"Dōichi, calm down. With me there, I can keep him safe."
Kakashi rarely saw Dōichi this emotional.
And he understood why.
Dōichi truly regarded Yoru as his disciple.
"You?" Dōichi shot back. "How many comrades have died beside you?"
"ANBU accept that fate. But I don't want him walking that path."
"I just want him to become a ninja who protects the village… someone who can live freely under the sun."
Kakashi fell silent.
Those words stirred memories—
Uchiha Obito.
Nohara Rin.
Scars that had never truly healed.
"He's different," Kakashi said quietly. "If I take him along, it's for growth—not as a mission partner."
"And if it's truly dangerous, I won't bring him. That should be enough."
He had already compromised.
But Dōichi still shook his head.
"No. I won't allow him to risk his life before he can protect himself."
Kakashi sighed.
"You've changed."
Dōichi met his gaze.
"And haven't you?"
Both fell silent.
Yes—
They had both changed.
Because of Yoru.
They both knew that if properly guided, Yoru would one day become a pillar of Konoha.
They simply disagreed on how.
Kakashi finally spoke again.
"Fine. Let's make a deal."
"When he's strong enough to defeat you, I'll take him on missions."
Dōichi thought for a moment—then nodded.
He wasn't a combat-specialist jōnin. In battle, he was at the level of a standard jōnin.
If Yoru could defeat him—
That meant Yoru had truly reached jōnin-level strength.
To outsiders, the agreement would sound absurd.
A fresh Academy graduate defeating a jōnin within a year?
Ridiculous.
But Kakashi and Dōichi both knew Yoru's talent.
And they believed it possible.
After all, rookie teams typically trained inside the village for three months before being allowed external missions.
—
The next day, after completing another D-rank mission, Yoru mastered tree climbing as well.
Driven by the pressure of Yoru's rapid growth, Shumu and Tada trained desperately.
But their talent was average.
They still struggled with the techniques Dōichi taught.
—
That night, while walking home—
Yoru suddenly stopped in the middle of a dim street.
His powerful perception flared.
The road ahead was empty.
Silent.
But something was wrong.
If he stepped forward—
Danger.
His instincts screamed.
Just as he prepared to turn back—
Whoosh—!
Dozens of kunai and shuriken tore through the air toward him.
The whistling cut through the silence.
Bad.
"Clang—! Clang—!"
In the split second before impact—
Yoru's eyes sharpened.
His figure vanished.
The projectiles slammed into the wall more than ten meters away.
Sparks exploded.
The blades embedded deeply into stone.
That force would have pierced flesh effortlessly.
Now several meters away, Yoru inhaled sharply.
"If that hit… I'd be dead."
High above, hidden in a distant tree, the attacker was even more surprised.
"That speed… that's Body Flicker level."
"And he improvised it on the spot."
Yoru had condensed chakra into his feet and burst several meters away instantly.
Exactly the principle of the Body Flicker Technique.
Yet he had never learned it.
His chakra control and physical conditioning were monstrous.
Yoru steadied himself, drawing a kunai.
He faced the attacker's direction.
Can't stay here.
Based on that attack, this person far surpasses me.
He analyzed instantly.
He had no intention of fighting.
He knew his limits.
He barely knew any combat ninjutsu.
His taijutsu was unrefined.
Basic Academy techniques would not save him.
Retreat was the only option.
But how?
The street was dark.
No streetlights.
The wind whispered coldly.
Yoru locked onto the attacker's approximate position through chakra fluctuations.
He didn't dare turn his back.
A single mistake—
Death.
Then—
A surge of chakra behind him.
"Fast!"
In less than a blink, the attacker appeared at his back.
No time to think.
This time, Yoru didn't attempt another burst movement.
The opponent was faster.
Trying to flee again would mean death.
In that instant—
He spun and whipped out a powerful roundhouse kick.
Boom!
The figure exploded into white smoke.
"A clone."
Too late.
"Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld."
The ground beneath his feet liquefied instantly.
The solid street transformed into thick, clinging mud.
Yoru's footing vanished.
The swamp sucked him downward.
Within seconds—
Half his body was submerged.
And he was still sinking.
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