Return to the Village

Uzumaki Hane quickly winked at Yamano Koromo, then let out a scream.

Yamano Koromo was startled at first, but when she saw Uzumaki Hane wink at her, she remembered that he had been fine after being stabbed earlier and relaxed. She quickly pulled out two Kunai and hurled them at Umino Ta.

Seeing that he had dealt with another one, Umino Ta turned to Yamano Koromo with a vicious grin. Though he had a vague feeling that something was wrong, as if he had overlooked something, he thought, Am I overthinking it? I need to finish off the last one quickly and leave. I've already wasted a lot of time.

Just then, he saw Yamano Koromo hurl two Kunai at him. They had decent force behind them, provided they could hit him. He gave Yamano Koromo a bloodthirsty smile, rapidly formed Hand Seals, and shouted, "Earth Release: Rock Concealment Technique!"

Suddenly, Uzumaki Hane, who should have been gravely wounded, appeared before him and said, "You can't use the Substitution Technique while you're using Earth Release, can you?" He drove the Kunai in his hand into Umino Ta's chest.

Umino Ta was ruthless too. He pulled the Kunai out with his left hand and clutched the wound, while drawing a Kunai with his right and slashing viciously at Uzumaki Hane's neck.

Smiling, Uzumaki Hane leaned back and dodged the attack. The two Kunai Yamano Koromo had thrown from behind him flashed past his eyes and struck Umino Ta.

Bang! Umino Ta vanished again, leaving only a wooden log in his place. Uzumaki Hane shouted, "Damn it, it's the Substitution Technique!"

Just then, Yamano Koromo screamed. Uzumaki Hane turned to see Umino Ta beside her, a Kunai in his hand buried in her chest, blood spraying everywhere.

Uzumaki Hane felt his heart stop for an instant, an indescribable grief filling it. Bang! His heart seemed to burst open, and his whole body felt as though it were surrounded by flames. His eyes had turned red. He burst forward, appearing in front of Umino Ta as if he had teleported, his right hand swiftly turning to magma and blasting through Umino Ta's chest. It all happened in an instant, too fast for Umino Ta to react.

Umino Ta looked down at the gaping hole in his chest. The organs inside had been burned to ashes. He tried to say something, but there was no time. He died on the spot.

After that outburst, Uzumaki Hane's vision went black, and he fell to the ground.

Just then, a figure appeared on a tree branch and looked at Uzumaki Hane in surprise.

Uzumaki Hane jolted awake and cried anxiously, "Koromo! Tanaka!" He found himself lying on the ground with several people beside him. He looked at them warily and discovered that they were Kakashi, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura.

Kakashi said, "You're awake. You're Uzumaki Hane, right?"

Uzumaki Hane wondered how Kakashi knew him; he had no memory of ever having crossed paths with Kakashi. But he was very worried about Hyuga Tanaka and Yamano Koromo, so he asked, "How are my teammates?"

Kakashi said, "Don't worry, they're over there. They're still unconscious, but their lives are no longer in danger."

Hearing that, Uzumaki Hane relaxed a little and hurried over to the two of them.

Kakashi leaned against a tree trunk, gazing at the starry sky with a thoughtful look in his eyes, his thoughts unknown. Sasuke had been sitting silently in the same spot without speaking, while Sakura kept looking at Sasuke. Naruto, on the other hand, had looked curiously at Uzumaki Hane when he heard his name, surprised that someone else in the village had the same surname as him.

The next day, Hyuga Tanaka and Yamano Koromo woke up. The three thanked Kakashi and the others, then returned to the village together.

They made it safely back to Konoha Ninja Village, then helped take Hyuga Tanaka and Yamano Koromo to the hospital before parting ways.

That evening, Uzumaki Hane returned home. His room was very simple; after all, he was an orphan, his parents having died in battle during the Nine-Tails' attack.

Uzumaki Hane fell straight onto his bed and thought about what lay ahead. Perhaps he was truly exhausted, because before he knew it, he had fallen asleep.

When he woke the next day, dawn was just breaking. Uzumaki Hane got up and prepared breakfast, then set out to train. This was a habit Uzumaki Hane himself had maintained. He was a very hardworking person, though unfortunately he had little talent and could even be called clumsy. Fortunately, as a descendant of the Uzumaki Clan, he possessed far more Chakra than others.

Uzumaki Hane soon arrived at a small grove, where he usually trained. He sat cross-legged by the roots of a tree and began recalling his usual training. Because he was clumsy, he didn't know many Ninjutsu. He murmured, "I can use the Substitution Technique, Clone Technique, and Transformation Technique, but nothing else. I don't even know my Chakra nature. Still, I should be able to get some Ninjutsu from Teacher Kaido. Now, let me take a look at the Magma-Magma Fruit. That's my real cheat." Uzumaki Hane looked at his hands, and with a thought, they quickly turned to magma. He felt no discomfort. He punched a small tree beside him, snapping it in half and charring the break. Uzumaki Hane said, "So this is a Logia Fruit's elemental transformation. What a marvelous feeling. That strike should have had the power of a D-rank Ninjutsu, and it used very little Chakra."

With another thought, Uzumaki Hane returned his hands to normal. Then he turned them to magma again and changed them back. He tried it several times, and it felt like an instinct, as simple as eating and drinking.

Uzumaki Hane recalled the Hell Hound he had used during his outburst and thought, I remember Akainu had several ultimate moves. I wonder if I can use them?

Acting on the thought, Uzumaki Hane went up to a large tree and shouted, "Hell Hound!" His left hand quickly turned to magma and slammed into the tree, leaving a large hole one centimeter deep. Uzumaki Hane's face turned pale. Hell Hound had exceeded his expectations, though it was much less powerful than it had been yesterday.

Uzumaki Hane thought, Can I use Chakra to increase its power? Hell Hound! His right hand quickly turned to magma and punched a large hole more than ten centimeters deep into the trunk.

Uzumaki Hane thought, That's about as powerful as yesterday, but with my Chakra, I can only use it once.

Just then, Might Guy suddenly appeared, giving Uzumaki Hane a fright. Although Guy had instructed him before, this was one of Hane's greatest secrets. Unsure how Might Guy would react, Uzumaki Hane instinctively grew wary.

Guy paid no attention to Uzumaki Hane's wariness, nor was he as fired up as usual. He merely touched the charred hole in the tree and said somewhat wistfully, "I didn't expect you to awaken the same Kekkei Genkai as your father."

Uzumaki Hane's thoughts stirred. He had no memories of his parents at all, remembering only that they had died in the battle against the Nine-Tails. Had Might Guy been close to his parents? And he had the Magma-Magma Fruit, so why did Guy say it was the same as his father's? Uzumaki Hane suddenly grew curious, and he also felt the longing in the original Uzumaki Hane's heart. He asked, "Teacher Kaido, did you know my father? What kind of person was he?"

Might Guy said, "Your father was a passionate man. Youth really does need that fiery spirit. Let me train you today." Might Guy changed the subject.

And so Uzumaki Hane went through a grueling ordeal, only dragging his exhausted body home that evening. He fell straight into bed and went to sleep.