After Souma left, Kabuto slowly made his way back to the medical corps.
His thoughts were in complete disarray, and for a long while he couldn't come up with a viable solution.
Run away?
That was one option.
However—
After the covert confrontation earlier, combined with everything he already knew, Kabuto was certain of one thing: Souma's sensory ability was terrifying, and its range was likely enormous.
At the very least…
Tracking his movements would be effortless.
Even if Souma wasn't monitoring him every second, Kabuto clearly remembered that Souma had dealings with the Aburame clan—and had even formed contracts with kikaichū.
Which meant one thing.
Running away would only accelerate his death.
"Kabuto, what did Souma want with you?"
"Oh, nothing much," Kabuto replied with a bright smile. "Souma-sama told me to focus more on neurological research. He said that as long as I make some progress, I'll be eligible to join the research institute."
His expression was flawless, as though nothing had happened—
as if Souma really had just invited him into the institute.
Of course.
He wasn't lying.
He simply omitted a tiny detail.
Kitayama Nao nodded approvingly. "Your talent is average, but your knowledge base and comprehension are excellent. If you keep working hard, becoming a capable ninja won't be difficult."
"Thank you, Captain."
"If you need to borrow books in the future, tell me. I'll also reduce your workload when appropriate."
"Thank you very much!"
Kabuto bowed deeply.
Kitayama Nao gave a light nod and returned to her duties. She simply didn't want someone with research potential to stagnate due to limited resources.
Kabuto moved aside and began preparing soldier pills, but his mind remained fixed on Souma.
From what he could tell—
Yagyū Souma had no intention of killing him, nor of turning him over to the village.
So he wasn't as "pure" as he appeared on the surface.
"I underestimated him," Kabuto mused silently.
"But now that you know part of Orochimaru-sama's plan… what will you do?"
Kabuto narrowed his eyes.
He didn't know the full plan.
But one thing would never change—
Orochimaru's objective was the Third Hokage's death.
As long as that remained true, Orochimaru would find another route.
For example…
Danzō.
Kabuto recalled fragments of intelligence Orochimaru had mentioned before, and a hypothesis slowly formed in his mind.
He continued shaping the pills, thinking faster and faster.
Danzō's strength and independent actions were something the Third Hokage couldn't fully predict.
If Danzō interfered, creating an opening—
Orochimaru could strike.
Then step out and compete for the Hokage position.
That had to be it.
"Danzō… Danzō…"
Kabuto tapped the desk unconsciously, a trace of killing intent leaking out before he immediately suppressed it.
Careful.
Being discovered by Souma still left him alive—for now.
Being exposed to others would leave even Souma no choice but to push him out to die.
…
Several days passed.
Souma had gone through the notes on the Spirit Transformation Technique dozens of times.
At this point, he could confidently say that he had fully comprehended both the technique and the notebook.
If he weren't worried about potential issues with the Bodhi Seed, he might have already tried it himself.
Still—
The research wasn't without gains.
Through studying the Spirit Transformation Technique, Souma discovered that his mental defense technique could be further improved.
The essence of Spirit Transformation was compressing spiritual energy, condensing it tightly around the soul, allowing the soul to act independently.
This process made spiritual energy and the soul more closely integrated—
Which meant genjutsu and mental attacks had a much harder time breaching the soul's defenses.
Most importantly—
It could be maintained long-term.
Unlike his previous technique, which required temporarily layering a mental barrier, this functioned more like a semi-passive ability.
A pleasant surprise.
But defense wasn't Souma's main focus.
Attack was.
The ability to condense spiritual energy was far more valuable when paired with offense.
This technique was worth deep study.
Over the following days, Souma immersed himself entirely in spiritual research—
to the point that he didn't even notice Kakashi had returned to the village.
Even if he had noticed, he wouldn't have cared.
Kakashi's team was strong enough. As long as Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura didn't completely lose their heads, dealing with Zabuza and Haku wouldn't be too difficult.
They'd get injured—but not seriously.
And reality matched Souma's expectations.
Their injuries were lighter than in the original timeline.
Most of Naruto's wounds came from his own reckless, self-destructive charges.
The only real problem—
Sakura's mood was clearly low.
Ino's "prediction" had come true.
Naruto constantly charged forward. Reckless, yes—but his tenacity and pressure kept Haku's attention off Sasuke.
In a sense, Naruto created the opening that allowed Sasuke to defeat Haku's near-unbreakable Ice Release.
And Sakura?
She tried her best, but in the thick mist—
Whether it was Kakashi versus Zabuza, or Naruto and Sasuke versus Haku—
she simply couldn't intervene.
All she could do was guard Tazuna.
The feeling was—
Powerless.
Humiliating.
"Everyone, go rest. We'll gather at the Hokage Building tomorrow," Kakashi said with a smile.
"Yes!"
Despite their inner turmoil, the three replied and left.
Kakashi glanced around.
The village seemed noticeably more crowded.
After a moment's thought, he smacked his forehead.
Right—
The Chūnin Exams were approaching.
