Making a Name for Himself

"I know." A gritted the words out. "That's why we have to kill him before he reaches his full potential."

He turned to Blue B. "How are you?"

"The genjutsu's still affecting me, but it's fading." Blue B rubbed his temples.

"That genjutsu... it's terrifying.

"It doesn't directly control your thoughts. It distorts your senses.

"What I see, hear, and feel—even what I sense with Chakra—could all be altered."

"Is there a way to break it?"

"There is." Blue B put his sunglasses back on. "Either kill him before he can use it,

"or overwhelm every falsehood with absolute power."

He paused, then added:

"For example, Complete Tailed Beast Transformation."

A was silent for a moment, then patted Blue B on the shoulder. "Let's go. The old man's going to chew us out for failing this mission.

"As for that Uchiha Ryūha..."

His eyes gleamed with killing intent.

"We'll have plenty of chances on the battlefield."

Late that same night, Konoha's front-line camp, medical area

The tent reeked of disinfectant mixed with the metallic stench of blood.

Groans, stifled sobs, and the hurried orders of medical ninjas blended into the most authentic soundtrack of war.

Uchiha Ryūha sat on a makeshift bed in the corner, eyes closed as he regulated his breathing.

Matsumoto Ryūichi had broken two ribs and was being treated in the next tent.

Haruno Kazuya and Fujiwara Itsuki had suffered some minor injuries and gotten a scare, but they were all right. Ryūha had sent them off to rest.

His brief clash with the AB Duo had looked effortless, but it had cost him plenty.

Using high-level Kido repeatedly while maintaining Complete Hypnosis with Kyōka Suigetsu put a heavy strain on his Reiatsu.

Fortunately, Captain-level Reiatsu not only increased the power of Kido, but also gave him far greater stamina than before.

He had gained a lot from this encounter—he'd tested Kyōka Suigetsu's effect on someone nearing Perfect Jinchuriki status and gauged A's current speed and strength.

More importantly...

"Have you heard? Uchiha Ryūha from the Fourth Special Operations Squad fought Kumogakure's AB Duo on the Land of Hot Water border today!"

"The AB Duo? You mean 'Killer Bee' Blue B and 'A'?"

"Yeah! Apparently, they were evenly matched, and Uchiha Ryūha walked away unharmed."

"Seriously? That was the AB Duo! The two strongest young shinobi in Kumogakure!"

"Absolutely! A front-line patrol saw the signs of the battle with their own eyes. Half the forest was destroyed!"

"Damn, he walked away from a fight with the AB Duo at eleven... Is this kid going to be another White Fang?"

"Forget that! I think he's even more incredible than White Fang was at his age!

"You don't know? He also took out an elite Kumogakure reconnaissance squad all by himself."

"Without hand seals? Could it be a Kekkei Genkai?"

"Has to be! He's from the Uchiha Clan, and he's already this strong without awakening his Sharingan. Imagine how strong he'll be once he does!"

"Looks like this war's going to give Konoha another legend..."

Murmurs from the patrolling ninjas drifted in from outside the tent.

Uchiha Ryūha felt a little helpless.

It wasn't that he didn't want to awaken his Sharingan. It was just that emotional trauma was hard to come by.

Ever since he'd gained Kyōka Suigetsu, every battle he'd fought had been entirely under his control.

Combined with his ever-growing Reiatsu, he finally understood why Aizen in the manga always seemed so unruffled.

"If all else fails, I'll ask the clan head to hit me with Tsukuyomi. That ought to awaken my Sharingan."

With that thought,

Uchiha Ryūha stopped dwelling on it and was about to resume regulating his breathing when a sudden commotion erupted outside the tent.

"...I told you, that's not how you use a sword! What you're doing isn't Hatake Style at all!"

A boy's voice rang out, clear but unmistakably angry.

"Hah? You haven't even got hair on your chin, and you think you can lecture me about swordsmanship? Do you know how many Kumogakure shinobi I've killed? More than the meals you've eaten!"

A gruff adult voice answered.

