Crossing the canyon, Yami and the others headed toward the fortress.
A ninja hawk soared into the night sky, but before it could fly far, it suddenly turned and landed on Yuichi's shoulder, raising its leg to reveal a tied scroll.
Yuichi: "…What does this mean?"
Is this ninja hawk… asking me for help?
"Yami-sama! I am a loyal Konoha shinobi!" Yuichi's thoughts spun rapidly, and the words burst out of his mouth.
Yuji and Yushi looked at him with shocked expressions and instinctively took a few steps back.
As if afraid their IQs would drop by standing too close to him.
"Idiot!"
Yuji scolded him on the spot. "That hawk is sending a request for help to Konoha. It landed on you because of your Konoha forehead protector. What are you thinking?!"
Yami sighed and held his forehead helplessly.
This is what happens when basic education isn't in place. Another consequence of skipping the Academy.
He doesn't even know how a ninja hawk finds its target. Yami regretted bringing Yuichi along and getting embarrassed like this.
Aren't Uchiha supposed to be smart? Even Obito had a brain after turning evil. So why are these underlings of his so clueless?
In the bushes, Tonbee, who had released the ninja hawk, was also stunned.
The enemy who destroyed the barrier and invaded the Tsuchigumo clan… was a Konoha shinobi?
Then why ask for help?
Just as Tonbee was panicking, Yami pressed his hands to the ground.
"Earth Release: Tremoring Core!"
Boom!
A massive stone platform erupted behind the fortress. An elderly man and a beautiful young girl with a graceful figure were pushed up from underground, looking around in panic.
Yuichi and the others immediately pursued. Tonbee tried to stop them but was halted by Samui. Before he could even throw the shuriken in his hand, lightning stunned him into paralysis.
The surrounded old man gave a bitter smile and gave up any thought of escaping.
"You're En no Gyōja right?"
Yami stepped in front of them. Though he phrased it as a question, his tone was resolute.
En no Gyōja didn't deny it.
It was clear they came for them. There was no point in denial. "You're a Konoha ninja… has Konoha forgotten the covenant with the Tsuchigumo clan?"
Decades ago, the Tsuchigumo clan had made a pact with the Third Hokage, Hiruzen.
The Tsuchigumo clan would seal away their Forbidden Technique and live in seclusion in the mountains. In return, Konoha would protect them in times of crisis.
"What does a promise from the Third Hokage have to do with me, the Fifth Hokage?"
Yami shook his head calmly and looked at the girl. "Besides, the agreement clearly stated that the Tsuchigumo clan must protect the bearer of the Forbidden Technique."
"With just you two old folks… can you protect your granddaughter?"
The girl covered her chest and stepped back, her eyes full of fear. "Fifth… Hokage?"
En no Gyōja's face shifted, as if realizing something. "You… you're the Fifth Hokage?"
"That's me."
Yami confirmed without hesitation. "I came here for the Dohatsuten Forbidden Technique."
The girl froze, then glanced around. Three masked men had already sealed off every escape route.
"Don't be afraid," Yami reassured her. "I'm not going to use you as a weapon. Even if you detonated, the resulting power would be mediocre at best."
"I'm just very interested in how the Dohatsuten activates and accumulates power."
"Really?" the girl asked hesitantly.
"Hotaru!" En no Gyōja called in a low voice, feeling utterly helpless.
His granddaughter was far too innocent. That question alone revealed the Forbidden Technique was inside her.
"Hokage," En no Gyōja tried to reason, "The Tsuchigumo clan is still safe. There's no need for Konoha's assistance for now."
"Then I'll make you unsafe."
Yami playfully twirled his palm. "If I kill everyone in the Hidden Village, then to preserve the Tsuchigumo clan's inheritance, you'll have no choice but to come to Konoha for protection, right?"
Hotaru's face went pale. En no Gyōja coughed heavily.
Too, too ruthless!
"Old man, there's a saying—'A wise man submits to circumstances.'"
Yami continued, "Because of the Forbidden Technique, you and your granddaughter were exiled and forced to live in this fortress."
"A man's guilt lies not in his crimes, but in his treasure."
"Have you never considered that it's because of the Forbidden Technique that other villages covet the Tsuchigumo clan?"
En no Gyōja fell silent.
He hadn't expected Yami to know so much about the Tsuchigumo clan—even their exile.
After all, they were a clan that had existed since the Warring States Era.
There were more than just the three of them.
Beyond Mount Katsuragi, the other side of the mountain held the secluded Hidden Village of the Tsuchigumo.
Due to differing views on the Forbidden Technique, En no Gyōja and Hotaru had been exiled to this place.
