"Who knows?"
He replied without much interest. The strange, intricate Mangekyō Sharingan, its black and crimson patterns intertwined, quietly disappeared from his eyes.
[Name: Uchiha Hanazuki] [ Kekkai Genkai: Mangekyō Sharingan ] [Identity: Nine-Tails Jinchuriki] [Tailed Beast: Black Nine-Tails]
As a prospective member of the Konoha Orphanage, Uchiha Hanazuki had lost both his parents in the Second Shinobi World War.
Having been treated like their own child since he was little, it was only natural that he'd be moved by the sight. After all, he wasn't Sasuke. Receiving the death notices one after another had been enough to awaken his Mangekyō after the second blow.
Still, he preferred to tell it this way.
His biological parents had been forced to abandon him at a cemetery. After a special sacrifice, he'd unlocked a permanent field spell: the Three-Tomoe Sharingan and a consumable spell card, the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Hanazuki snatched the two bells from Orochimaru and, with a disdainful look, tossed them to Uzuki Yugao and Anko. Then he pressed his hands together.
"Release!"
"That means those two passed the exam. Hurry up and let me go back to the Ninja Academy. Please, Orochimaru-sensei."
Orochimaru awoke from the genjutsu, cold sweat streaming down his forehead. His snake-like pupils flickered wildly as he took in the surrounding scene.
'Nothing's changed at all. There's no sign of ninjutsu. Was it genjutsu from the very beginning? This kid...'
His cold, vertical pupils lingered on the bells in Anko and Yugao's hands. Orochimaru's expression turned strange.
"Why? You knew that losing the bells would cost you your chance to graduate from the Ninja Academy, yet you handed that chance to someone else?"
"When you ask a question, don't let your pupils waver, Orochimaru-sensei! Could it be that you're afraid?"
His innermost thoughts exposed, the hard lines of Orochimaru's face twisted ever so slightly. The clear black-and-white eyes before him seemed to hold some unknown power, leaving him shocked and trembling.
This kid, this kid, this kid... Such potential, such talent...
"Hehehe. Congratulations, all of you passed. What terrifying talent. I'm almost jealous. Would you be interested in becoming my student, Uchiha Hanazuki...?"
Before Hanazuki could answer, the shrill cries of eagles rang across the sky. Orochimaru slowly raised his head, and the shock and smile on his face quietly vanished.
"You lot really are unexpectedly unlucky. Is the war about to begin again?"
He sighed deeply. His plan to sneak back into the Ninja Academy had just gone up in smoke.
'What's this supposed to mean? I set my sights on the Ninja Academy, and if I can't go back, it's straight to the Third Shinobi World War?'
His figure gradually receded into the distance, leaving behind a bewildered Anko and Yugao, and Uchiha Hanazuki, who stared up at the sky with nothing left to live for.
"I don't want to be cannon fodder, you damn pervert."
"So... did we graduate?"
Yugao looked around in confusion, then glanced at the two companions who were about to embark on a brand-new life with her and asked timidly.
"That's right. I have good news and bad news. Which one do you want to hear first?"
Before either of them could answer, Hanazuki continued on his own.
"The good news is that we graduated. The bad news is that we're about to head to the battlefield. Remember to write your wills in advance. I'm out."
Watching him turn to leave, the two girls exchanged a speechless glance. They agreed on where to meet the next day, then went their separate ways.
On the streets of the Uchiha Clan district, members of the Konoha Military Police Force stood solemn-faced throughout the neighborhood. They had clearly received word that war was coming and were preparing for battle.
In an ordinary little house tucked away at the edge of the street, Hanazuki lay on the soft, comfortable bed and returned once more to his inner world.
"You're back, kid? Good. I've decided. I want the place changed to a forest villa after all. The chips should be fish cake flavored. Hurry up and make it happen!"
"You're such a pain. Do you even understand what's going on? We'll be heading to the battlefield soon. If I die, you'll die too, you idiot Kurama!"
Furious, he thought of how Kurama had done nothing but eat and sleep since yesterday. Even if the Nine-Tails had the opposite personality, that didn't mean it should go from a fox to an orange pig.
"Uchiha brat, did you forget something? This is your inner world. I can hear your thoughts. Who are you calling an orange pig?!"
The Black Nine-Tails bared its claws, its mountain-like tails sending waves surging through the lake. Unfortunately, it had no effect on Hanazuki.
"If you're not an orange pig, then get it together! Give me the power to survive on the battlefield. Hand over whatever you've got in that belly of yours."
"Tch, what a troublesome brat. With me helping you, do you really think you won't survive?"
Looking at the Black Nine-Tails' disdainful expression, Hanazuki's mouth twitched. Was the Black Nine-Tails' power really something he could casually draw out with his Mangekyō Sharingan?
Judging by the current timeline, Uchiha Madara was still alive!
If Madara found out that Hanazuki had the Nine-Tails inside him, there was no telling whether he'd set his sights on him. Madara might be old, frail, and broken now, but the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path was the natural enemy of the Tailed Beasts.
"Besides Tailed Beast Chakra, don't you know any other ninjutsu or Senjutsu?"
"Things like Sage Mode or the Flying Thunder God Technique—powerful techniques that don't draw too much attention..."
Before he could finish, clear impatience appeared on the Black Nine-Tails' face, and it waved its paws repeatedly.
"You're too demanding, kid. Fine. I don't know much about human ninjutsu, but I was at least forced to listen while Namikaze Minato taught it to Menma."
"If you want to ask a fox for help, you need to show some sincerity. Bring me an offering, quick! With me helping you, mastering the Flying Thunder God in a day will be a piece of cake!"
The fox's face was full of slyness, making it hard to tell how much truth there was in its words. But time was short, and Hanazuki had no choice but to trust it this once.
"Honestly, my ocular technique doesn't exist to make snacks for you."
The Tomoe spun, and the intricate, exquisite Mangekyō blossomed in his eyes. The pale-blue water churned, transforming the unreal into reality.
"Your fish cake-flavored chips, with a bonus bottle of soda, plus a Forest Courtyard. Please sign here."
Beneath the water, pale-blue chakra gathered into shape. A gigantic bag of chips nearly a hundred meters tall and a bottle of soda as tall as a water tower emerged from the unreal.
"Oh! As expected of the Mangekyō Sharingan's ocular technique! You really are an amazing kid! Hahahaha..."
"Your praise means less to me than ninjutsu and forbidden techniques. Quit focusing on eating, you idiot!"
The chips, each as big as a horse-drawn carriage, crunched loudly between the Nine-Tails' sharp teeth. Every so often, it gulped down some bubbling soda and let out a cry of joy unlike any it had ever made.
"I don't actually know the Flying Thunder God Technique, but I do know a technique that suits you better. Learn it yourself."
A person-sized scroll dropped from the sky into the pale-blue Heart Lake. Hanazuki raised his brows, a flicker of surprise in his eyes.
"Is it this forbidden technique?"
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