noteworthy had occurred in his life, and the shinobi world itself had remained calm.
As a result, Kagami hadn't encountered a pressing need for new deities.
In fact, he realized that he could strategically time his tier advancements. By delaying Spidey's upgrades, he could reserve potential deity unlocks for moments of critical crisis, using them to overcome challenges.
Yet, he had pushed through two tier advancements over the past two years, as his chakra couldn't increase through training—it only grew through ranking up.
After upgrading, he selected two deities from the previously unlocked Four Elemental Old Ones:
Ithaqua, the Wind Walker, with powers including Wind-Walker, God of the Furious Storm, and Offspring of the Wind.
Cyäegha, the Destroying Eye, with the ability Gaze of the Eye of Destruction.
In simple terms, the first Great Old One granted control over extreme weather and could grow stronger through procreation. The second Grreat Old One allowed him to forcibly gouge out the eyes of others.
Although their versatility wasn't as broad as Cthugha's, they still offered valuable powers.
The only Four Elemental deity Kagami hadn't unlocked was Cthaat, and for good reason: having that Great Old One automatically transformed the user's body into a liquid-like form similar to the Hōzuki clan's.
That was something he couldn't easily explain to the village.
However, with the shinobi world becoming lively again, he believed that more powerful Great Old Ones would be unlocked in the future.
---
Because Naruto mastered the Shadow Clone Jutsu from the Scroll of Seals, Hiruzen deemed that his abilities were sufficient to pass the Ninja Academy graduation exam.
As a result, Iruka was instructed to give him a ninja headband as his certification.
A few days later, when Naruto arrived at the classroom of the Ninja Academy, it was already abuzz with activity.
"I saw the seat next to Sasuke first!"
"No way! Whoever gets to the classroom first picks the seat. I got here first!"
"We came in at the same time!"
"My right foot stepped into the classroom one centimeter before yours!"
"That was me! I was faster!"
"No, it was me!"
"It's mine!"
Sakura and Ino were arguing passionately over who would sit next to Sasuke, attracting other students to join the commotion, either trying to mediate or just watching the drama unfold.
Taking advantage of the situation, Naruto seized the opportunity and slipped into the vacant seat next to Sasuke.
"Hey! Naruto, why are you sitting there? That's my seat!"
"No, it's mine!"
The classroom was filled with a cacophony of bickering voices.
---
Meanwhile, the events in the classroom were being observed in another location.
Inside the Hokage Tower, in the Hokage's auxiliary office, Hiruzen sat behind a desk, surrounded by many Konoha jonin. All of them leaned in to look at a crystal ball displaying the image of Sasuke.
"Is that him?"
"This year's top rookie, Sasuke."
"So, he's the last surviving member of the Uchiha clan, huh?"
Asuma and Kurenai commented on Sasuke's presence. Despite his young age, his expression was aloof and somewhat arrogant. He remained indifferent to the two girls arguing over him.
In every way, Sasuke resembled a younger version of Kakashi.
"Alright, the team assignments are finalized. Prepare to meet your students this afternoon," Hiruzen announced.
"Kakashi, stay back. The rest, you're dismissed."
"Understood."
Once the other jonin left, Hiruzen spoke gravely, "The team assignments this time were decided after a specific discussion with Danzō. There was significant resistance, but it's been finalized."
"Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke."
Kakashi repeated the three names with a meaningful tone. In fact, the day before, Hiruzen and Kakashi had visited the homes of the three students for a round of home visits.
However, it could hardly be called a visit. Only Sakura's household gave them a warm reception. Both Naruto and Sasuke were orphans, and visiting their homes was more about inspecting their living conditions than anything else.
"This team is well-balanced, but your responsibilities as their teacher extend beyond ordinary training."
"The Uchiha clan massacre over four years ago still has numerous unresolved mysteries. The strange methods of killing and the unidentified biological remains are phenomena we've yet to explain."
"However, due to Danzō's interference, there has been little progress in investigating this incident over the years."
