He Became Her

"Who knows? It's lucky enough to have escaped with my life. It's a good thing I didn't call Ao over beforehand; otherwise, the Byakugan I worked so hard to seize would have been reclaimed by those Konoha ninja."

At this, Karatachi Yagura gnashed his teeth in hatred. As the dignified Fourth Mizukage, he had actually fallen for the genjutsu of a mere brat.

If word of this battle were to spread, how could he possibly maintain his standing in the Village of the Bloody Mist? How could he uphold the will of the Third Mizukage? Damn it!

Meanwhile, on the outskirts of the Land of Water, in a village shrouded in snow all year round.

A diligent and kind man, his clothes covered in patches, wore a broad smile. Full of energy, he prepared to provide some proper nourishment for his child, who had just turned one.

Inside the dilapidated hut, the delicate-featured woman looked at the child in her arms, her heart heavy with worry, her brow furrowed with anxiety.

"Will this child also inherit... no, please, don't let it be. Don't let him inherit that cursed power, Haku..."

Bang!

The door swung open, and gusts of wind and snow cut like blades. The black cloak whipped violently, prompting the woman to shield the child behind her.

"Who are you? A ninja?"

"Is this the child? I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you to sleep for a moment. I intend to make a slight modification to this child's destiny."

The intricate and complex Kaleidoscope patterns shifted in an instant, causing the woman's spirit to scatter as she stared into them, falling helplessly into a genjutsu.

"Let me witness your ability. Bloom, Kyoka Suigetsu."

At some unknown moment, an invisible power within the Book of the Crimson Moon formed a barrier, enveloping the entire hut.

A clear, azure radiance descended from the ancient bamboo scroll in his hand onto the child, eventually dissipating into nothingness.

Countless amounts of natural energy surged into the Book of the Crimson Moon, causing the natural energy in the area to churn violently, as if filling an unknown void.

After a long while, Uchiha Hanazuki looked left and right, scanning up and down with a face full of suspicion.

"Is that it? What exactly happened?"

After a moment of silence, Hanazuki stepped forward and picked up the child. After probing with his perception, he froze in place.

"This child is... wait, I remember he was a 'he' just a moment ago. Could it be that the ability of the Book of the Crimson Moon is..."

He felt as if struck by lightning. Even as Hanazuki left, the image remained burned into his mind, unable to shake it off for a long time.

"He... turned into a she? How could this be? And this feeling..."

The water surface was deep blue, emitting a shimmering glow. Within the inner world, the skin-and-bones Black Nine-Tails glared with fury, its eyes as large as carriages staring viciously at Hanazuki.

"You hateful Uchiha brat! What the hell did you do? What was that power from just now? Why did you drain so much of my chakra? Are you trying to destroy this world?!"

"You're too noisy! How would I know? I just opened the barrier of the Book of the Crimson Moon and happened to change some established facts. Who knows why it consumed your chakra?"

The fox's fur stood on end, and it roared immediately.

"I knew it! It definitely had something to do with you, you brat! Damn it, do you know what it feels like to have someone force you to vomit when you don't want to?"

"Brat this, brat that—I'm sick of hearing it! Are you looking for trouble, Orange Pig?"

"You evil brat! Today, I'll show you what true fear is! Tailed Beast Bomb!"

Three minutes later, the bruised and battered Black Nine-Tails listened to the explanation with a bizarre expression.

"You bastard, not only did you send my chakra to some strange place, but you also turned someone into a woman? Is this... ah, right, is this some kind of raising-a-child game?"

Countless potato chips the size of carriages crunched between its sharp teeth, accompanied by the occasional bubbling sound of soda. The Black Nine-Tails' emaciated body gradually began to fill out.

"No one will mistake you for a mute if you don't talk. Even eating can't plug that mouth of yours. I just wanted to test it; who knew he would turn into a she? This thing—the ability of the Book of the Crimson Moon is definitely not that simple."

His eyes flickered. Consuming nearly half of the Nine-Tails' chakra had caused the natural energy around the village to fall into chaos. The effect was indeed astonishing; even now, Hanazuki hadn't fully recovered.

"Oh, sure, sure. I believe you. You're definitely not swayed by beauty, you cold and heartless ninja who uses ocular techniques to create women's lingerie and is interested in women older than himself... Wahahaha!"

Halfway through, the Black Nine-Tails couldn't hold it in anymore and burst into loud laughter, its fox tails wagging wildly behind it.

"Say one more word, and I'll use the Book of the Crimson Moon to turn you into a female fox. I want to see if you can still laugh then."

The laughter stopped abruptly. The Black Nine-Tails looked wary and instinctively took a few steps back. It was genuinely afraid of being threatened with that.

Regaining control of his body, Hanazuki looked into the distance. The chakra mark on the child was clearly visible to him.

"No matter how fiercely the fires of war burn, they will eventually extinguish as the fuel runs out. Is this war finally coming to an end?"

On the other side, in Konoha Village.

"Minato, I leave this matter to you. You must guide him onto the right path. I'm counting on you."

In the Hokage's office, Sarutobi Hiruzen spoke with a solemn tone, while Namikaze Minato looked deeply puzzled.

"Uchiha Hanazuki... isn't this child a student of Orochimaru-sensei? Why do you want me to mentor him?"

Lowering his gaze, Sarutobi Hiruzen thought of the traces found on the ceiling of the study and the clues captured by the Telescope Technique. He truly didn't want to doubt his prized student, but...

"In any case, leave the matter to you. I will speak with Orochimaru about it. Having him by your side should be of great help."

Thinking of the fearless expression and the way the boy had looked down upon authority during their first meeting, Minato felt a headache coming on. This problem seemed even thornier than he had imagined.

"Yes, I understand."

"Speaking of him, has he returned? This mission was completed successfully. Uchiha Hanazuki is truly an excellent child, though he still has a long way to go before becoming a truly great ninja."

Sarutobi Hiruzen's sigh forced Minato to offer a polite smile. In the crystal ball, the figure followed behind several captured Konoha ninja, occasionally looking up toward the crystal ball.

"Truly... a sharp child. Perhaps this will be interesting."

At the same time, Hua Yue, having discovered she was being spied on by the Telescope Jutsu, felt her mouth twitch as she muttered inwardly.

Speaking of which, is it not possible that the Third Hokage, that lecherous old man, also frequently uses this technique to peep at the hot springs?

With her mind wandering, she inadvertently glanced back, a strange smile playing on her lips.

"Yo, Kakashi-senpai, you've obtained quite the eye!"