Bonus Chapters at 100 power stones.
"Okay, that's the last one!"
Anko stretched her arms above her head after placing the final surveillance seal, joints audibly cracking. She turned to Yami, grinning. "Not bad, Yami-kun. As expected of an Uchiha. Fast hands, high efficiency."
"In other words," Yami replied, glancing over the cleared forest area, "the second examination site is ready."
"Yup. Now all that's left is to terrorize a bunch of kids." Anko clasped her hands behind her head. "We've got a few days before they arrive. Yami-kun, want to go drinking?"
"Anko-san, I'm not even an adult yet," Yami said flatly.
He'd already figured out the type she was. Bold, informal, a bit reckless, but not malicious.
Anko snorted. "Ugh, such a killjoy. Fine, I'll downgrade it. Let's go, I'll treat you to juice at the dango shop."
"Sorry, Anko-san. I have personal matters to deal with," Yami said. Sasuke's training flickered through his mind. Rest could wait.
"What a shame." Anko tapped her chin, then smirked. "Oh, that reminds me. When Hokage-sama announced the Chūnin Exams, Kakashi mentioned some of his brats wanted to sign up. One of them's from your clan, right?"
Yami nodded. "Uchiha Sasuke."
"Right, that name. Hard to forget the only other survivor in the village." Anko eyed him sideways. "Don't tell me your 'personal matter' is secretly giving him special training."
"It's just basic correction. He's still far from Chūnin level," Yami replied.
"I didn't peg you as the doting clan brother type," she said, laughing, and smacked his shoulder again like they'd been teammates for years.
Yami gave her a helpless look. "In any case, if there's nothing more, I'll head back first. Let's eat after the Exams are over."
"That's a promise!" Anko thumped her chest. "After the exams, I'm treating. I like you way better than stuffy types like Aoba."
The motion set certain things bouncing under her mesh shirt. Yami turned away abruptly.
"…I'll be going now."
He left in a hurry. Behind him, Anko laughed quietly. "Hah. Uchiha really aren't as hard to get along with as rumours say."
. . . . . . . . . .
A few days later, in one of Konoha's training grounds—
Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!
Sasuke launched himself from the trees, unleashing a huge fireball straight at Yami.
'Again with this?' Yami thought. Still, the distance was close enough to make it mildly troublesome.
He pushed off the ground, chakra gathered in his legs, and slipped past the fireball, feeling its heat brush past him. As soon as he cleared it, he started scanning for Sasuke. And stopped.
'There's extra movement behind the flames.'
His eyes narrowed.
From within the fireball, Sasuke emerged, arms shielding his face from the heat, Sharingan gleaming through the flames. He strode out of the fire, closing the distance fast.
Yami's gaze sharpened. 'So that's what you're doing.'
Genjutsu: False Surroundings Technique.
It was the only genjutsu Yami had taught Sasuke over the past few days. A simple C-rank.
Normally, it wouldn't affect him at all.
But Yami had set strict limits for himself: no Sharingan, and power capped at low Chūnin level. Under those rules, the genjutsu flickered at the edge of his senses and caught him for a heartbeat.
For just a second, his vision warped. Sasuke blurred, positions overlapping.
By the time Yami dispelled it, cold metal was already touching his neck.
Sasuke stood in front of him, kunai pressed to Yami's throat. His breathing was slightly rough, but his eyes were steady.
For the first time since their training began, Sasuke had landed a clean hit.
Before he could grin, a voice drifted from the woods.
"Not bad. Looks like you've improved."
Sasuke's expression froze. He turned his head.
Another Yami stepped out from between the trees.
"Tch," Sasuke muttered. "Just a Shadow Clone…"
The "Yami" under his kunai puffed away in smoke.
"Did you really think a few days of training would let you beat me head-on?" the real Yami said, walking closer. "Using Shadow Clone makes it easier to cap my strength to Chūnin level."
Sasuke knew he had a long way to go, but he couldn't help saying, "Then I'll just do it again. If I can get you once, I can get you twice."
Yami scratched his cheek lightly with a finger. "Before that. Did you forget something?"
Sasuke blinked.
"This afternoon," Yami reminded him, "you're submitting the Chūnin Exam application."
"…Oh." Sasuke jolted. "That's today?"
Five days had flown by faster than he'd expected.
