Chapter 8 – The Path of the Overpowered Is a Lonely One
After returning home, Yusuke told his father everything that had happened. Hatake Sakumo furrowed his brow, the anger on his face impossible to miss.
"That Danzo… he's asking for death," Sakumo muttered, a dangerous glint in his eyes.
"It's fine, Dad. But hey, I wanted to ask... does our family have any Kekkei Genkai?" Yusuke asked, eyes serious.
"Hm... not that I know of. At least up until your grandfather's generation, no one ever showed signs of having one. Why do you ask?" Sakumo replied, narrowing his eyes. "Don't tell me—"
"That's right. I've awakened it," Yusuke nodded. "The situation was dangerous... but all of a sudden, something inside me just exploded with power. That's how I managed to take down that ROOT shinobi."
He didn't mention the system, of course. There was no way it would make sense in this world.
"You're serious?" Sakumo gasped, clearly shaken.
"Yeah. It's incredibly destructive," Yusuke explained, carefully choosing his words.
"In that case... show me," Sakumo said after taking a deep breath, trying to calm himself.
"Seriously, Dad? I told you, the power's too strong. We'll lose our house," Yusuke said flatly.
"...Right. Good point," Sakumo chuckled awkwardly, scratching the back of his head.
The two of them made their way into the nearby forest—Kakashi's usual training spot.
Seeing them approach, Kakashi frowned. "What are you guys doing here?"
"Your brother's about to show us something crazy," Sakumo said with a light tone.
Yusuke grinned and took a stance—right hand clenched, braced against his left arm, body turned slightly sideways, just like a certain Whitebeard.
A glowing white aura flared around his fist.
Then, he threw a punch.
The air itself shattered like broken glass.
Cracks spread through the sky, and an intense shockwave blasted outward, ripping through the trees. The ground trembled violently under their feet.
Kakashi stood frozen, mouth agape.
'When... when did my brother create something like that? That's insane...'
Sakumo couldn't even speak. As a seasoned shinobi, he could feel the sheer danger radiating from that technique.
'No hand seals... and it caused that much destruction in one hit? Just what kind of monster did I raise?'
"Yusuke... that technique. It takes time to charge up, doesn't it?" Sakumo asked, cautiously.
He was hoping—maybe it was like Onoki's Dust Release, something that needed time to prepare.
"Nope. I only took my time because I wanted you to see it at full power. If I dial it down, I can use it anytime," Yusuke replied casually.
He stepped forward and gave a nearby tree a light jab.
The tree exploded into splinters on impact.
Sakumo's expression hardened.
"From now on, you're not allowed to use that ability unless your life is in real danger. Don't let any other nation find out about this—not until you're at least Jōnin-level. Understood?"
This Kekkei Genkai was too dangerous. If word got out, the other nations would never allow it to grow. Just like how they feared another Hashirama.
"Kakashi. You too. Don't speak of this to anyone," Sakumo added.
"Understood," Kakashi replied softly, turning his face away.
He had just realized... catching up to his brother might be impossible.
"By the way, big bro... can I learn that move?" Kakashi asked, trying to sound casual.
"Nope. It's a Kekkei Genkai. Not ninjutsu. You won't be able to use it," Yusuke said.
Still, deep inside, he had thought about giving Kakashi a devil fruit someday—to help him survive.
But—
[Ding]
[—Request denied. Please cancel that intention, Host.]
"What? Why?"
[This system only serves one Host. Energy cannot be transferred.]
[Also, devil fruit powers violate this world's laws. If detected by the natural laws of this realm, Host will be erased.]
"...You serious? Then why am I still alive?"
[Because your existence doesn't belong to this world. In the original story, you don't exist.]
"I see… then what about the Six Styles from the Navy? Doesn't that break the rules too?"
[The system has adapted those into forms of Taijutsu accepted by this world. No legal conflicts detected.]
Yusuke let out a deep sigh.
'So this is the path I've chosen... The cheat path really is a lonely one.'
"Hey! Quit daydreaming, brat!" Sakumo called out from a distance.
"Yeah, yeah! I'm coming!"
As the three of them walked home together along the forest path, bathed in the soft glow of the setting sun, Yusuke felt the gentle warmth of family.
A warmth he swore to protect with his own two hands.
— — —
The Next Day
Yusuke arrived at the Hokage's office.
The moment he stepped inside, he found Hiruzen Sarutobi blushing furiously—for reasons Yusuke didn't even want to guess.
'This old man... was he peeking at Icha Icha Paradise again?'
"Hokage-sama, Hatake Yusuke reporting for duty."
"Good. Yusuke, go with Kitsune and register yourself with the ANBU," Hiruzen said, quickly regaining composure.
From the shadows of the room, a cloaked figure emerged—Kitsune.
"Follow me," he said curtly.
They walked into a dimly lit chamber, lined with ANBU masks hanging on the walls. Five shinobi were already waiting inside.
"This is the new recruit," Kitsune said, handing Yusuke off to a man wearing a cat mask.
"Still a kid, huh?" the masked man muttered, eyeing him.
"Age doesn't always matter," Yusuke replied calmly.
"Hah! Cocky, aren't you?" the man laughed heartily.
"Well, my job here's done. Good luck," Kitsune said before vanishing into the shadows once more.
"I'm Murakami Shigeno, code name: Black Hound. I'll be your squad leader starting today. From now on, you're a team. Introduce yourselves."
A short-haired girl stepped forward.
"I'm Honda Kaori, code name: Nightingale. Specialty: Water Release."
"Aburame Shisei, code name: Bug. Specialty: Insect Techniques and Recon."
"Hyuga Inaka. Specialty: Gentle Fist and Surveillance," said the girl from the Hyuga Clan.
"Hatake Yusuke. Specialties: Kenjutsu, Taijutsu, Earth Release, and Lightning Style."
"Hatake, huh... Sakumo's kid. The genius boy everyone's been whispering about," Shigeno said, narrowing his eyes.
"Let me give you one piece of advice, kid—'bite too much, and you won't be able to chew.'"
"And here's one back for you, Captain—'knowledge is power, and power is survival,'" Yusuke replied with a grin.
"Hah, fair enough. Now, listen up. This is your first mission. There's intel that shinobi from the Land of Lightning have infiltrated the Land of Fire. We're to investigate. Rest up for today. Meet at noon tomorrow—sharp."
"Understood!" the squad answered in unison.
"Yusuke, you're new. Pick a mask and choose your code name. We use those in the field."
"Got it."
Yusuke reached for a mask shaped like a fanged demon.
"Code name: Fang."
"Good choice. Dismissed. Rest well. Mission starts tomorrow."
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
📚 Want to read more chapters or get early access?
Join my Patreon here:
🔗 patreon.com/FaaanzKun
✅ Enjoy 15 chapters ahead of WebNovel
✅ Get 1-2 new chapters every day exclusively on Patreon
☕ Prefer one-time support instead of a subscription?
You can donate here:
🔗 ko-fi.com/faaanzkun
Join now and dive deeper into the story—weeks ahead of public release!
Thank you for your amazing support 💖
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —