Team 8 / An Uchiha Among Uchiha, Bloodline Disease

Chapter 12: Team 8

Graduation Day

The students who had successfully passed the graduation exam sat neatly in the classroom while a middle-aged man stood at the podium and loudly announced the team assignments.

"Team 1: Ebisu, Genma Shiranui, Might Guy."

"Team 2: Ibiki Morino, Shizune Kato, Izumo Kamizuki."

"Team 7: Uchiha Obito, Rin Nohara, and one additional member. The teacher will bring him along when the time comes."

"Team 8: Asuma Sarutobi, Kurenai Yuhi, Gekko Hayate."

Once he finished speaking, the teacher instructed the students to wait in the classroom for their squad leaders before leaving on his own.

The moment the door shut, the entire classroom erupted.

Obito excitedly rushed over to Rin Nohara, grinning from ear to ear. "Awesome, Rin, we're in the same class! I'll definitely protect you!"

Rin narrowed her eyes and smiled faintly. "Then I'll thank you in advance, Obito."

As soon as her gentle words fell, Obito's entire face turned bright red. He covered his face, spun around, and went wild.

The classroom was noisy. Some were dissatisfied, while others were happy, but without exception, everyone was talking about the team assignments. Naturally, Asuma's group was no different.

He had a blade of grass dangling from his mouth and his arms crossed as he smugly smiled at Kurenai.

"What do you think, Kurenai? Didn't I say we'd be assigned to the same team? And our squad leader will definitely be a powerful ninja!"

Kurenai Yuhi had seemed rather uninterested at first, but upon hearing that, she seemed to recall something and asked expectantly,

"I heard Uchiha Mo was promoted to Jonin a few days ago. Do you think he might become one of the squad leaders for our class?"

"Who? Uchiha Mo?" Asuma frowned in confusion.

"Yeah! The legendary Blood Ninja. Haven't you heard of him, Asuma?"

"Haha... B-Blood Ninja... I-I know, of course I know." Asuma scratched his head, revealing an awkward smile.

Although Mo had gained some fame by now, he was still far from being as renowned throughout the Ninja World as the Sannin or the White Fang. Naturally, most people who did not pay much attention to such matters knew little about him.

"I... cough, cough! I know, I know!" Gekko Hayate, who had been standing beside them and unable to get a word in, suddenly became excited.

"The Blood Ninja is the strongest Uchiha genius since the village was founded. The number of missions, large and small, that he's completed over the past few years is already comparable to some veteran Jonin. I heard he got that name because his Fire Release is as vivid as blood, and he's also extremely skilled with Fire Release swordsmanship, so Blood Ninja can also mean Blood Blade! Most amazing of all, I heard he's about the same age as us. That's just too... cough, cough! Cough cough cough! Too amazing!"

Hayate's face was flushed, making his pale complexion look much healthier than usual.

Kurenai Yuhi's eyes curved as her lips lifted into an adorable smile. She looked utterly delighted.

"Right? He's amazing! And his Genjutsu is really strong too!"

Seeing how happy Kurenai Yuhi was, Asuma's thoughts raced. After racking his brains, inspiration suddenly struck, and he showed a look of realization.

"Oh! I remember now! The old man told me before, that guy who was too cruel to his enemies and... cough! So it was him..."

Seeing Asuma like this, Kurenai Yuhi immediately turned to ask him,

"Then could he become a squad leader?"

"He... if I remember correctly, he's only ten, right? Although I don't know the old man's specific arrangements, by convention, squad leaders must not only be Jonin, but are generally experienced ninja in their prime..."

"And..." Remembering Kurenai Yuhi's excited expression, Asuma's gaze drifted as he said seemingly casually,

"Although there are many precedents of Special Jonin becoming squad leaders, the members of our team are rather special after all... Uchiha Mo may be a genius, but at his age... his strength is probably still a little lacking."

Though Asuma was referring to the members of Team 8, they both knew he was talking about himself.

Kurenai Yuhi frowned slightly, folded her arms, and said with some displeasure,

"Honestly, I never said Mo would become our squad leader. I only asked whether he might become a squad leader for our class..."

Seeing that Kurenai Yuhi was angry, Asuma immediately became flustered. Fortunately, the classroom door was suddenly pulled open at that moment, and a middle-aged man walked in.

