A Slap for White Fang

"Kurenai, let me treat you to something to eat."

On one side of Leaf Village's bustling streets, a boy around six years old trailed behind two girls of the same age, chattering nonstop.

"Kurenai, why not just agree to it?"

The girl with shoulder-length black hair gave a wry smile to the girl beside her, whose slightly curled hair fell to her waist and whose eyes resembled rubies.

"No way. Asuma only ever brags about how amazing his dad is. It's boring to death—w-what's that?!"

Yūhi Kurenai had not even finished speaking.

A black crescent streaked across the sky above Leaf Village before crashing heavily into Hokage Rock on the rear mountain.

BOOM!!!

The blast wave formed a violent gale that nearly swept across half of Leaf Village.

Yūhi Kurenai, Shizune, Asuma, and several other kids who had just entered the Ninja Academy were blown straight off their feet.

As for the ordinary civilians nearby, there was no need to mention them.

They were all sent sprawling to the ground in utter disarray.

"W-what happened? An earthquake?"

"Hey! Look at Hokage Rock!"

"Lord Third's face sculpture... i-it's gone?!"

"Is this an enemy attack?!"

"Hurry and notify the Uchiha Guard!"

When they saw the Third Hokage's face sculpture on the rear mountain had been blown to dust and vanished without a trace, all of Leaf Village fell into panic.

After all, they were in the midst of the Ninja Wars.

Many people's first thought was that they were under enemy attack.

The two six-year-old girls, Yūhi Kurenai and Shizune, also climbed back to their feet.

"T-that attack just now had the power of an S-rank Ninjutsu, didn't it?"

Shizune's little face had turned pale with fright as she spoke shakily.

"That was... swordsmanship! But my dad can't do anything like that... Could it have been Uncle Sakumo? No, that's not right. Uncle Sakumo uses Lightning Release..."

Her father, Shinku Yuhi, was also a famous Leaf Village ninja skilled in both swordsmanship and Genjutsu. Yūhi Kurenai had recognized at a glance that the attack had been swordsmanship.

However, it was definitely not a level her father could reach.

In her understanding, only her father's friend, the renowned White Fang, could accomplish such a feat.

But that did not make sense either!

The strange Black Flame burning on the mountain wall clearly had nothing to do with White Fang's Lightning Release sword techniques.

"Let's go take a look!"

Yūhi Kurenai grabbed her best friend's hand and quickly ran toward where the Sword Qi had erupted.

"Hey! Wait for me, Kurenai!"

Asuma scrambled up from the ground and hurried after them.

Meanwhile, within the Uchiha Clan Compound, which had not yet been pushed to the edge of the village and was still located in the village center—

Fugaku Uchiha, only twenty-three and not yet the clan head, stared blankly at the Black Flame still burning on the rear mountain's rock face. He muttered in shock:

"N-no way... C-could that be... the undying flame recorded in Uchiha history... A-Amaterasu?!"

Outside the Hatake Clan home.

Sarutobi Shinnosuke and the other Sarutobi ninja, who had been facing Hatake Gengetsu with his blade raised, collapsed to the ground in terror.

Looking toward the rear mountain, where the face sculpture of his own father had been blasted into powder and utterly erased, Sarutobi Shinnosuke and the others swallowed hard. Was this really the Eternal Genin said to be on par with Might Duy?

Behind them, however, Hatake Sakumo and Kakashi, the father and son, showed little surprise.

They knew better than anyone how terrifying this younger brother's—uncle's—strength was.

"Still thinking of killing yourself?"

Hatake Gengetsu did not spare a glance for the terrified Sarutobi Shinnosuke and the others on the ground. Instead, he turned and asked his older brother.

He was merely a minor character who had not even lived long enough to appear in the original story, someone whose name would never be remembered.

Hatake Sakumo's expression suddenly changed.

To be honest, the endless accusations from other ninja lately had indeed given him thoughts of ending his life.

He had not expected this younger brother, whom he had not seen in a long time, to see right through him.

"Dad?!"

Kakashi was completely stunned as well.

His father had wanted to kill himself?

"I don't know what mistakes you made during your previous mission, but suicide is the stupidest thing in this world."

Hatake Gengetsu slowly sheathed his sword and said indifferently:

"Once you die, you have nothing."

