Glancing at the system prompt, Yami didn't pay much attention and continued increasing his Chakra output, letting the energy storm surge wildly.
The materialized Chakra had already destroyed the surrounding terrain beyond recognition. No matter how hard Naruto and Sasuke tried, they couldn't resist this storm. They were forced back and couldn't advance at all.
Eventually, both of them were pushed into a small pond. They choked on water and climbed out in a mess, staring in shock at Yami, who stood unmoved.
Yami slowly smoothed the wrinkled corners of his clothes caused by the Chakra burst. "Once you can get close to me, you'll basically be qualified as a Jōnin."
Uchiha Sasuke clenched his teeth. He realized he'd been wrong. He had always thought Yami was stronger than Uchiha Itachi, but not by much. He had subconsciously placed the two on the same level.
Now, despair filled his heart. He began to wonder if he would ever be able to take his revenge in this lifetime.
Thankfully, Naruto spoke up at the right time.
"I'll work hard, Yami-nii! I'll definitely defeat you and become Hokage!"
Even though he saw the massive gap, Naruto only became more motivated, declaring his goal with clenched fists.
Seeing someone ranked dead last show such spirit, Sasuke was also inspired and decided to start intense training once he returned home.
"Very good. That's the kind of energy I want to see,"
Yami praised Naruto's spirit, then added, "Let's stop here for today. Tomorrow, I'll take you on a mission."
He and Hinata were going to eat with Ino to celebrate their becoming Genin.
Sasuke nodded at Yami and left. Naruto, however, hesitated and walked over.
"Yami-nii, you said before, once I became a Genin…"
"Tonight, at midnight, come to the Hokage Rock and wait for me."
Leaving just those words, Yami took Hinata and left, while Naruto stood there punching the air excitedly.
Ino had already ordered food at Yakiniku Q and started grilling when the two arrived.
Midway through the meal, Ino started venting about Kakashi.
"Yami-nii, is Kakashi-sensei really reliable? I feel like he's another Shikamaru. Both of them have zero motivation."
The exam for Class 10 was also about snatching the bell, but things went completely differently from Class 7.
When Kakashi announced the rules, Shikamaru immediately grasped the true nature of the test.
He called Ino and Chōji over, gave some instructions, and first demonstrated the classic Ino-Shika-Chō teamwork. After proving they had perfect coordination and trust, he decisively surrendered.
This move stunned Kakashi.
Still, he had to admit that the synergy and trust within the Ino-Shika-Chō trio was exactly the kind of team setup he had in mind.
Then... Kakashi and Shikamaru ended up napping together. No wonder Ino questioned his reliability.
Two unmotivated people, plus one foodie. Ino couldn't imagine what the future of Team 10 would look like.
"Don't be so pessimistic."
Yami smiled as he placed grilled beef on Ino and Hinata's plates, gently comforting them.
"Let me tell you a little story you don't know. Actually, Kakashi wasn't supposed to be your instructor. The original instructor of Team 10 was Sarutobi Asuma."
"Huh? Then why did it change later?"
Ino perked up immediately, and even the shy Hinata leaned in to listen carefully. Girls couldn't resist juicy gossip.
"It was mainly because of me."
Yami smiled and explained to the two girls, "Originally, Kakashi was meant to lead Team 7. Hinata's spot was originally Haruno Sakura's. But I intervened, and the Third Hokage had no choice but to let me lead a team, which disrupted the arrangements of the other instructors."
"Later, Uncle Shikaku spoke with the Third again. He believed Kakashi was more suited to your stealth unit than Asuma, and in the end, Asuma was assigned to lead the perception team."
"Haruno Sakura?" Ino frowned.
"Why was she supposed to be in Team 7?"
Because of Yami's appearance, Ino and Sakura no longer had a competitive relationship. So there was no complicated rivalry. To Ino, Sakura was just a studious civilian girl.
And with the Ino-Shika-Chō trio's family background, she clearly understood Naruto's identity as a Jinchūriki.
A monster-like Jinchūriki, the last Uchiha orphan—why would a civilian ninja with no notable qualities be placed among them?
Yami simply smiled and didn't bother explaining the manipulations behind team assignments.
"Anyway, Kakashi is definitely much stronger than Asuma. Otherwise, Uncle Shikaku wouldn't have risked offending the Third Hokage to request the switch. Just follow him and study hard."
"If he doesn't teach you properly, come to me and I'll deal with him."
"Hehe, Yami-nii, you're the best!"
Ino immediately dropped her doubts, roasted two pieces of pork belly, and placed them on his plate.
After dinner, while watching the girls go shopping, Yami headed to the Anbu headquarters.
Sure enough, Uzuki Yugao was practicing swordsmanship in the training room.
Ever since she learned that the leader of Iwa during the Chūnin Exams was Monga, she had been training like mad—spending at least twelve hours a day in the training room.
After enhancing her body and learning swordsmanship from Yami, Yugao had firmly stepped into the Jōnin tier.
But Monga, being the Tsuchikage's right-hand man, wasn't weak either. He was a well-rounded ninja, adept in ninjutsu and taijutsu.
"Take a break."
Yami spoke after Yugao finished another round of sword practice.
Yugao sheathed her sword, walked over smiling, took the towel he handed her, and wiped her sweat.
"Didn't you have a placement exam today? Why are you here?"
"If I didn't come, you'd practice yourself to death." Yami handed her a water bottle.
"It's just Monga. I could ask Hikari or Izumi to accompany you. They'd take care of him."
"I still want to do it myself."