"Go home, clean up, and meet your teammates to submit the forms," Yami said. "That's your next step."
Sasuke frowned. "It feels like I barely trained…"
"Don't overthink it." Yami's gaze moved to Sasuke's eyes. "Your tomoe have stabilized. Both eyes are finally even now."
Sasuke's eyes widened in surprise.
"You're also starting to use your strengths," Yami continued. "Combining fire and genjutsu, concealing your position, reading timing. You're not just charging in thoughtlessly anymore. Your taijutsu is still weak, but it's improved."
Sasuke lowered his head slightly, listening.
"And," Yami added, "you're Kakashi's student. Even if we're from the same clan, I have no right to overstep him."
Sasuke paused, then realized. Compared to five days ago, he really had changed. His ninjutsu hadn't multiplied, his chakra hadn't suddenly increased, but he knew he could defeat his old self without breaking a sweat.
"…I understand," Sasuke said quietly. "Thanks… for training me."
If Naruto or Sakura had heard that, they would've fallen over on the spot.
Yami blinked, slightly taken aback.
Sasuke felt his face heat under Yami's stare. "That's all I'm saying. I'm going."
He turned on his heel, about to leave.
"Sasuke," Yami called.
Sasuke stopped, waiting.
"Think about what I'm about to say," Yami said. "Just like intel on a mission. Some information is true, some is false. Every word you hear, every story someone tells you, you need to judge it for yourself."
He continued, calmly but firmly.
"No matter how close you are to the person speaking, you can't accept everything blindly. As a shinobi, you must learn to think independently. Otherwise, you'll be used."
Sasuke didn't reply immediately. The words were simple, but heavy.
"…Got it," he finally said. He walked away, thoughtful.
Not long after Sasuke disappeared from view, Yami looked toward the shadowed trees and sighed.
"Come out. He's gone. Or do you really want me to drag you out?"
"Oh? I must've gotten lost and accidentally wandered over here," a familiar lazy voice replied.
Kakashi stepped out, one hand in his pocket, the other holding his book. His single visible eye curved into a smile.
Yami stared at him. "Why do I get the feeling you're more concerned about Sasuke than I am? Your surname isn't Uchiha. Did you forget that?"
"This is my first time leading a team," Kakashi said. "I'm allowed to care about my subordinates, aren't I?"
'Still acting.' Yami thought.
Shisui had once told him that Kakashi was "cold-blooded on the outside, yet soft on the inside."
Yami turned to leave. "If there's nothing else, I'm going."
"Wait." Kakashi closed his book and his tone changed, becoming serious. "What I care about… is the last thing you said to Sasuke."
Yami raised a brow. "Oh? Is senpai here to give me a lecture now?"
"Yami," Kakashi said slowly, "I know you just returned. And I know what happened to the Uchiha hit you hard. But you can't let hatred blind you. Revenge doesn't usually end well."
"Save that speech for Genin," Yami replied. "What makes you think you have the right to preach to me?"
He'd been suppressing it this whole time. Rage, grief, confusion. The massacre wasn't a simple tragedy. Too many unanswered questions hung over that night.
"Can you say those words in front of the 1,257 people buried in the Uchiha cemetery?" Yami asked quietly.
Kakashi fell silent.
"Can you imagine a mother, happily preparing dinner, opening the door expecting her child. Only to be met by a blade?" Yami continued, eyes narrowing. "An old man who can't stand, begging for his life from his own bed? A child hiding under that same bed, dragged out and slaughtered in front of his parents?"
The Sharingan in Yami's eyes flared to life, crimson and cold. His voice remained calm, but the images he painted were anything but.
Kakashi had no answer. He might have imagined those things before. But he had never truly faced them.
"How am I supposed to live," Yami said, "without avenging that kind of hatred?"
He turned away.
"I am now the ghost of the Uchiha," he said, voice low. "Crawling up from hell. And I will lay the heads of everyone involved in that night… at the foot of the Uchiha graves."
Kakashi watched his back in silence, the weight of those words lingering long after Yami was gone.
- End of Chapter 8 -
Like this version? Let me know by voting with power stones, leaving a comment, or leaving a review! As you can see, the plot of this particular MTL in the beginning is already very interesting! While reading the MTL itself might give you headaches if you are not one with the dao, I do sincerely hope my version helps you to save brain cells!