"These things come around fast…"
Kakashi sighed, then turned toward the research institute.
This mission's smooth outcome owed a great deal to the breathing activation and natural energy methods Souma had asked him to study.
And—
He'd promised to bring Souma something good if he found it.
As it turned out—
He really had.
Not long after—
"Kakashi-sensei? You're back!"
Tenten was training when she spotted him. Her eyes lit up, and she tossed aside her staff and ran over.
Kakashi chuckled. "Still training with weapons?"
"Hehe. I've been practicing space-time techniques recently. When I run out of chakra, I review ninja tools."
She sealed the staff away and began asking about the mission.
Kakashi smiled but didn't answer.
Instead—
He pulled out a sealing scroll and released its contents.
A massive blade slammed into the ground.
"A trophy for Souma. Take a look."
"This is—!"
Tenten froze, then rushed forward.
She ran her fingers along the blade, eyes shining brighter by the second.
"Is this the Seven Ninja Swordsmen's Executioner's Blade?"
"You recognize it?"
Kakashi was surprised.
She nodded rapidly.
She hadn't seen it in person, but she'd read about it. The metal composition alone screamed chakra-conductive weapons.
Rumor had it—
The blade could regenerate by absorbing blood.
Tenten was beyond excited.
"Kakashi-sensei, can I study it? Just one day—no, seven days!"
She clutched the blade pitifully.
Kakashi immediately waved his hands. "That's Souma's. I don't get a say. Ask him."
"You can," Souma's voice said from nearby.
"But only after the Chūnin Exams."
He leapt down from the upper floor, landing beside them.
Kazusa soon arrived from the dojo as well.
For a moment, it felt like the old team had reunited.
Kakashi was dazed for a second, then smiled.
"You've all grown up."
"Of course!"
Tenten grinned—but still refused to let go of the blade.
After a brief chat, Souma reclaimed the sword, Kazusa was sent back to training, and only Kakashi and Souma remained.
Kakashi pulled out a notebook.
Souma skimmed it.
It detailed Kakashi's process for developing breathing activation—thoughts, experiments, the completed technique, and post-use feedback.
It was textbook-level research.
Souma finished reading and stored it away.
Then—
Inhale.
Exhale.
After a few cycles, his cells visibly activated.
"..."
Kakashi opened his mouth, then closed it again.
"Thank you, Kakashi-sensei."
"No problem. I learned a lot from you before. Helping out is only fair—and this technique saved my life."
Kakashi explained the mission in detail.
That's when Souma realized just how much he'd altered the timeline.
The first clash—
Kakashi didn't copy Zabuza's techniques like in the original. Instead, he wore dark glasses to block Sharingan reading.
He drew his blade, combining close combat with a no-seal, weakened Raikiri.
After probing Zabuza's strength, he activated Limit Break, stimulating chakra with lightning—
His speed exploded.
Zabuza was heavily wounded in a single exchange.
Haku appeared to rescue him, but this time Kakashi didn't hold back.
The fighting escalated.
Under Ice Release cover, the severely injured Zabuza and Haku barely escaped.
But—
Zabuza's injuries were far worse than before.
His right arm had already been damaged by Kakashi's ambush. Later, when Kakashi drew on Sage Chakra to unleash a stronger Raikiri—
Zabuza destroyed his own arm blocking the strike.
A swordsman without an arm…
The outcome was obvious.
Souma's expression turned strange.
"Kakashi-sensei… what happened after that?"
Kakashi was silent for a few seconds.
"I chased them… and let them go."
Souma blinked.
"That kid was too kind," Kakashi sighed. "Even then, he never went for lethal blows. Naruto and Sasuke were hurt, but nothing fatal. Zabuza… blocked my Raikiri with his arm to protect Haku."
It stirred too many memories.
So he spared them.
Souma nodded. "Then it's fine. Don't overthink it."
But inside—
His newly completed spiritual attack technique needed a proper test subject.
And someone with a Sharingan was perfect.
If Kakashi hadn't returned, he'd planned to ask Inoichi.
Now—
There was no need.
"Sensei, can you help me with something?"
"What is it?"
"I developed a spiritual attack technique. I'd like you to resist it with your Sharingan and help me test its strength."
"…?"
Kakashi froze.
A spiritual attack?
I go out on one mission and you're already messing with this level of danger?
He took a deep breath.
"…Alright."
He lifted his headband.
Scarlet eyes spun as chakra gathered.
Souma condensed spiritual energy.
They locked gazes—
Instantly, Kakashi's face went pale.
Blood trickled from his left eye.
Pain and shock flooded his expression.
The tomoe spun faster.
Then—
They began to merge.
"Guh—!"
Kakashi clutched his eye, groaning.
"Kakashi-sensei?!"
Souma leaned in anxiously.
The next second—
Kakashi collapsed.
"…What the hell?!"
That shouldn't have happened!
I controlled the output!
Damn it—
Kakashi, don't scam me like this!!
Souma's eyes went wide as he hoisted Kakashi onto his back and sprinted toward the hospital.
Advance Chapters available on Patreon
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