With that unexpected development, the noisy classroom immediately fell silent, and pair after pair of curious eyes settled on the man.

"I'm Team 4's squad leader. My adorable little teammates, come with me."

The man smiled, then led three children out of the classroom.

After that, several more people entered the classroom one after another and took their own team members away.

Very soon, half an hour had passed, and only the five members of Team 7 and Team 8 remained in the classroom.

"Why is this teacher so slow?! Nearly everyone else has left, and he still isn't here!"

Obito impatiently shouted. He stormed up to the podium, grabbed the chalkboard eraser, and prepared to set a trap for the next unlucky person to enter.

But at that very moment, a set of footsteps suddenly sounded outside the door, followed by the classroom door being yanked open.

A blond man and two boys stood side by side at the entrance. Obito froze on the spot, hurriedly hid the eraser behind his back, and awkwardly greeted them.

"Big brother, you're our squad leader, right? I... Kakashi?! You're the additional... Mo!!! Wait... Y-you two aren't both our additional teammates, are you?!"

Obito's eyes widened, his mouth hanging open in exaggerated shock as his trembling right hand pointed at the two of them.

Mo glanced at the bristling Obito and ignored him entirely, instead walking directly toward the other side of the classroom.

As the three members of Team 8 watched the boy, who was not much taller than them, approach, two completely different kinds of excitement suddenly arose in their hearts.

"N-No way?!"

The footsteps stopped. Mo came to a halt before the three of them and said,

"Team 8, come with me."

"Yay!"

Kurenai Yuhi leaped up excitedly, but after realizing what she was doing, her little face reddened. She sat back down awkwardly.

Beside her, Gekko Hayate also wore an excited expression, looking every bit like an ardent fan.

"What kind of joke is this?! I clearly told the old man I wanted a powerful Jonin squad leader!"

The young Asuma was not yet the steady, dependable tough guy of the Shippuden era, but a genuine rebellious teenager. Later on, he would even develop the notion that "the Hidden Leaf and the Hokage are nothing special; only the daimyo is truly important" because he constantly clashed with the Third Hokage.

With an angry expression, he raised a hand and pointed at Uchiha Mo, about to say something.

Chapter 13: An Uchiha Among Uchiha, Bloodline Disease

Before he could speak, however, Uchiha Mo suddenly turned his head. A pair of scarlet eyes hung on his calm face.

Genjutsu: Sharingan!

Asuma's mind jolted, and he instantly froze in place. His right arm fell to his side, and he immediately became obedient.

"Uh... Mo... wasn't that a bit much? At the end of the day, he's just a child."

Minato Namikaze scratched his cheek and smiled awkwardly.

Mo turned and swept his gaze over him. Obito immediately shuddered and darted behind Minato Namikaze, timidly poking his head out.

"I'm disciplining my own student. Are you telling me how to do things?"

Minato hurriedly waved his hands, several drops of cold sweat appearing on his forehead.

"Of course not... I just think we should be a little more tolerant toward children."

Mo turned his gaze away and ignored Minato. He simply told the three, "Follow me," then turned and headed for the door.

The four members of Team Minato stood there in a daze. Only after the footsteps of all four Team 8 members had faded away did they dare speak.

Obito let out a huge breath. "Whew... he's finally gone. That killer."

Seeing Obito's exaggerated reaction, Rin Nohara asked in confusion,

"Obito, isn't that a little over the top? That person looked a bit fierce, but he didn't really do anything to Asuma, did he? He only used Genjutsu to control him temporarily."

Obito hurriedly replied, "Rin! You're just too kind. You have no idea how terrifying that guy is! Mo... he's practically... an Uchiha among Uchiha!"

"An Uchiha among Uchiha?" Rin Nohara tilted her head in confusion.

"Yeah! Once, when he returned to the clan grounds, he was covered in blood! He was only six at the time. He charged into a cult organization and killed every single organizer and brainwashed person!"

His eyes were wide, and his body trembled as though he were speaking the absolute truth.

Once he finished, Rin Nohara cried out in alarm.

"Ah! Then that means... even the brainwashed civilians inside..."

Before she could finish, Obito, who understood what she meant, nodded solemnly. He leaned toward Rin and whispered, "I heard fewer than twenty people survived... The Great Elder of the clan said he was like an Uchiha born in the Warring States Era..."