"If you have that thought again, I'll beat you every time I see you."

Hatake Gengetsu crossed his arms over his chest and spoke without the slightest politeness.

As a transmigrator in his previous life, Hatake Gengetsu had already thought Hatake Sakumo's death was painfully pathetic.

And now, he was one of Hatake Gengetsu's only two relatives.

No matter what, Hatake Gengetsu could not just stand by and watch him die.

Hatake Sakumo was speechless. To be honest, his face still hurt.

"Dad, don't think like that!"

Kakashi looked on the verge of tears as he tugged on Hatake Sakumo's clothes and cried out.

Seeing these two family members, Hatake Sakumo felt a pang in his heart. He bit his lip and forced a smile.

"Don't worry. I won't."

"Who destroyed Hokage Rock just now?!"

Suddenly, a frosty shout rang in their ears.

The three members of the Hatake Clan turned to look.

More than a dozen figures wearing gray vests and Animal Masks abruptly appeared using the Body Flicker Technique.

In an instant, they surrounded the Hatake residence.

Just then, Yūhi Kurenai and the other kids arrived.

There were also two more children their age: Uchiha Obito and Nohara Rin!

The two groups had encountered each other on the way.

"Those uniforms... are you Anbu or Root?"

Hatake Gengetsu studied the newcomers and asked with some interest.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's Anbu and Shimura Danzō's Root wore the same attire.

It was said that their masks had slight differences in their characteristics.

But for a genin like Hatake Gengetsu, he simply could not tell them apart.

The arriving group completely ignored Hatake Gengetsu's question.

In their eyes, Hatake Gengetsu, an Eternal Genin, was not worthy of speaking to them.

In the end, this world still spoke through strength.

Otherwise, why had Cloud Village dared to accuse Leaf Village in turn after their attempt to kidnap Hinata Hyuga was exposed following the end of the Third Great Ninja War?

Was it not because Cloud Village had been stronger than Leaf Village at the time?

"They're Root."

At that moment, Hatake Sakumo answered his younger brother's question.

"Oh? So they're Danzo's lapdogs."

Hatake Gengetsu sneered.

"Shut up! Eternal Genin! You have no right to speak here!"

One of the Root members shouted at Hatake Gengetsu, clearly not yet aware of the seriousness of the situation.

"Hatake Sakumo, you released that Sword Qi just now, didn't you? Come with us to the Interrogation Division!"

The Root Squad Leader at the front fixed Hatake Sakumo with an icy gaze from behind his mask.

Clearly, Root believed Hatake Sakumo had released that Sword Qi.

Not just in Leaf Village—even across the entire ninja world, there was likely no second person capable of it.

Though that strange black fire clearly did not fit Hatake Sakumo, who excelled at Lightning Release.

Who else could it have been besides him?

It could not possibly have been Hatake Gengetsu, an Eternal Genin, right?

"That attack that destroyed Hokage Rock was released by Kakashi's dad?"

Obito, with his black hair styled like Naruto's, stared in astonishment. At the same time, a hint of admiration appeared in his eyes. "S-so amazing. What incredible power!"

Yūhi Kurenai's eyes widened in disbelief.

"N-no way, right? Uncle Sakumo couldn't have done something like that..."

Asuma snorted angrily.

"Hmph! Destroying Hokage Rock, the symbol of the Hokage—he'll be in prison for the rest of his life!"

"No, it wasn't Hatake Sakumo..."

By then, Sarutobi Shinnosuke and the others had recovered from their shock. Pointing at Hatake Gengetsu, they gritted their teeth and said to the Root members:

"H-he did it."

In an instant, everyone present turned their eyes toward Hatake Gengetsu.

"Him?!"

The Root Squad Leader looked as though he had heard some absurd joke. He pointed at Hatake Gengetsu as well and asked Sarutobi Shinnosuke in return.

His tone plainly said, Are you kidding me?

What kind of joke was this?

This was the Eternal Genin said to be on par with Might Duy!

"That's right. His swordsmanship is... is nearly equal to White Fang's... And that strange black fire was... was released by him..."

Remembering the destructive force of that S-rank slash, Sarutobi Shinnosuke still felt lingering fear. His voice trembled as he said:

"He hid himself too deeply... What exactly are you trying to do?!"

Obito, Nohara Rin, and the others were dumbfounded.