"Now that you are assigned as the teacher to Sasuke, the sole survivor of the massacre, you will have many opportunities to uncover the truth about that night. Furthermore, Itachi is believed to have survived the massacre."
"Itachi had a deep bond with his younger brother. If he ever returns to contact Sasuke, you'll be the first to notice and engage with him."
"He likely knows far more about what transpired that night."
Kakashi noted that Hiruzen's words had described Itachi as a "survivor," suggesting that he believed someone else was behind the massacre.
But was the massacre a deliberate assault on the Uchiha clan, or was it a random attack by unknown enemies initially targeting Konoha but coincidentally starting with the Uchiha compound, located on the outskirts?
Did the Uchiha clan end up as scapegoats for something larger?
These questions remain unanswered.
If some clues could be gleaned from Sasuke or Itachi, it would undoubtedly help uncover the truth about that fateful night.
"Understood, Hiruzen-sama," Kakashi replied.
---
In the classroom, Iruka had finished announcing all the genin team assignments. As for their jonin instructors, they were scheduled to meet their teams in the afternoon.
Among the students, emotions were mixed—some were elated, while others were disappointed.
For instance, Ino slumped into her seat with a defeated look, lamenting that she hadn't been assigned to the same team as Sasuke.
What she didn't realize was that as a member of the Yamanaka clan, she was destined to team up with members of the Nara and Akimichi clans, continuing the traditional formation of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio.
Meanwhile, Sakura, victorious in securing a spot on Sasuke's team, was gloating as she glanced smugly at Ino. But just as she turned to talk to Sasuke, she discovered his seat was empty.
"Where's Sasuke-kun? Where did he go?"
"Sasuke just left. Hey, Sakura, why don't you come with me instead..." Naruto quickly tried to seize the moment, putting on his best attempt to charm her.
But she ignored him entirely, rushing to the window. Looking out, she spotted Sasuke walking across the school grounds and heading out of the gates.
Sasuke-kun, where are you going?
---
On the street, Sasuke walked leisurely, his hands in his pockets, as if heading toward a specific destination.
After a while, he stopped in front of a courtyard gate. Raising his head, he looked at the brown wooden plaque hanging above the gate.
The words on the plaque read: Gekkō Dojo.
Sasuke stood there for a long time before seemingly making up his mind. He finally knocked on the door.
A voice answered from inside after a moment.
"Coming!"
The gate opened, revealing a beautiful young boy dressed in a sky-blue kimono.
Seeing the boy dressed in what resembled women's attire, Sasuke—usually indifferent toward such things—couldn't help but blush slightly.
"Sasuke-kun? Why are you here?"
Haku immediately recognized Sasuke and seemed surprised by his visit.
He had heard of Sasuke during their time at the Ninja Academy. The Uchiha was known for his aloof personality and rarely spoke to anyone, yet his academic performance was outstanding, always ranking just one place above Haku's.
However, he had never spoken to the Uchiha before.
Unexpectedly, after Haku's graduation, Sasuke would show up uninvited at his doorstep.
"Sasuke-kun, are you here to see me?"
He assumed Sasuke came looking for him, as he was the only person at the dojo with even a loose connection to him. But Sasuke had someone else in mind.
"No, I'm here to see Kagami."
Hearing this, Haku was a bit taken aback. Kagami and Sasuke had never interacted before, given their five-year age gap, and there seemed to be no reason for Sasuke to seek him out.
Though puzzled, he politely invited Sasuke in and went upstairs to call Kagami.
A moment later, Kagami descended from the staircase, rounding the corner to see Sasuke.
Kagami, too, was surprised by Sasuke's visit, but he remained composed. Sitting across from the Uchiha, he asked calmly, "You're Sasuke, correct?"
"May I ask what brings you here?"
After a brief moment of hesitation, Sasuke spoke in a serious tone, his youthful voice tinged with determination.
"You were my brother Itachi Uchiha's teammate during his time as a genin, weren't you? I want to ask you some questions about my brother."
"Please!"
With that, Sasuke bowed deeply, nearly touching his forehead to the dojo floor.