Yugao downed half the bottle in one go and looked at Yami with an apologetic smile. "Sorry, I'm being stubborn."
Yami shook his head helplessly. "You guys... all of you are like this."
He felt that Orochimaru's Konoha Crush plan was turning into a personal grudge resolution for the women around him.
Pakura and Rasa. Yugao and Monga.
But both wanted to handle revenge on their own, turning something simple into a huge mess.
Yami was strict with outsiders, but when it came to his own people, he always went soft.
Luckily, Pakura had taken his advice. Now only Yugao remained, and Yami had come up with a plan.
"Uncle Shinji will be returning to Konoha soon. As your uncle, he should be qualified to deal with Monga right?"
"Thank you, Yami."
Yugao hugged him emotionally. She knew Yami had transferred Uzuki Shinji back to give her a helping hand she couldn't refuse.
Yami pretended to be annoyed and pushed her away. "You just finished training. You're all sweaty. Don't rub on me."
Her eyes glimmered with teasing charm. "Then, can you help me wash it off?"
The advantage of Flying Thunder God showed itself. Without a word, Yami took her straight to the hot spring at home and devoted himself to the duty of being a washing assistant.
…
Late that night.
Konoha was especially quiet. Most of the lights were off. Aside from patrol ninjas and a few places for middle-aged men to relax, the village was in deep slumber.
Naruto arrived at the Hokage Rock early, waiting for Yami.
At the appointed time, a tall figure appeared atop the Fourth Hokage's head. Naruto quickly hopped over.
"Yami-nii, you're finally here!"
"Hmm, I'm not late, right?" Yami was still wearing a yukata. Fortunately, his body was strong enough not to catch a cold.
"No, not at all!"
Naruto scratched his head awkwardly. "I was just too excited. Thinking about learning the truth about my parents made time feel so slow."
"I get it."
Yami sat down, patted the ground beside him, and motioned for Naruto to sit.
"Hey, Naruto, I heard you recently messed up the Hokage Rock with paint and focused especially on the Third and Fourth Hokage."
"Hehe, that's nothing!"
Naruto puffed up proudly. "I once dumped water on the Third and Fourth's heads too, but no one found out. Otherwise, Grandpa Third would've locked me up!"
Yami's eyes filled with warmth. He patted Naruto's shoulder. "Good job. Keep it up."
What a filial child.
"Yami-nii, shouldn't you be getting to the serious stuff?"
Naruto was a little bashful. Usually, he could chat with Yami all day, but today, his heart wasn't in it.
"Alright, but before I tell you about your parents, you need to answer one question first."
Yami turned to him. "You know about the Nine Tails Jinchūriki now, right?"
Naruto's smile faded, and the light in his eyes dimmed.
"Yeah. Mizuki-sensei told me. I finally understand why the villagers hate me."
"There are nine tailed beasts in the world—one in Konoha, one in Takigakure, one in Suna, and the rest divided among the three major villages."
Yami began slowly.
"Since First Hokage Senju Hashirama's wife, Uzumaki Mito, invented the method of sealing tailed beasts into humans, every village has developed its own Jinchūriki system."
"Because the tailed beasts are too dangerous, people isolate Jinchūriki out of fear. They justify their cowardice by calling them monsters."
"Your experience isn't unique to Konoha. Other villages are the same. There's one Jinchūriki in Suna about your age. He hasn't slept peacefully since he was four or five. Even his own uncle tried to kill him."
"Oh, except the Eight Tails Jinchūriki in Kumo. He isolated others, not the other way around."
Naruto was completely captivated.
He knew very little about tailed beasts and Jinchūriki, and had just learned that other villages had their own.
Hearing that other Jinchūriki also had it rough made him feel a bit of kinship.
"Wait! Yami-nii!"
Suddenly, Naruto remembered the wife of the First mentioned earlier—Uzumaki Mito.
"Uzumaki Mito… the First Hokage's wife also had the Uzumaki surname?!"
Yami gave him a weird look. "Took you long enough."
"Yes, Uzumaki Mito is related to you. She's your great-grandmother's elder."
"But there's no need to be so shocked. You didn't react much when you met Karin."
"Karin is from the Uzumaki clan too?!"
Naruto was stunned. He didn't even know he and Karin were relatives.
Yami paused too.
Right… to save trouble, he always just called her Karin and didn't mention her clan when registering for the Academy.
"Ahem, it's not important. Let's talk about your parents."
Yami changed the subject.
"Twelve years ago, on the day you were born, the Nine Tails attacked Konoha."
"A mysterious man released the Nine Tails and struck the village."
He pointed down at the Hokage Rock. "Right here, the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato, used time-space ninjutsu to redirect ten attacks that could've destroyed the village."
"And his wife, Uzumaki Kushina, was the previous Nine Tails Jinchūriki."
"Losing the tailed beast usually means death. Plus, with the mysterious man's ambush, the Fourth had no choice but to seal the Nine Tails into someone else. And you, with Uzumaki blood, were the best choice."
Gulp!
In the silent night, the sound of Naruto swallowing was unusually clear.
His lips were dry. His limbs numb. When he heard the name, his soul trembled.
Uzumaki Kushina...
"Yami-nii… Uzumaki Kushina…"
"That's right."
Yami nodded slowly, meeting his gaze.
"She is your mother. And your father is the village's hero, the Fourth Hokage—'Yellow Flash of the Leaf,' Namikaze Minato."
Yami looked down at the sleeping village.
"Most people in this village owe your family their lives."
(To be continued.)