Naruto: Kagurazaka

A week had passed since I "recruited" Elder Matsu as my puppet and piggy bank. Surprisingly, he turned out to be quite the asset. The funds he had embezzled over the years made it easy for me to skip the tedious process of building capital from scratch. I might not need to stoop to robbing caravans in this life after all.

"If you value your life, you'll do as I say," I had told him. That line played on repeat in my mind, a small smirk tugging at my lips every time I remembered his panicked nods. What a useful little pawn.

From there, my so-called training progressed—well, if you could even call it that. As I mentioned before, the scrolls of techniques were practically useless to me, offering nothing of value. Instead, I shifted my focus entirely to honing my magic and developing new skills.

Over the next few days, I steadily added to my arsenal, acquiring abilities like 『Pain Resistance』 through sheer determination and experimentation. Most importantly, I succeeded in recreating my 『Anti-Skill』.

A week later, I found myself standing in the Hyuga clan's training hall. The early morning sun filtered through the wooden panels, casting warm, golden streaks on the polished floor. Elder Takahiro stood at the center, his stern gaze fixed on me. 

To his left was Hiashi, the clan head, his expression unreadable but his presence commanding. And then there was Neji, whose sharp eyes followed my every movement, and Hinata, fidgeting nervously in the corner.

"Akai," Elder Takahiro began, his voice gruff, "today, you'll prove whether or not you're ready to join the academy. Fail, and you'll be excused from any shinobi duties permanently. Succeed, and you'll begin formal training."

He stepped closer, his arms crossed. "The clan head has been lenient, allowing you to train on your own for a week. Do you understand how rare this opportunity is?"

Thought Communication Translation: "Do you know how much I had to beg and argue for this chance? You better not mess it up, brat."

I tilted my head slightly, pretending to ignore the hidden meaning behind his words. "Understood," I replied simply.

Hiashi spoke next, his tone calm but firm. "The task is simple. Demonstrate mastery of at least one jutsu from the scrolls you were given. That will suffice for now."

Thought Communication Translation: "How intriguing, just a week ago he can barely stood straight by himself, he no longer slouching nor seems like he can fall down whenever he took a step."

Neji's gaze lingered on me, a mixture of curiosity and disdain. Hinata's eyes darted between me and her father, her hands clenching nervously.

Elder Takahiro's voice broke the silence. "Don't just stand there like a fool. Show us something."

Thought Communication Translation: "You better succeed, kid. If you fail here, it'll all be for nothing."

I sighed inwardly. The past week had been a whirlwind of training, experimenting, and rediscovering old abilities. Yet I'd decided to keep it simple for this demonstration. Why waste effort when the basics would suffice?

Bringing my hands together in a lazy seal, I focused my chakra. A puff of smoke appeared beside me, and when it cleared, a perfect clone of myself stood there. The clone's expression mirrored my indifferent one, its posture relaxed yet alert.

Hiashi's Byakugan activated, veins bulging around his eyes. His gaze sharpened, and a faint flicker of intrigue crossed his face.

"The flow of chakra is stable," he said, his tone neutral. "But what is this... inside your heart?" He stepped closer, his sharp eyes analyzing every detail.

Elder Takahiro's scowl deepened. "What's he talking about? What did you do?"

Thought Communication Translation: "What the hell is wrong with your body? Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

I turned on Thought Guidance, letting subtle hints slip into their minds. "It's nothing special," I said, my voice nonchalant. "I saw a ninja training by the lake, standing on water. It was fascinating, so I experimented a bit."

The guidance worked its magic, steering their thoughts. Hiashi's eyes widened slightly as he pieced it together. "The principle of emitting a constant stream of chakra from the bottom of their feet and using the repellent force to walk across the water's surface... Did you use that concept to create a barrier that separate your constantly mixing blood?"

Elder Takahiro's thoughts screamed loud and clear. "This idiot figured that out by watching some random ninja?"

Hiashi's intrigue deepened. "Incredible. The defect in your heart... it's been stabilized by a chakra barrier? That's a level of control I wouldn't expect from someone your age."

Elder Takahiro, however, wasn't as generous with his words. "Don't get cocky, brat. This is just the beginning. Next, you'll learn the Gentle Fist. If you embarrass the clan again, I'll personally make sure you regret it."

Thought Communication Translation: "I'm proud of you, you punk."

Neji's reaction was priceless. Through Thought Communication Translation, his loud mutterings about destiny and fate as a branch member were hard to ignore, but I brushed them aside. I focused on Hiashi's thoughts instead, which were far more intriguing. 

Finally, Hiashi addressed me directly, cutting through the swirling thoughts in the room. "Do you desire to learn the main family's Gentle Fist Secret Art?"

Thought Communication Translation: "Not learning that art would be a waste, but I suppose letting that guy be his mentor won't hurt."

That guy? At first, he seemed intent on merely giving me training for the Gentle Fist. However, his thoughts gradually shifted. Should he assign me a mentor now? But wouldn't that mean I wouldn't be learning the Gentle Fist at all?

His words left everyone stunned. Even Elder Takahiro, who rarely faltered, turned to Hiashi in shock. "Clan Head," he said, his tone laced with disbelief, "the Gentle Fist Secret Art… Surely you're not suggesting the Palm Rotation technique? That's a closely guarded tradition…"

Thought Communication Translation: "If he sees that much potential in Akai and let him learn that, this would break all historical precedent. But… I'd be lying if I said I wasn't proud."

I kept my expression neutral and asked in return, "Why are you saying that kind of thing? You're not planning to pass down such a secret to a branch member, are you?" I smiled faintly, though I couldn't care less. It was just a rotating barrier—hardly worth the fuss.

Hiashi's voice cut through the tension, calm and measured. "I'm asking because your chakra control is exceptional for someone who's only been training for a few weeks. I suspect you've been lying about how you created that barrier. It wasn't based on water-walking principles, was it? It's closer to the Rotation technique."

He's wrong on both, but whatever.

He paused, then added, "Of course, learning it isn't entirely forbidden for branch members. If you can replicate it without guidance or scrolls, it's yours to keep."

The room fell silent as his words sank in. Most notable was Neji's expression which look at him with wide eyes.

Hiashi's thoughts turned pragmatic. "With this level of control, it would be a waste not to teach him jutsus beyond the Hyuga's taijutsu. So giving him a mentor should be proper…"

Before anyone could respond, the bell of the clan head's residence rang, echoing through the halls. Hiashi glanced toward the door. "It seems he's here."

Thought Communication Translation: "Why is he so late?"

I felt a twinge of irritation as his muttering made it harder to read his mind. Who was this "he"? Spreading my magicules, I used Magic Perception like echolocation. The particles returned an image that made my eyes widen.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

The sliding door opened, revealing a servant who quickly stepped aside to let the figure behind him through. My suspicions were confirmed the moment I saw him.

Shisui Uchiha.

He greeted everyone with a casual smile, but his gaze quickly landed on me. "What a surpriiiiise~~" he drawled, his tone amiable and teasing.

Elder Takahiro's thoughts erupted in shock. "Uchiha Shisui?! Is the clan head trying to…" He glanced at Hiashi, who gave him a nod. Without another word, Hiashi instructed Hinata and Neji to follow him out, leaving Shisui, Elder Takahiro, and me alone.

Elder Takahiro's thoughts resumed. "He's planning to reveal Akai's Uchiha ancestry. As much as I hate the Uchihas, this is for the best. He's not physically ready for the Gentle Fist anyway, so training in other areas might be wiser."

Elder Takahiro introduced us, though it was clear Shisui and I already knew each other. Shisui, ever the goof, grinned. "Oh, we've met before. Haven't we, Yuuki-kun?"

The elder frowned. "Yuuki-kun?"

Shisui laughed, explaining how he'd met me during training and praised my shuriken skills. Elder Takahiro seemed satisfied, perhaps thinking our familiarity was a good sign.

But I wasn't amused. "No. I won't." My voice was flat and stern. "You can give me any mentor, just not this guy."

The room went silent. Elder Takahiro's expression darkened. "Brat…"

POW.

His knuckles collided with my head in a flash. The sound echoed through the hall, but thanks to Pain Resistance, I barely felt it. I stared at Shisui, not even blinking, while the elder berated me for being ungrateful.

"You should be thankful," Takahiro snapped. "Think of this as the clan head's kindness."

Thought Communication translation: "Is he being like this because he too hates the Uchihas?"

Then he dropped a bombshell. "Akai, you're not just a Hyuga. Your father was an Uchiha. That makes you a half-Uchiha."

I already knew this, of course. Thought Communication had revealed it long ago. But the revelation didn't change my stance.

Shisui, meanwhile, kept smiling. His translated thoughts, however, were unsettling: "Minion Minion Minion Minion Minion Minion Minion…"

The monotony of it sent a chill down my spine. Despite my bored expression, I couldn't hide my disdain.

Before I could voice further objections, Shisui interjected. "Ehhh~ That's too bad. I was telling Itachi and Sasuke-kun how excited I was to leave Anbu duties behind and become a mentor. Alas, I'll have to tell them that Yuuki—ah, sorry, Akai-kun—rejected me."

I froze. His thoughts revealed his intent: "Guess I'll see their faces when they find out the kid lied about his name."

My response was automatic, my tone flat and robotic. "I'll be looking forward to learning from you, mentor-san." My fake smile was betrayed by the killing intent in my eyes.

Elder Takahiro, confused by our interaction, dismissed it with a sigh. "If you're done here, go start training or do whatever you want. Just don't waste this opportunity."

With that, the elder turned and left, muttering something about needing sleep after worrying about me too much.

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To be continued.