Chapter 9 – Genin Hatake Kyūjō
In the residence of the Hatake clan—one of the most renowned ninja families in Konohagakure—a silver-haired man sat quietly in the main hall, sipping on a cup of hot tea.
Hatake Sakumo glanced out toward the gate over and over again. His eyes held the look of an older brother waiting for someone dear to return.
"I'm home, brother!"
A loud voice echoed from the courtyard.
A boy with long, snow-white hair stepped into the front yard. He was Hatake Kyūjō—Sakumo's younger brother—just returning from his first day at the Ninja Academy.
Sakumo watched him carefully for a moment, then gave a slow nod.
"This kid… he's grown up and has finally stepped onto the path of a shinobi."
Seeing that sentimental expression on his brother's face, Kyūjō immediately knew what was going through his mind.
Letting out a sigh, Kyūjō began to recount his first day at the academy—which, to him, was filled with nothing but mundane lectures and tedious routines.
"By the way," Sakumo asked suddenly, "who do you think is stronger? Uchiha Guren or Hyuga Masato?"
Kyūjō simply rolled his eyes and ignored the absurd question, heading straight for the kitchen to prepare dinner.
Yes, despite being the youngest in the house, it was Kyūjō—the four-year-old boy—who did all the cooking.
If they had to rely on Sakumo's cooking, Kyūjō would honestly rather chew on emergency ration pills than force himself to swallow that disaster.
At least rations were edible. Sakumo's cooking? It was borderline inhumane.
Strangely enough, Sakumo didn't seem to care. To him, eating was just a survival necessity. As long as it wasn't poisonous, anything that could be chewed and swallowed was fair game.
Perhaps that sort of mentality was what allowed Sakumo to stay strong and survive as a ninja, even after losing both parents.
But for Kyūjō?
That was going too far.
Even if he no longer relied on food to replenish his physical strength—thanks to his reincarnated body—he still refused to give up one of life's simplest pleasures: the joy of eating.
Humans were given mouths not just to speak…
…but to eat.
If mouths were made only for talking, wouldn't that be a waste of such a glorious feature?
Twenty minutes later, a savory aroma wafted through the house. Kyūjō had just finished preparing four simple side dishes and a bowl of warm soup. The style of the food still reflected his memories of his past life, but the presentation was elegant and incredibly appetizing.
After saving a portion for lunch tomorrow, Kyūjō sat down with Sakumo and began their meal.
Naturally, his clueless older brother had no idea that the food he was enjoying tonight wasn't something you'd ever find in Konoha.
Spicy stir-fried pork, sweet braised carp, egg and seaweed soup, and garlic sautéed spinach.
Does Konoha even have dishes like this?
Time passed quickly.
Six years later, Hatake Kyūjō turned ten.
He was now noticeably taller than most kids his age. His long, white hair framed a face so refined it felt like it was painted by an artist's brush. His mysterious eyes occasionally flickered with faint electricity—emitting a quiet but unmistakable pressure.
Beneath his bangs, a faint lightning-shaped pattern glowed subtly—a signature mark of his hidden power.
With his looks alone, combined with the legendary genes of the Hatake clan, Kyūjō had become an unrivaled icon—an almost ethereal beauty cloaked in danger.
His appearance alone was enough to turn him into a living legend among the current generation of Academy students.
No surprise that he quickly became the "public enemy" of all the boys in his class.
If it weren't for his overwhelming strength, they probably would've ganged up on him long ago just to drive him out.
But this wasn't a joke.
Kids in the ninja world matured fast. Even that idiot Naruto used to fight Sasuke all the time just over some girl with a wide forehead.
If Kyūjō didn't exist, this generation might've already been full of young couples. But with someone like him around, every romance crashed and burned before it even began.
Still, it wasn't just about his looks.
Kyūjō's strength had grown exponentially over the past six years. Even if his body hadn't fully matured yet, his combat ability far surpassed any shinobi his age.
In his previous life—in the world of One Piece—he had once ascended to the peak as a divine-level user of Colorless Armament Haki.
Now, after reincarnating, he had recovered about 20% of his former strength.
And while twenty percent might not sound like much...
…it was twenty percent of someone who could split islands and slice through the Red Line with a single swing of his blade.
If he were to return to that world right now, he could easily be appointed a Marine Admiral—so long as they handed him a decent pair of swords.
Even better, his soul had grown stronger post-reincarnation. His mastery and control over Haki now ran deeper than ever before.
In other words, his potential had already surpassed his past self.
It was only a matter of time before he reclaimed his full power.
