As a survivor of the night of the massacre, it would be a lie to say Yuichi didn't hate Uchiha Sasuke.
Uchiha Itachi did something that insane, all for the sake of his brother Sasuke.
Yuichi's parents died at Itachi's hands. He was only able to escape because Shisui intervened when his parents were entangled with Itachi.
If it hadn't been for Shisui and Yami, he too would have been cut down.
Fueled by revenge, Yuichi awakened the Three Tomoe Sharingan. When he saw Sasuke, one of the few who survived by sacrificing the rest of the clan, his killing intent leaked out uncontrollably.
But after Yami left, and seeing Sasuke's confused expression, much of Yuichi's anger suddenly faded.
Sasuke was also a pitiful existence.
He survived in ignorance, never knowing the truth, and without any say, was forced onto a path of revenge by Itachi.
Compared to the other survivors, Sasuke had it worse.
At least the rest of them learned the truth through Shisui and Yami.
When Sasuke finally learns everything, who knows if he'll break completely.
"Why are you still standing there? You two, come at me together."
Yuichi barked coldly. Sasuke's temper flared and he rushed forward without a word. Naruto followed up from a distance with a Vacuum Wave.
Though Yuichi was only two or three years older than them, he had already awakened the Three Tomoe Sharingan. Even without relying on it now, his taijutsu and ninjutsu were far superior.
That was the difference in their training environments. Under Shisui's lead, Yuichi and the others trained rigorously in the Land of Snow. Each year, they took missions, exposing them to the cruelty and darkness of the shinobi world.
As for Sasuke and Naruto... They had a full childhood in the Academy, nurtured by the Will of Fire.
Facing the pressure of such intense killing intent, Sasuke and Naruto couldn't perform at their best and were quickly defeated.
Naruto was lucky. Yuichi's real target was Sasuke. Though he beat him black and blue, it was all superficial injuries that just looked worse than they were.
After 700 hours of rest, the merciless beatings resumed.
This cycle repeated for a day. Though it was miserable, Sasuke and Naruto gradually adapted to Yuichi's killing intent and were able to fight at full strength, lasting longer.
In the end, killing intent was just a kind of aura. Those who killed many became naturally indifferent to life, and when combined with spiritual energy in chakra, it could intimidate enemies.
But once you got used to it, the effect faded.
After the mission ended, Yuichi secretly recorded a picture of Sasuke's pig-like swollen face, planning to share it with the brothers. It was one of the rare things that made them happy.
"Sasuke, does that guy have some kind of grudge against you?"
Looking at Sasuke's miserable state, Naruto struggled to hold back his laughter.
"How would I know?! I don't even know who that guy is!"
Sasuke mumbled through his swollen face, glaring fiercely in the direction Yuichi left. "Just wait. When I get stronger, I'll beat him into a pig head too!"
"Tch, such strong vengeful spirit."
Yami suddenly reappeared. "My subordinate was kind enough to help you train, and you're thinking of revenge? As punishment, I won't heal you. Go back to the village with your pig face."
Sasuke was dumbfounded.
He wanted to say that he was just putting up a front to preserve his pride, but Yami didn't give him a chance to explain and left after delivering the punishment.
Konoha Village
Attracting the attention of the villagers with his pig face, Yami led the team to the Hokage's office to report the mission.
"Momochi Zabuza, Raiga Kurosuki…"
Even Hiruzen showed a flicker of surprise after hearing the report.
Two of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen. Just by their swords alone, they were at least Elite Jōnin-level threats.
Fortunately, Yami had been leading the team. If it had been his son, Asuma, they might've had another black-haired funeral.
He wanted to demand an explanation from Kirigakure, but since the two were traitors, there was nothing to be done. Mist had long since closed itself off and had no contact with Konoha for years.
After a long discussion, Hiruzen realized all he could do was offer praise.
"You've worked hard, Yami. If your team hadn't carried out the mission, the consequences could have been disastrous."
"I'm rating this as an A-rank mission. The village will issue your reward accordingly."
He approved a note that could be exchanged for payment at the Finance Department.
Realistically, with two Elite Jōnin involved, this should have been rated an S-rank mission. But Naruto and the others didn't contribute much, and Hiruzen was worried they'd get arrogant if awarded an S-rank mission too soon. So, he lowered the classification.
After receiving the note, Hiruzen's gaze fell on the strange long sword strapped to Sasuke's back.
As a well-versed ninjutsu expert, he immediately recognized it as one of the Seven Ninja Swords—Thunder Sword Kiba.
"Did you also bring back the Executioner's Blade?"
"You want it?" Yami raised an eyebrow.
Hiruzen was slightly embarrassed but nodded. "It could serve as a bargaining chip in future talks with Mist. I hope you'll hand it over. Of course, the village will compensate you."
"I've got plans for Thunder Sword. Name your price for the Executioner's Blade."
Besides its blood-absorbing and self-repairing traits, Yami didn't see what made the Executioner's Blade worthy of being one of the Seven Swords.
He was fine with handing it over as long as the price was right.
"Five million."
Hiruzen offered a fair price, equivalent to five S-rank missions. Yami casually tossed him the sealed scroll containing the sword.
As for the toll revenue from the Wave Bridge, 50% belonged to Yami personally, and 20% had to be handed over to the village.
It looked like Yami lost out, but he wasn't upset at all.
Soon enough, the village's possessions would basically be his anyway.
