The Ninjas of the Hayate Clan

"You're... Han!" While Yueguang Han was deep in thought, a surprised voice suddenly rang out before him.

"What? Is that little guy Han?"

"It really is Han!"

"He's alive—thank goodness!"

A string of exclamations rose up—shock, disbelief, relief. More than a dozen passing Konoha Ninja immediately gathered around Yueguang Han.

"Uncle Xingye." Hearing the voices in front of and around him, Yueguang Han looked up at the middle-aged man leading the group and spoke coldly. Yueguang Xingye was Yueguang Hayate's father, the head of the Gekko Clan, and one of the clan's only two Elite Jonin. Yueguang Hayate was only four years old now.

Alas! Wenyi and Meizi's deaths hit this child far harder than I imagined. Hearing Yueguang Han's calm, even cold voice, Yueguang Xingye fell silent for a moment. He could not help but sigh inwardly, feeling sorry for Yueguang Han.

Yueguang Wenyi was Yueguang Han's father. He had merely been an ordinary Chunin, and aside from being a ninja, his standing in the clan had been equally ordinary. Meizi was Yueguang Han's mother, whose full name was Yueguang Meizi. She had once gone by Chishang Meizi, had been born a civilian ninja, and was also a Chunin. However, she was a Medical Ninja, and her combat strength was even weaker than that of an ordinary Chunin. Her status had likewise been utterly ordinary.

Yueguang Han's parents had been ordinary in every respect within the clan, even in their social circles. Yet Yueguang Han himself had been very well-liked in the clan and was something of a little celebrity. His young age alone made him endearing, but aside from his poor talent, he was also hardworking, diligent, sweet-tongued, polite, and helpful—a good child who acted like a little adult. Everyone in the clan knew Yueguang Han well. Some members of the Gekko Clan were even far more familiar with Yueguang Han than with his parents, including the clan head, Yueguang Xingye.

(Of course, this was also because the former Yueguang Han knew his talent was terrible. Back then, he did not know whether he had a cheat ability—most likely, he did not—so he had placed enormous importance on interpersonal relationships.)

"Han, it's wonderful that you're all right. Earlier, I heard from the logistics ninjas that you had applied to go to the battlefield. You scared us to death." Yueguang Xingye patted Yueguang Han on the shoulder. He did not mind Yueguang Han's calm, cold tone, and said with a smile, "Later, we heard that you had disappeared on the battlefield. We even thought you were dead. Your Aunt Keiko was heartbroken for a long time. Seeing that you're all right now is truly wonderful."

"That's right! You little brat, you made me shed quite a few tears back then." The female ninja behind Yueguang Xingye put her hands on her hips and spoke indignantly. "You nearly made me furious. This is war! Other people would do anything to avoid it, yet you applied to come to the battlefield yourself. You're a Genin who just graduated—did you come here to die?"

"Yeah, you little brat. When news of your disappearance reached us, we thought you were dead!" The others began complaining as well, but every word was filled with concern for Yueguang Han.

"Sorry for making Aunt Keiko and everyone worry," Yueguang Han said apologetically. Yueguang Keiko was Yueguang Xingye's wife and an Elite Chunin.

"Han, Lord Orochimaru wants to see you." Just as Yueguang Han did not know how to deal with the worry laced with concern from his clansmen, Minato Namikaze appeared in time to rescue him.

"Lord Minato!" At the sight of Minato Namikaze, Yueguang Xingye and the other members of the Gekko Clan immediately stopped tormenting Yueguang Han and hurriedly greeted him. Minato Namikaze was an Elite Jonin and Jiraiya's disciple, one of the Three Ninja. Both his status and strength were extraordinary.

"My apologies, Clan Head Xingye, and everyone from the Gekko Clan. Lord Orochimaru wishes to see Yueguang Han, so I'll take Han to see Lord Orochimaru first," Minato Namikaze said to Yueguang Xingye with a smile.

"Of course, no problem!" Yueguang Xingye hurriedly replied with a smile. "Lord Minato, may I ask you something? Did this child Han make some sort of mistake? If he did, I hope Lord Minato can put in a good word for him. He's a good child, and both of his parents died on the battlefield."

In Yueguang Xingye's eyes, Yueguang Han had only just become a Genin, his strength was meager, and it was his first time on the battlefield. It was impossible for him to have made any great contributions. It was far more likely that he had committed some grave mistake. Thinking of Yueguang Han's earlier disappearance and his sudden return, Xingye feared that Han had fled and been captured, or had been caught by enemy ninjas and only just rescued. Now he was likely awaiting interrogation and punishment. Xingye had even prepared himself to personally plead for mercy. He only hoped to save Yueguang Han's life.

"Clan Head Xingye need not worry. Han merely got separated when he disappeared. Moreover, Han killed many enemies and earned considerable merit. There's no way he ran away or betrayed anyone," Minato Namikaze said with a smile as he led Yueguang Han toward the command headquarters' wooden house.

"He killed many enemies and earned considerable merit?" The Gekko Clan ninjas exchanged glances. They wanted to ask for details, but Minato Namikaze had already left with Yueguang Han, so they could only wait where they were for Han to come back out.

Yueguang Han followed Minato Namikaze into Orochimaru's command headquarters—the same wooden house Minato Namikaze had entered earlier.

The moment he stepped inside, Yueguang Han felt an intrigued gaze settle on him. Orochimaru was the only person in the wooden house.

"Lord Orochimaru." Minato Namikaze respectfully addressed Orochimaru, who was watching Yueguang Han with interest from behind the wooden table. "Yueguang Han has been brought here."

"You've worked hard, Minato-kun." Orochimaru smiled at Minato Namikaze before turning his gaze back to Yueguang Han. Yet no matter how one looked at it, Orochimaru's smile carried a hint of sinister malice.

Minato Namikaze had long grown accustomed to Orochimaru's sinister smile and saw nothing strange about it. He merely returned the smile.

"Minato said you awakened a brand-new Kekkei Genkai. Show it to me." Orochimaru smiled as he spoke to Yueguang Han in a commanding tone.

From Minato Namikaze's report, he already knew that Yueguang Han's previous strength had only been at the level of an ordinary Genin. Orochimaru was genuinely curious about the powerful Kekkei Genkai that had enabled Yueguang Han, a Genin who had only just graduated, to kill over a hundred Sand Shinobi, including ten Jonin, and even force Yakura of the Scorch Release to flee.

Minato Namikaze was also looking at Yueguang Han with great curiosity. As for Yueguang Han's Kekkei Genkai, all he had seen was a hand that could transform into a strange weapon. Even he had instinctively sensed danger from it. Its attack speed seemed bizarrely fast, but he had no idea what its actual ability or effects were. (At the time, he had been too far away, and the battle had already been winding down.)