Rin's face turned pale. Seeing that, Obito was quite satisfied and quickly pressed on. "So, Rin, you have to stay far away from him from now on. You're so cute..."

Before Obito could finish, a large hand suddenly landed on his head, cutting off all his remaining words.

Minato bent down, brought his face close to the two of them, and revealed a sunny smile.

"Alright, that's enough. Talking about others behind their backs is very rude, you know. And isn't Mo one of your clansmen too, Obito?"

Kakashi, meanwhile, looked at Obito with a slight frown.

Although Mo seemed very cold, Kakashi only felt that he was an ordinary Uchiha with a sharp tongue. At heart, he was still a very caring person. After all, that day, he had said he would not lecture Kakashi, yet when he saw how lost Kakashi was, he had still said so much in the end. Kakashi did not believe Mo could be that kind of person.

Elsewhere.

Mo brought the three of them to the training ground. Only after seeing them obediently seated on the grass did he release the Genjutsu on Asuma.

"Hm?" The scarlet color in Asuma's eyes slowly faded, returning them to normal. He came back to his senses with a shudder, then honestly sat on the grass without daring to look up at Mo.

Uchiha Mo did not pay him any attention. Instead, he said evenly,

"Let's do a simple introduction. I'll demonstrate first. My name is Uchiha Mo. I don't have any particular favorite food. I like ninja tools, dislike sweets, and my dream is to become the strongest ninja. That's all. Kurenai, you start."

Kurenai raised her head and met those clear black eyes. Two rosy clouds suddenly appeared on her pretty face.

He still remembers me!

She covered her face and avoided his gaze before softly saying,

"My name is Kurenai Yuhi. My favorite foods are shochu and octopus. I hate cake because it makes you gain weight easily. My dream is... to live a peaceful and happy life."

"Huh? I thought ninja weren't allowed to drink before becoming adults?" Gekko Hayate scratched his head and asked doubtfully.

"..."

As soon as he spoke, the air around them instantly fell silent. Kurenai Yuhi lowered her head, her little face red. The atmosphere had been too comfortable, and she had temporarily forgotten about that.

"Gekko Hayate, your turn."

In the end, Uchiha Mo turned his gaze toward him and broke the awkward silence.

"Huh? Oh!" Gekko Hayate belatedly raised a hand to rub the back of his neck, hunching over and drawing in his shoulders awkwardly.

"My name is Gekko Hayate. My favorite food is... cough cough! Ramen. I hate taking medicine. My dream is to become a healthy, powerful ninja."

As soon as he finished, the other three turned their gazes toward Hayate's pale face and the heavy dark circles beneath his eyes.

Bloodline Disease, the most unsolvable killer in the entire Ninja World. No matter how talented or powerful one was, no one could escape its deadly grasp.

Not even geniuses on the level of Itachi Uchiha and Kimimaro Kaguya could avoid it. Not even biologists and doctors on the level of Orochimaru and Tsunade could do anything about it, much less Gekko Hayate.

Mo looked away and pressed his lips together slightly. He had awakened his Sharingan at five, yet even at ten, he still only had a Two-Tomoe Sharingan because he feared developing Bloodline Disease.

Looking across Uchiha history, the age at which one awakened the Sharingan did not truly indicate much. Sasuke had only awakened a single tomoe after his entire clan was sacrificed. In the eyes of ordinary people, that meant Sasuke lacked talent, but Mo believed that was precisely what proved Sasuke's heaven-defying talent.

Awakening the Sharingan earlier was not necessarily better. Receiving the appropriate power at the appropriate age was true talent. Madara Uchiha had not awakened his Sharingan until he was fifteen, but that did not prevent him from becoming the strongest person in Uchiha history.

The Sharingan was the strongest Yin Release power among all bloodlines in the Ninja World. Itachi had awakened the Mangekyo at eleven, and as his ocular power rose afterward, he gradually began to show symptoms of Bloodline Disease.

Mo guessed that the reason was likely the excessive disparity between Yin and Yang Release. His powerful ocular power had oppressed Itachi's still-developing body, causing continuous and irreversible damage.

It was precisely because of this speculation that, even though Mo's ocular power was now no weaker than that of an ordinary Three Tomoe Sharingan, he still did his best to suppress the impulse within his eyes.