Chapter 3: An Awkward Encounter
"Puppet-based ninjutsu, being overly reliant on external tools, forms a unique branch of its own. While there's much to learn from it, at the end of the day, it goes against the essence of true strength." Yusuke shook his head and continued, "Only power that comes from within is worth trusting."
"You're absolutely right, Yusuke-kun. We're kindred spirits indeed," Orochimaru replied with a slight smile. His gaze turned fervent as he added, "I'm currently researching a fascinating technique—if successful, it will shatter the chains of mortality itself. Imagine it… eternal life, limitless time to master every ninjutsu in existence, to transcend even the limits of the shinobi world!"
Yusuke immediately guessed what technique Orochimaru was referring to—Living Corpse Reincarnation. It was a stroke of genius. To Yusuke, anyone capable of conceiving such a jutsu was undoubtedly a once-in-a-generation prodigy. While the technique had considerable flaws, its promise of immortality outweighed all risks.
Of course, this jutsu gave Orochimaru an almost indestructible body, but at a steep cost—it severely diminished his resistance to genjutsu. Each use of the technique led to a sharp decline in his mental strength, rendering him nearly powerless against genjutsu masters like Uchiha Itachi.
"Orochimaru-sensei, I still can't perform Hidden Shadow Snake Hands properly. Could you watch me try again and help me figure out what I'm doing wrong?" came a young girl's voice.
A round-faced girl of about ten entered the room. Her high ponytail and tomboyish outfit gave her a spunky, energetic vibe. She was none other than Anko Mitarashi, Orochimaru's sole current student in the Hidden Leaf Village.
Yusuke's brows furrowed slightly. With his sharp eyes, he immediately noticed the dark seal on the back of Anko's neck—the Cursed Seal of Heaven. While activating the seal granted immense power, overuse caused serious bodily harm and unbearable pain due to its backlash.
"Always the same girl clinging to Orochimaru-sensei…" Anko spotted Yusuke sitting across from Orochimaru and puffed her cheeks in frustration.
Yusuke's face remained neutral, though he sighed inwardly. He knew Anko was quite attached to Orochimaru and felt a vague hostility toward him for constantly "hogging" her beloved mentor's time.
"Since the jutsu's complete, I won't keep bothering you, Orochimaru-sama," Yusuke said as he stood to leave.
Orochimaru nodded. "Very well. I did want to discuss something else with you, but it can wait—once the matter of the Fourth Hokage's successor is settled, we'll talk again."
"The Fourth Hokage should obviously be you, Orochimaru-sensei!" Anko beamed, clenching her little fists with determination. In her heart, Orochimaru was the greatest ninja of all.
Yusuke genuinely liked the lively little girl, but the feeling wasn't mutual. He gave up on his impulse to pinch her chubby cheeks, formed a seal with his left hand, and vanished in a swirl of flames.
"Hmph! That Uchiha Yusuke is always taking up your time, Orochimaru-sensei. Now you don't even have time to teach me anymore!" Anko huffed.
Orochimaru gently patted her head. "Yusuke-kun is a true genius. Even I can't predict how far he'll go in the future," he said with a deep, unreadable gaze, lost in thought.
Leaving the eerily cold atmosphere of Orochimaru's underground lab, Yusuke decided to enjoy some rare free time. He had originally planned to spend the entire day working with Orochimaru on refining a fire-based genjutsu called Phantom Crows, but to his surprise, Orochimaru had already perfected it.
Now, with unexpected leisure time on his hands, Yusuke leisurely strolled through the streets of the Hidden Leaf Village.
Though he was fairly well-known—many had heard of the genius ninja dubbed the " Blazing Blade"—Yusuke didn't have any particularly distinctive features like Kakashi's wild silver hair or the Fourth Hokage's bright golden locks. Unless someone knew him personally, few would recognize him by sight alone.
As he walked, a calligraphy sign caught his eye. The flamboyant brush strokes read: "Humble Spring Teahouse".
Feeling intrigued, Yusuke stepped inside.
"One cup of oolong tea, please," he said, settling into a corner seat.
"Right away, shinobi-sama!" chirped a young girl in an apron. She soon arrived with his tea. She looked around ten years old, with pale gray hair braided into two mischievous pigtails and a scattering of freckles across her round cheeks. Her bright smile was instantly infectious.
"Thanks," Yusuke nodded as he accepted the tea.
"Wait… are you really the Blazing Blade, Uchiha Yusuke?" she asked, eyes wide with excitement.