Yami continued his persuasion. "Hotaru, you haven't even learned ninjutsu yet, have you? Come back to Konoha with me. I'll not only guarantee your safety, I'll also take you as my apprentice and teach you powerful ninjutsu."
After speaking, he formed hand seals.
In the shocked gazes of Hotaru and En no Gyōja, a towering wooden golem tens of meters tall rose from the ground, its immense pressure suffocating them.
Gulp—!
"Grandpa…" Hotaru looked at En no Gyōja nervously, hope in her eyes.
Finding a strong ninja as a sensei to help her grow strong had always been her dream.
"Sigh…"
En no Gyōja let out a long sigh, eyes soft with relief. "Hokage-sama, the Forbidden Technique is within Hotaru. She should go with you."
He had already been hesitating. If he were to die, Hotaru's future would be bleak.
The village rejected her, and beyond lay rebel shinobi and enemy villages.
Sending her to Konoha, the strongest ninja village, was the best option for her safety.
"Grandpa, you're not coming to Konoha?" Hotaru asked, puzzled.
"I'm old. I just want to stay in my homeland."
En no Gyōja gently patted her head. "If you ever get the chance, come back and visit me."
Of course, he knew this was likely a final farewell.
Yami and his team temporarily stayed at the fortress.
That night, as requested, Hotaru knocked on Yami's door and stepped inside.
"Master, I'm here…"
Hotaru's voice was soft and barely audible. Entering a man's room in the middle of the night was deeply embarrassing for her.
But what followed was even more shameful...
Hotaru walked over shyly, and Yami extended his hand, pulling her shirt open, revealing her pale skin and proud figure.
Feeling his gaze fall on her like a weight, Hotaru's face flushed red like fire. She bit her lip and whispered, "Master, master… it's all on the back, not the front…"
"I know," Yami nodded. "But the front's more appealing. I'll look a little longer."
If it had been Hinata, she might've fainted on the spot. Hotaru wasn't much better. Her head swam, and she shut her eyes, body trembling slightly, her skin glowing pink.
Finally, after examining enough, Yami stepped behind her.
From the chest upward, Hotaru's back rivaled even Pakura's. But as his gaze moved downward, the sight changed drastically.
Hideous scars crisscrossed most of her back, and at the center, where they all converged, was an inlaid pitch-black bead.
Though dim, the bead exuded a filthy aura that made people instinctively recoil.
This was the Forbidden Technique the Tsuchigumo clan feared—Dohatsuten Container.
The so-called Dohatsuten gathered surrounding natural energy after activation and unleashed it all at once.
The longer the charge, the more terrifying the release.
Legend said its maximum output could destroy a city spanning hundreds of kilometers.
Yami scoffed at that. Complete nonsense.
Even Konoha wasn't that big—maybe 30 kilometers across after expansion.
No regular ninja could withstand so much natural energy.
More likely, the Tsuchigumo clan had exaggerated the tale to scare off enemies—and people just believed it.
Still, the fact that it absorbed natural energy and allowed mobility during combat made it perfect for Yami's needs.
He gently traced the black bead, and Hotaru's body trembled. She lowered her head, full of shame.
She had seen her back many times and knew how ugly it was.
"Don't worry."
Yami's calm voice reached her ears. "Once I finish my research, I'll remove the Forbidden Technique. When that happens, the scars and the bead will disappear. You'll be as beautiful as ever."
"Master…" the girl blushed, but her mood lifted.
Yami smiled silently and focused on the bead's structure and secrets.
Activating the rarely used Byakugan and entering Sage Mode, he boosted his perception.
"Strange material. I've never seen it. And these sealing formulas and internal channels…"
Yami extended his chakra into the black bead. The more he explored, the more mysterious it became. The material was completely unfamiliar, and the sealing array inside was unlike anything in the modern shinobi world—entirely different principles.
Was this something from the pre-shinobi clan era?
After half an hour of study with no clear breakthrough, Yami pulled his hand away and quietly helped Hotaru redress.
The girl finally dared to open her eyes. "Master, is that all?"
"We're just getting started."
Yami shook his head. "I've only understood the general structure. I'll need your help again later."
"Okay, okay!" Hotaru nodded quickly. "I'll listen to Master!"
She was either truly innocent or surprisingly clever—completely trusting the teacher she had just met. She hadn't even considered whether he might be deceiving her.
After Hotaru left, Yami was just about to sleep when the door opened again.
Samui stepped in, her expression full of resentment.
"Yami-sama and your apprentice are really playing around, aren't you?"
With Tsunade already a strong rival at home, now there was this bold thunder-style apprentice. Of course Samui was jealous.
Yami didn't reply. He simply picked her up and returned to bed, ready to show her with action that even if there were more women, he could take care of them all.
(To be continued.)
***
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