True Ninja?

"Kakashi?"

In the barbecue restaurant, Nohara Rin had just grilled a piece of meat and was contemplating an excuse to give it to Kakashi. However, she noticed that he was staring blankly at some guests at another table.

"It's the seniors..." Rin followed Kakashi's gaze. It was the senior ninja she had met before in front of the Hokage Building.

"That guy must have survived by stepping on the corpses of his companions, right?"

"Maybe he betrayed his companions and was released by ninjas from another village to be a spy."

"That makes sense. How about we report him to the Hokage later?"

"But we don't have any evidence yet. If he isn't, we will be scolded by the Hokage."

"What evidence do you need? Don't worry; even if it's just speculation, as long as he has the potential to endanger the village, the Hokage will not blame us."

While drinking some wine, Sarutobi Maru talked with his companions about the Genin they met today. The atmosphere was filled with indignation and excitement, as if the "guy" they were talking about was really a spy sent by another country.

"Maru, the 'guy' you're talking about is Yami?" Kakashi, who had been silently watching Maru and his group, suddenly asked.

"K-Kakashi?" The unexpected interruption caused everyone in Maru's group to fall silent.

The son of Konoha's White Fang graduated at five, became a Chunin at six, and is now a genius ninja on the verge of becoming a Jonin. Hatake Kakashi's name carried significant weight among the younger generation of ninjas.

"Yes, we are talking about Yami, the Genin, who always returns to the village alone after his companions die."

Maru, after pausing in surprise, slowly responded. He looked seriously into Kakashi's eyes, as if inviting him to join their criticism of Yami.

"But he gets the job done every time, doesn't he?" Kakashi's voice was cold, contrary to their expectations. And he just stared at them.

"The mission is, of course, important, but the lives of companions are also..."

Under Kakashi's cold gaze, Maru felt flustered, realizing why Kakashi was asking. Kakashi's father, the genius known as Konoha's White Fang, died because he valued his companions' lives more than the mission.

"What we mean is that Yami must have killed his companions during the mission. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to..."

Come back alive every time. Maru's voice weakened under Kakashi's sharp gaze.

"Those who don't follow the rules and discipline are called trash, and those who complete the mission even at the cost of their companions are the real ninjas, aren't they?"

Faced with Kakashi's emotionless remarks, Maru didn't dare to respond. Refuting this statement would imply that Konoha's White Fang's death was a joke. He was unwilling to argue with Kakashi under such pressure.

"You, on the other hand, slander your fellow ninja as a spy without any evidence and spread it widely. If you had mentioned that you would go to find evidence yourself, I wouldn't have said these things to you." Kakashi adjusted his forehead protector and sneered, "What a bunch of trash."

"Kakashi! Don't think that just because you are a genius, you can call others trash." Angry, Maru tried to stand, but his companions quickly restrained him.

"Kakashi?" Seeing the tense atmosphere, Rin quickly grabbed Kakashi's hand.

"Sorry, I don't have much of an appetite today. Please apologize to Minato-sensei when he comes back."

Ignoring everyone, Kakashi shook off Rin's hand and walked out of the store.

"Why is it like this?" Rin sighed, watching Kakashi disappear.

As for Maru and his group, they resumed drinking and eating as if nothing had happened, though their conversations were now in hushed tones.

"Where did Kakashi go? To the bathroom?" Obito, with his mouth full of barbecue, finally noticed Kakashi's absence and assumed he was giving him and Rin some alone time.

"No, he..." Rin wanted to explain, but seeing Obito's clueless expression, she felt tired. Better not say too much.

"Obito, do you also think Yami was the reason behind his teammates deaths?"

Minato-sensei seemed to be with Kushina, so she doubted he would show up here. And now With Kakashi gone, Rin could only chat with Obito.

"I don't know, but if it were me, I would never let my companions sacrifice themselves!" Obito swallowed his food and patted his chest seriously.

At the same time, he glanced at Maru and his group. Maybe they are slandering Yami because they are jealous of his looks. Obito quickly guessed why Yami had a bad reputation but didn't share this with Rin.

Rin smiled helplessly at her companion's naivety. "Well, I believe you. Let's finish eating and go home."

While looking at Obito, she couldn't help but think of Kakashi's and Yami's lonely figures. For some reason, they seemed to overlap in her mind.

*****

After lingering at the Hokage Building, Yami finally returned to his single, narrow, sunless room. A standard setup for Konoha war orphans is: just enough space, just enough living expenses, and just enough salary for Genin missions.

"Chunin?" Yami lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling. He remembered the Chunin exam the Third Hokage mentioned today. 

To be honest, if it weren't for his invisibility ability, he might not have become a Genin. Yami's ninja talent is alarmingly low. It took him a long time to barely master the Three Body Technique, and his chakra was pitifully low, barely reaching the standard Genin level. Even now, his chakra could only handle a few Jutsu before being exhausted.

"Although the rewards for missions after being promoted to Chunin are higher, the danger also doubles."

Invisibility wasn't an overpowered ability. For example, the Hyuga clan's s Byakugan could see through it completely. There are many mysterious techniques in the world, and Yami doesn't think he can escape forever using his ability. Not to mention, he was almost targeted by Danzo today. 

What if it were revealed that his invisibility was not due to a technique but a strange ability? He could easily imagine being captured and experimented on by Orochimaru.

"Forget it. I'll just deal with the assessment casually and admit defeat." He was about to rest when a sudden ding rang in his mind.

~ Initializing System...Loading…]

[The support system has been successfully initialized.]

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Bonus chapter

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