Hatake Muzan

"Is this Sakumo's child? How pitiful."

"The boy has suffered from a severe skin condition since birth; he cannot be exposed to sunlight."

"His body is so frail. They say he was nearly stillborn."

Land of Fire.

At the Hatake Household in the Hidden Leaf Village, a child covered himself in black robes to shield against the sun, listening to the people around him gossiping loudly.

The labels of being sickly and frail had never left Hatake Muzan since he arrived in the Naruto World.

He was practically a disgrace to the Hatake name.

Not only was his father the White Fang of Konoha, but his younger brother was also a genius ninja.

"How laughable."

Beneath the black robes were a pair of blood-red eyes; anyone who caught a glimpse of them could not help but be mesmerized.

Just then, a small child stood in front of them, holding a kunai to warn the adults nearby:

"Bastards! You are not allowed to talk about my brother!"

Kakashi stood in front of Muzan, ready to make anyone who dared to gossip about his brother regret it.

Following his father's instructions, his brother was born with a deficiency and needed his protection.

"Brother, I knew you liked sitting here quietly. Father told you to review your lessons. Tomorrow is the enrollment day for the Ninja Academy. We are going to report together, and don't count on me to help you cheat."

Kakashi worried endlessly about this brother. Not only was he physically weak, but his personality was also extremely lazy; he wouldn't move unless it concerned himself.

So much so that their father felt he shouldn't force Muzan to practice the Hatake Sword Technique, thinking it would be better for him to live as an ordinary person in the village.

Muzan, sitting on the threshold, looked up at Kakashi and stood up. A sense of overwhelming pressure, like that of a superior, gathered around him.

"Don't worry. There are no weaklings in the Hatake Household. I won't let you down at the Ninja Academy entrance exam tomorrow."

Kakashi looked at the uncharacteristically different Muzan, especially at the moment he stood up; he actually felt a sense of danger.

It must be the lingering effects of his training that hadn't faded yet.

"Idiot, it's not about letting us down! You just have to pass the entrance exam."

"Clack, clack, clack!"

Just as Kakashi was about to lecture Muzan, the gate behind them suddenly opened. Sakumo Hatake looked at the bickering brothers and couldn't help but feel a headache.

"You two brats, tomorrow is the entrance exam, and you're still not back inside to review your lessons?"

"And dinner is ready, go eat quickly!"

He lifted Kakashi up with one hand. Looking at his son's dead fish eyes, Sakumo made up his mind to change Kakashi's personality; otherwise, he would never find a wife with those eyes.

As for Hatake Muzan, who stood in the shadows, Sakumo was speechless for a long time the moment he turned around.

"What happened to this boy?"

While he was tidying up the house, he had sensed some kind of beast break in. Concerned for his two sons, Sakumo had rushed over immediately, but after circling the area, he found no trace of any beast.

Yet, he saw Muzan standing in the shadows.

One should never underestimate the perception of a Kage Level powerhouse, especially one who excelled in taijutsu.

"I don't know either."

Muzan recounted what had just happened, embellishing the words of those gossiping women.

"Afterward, I felt particularly angry, and a power surged from within my body."

It was a perfect answer; who would realize a child was lying?

Sakumo stood frozen in place. Anger could indeed grant power—taking the eyes of the Uchiha Clan as an example, could it be that their own family had a hidden bloodline?

"It is a good thing regardless. Don't let others know. Practice diligently from now on and become a true powerhouse."

Sakumo wore a smile like an old father. His eldest son had always been a weight on his heart.

It wasn't that he was bitter about the boy not being able to become a powerhouse, but rather that his body was too weak. Even exposure to sunlight could kill him; just surviving to adulthood was a challenge.

Sakumo did not ask about Muzan's Bloodline Limit; everyone had their own secrets.

Walking into the house and seeing Kakashi already eating, Sakumo felt his veins pop. He picked Kakashi up and scolded him, pointing at his nose:

"Kakashi, we haven't even arrived yet, and you've already started! You have no respect for the effort I put into cooking."

"I didn't eat your food!"

Kakashi, held in the air, stared at him with dead fish eyes. After saying this righteously, he pointed at the dishes on the table and continued:

"Those are your Military Rations Pills, and Brother's medium-rare steak."

Muzan looked at the father and son staring each other down, smiled helplessly, and sat in his seat.

Now that his body's transformation was nearing perfection, his need for food was not great; even if he didn't eat for days, it wouldn't affect his body.

However, Muzan needed to replenish fresh blood periodically, whether it was human blood or the blood of beasts.

To avoid being discovered as a monster, he lied about having anemia, and every so often, Sakumo would take him to the hospital for a blood transfusion.

Sakumo Hatake found Tsunade, but even Konoha's premier doctor could not find the cause of the boy's condition, ultimately attributing it to a defect in his bloodline; as for the food he usually ate, it served only as a cover.

Halfway through his meal, Sakumo Hatake set down his bowl and chopsticks, staring at the two of them. Muzan had started late, but with his own guidance and steady, step-by-step learning at the Ninja Academy, he would surely achieve good results.

As for the issue of the Bloodline Limit, he would find time to visit the Konoha library or ask the Hokage, hoping to obtain effective training methods.

Regarding Kakashi's talent, if he trained diligently and utilized his affinity for all five elements, he would achieve great things in both the Hatake Sword Technique and ninjutsu.

It was even possible that he would surpass him.

"Tomorrow is the entrance exam, and it will be very simple for you both."

"It consists of basic physical training and some questions on the Will of Fire."

These were not problems, and he trusted that both children's physical fitness would be enough to pass, but when his gaze fell upon Muzan, he urged him repeatedly:

"You must never expose yourself to the sunlight."

This was Sakumo Hatake's greatest worry; school was not home.

"While at school, Kakashi, look after Muzan. His physical condition is still very poor."

When asked, Kakashi uncharacteristically did not retort. Regarding matters concerning Muzan, Kakashi was the most attentive; he had once seen Muzan standing in the sunlight, and the parts of his skin not covered by the black cloth had actually begun to smoke.

"Don't worry, I will protect Muzan well."

"You guys."

This was the bond of family, yet Muzan no longer needed protection; as time passed, Muzan's power would only grow stronger.

As for the issues of sunlight and regular blood replenishment, he would wait until later to choose a ninja path that leaned toward becoming a medical ninja.