Yusuke raised an eyebrow. It wasn't every day that a teahouse waitress recognized him. He nodded and smiled slightly. "That's me. I don't believe we've met—how do you know who I am?"
"I saw you once! You were fighting that guy in the green bodysuit—super weird looking! I asked around and found out who you were." The girl beamed. "Don't be fooled by my job here. I'm actually a student at the ninja academy! One day, I'll become a legendary ninja just like you!"
Yusuke rubbed his forehead in mild exasperation. That must've been the time Guy had suddenly challenged him to a duel in the middle of town. Typical.
After giving the girl a few words of encouragement, she dashed off cheerfully to serve other customers. Watching her hustle around, Yusuke couldn't help but smile and shake his head.
The shinobi life was brutal and full of danger, but he would never tell someone to abandon their dreams—especially not someone so full of hope.
Yusuke sat in the teahouse for a while, quietly enjoying his drink, when a few familiar figures walked in—Kakashi, Asuma, and Kurenai. The three of them spotted Yusuke as well and gave him a polite nod in greeting before settling down at a table on the other side of the room and starting their conversation.
Although Yusuke knew them by name, he wasn't particularly close with any of them. Kakashi was already a jonin by this point, while Asuma and Kurenai were still just chunin.
As they chatted, Asuma pulled out a cigarette and a lighter from his pocket.
Seeing this, Yusuke couldn't help but roll his eyes. Isn't this guy only fourteen? He certainly didn't look it—he appeared much older.
Kurenai nudged Asuma with her elbow and gestured toward the "No Smoking" sign posted on the wall. Asuma sighed and reluctantly put the cigarette away. Kurenai, already blooming into one of the village's most beautiful kunoichi despite her young age, truly stood out. From appearance alone, the pairing with Asuma really did give off a "beauty and the beast" kind of vibe.
"So, you and that guy over there are the same age, and you both became jonin around the same time. Who's actually stronger?" Asuma leaned in close to Kakashi, whispering as he snuck a glance at Yusuke.
"Yeah, we're all kinda curious about that," Kurenai added, clearly intrigued.
Kakashi, his usual dead-fish eyes half-lidded and expression flat, replied lazily, "Who knows? Maybe he's stronger. Not like it matters."
Asuma frowned. "Come on, be serious for once. If you really tried, you'd definitely be stronger than him."
"Shhh, keep it down," Kurenai quickly scolded. "It'd be rude if he overheard you."
Of course, with Yusuke's hearing, he caught most of their conversation—but he wasn't particularly bothered. Right now, all he wanted was to clear his mind and savor his cup of tea.
Just then, a loud and slightly irritated voice came from beyond the noren curtain at the entrance.
"That bastard Uchiha Yusuke skipped the clan meeting again. He's got no respect for the clan. Next time I see him, I swear I'll teach him a lesson!"
Heads in the teahouse turned toward the entrance. Four members of the Uchiha clan in their distinctive dark, high-collared uniforms walked in. The one who had just spoken led the group.
"Yeah, that whole 'Blazing Blade' nonsense? Just a title made up by second-rate shinobi. He really thinks he's something special," grumbled the one on the left.
"Alright, calm down. Maybe Yusuke really had something urgent to deal with," said a third one with a more easygoing demeanor, trying to play peacemaker. But his words froze in his mouth the moment he laid eyes on Yusuke, calmly sipping tea just a few steps away.
Yusuke met their gazes, a bit awkwardly—especially the one who had just defended him. The guy's trying to cover for me, and here I am, blatantly proving him wrong. Kind of embarrassing…
"Uchiha Yusuke!" the leader barked. "You skip the clan meeting just to hang out in a teahouse?! Today, I, Uchiha Ryuya, am going to teach you a lesson!"
Before he even finished his sentence, Ryuya charged straight at Yusuke.
The peacemaker tried to intervene but was already too late.
In the blink of an eye, before anyone could react, Ryuya was sent flying—crashing through the curtain and landing outside the teahouse.
"Ryuya!" another clan member shouted and quickly began forming hand seals. "Fire Style: Fireball—"
But before he could finish, Yusuke was already standing right in front of him, gripping his hand tightly and halting the jutsu mid-cast. The ninja stared at Yusuke in shock, unable to comprehend how he had moved so fast.
"We're still inside a teahouse," Yusuke said coldly.
Then, with a swift kick, he sent the second attacker flying out of the building.
At that moment, a third gust of wind cut toward Yusuke's neck—the last of the four had also made his move. Yusuke casually raised a hand and blocked the strike with ease. As they locked eyes, the attacker smiled internally.
Now's my chance!