Moroha

Hayama Shirakumo did not persist with the mission. After glancing over the chaotic battlefield, he ordered a retreat.

He remained silent the entire way.

The words of that little kid on the team had ultimately affected him.

Trading information about important personnel on one's own side to hostile forces in exchange for greater rewards was something all too common in political circles.

It was rumored that the death of Pakura, Sunagakure's elite jonin, concealed some unspeakable secrets.

Hayama Shirakumo had always believed that the Hidden Leaf Village was different.

The Will of Fire taught them that the "Jade General" of this world was neither the Shadow who ruled a village nor the Daimyo at the center of a nation's power, but the thriving younger generation!

Just as the Third Hoshikage had said:

"Where Konoha's leaves dance, the fire burns on without end!"

Hayama Shirakumo had always treated those words as the highest principle for Konoha ninja to follow.

During every mission, he diligently guided and looked after the newcomers assigned to his squad. That was precisely why he was held in considerable esteem among Konoha's ninja.

But after meeting Arata, his thoughts began to waver, and his firmly held beliefs were shaken.

The outside world's assessment was wrong!

What Blood Asura?

What demon who killed without batting an eye?

When he was quiet, Arata was no different from any other child his age. Aside from rarely smiling, every one of his qualities—whether his sense of responsibility or his strength—surpassed those around him!

Especially that self-discipline carved into his bones.

Other than necessary rotating guard duty, the kid did not waste a single moment. Every day, he practiced the same dull sword swings with effortless consistency.

Hayama Shirakumo truly could not imagine how a child of merely ten years old had persisted through such tedious training.

At that age, he should have been at the Ninja Academy, building friendships with his classmates and letting his nature run free. Yet Arata had already completed seventy-one missions, including a highly dangerous A-rank mission!

What had made him become like this?

Before this ambush, Hayama Shirakumo could only find one reason: Arata belonged to the Uchiha Clan.

Ever since the Nine-Tails Incident, the atmosphere throughout the village had changed.

Of course, the root cause was the detestable natural disaster known as the Nine-Tails, but Konoha's higher-ups restructuring the clan powers had been the most important fuse.

Anyone with eyes could see that the Uchiha Clan, one of Konoha's founders, had been pushed to the edge of the village.

This did not directly affect ordinary ninja, nor did they give it much thought.

But that was the Uchiha!

The immensely proud Uchiha!

Not only were members of the Military Police Force criticized for becoming increasingly brutal in their methods, even students from the Uchiha Clan at the academy had become targets of isolation and alienation.

That was why the boys and girls of that clan responded to everyone who doubted them with more direct displays of strength.

Body Flicker Shisui, who intimidated Mist.

Itachi Uchiha, hailed as a genius.

And Arata Uchiha, shrouded in a vicious reputation.

Three outstanding figures from one clan. Such prestige, such strength, made everyone who dared question the Uchiha obediently shut their mouths.

But more than a year ago, the sudden death of Shisui Uchiha made the entire situation even more unpredictable.

Although Konoha publicly declared that Shisui had committed suicide, the Uchiha Clan simply refused to accept that conclusion.

Would Body Flicker Shisui, whose name resounded across the major powers and who could intimidate an entire region, choose suicide merely because of discord between the village and his clan?

What a joke.

That excuse could only fool ignorant bystanders.

Likewise, Hayama Shirakumo had found the matter suspicious at the time. However, he was a traditional ninja far removed from the center of politics and had not paid it much attention.

Training newly promoted genin and chunin well, and protecting Konoha's residents—those were the matters he considered most.

Yet he had never expected such an ambush, such a political conspiracy, to fall upon him.

At first, he had merely thought that Iwagakure spies had happened to appear within the village. But now, recalling the words Arata had spoken, some of his steadfast beliefs began to crumble.

This was a black hand aimed at the Uchiha.

And the boy before him had already grown accustomed to it.

All the killing, all the self-discipline, were meant to protect himself from being erased by that black hand.

Even this seemingly cold and merciless kid had been trying to keep Hayama Shirakumo from getting dragged into it.

Hayama Shirakumo truly did not know what to say.

Had Konoha really changed?

He did not know, nor did he dare uncover that layer of secrecy. He also did not tell Tekuno and Kimura Kai about his conversation with Arata.

The atmosphere within the squad was stifling.

Tekuno hesitated to speak, while Kimura Kai grew increasingly silent. Both felt a trace of fear toward the boy in their squad whose hands were stained with blood yet who remained so calm, and they subtly kept their distance from him.

However, Arata did not care. Rather, he had long since grown accustomed to such isolation.

And at that moment, he was also considering a problem.

Weapons.

Conventional chakra weapons could no longer meet his needs.

After only one intense battle, the blade had already shattered. That was clearly unacceptable.

Moreover, compared to ninjutsu, he was more accustomed to defeating enemies with swordsmanship.

Thus, while no one paid attention to him, Arata flipped through the Yin-Yang Record.

Over this not-too-long, not-too-short period of time, he had accumulated twelve skill points. The reason he had not spent them freely was because he wanted to wait until he understood his true needs before using them.

[Nichirin Blade]: Imbues a weapon with the tough blade properties of a Nichirin Blade. Extremely effective when attacking demons. Skill points required: 1.

(Ps: When used together with Breathing Sword Style, its power increases.)

[Demon-Repelling Sword]: Imbues a weapon with the demon-breaking properties of the Demon-Repelling Sword. Extremely effective when attacking filth. Skill points required: 10.

(Ps: Comes with the skill effect "Insight," with a chance to ignore an enemy's defense and directly slash their soul.)

[Tessaiga]: Imbues a weapon with Tessaiga's demon-energy-absorbing properties, allowing it to draw upon the power of other demons and unleash greater strength. Skill points required: 20.

(Ps: It evolves according to the demon power absorbed, in order: Blood Red, Adamant, Dragon Scale, Black Tessaiga.)

[Tenseiga]: Imbues a weapon with Tenseiga's healing properties. It cannot be used to attack. When carried on the body, it can slowly heal the host's injuries. Skill points required: 30.

(Ps: Passive Tenseiga Barrier activates when the host encounters mortal danger and can block an attack. After use, it must absorb the host's strength to recover; the required time depends on the host's strength. Active Tenseiga Barrier can revive one deceased person, limited to within one day. This effect can only be used once.)

[Nenekirimaru]: Imbues a weapon with Nenekirimaru's demon-repelling properties, capable of breaking through any energy-based defense or attack. Extremely effective when attacking demons. Skill points required: 6.

(Ps: When subjected to intense energy impacts, the blade itself may be damaged. The demon-breaking effect depends on the host's strength.)

[Sode no Shirayuki]: Imbues a weapon with Sode no Shirayuki's freezing properties, with a chance to freeze enemies when attacking. Extremely effective when attacking souls. Skill points required: 4.

(Ps: Spend 8 skill points to unlock Shikai and gain the abilities "First Dance: Tsukishiro," "Second Dance: Hakuren," and "Third Dance: Shirafune.")

[Tensa Zangetsu]: Imbues a weapon with Tensa Zangetsu's soul-cutting properties. Includes the skills Getsuga Tensho and Getsuga Jujisho. Extremely effective when attacking souls. Skill points required: 8.

(Ps: Spend 16 skill points to activate Shikai and gain the abilities "Black Flow Fang Thrust" and "Heavenly Dance Rapid Strike.")