If you were to ask: How strong is he in Naruto's world right now?
By his own estimate, any regular Jōnin without special techniques would be defeated in a single strike.
But against Kage-level or Super-Kage opponents?
That was a different story.
Not because he feared them—but because high-level ninjas often possessed dangerous, complex jutsu. After all, Haki and Ninjutsu operated under entirely different systems.
If he could end a fight in one hit, perfect.
But if it dragged into a clash of techniques, things could turn tricky.
Take, for example, the Third Hokage's ultimate move: Sealing Technique: Dead Demon Consuming Seal (Fūinjutsu: Shiki Fūjin).
Kyūjō wasn't sure if that summoning contract with the Shinigami could actually seal his soul.
And if it could?
What if he really did get devoured and couldn't reincarnate again?
Then there were the Sealing Squads of Konoha. Dozens of trained specialists working together could, in theory, seal his body given enough time to prepare.
That's why he studied Genjutsu during these six years—an illusion technique unique to this world.
It suited him.
With a reincarnated soul and extraordinarily high spiritual power, Kyūjō discovered two things:
1. He was nearly immune to all standard Genjutsu—except for absurdly powerful illusions like Tsukuyomi or Kotoamatsukami from Mangekyō Sharingan.
2. When he cast Genjutsu himself, the effects were far stronger than usual—likely due to his overwhelming mental fortitude.
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So far, he had mastered four low-to-mid-rank Genjutsu techniques:
Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique (D-rank)
Induces terrifying hallucinations based on the victim's worst fears.
Shadow Servant Animation Technique (D-rank)
Animates surrounding shadows into menacing shapes to confuse the enemy.
Mind Maze Technique (C-rank)
Traps the opponent in a mental labyrinth—draining stamina while they try to escape.
Phantom Shift Technique (C-rank)
Alters environmental perception, tricking the target into misjudging position or presence.
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Aside from Genjutsu, Kyūjō's chakra reserves had reached Jōnin-level. If he had to put a number on it, he'd say he had one full Kakashi worth of chakra.
As for Ninjutsu?
Don't even ask.
He had long since mastered all the basic techniques like Clone, Substitution, and Transformation Jutsu.
And anything else he saw—so long as it wasn't a Kekkei Genkai or forbidden technique—he could copy.
Even the Hyūga clan's Gentle Fist.
Why? Because he could read and sense chakra flow in others, a skill typically exclusive to Byakugan users.
But Kyūjō could do it naturally—thanks to the unique abilities of his lightning-charged eyes.
While he wasn't keen on learning every chakra element, he did focus on Lightning Release (Raiton) since it resonated perfectly with his Thunder Eyes.
That synergy had birthed some truly terrifying techniques… but that's a story for later.
Now, at age ten, Kyūjō had officially graduated from the Academy and become a Genin.
That meant he could start taking missions—ranging from chasing cats to delivering mail or weeding old ladies' gardens.
Throughout his six years at school, even though he never showed off, glimpses of his power had already made his classmates painfully aware of the gulf between them.
By his third year, after revealing "just a little" of his true strength, he was instantly hailed as the Genius of the Generation—an unmatched prodigy.
Alongside Namikaze Minato, he even earned a special title from the Third Hokage himself:
"The Twin Stars that Shine Bright in Konoha's Future."
During that time, Kyūjō also forged friendships with future big names—Ino-Shika-Cho, Aburame Shibi, Namikaze Minato, and even the fiery transfer student, Uzumaki Kushina.
Not because he craved companionship.
But because, in the end, humans are social creatures.
And even ninja children were more mature than most kids their age.
Kyūjō chose to retain his humanity. He believed… perhaps that was the very reason why he could keep reincarnating over and over again.
Following graduation, as per Konoha tradition, he was assigned to a three-man cell with two teammates and one Jōnin instructor.
Seeing the names "Minato" and "Kushina" on the list, Kyūjō narrowed his eyes.
"…Don't tell me our sensei is… that pervy hermit?"
Yep. All signs pointed to Jiraiya being their mentor.
From a strategic standpoint, it made sense. The Third Hokage probably wanted to keep a close eye on two prodigies. And Kushina—the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki—likely required extra supervision too.
The three-man squad? Just a formality.
In reality, it was Kyūjō and Minato, with Kushina added for balance.
And maybe… Jiraiya even hoped to take one of them as his apprentice?
Kyūjō let out a soft chuckle and shook his head.
"With me around… history won't repeat itself."
As for becoming Jiraiya's student?
Sorry.
Not interested.
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