After leaving the Hokage's office and receiving 500,000 ryō for the mission, Naruto's eyes turned into money signs.
However, the amount he got was… 10,000 ryō.
"What's the point of giving a kid so much money? I'll hold onto the rest for you and give it back when you're older."
Yami pocketed the remaining 470,000 ryō, then said while ignoring Naruto's look of betrayal, "Starting tomorrow, we're taking a three-day break. After that, meet at the usual spot. Got it?"
"Got it!" the three of them responded in unison.
"Yami-nii, I'm heading off!"
It was already time to clock out. Naruto switched to a more familiar tone, planning to meet up with Shikamaru and Kiba to show off his A-rank mission… but before he could take a step, Yami grabbed him by the collar.
"Since you've completed your first A-rank mission, shouldn't you treat me to a meal?"
"Let's go. Ramen from Ichiraku."
Naruto looked at the 10,000 ryō in his hand, then at Yami with a complicated expression. He wanted to ask, Are you even human…?
In the end, Sasuke couldn't take it anymore and treated the entire team.
An hour later, seeing eight empty bowls stacked in front of Yami and Hinata, Sasuke silently vowed never to be a good person again.
Being kind brought nothing but regret!
...
Three days passed quickly, and when they regrouped, Hinata didn't show up.
"Hinata's staying home to learn clan techniques. Only the two of you will be in this special training."
They arrived at a rural farm on the outskirts. Naruto thought Yami was assigning them to weed again, but when they arrived, several Konoha shinobi were already busy.
An elderly shinobi carrying a huge pot was diligently working.
"Yami-sensei, what are we doing here?" Naruto asked.
"Waiting for your instructor for the next period."
Yami stuffed his hands in his pockets and looked at the old man with the pot. "I've got things to take care of, and Hinata's busy with her clan. So you two will follow someone else for missions and training."
Sasuke's eyelid twitched. He had a bad feeling. "Wait, don't tell me it's him?"
An old man still doing grunt work? He had to be a Genin.
A Genin guiding them?
He'd rather be alone with Naruto than endure that… wait, no, never mind.
Yami glanced over. "You doubt my judgment?"
Sasuke wisely shut his mouth.
The three of them waited half an hour before the old man finished his work. At Yami's signal, he came over with the pot slung over his back.
Naruto and Sasuke then noticed that he was missing a leg.
"Master Yami."
The old man greeted with a smile. "Visiting this old man… what would you like to eat?"
"Sit first." Yami pointed to a wooden stump. Once the old man sat, Yami poured him some water into a bamboo tube.
As he drank, Yami introduced him to the two boys.
"This is Maruboshi Kosuke, a Konoha Genin who's been active since the time of the Second Hokage."
"He learned from the Second, was guided by the Third, and even went on missions with the Fourth Hokage. The Fourth once bandaged his wounds."
Naruto's eyes immediately lit up as he looked at Kosuke.
He had been on missions with the Fourth Hokage…
In the past, Naruto wouldn't have thought much of it. But ever since learning his background, he'd been deeply curious about everything related to the Fourth.
Just based on that, Naruto had no objections to going on missions with Kosuke.
"But what I like most is this old man's cooking skills. Seriously good," Yami added.
Kosuke smiled humbly. "I just adjust the seasoning to your taste, Master Yami."
"Alright, enough about cooking."
Yami waved his hand. "I'm here to ask you to guide these two and share your experience."
"That… I don't think I can." Kosuke quickly shook his head. "I'm just a Genin. How could I lead rookies? Wouldn't I just be misleading them?"
"Stop pretending."
Yami showed no mercy. "These two, Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke, are the future of the village. Maruboshi Kosuke, you don't want to hold back Konoha's future, do you?"
Uzumaki…
Kosuke instantly understood, glancing deeply at Naruto.
"Master Yami, wouldn't it be better if you trained them yourself?"
"I've got too much on my plate. Besides, at their level, there's not much difference whether you or I train them. I've already taught them the fundamentals."
Yami gave him a meaningful look. "Anyway, I'll be recommending them for the Chūnin Exams in a month. Whether you train them well or not… that's up to you."
"If I'm not satisfied, I'll promote you to Jōnin the very next day."
Kosuke's expression changed.
Because of a reckless mistake in his early years that led to the deaths of two teammates, Kosuke had vowed to remain a Genin for life. That didn't mean his strength was only at the Genin level.
Hiruzen had offered more than once to promote him to Jōnin, but he had always refused.
Hiruzen respected his wishes, but Yami wouldn't.
Having dealt with Yami before, the old man knew that if he kept stalling or tried to half-heartedly agree, Yami would actually promote him by force.
He sighed inwardly, cursing Yami for bullying a 70-year-old man. But in the end, he accepted.
One of them was that man's orphan. The other, a survivor of the Uchiha.
They would both become Konoha's pillars in the future.
To help them grow was also a blessing.
Seeing that the old man had given in, Yami left in satisfaction, leaving the three of them staring at each other.
Naruto wanted to ask about the Fourth Hokage, while Sasuke stared at Kosuke with a skeptical look.
Without Yami's pressure, Sasuke's true colors emerged. His tone was filled with distrust.
"What can you teach me?"
"Don't give me those half-baked ninja experiences. What I want is absolute strength."
Kosuke wasn't angry. He smiled and drew the short sword on his back.
He had no children of his own, but he had seen plenty of parents discipline their kids.
Let the brat run his mouth. After a good beating, he'd be obedient.
(To be continued.)