"Killing a lot doesn't mean you know how to use a sword! My father said a sword is an extension of your arm, not a club for bashing people!

"Your brute-force swings leave openings everywhere!"

"Your father? Who's your father, then? What makes you think you can talk like that?"

"Hatake Sakumo."

"...Uh."

Silence.

Then came an awkward cough. "So you're White Fang's son... Sorry about that.

"But, young Kakashi, this is the Medical Corps. The wounded need to rest. Don't you think..."

"I'm just here to deliver medicine." The boy's voice remained cool. "And point out your mistakes.

"You wouldn't want your next trip here to be because someone opened your throat."

"You—!"

"Let him in," Ryūha suddenly called.

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried clearly outside the tent.

The flap was lifted.

A silver-haired boy walked in, carrying a box of medical supplies.

It was Kakashi Hatake.

He entered the tent and glanced around. When he spotted Ryūha in the corner, he paused briefly.

Then he went to the medical stand in front of Ryūha, set down the box, and began sorting the medicine.

His movements were far too practiced for a child.

"I heard what you said just now," Ryūha remarked.

Kakashi's fingers paused. He didn't look up. "Oh."

"You were right.

"That Chunin's swordsmanship really was terrible." Ryūha smiled.

"But calling someone out in front of everyone can easily make enemies.

"Trust between teammates matters on the battlefield."

"Trust isn't built by hiding mistakes," Kakashi replied coldly. "If he dies on the battlefield because of his poor swordsmanship, that's when he'll have failed all his teammates."

Ryūha raised an eyebrow.

Interesting.

Compared to the Kakashi of this period in the original story, he was sharper and colder, but also... more clear-eyed.

It seemed that talk they'd had that day had helped, but the main reason was that his father was still alive.

With Hatake Sakumo alive and Kakashi not having lost his father, his personality had taken a different path.

He was no longer the "Copy Ninja" who numbed himself with rules.

Instead, he was a precocious genius who had recognized reality early, and had even grown somewhat ruthless.

"Fair point." Ryūha nodded, then suddenly asked, "How's your father doing?"

Kakashi finally looked up at him. A faint flicker of emotion passed through those dead-fish eyes.

"Father's doing well. He told me to thank you if I ran into you." Kakashi paused, then added,

"He doesn't say it, but I know you saved him."

"It was nothing."

"Maybe it was nothing to you." Kakashi lowered his head and continued sorting the medicine. "But to me, it was everything."

He said it calmly, but Ryūha could hear how much it meant to him.

"What are you doing here?" Ryūha changed the subject. "This is a front-line camp. Genin aren't supposed to come here."

"Father sent me," Kakashi replied. "He said a real ninja doesn't grow up in a hothouse. And besides..."

He looked up toward the tent entrance, where groans and sobs continued to sound.

"I wanted to see for myself what Father faced back then. And..." He looked at Ryūha, a sharp glint in his eyes. "I want to know how strong someone who can drive back the AB Duo really is."

Ryūha smiled.

"Did you find out?"

"I saw part of it," Kakashi answered honestly. "But I get the feeling that wasn't all you can do."

"Clever." Ryūha rose and walked over to Kakashi, looking down at the precocious boy. "So, Kakashi, do you want to get stronger?"

Kakashi's pupils contracted slightly.

"Not through steady, step-by-step training. Not by following some so-called 'right path.'

"Instead, by using the fastest, most effective methods—even ones people might call unorthodox—to gain the power to protect the people who matter to you."

Ryūha's voice was soft, yet strangely persuasive.

"Your father's path suits him, but it might not suit you.

"You're a genius, but if a genius takes the wrong path, he'll only fall faster."

"So?" Kakashi's voice remained calm, but his fingers tightened slightly around the medicine.

"So, I can teach you," Ryūha said with a smile. "A few... interesting things."

Outside the tent, the night wind howled, carrying the distant stench of smoke and blood.

Inside, the silver-haired boy looked up at Uchiha Ryūha, and for the first time, something fiery kindled in his cold eyes.