The Witch

The Shinobi World is a flawed world.

Frequent skirmishes and repeated wars have cast a dark cloud over the heavens of the Shinobi World, spreading sorrow across the entire globe.

Even if Uchiha Yuji simply stayed at home, he could absorb piles upon piles of negative emotions.

But within the Ninja Academy, facing children who had not yet been stained by the colors of this world, that pure white radiance—emotions as soft and tender as cake, as sweet as cream—was quite worth savoring.

The Nine-Tails' intense negative emotions spanning a thousand years, the sincere love of Uzumaki Kushina, the pure joy of the children, the gratitude of the villagers—within this single year, the Hyper Zetton inside him had completed several rounds of strengthening.

Zetton is a weapon; it is a terrifying weapon capable of rapid growth and the destruction of civilizations.

This latent nature of the creature subtly influenced Uchiha Yuji, causing anyone who stared at him for even a moment to feel their pores involuntarily expand, their hair standing on end.

Might Guy and Hatake Kakashi understood this deeply.

It was not pressure exerted on a physical level, but a primal terror originating from the instincts of their cells—a fear of death etched into the soul, causing the body to experience physical discomfort.

This was a negative state that could not be eliminated by experience or talent.

"What? Too afraid to come near me?"

"If you don't approach, do you intend to defeat me with shuriken?"

"Muda, muda!"

"If you don't come closer, you cannot defeat me!"

A light breeze blew, kicking up dust from the ground, yet the dust that should have danced wildly lost the courage to continue climbing after rising half a meter into the air.

Although Uchiha Yuji said this, Might Guy and Hatake Kakashi were not so foolish.

If they didn't get close, they could at least use shuriken or similar tools to wear him down, but as for getting close...

The two glanced at the unlucky Uchiha currently being stepped on by Uchiha Yuji.

Even a practitioner of the Iron Fist like Might Guy knew the gap between himself and Uchiha Yuji, and that Uchiha...

"If you can touch the corner of my clothes in a head-on fight, I will propose marriage to her on behalf of the Uchiha clan."

"How about that girl named Nohara Rin? I remember you always sneaking glances at her."

"I think in Konoha, no one would refuse."

After Uchiha Yuji finished speaking those words, despite the temptation being so incredibly simple, the two could not stop Uchiha Obito, who had gone completely mad.

Uchiha Obito unleashed almost all of his power, only to find himself pinned under Uchiha Yuji's foot in a single instant.

Might Guy: Is this guy an idiot?

The two's prolonged hesitation made Uchiha Yuji tap his foot, which made Uchiha Obito wish he could dig a hole and cover his face with dirt.

"He is your comrade, you know. Do you intend to abandon your comrade?"

For a ninja, the mission is paramount; it must be completed at all costs. This ironclad rule is recorded in the Ninja Academy's handbook.

But the ninja code is merely a code; before a ninja is a ninja, they are a human being.

Thus, Sarutobi Hiruzen, who compiled the ninja handbook, kept emphasizing the Will of Fire and the importance of comrades, creating a glaring contradiction.

Uchiha Yuji had no way to interfere with the books Sarutobi Hiruzen used to brainwash the next generation, but his own teaching focused more on comrades.

You're risking your life for a pittance from the mission client?

With a comrade you can fully entrust your back to, helping each other, your ability to survive will increase significantly. A squad can't complete a mission?

Retreat first, we can call people to go together!

The pay might be less, that's all!

"Even if the sky falls, I am still here." Uchiha Yuji crossed his arms, his tone quite flat, yet that flatness revealed unparalleled confidence.

That day's lecture was one that the boys and girls in the Ninja Academy would never be able to forget.

The two's thoughts were pulled back to reality almost simultaneously.

"If I were an enemy, and you didn't act now, your comrade would be killed by me." Uchiha Yuji reminded them with ill intent.

It seemed some words touched a nerve in Might Guy; the chakra on his body suddenly turned violent. "Now is the time! To break my own constraints! To protect my comrade! Open! Eight Inner Gates!"

Hearing Might Guy's heart-wrenching roar, memories hidden deep in Uchiha Yuji's soul suddenly surfaced. "It's not even blood-red steam? You're underestimating me... you idiot!"

A black shadow flashed, and a precise hand-chop struck the back of Might Guy's neck.

Only managing a soft groan, Might Guy, who had just been so high-spirited he wanted to fight the heavens and the earth, turned into a puddle of mush.

"Opening the Eight Inner Gates at your age will bring you no benefit! You hot-blooded idiot!" Uchiha Yuji scolded loudly.

Accelerating bodily functions and opening up the brain's pathways is a dangerous thing even for many official ninjas, let alone a child who hasn't even reached the age of ten.

This would only ravage his body.

An Uchiha Obito with a '2' in intelligence was already exhausting enough; adding a Might Guy full of hot blood and no understanding of self-restraint made Uchiha Yuji let out a long sigh.

Although it was a squad battle, it was clear the other two were not ordinary people who followed the beaten path.

They were stupid geniuses!

Hatake Kakashi, after both his comrades had been captured by Uchiha Yuji, did not flee! Instead, he lunged toward Uchiha Yuji with his short blade.

The sword technique grew increasingly stern, the blade's light reduced to nothing but afterimages!

White Fang descended like a nail, slicing toward Uchiha Yuji's face amidst the howling of the gale.

Though the short blade had yet to make contact, the illusion of a sharp edge cutting into his skin already prickled his senses.

"Not bad." Uchiha Yuji was never one to be stingy with praise. "Your blade has grown sharper, and your strength has increased significantly. You have been training very hard, Kakashi."

"But this is still not enough. You must become even stronger before you can call yourself a true ninja."

As usual, with a light flick against the blade that sent Hatake Kakashi spinning like a top, Uchiha Yuji slowly walked away from the training ground.

Someone was already waiting outside the training ground: a woman dressed in pure white garments, her golden hair draped over her shoulders along her cheeks, wearing a pair of large, round, black-rimmed glasses that seemed to be her true defining feature.

The black-rimmed glasses were exceptionally conspicuous.

"You look much better, Yakushi Nonō. How has the orphanage been lately?"

Yakushi Nonō smiled with genuine happiness. "The children are all growing up happily. It won't be long before they reach adulthood."