Naruto: Reborn as Yagura Karatachi

"What? Tazuna-san...?"

Their mission had failed. Neji and Naruto's expressions were grim.

Kakashi, on the other hand, seemed to have anticipated this outcome. The moment he saw only one Mist ninja come to stall them, he suspected it was a diversion.

The signal flare fired by Sakura in the distance wasn't fake.

Just one look was enough. Based on Sakura's abilities, there was no way she could stop that Mist kunoichi. In fact, the girl hadn't even considered her a threat.

Luckily, Sakura was weak enough not to even register on the enemy's radar. She had been ignored entirely.

It might actually be for the best that this mission had failed. It had dragged on too long. Now, Kakashi could bring his team back to prepare for the upcoming Chūnin Exams.

Sasuke and Shinobu, too, didn't seem to care much about Tazuna's death.

At the end of the day, this so-called S-rank mission was just a side quest.

They proceeded as planned.

After exchanging hand signals, Sasuke and Shinobu switched opponents.

In the thick acidic mist, Shinobu moved to engage Neji and Naruto.

Sasuke stepped in front of Kakashi.

He weaved hand seals and exhaled a stream of flame that coated his kodachi.

(T/N: A kodachi, literally translating into "small or short tachi (sword)", is one of the traditionally made Japanese swords (nihontō) used by the samurai class of feudal Japan.)

Then he shot forward, aiming directly at the Jonin leading Team 7.

A blade of fire infused with taijutsu techniques slashed through the air.

Kakashi narrowed his eye. "Hey now, you serious at that age?"

By the standards of this generation's genin, Sasuke was far above average.

But from the perspective of an older-generation shinobi like Kakashi, he was still a bit lacking.

Kakashi sidestepped the flame blade and effortlessly caught Sasuke's lunging attack.

Then came a flurry of taijutsu strikes from Sasuke, all of which Kakashi blocked with ease.

"Your mission should already be a success. Attacking me isn't a smart move."

Sasuke's tone turned sharp. "Is that so? Guess we'll see."

Kakashi didn't consider Sasuke a real threat. Dealing with a genin opponent barely required any of his strength or focus.

He had more than enough room to spare attention for the other battlefield—Neji and Naruto against the Mist ninja.

The acidic mist, born of the Boil Release kekkei genkai, could be dangerous.

But if Neji and Naruto couldn't even hold their ground against a single Mist genin, then they had no business calling themselves shinobi of Konoha.

Kakashi also remained on guard. Sasuke's third teammate hadn't shown up yet, nor had the Mist team's Jonin captain.

Was their squad leader also letting them handle things to test their abilities?

...

"It's about time."

Everything was progressing smoothly. Sasuke had managed to keep Kakashi occupied.

Atop a crane, not far from the bridge—

Yagura patted Uzumaki Menma on the shoulder, gazing toward the misty battlefield.

"I'm counting on you for this one, Menma. That blond kid, the one with the Nine-Tails sealed inside him—just like you."

Menma nodded solemnly and gripped his Flying Thunder God kunai.

"Understood."

...

Sasuke had his attacks blocked again and again.

He could tell Kakashi wasn't giving the fight his full attention, and that only made him grit his teeth harder.

He slammed his fist down with full force, then instantly vanished from sight.

Sasuke had that dangerous aura—like someone who could defeat 99% of the world, yet insisted on going after the last 1%.

That's why he'd volunteered to take on Kakashi alone before the battle began.

He ramped up the intensity of his attacks.

Suddenly disappearing again, Sasuke's movement made Kakashi narrow his eye with newfound focus and surprise.

His instincts kicked in. He felt the air shift behind him and dropped low, narrowly dodging Sasuke's kick.

The next moment, Sasuke reappeared directly in front of him, lower to the ground, and launched a powerful upward kick with his right leg.

Kakashi crossed his arms to block it just in time and recognized the jutsu behind it.

"The Body Flicker Technique."

A fundamental technique that didn't require a specific chakra nature—just like the basic Clone, Transformation, and Substitution techniques.

But mastering it in actual combat was no small feat.

Only two people Kakashi had ever known could use the Body Flicker to its absolute limit: his own sensei, the Yellow Flash—and Uchiha Shisui, the man called "Shisui of the Body Flicker."

He replayed Sasuke's fighting style in his mind and began to notice the similarities.

Could it be…?

Was that man still alive?

For the first time in this fight, Kakashi's gaze turned serious.

He drew a kunai and blocked Sasuke's kodachi.

With force, he pressed the short blade back toward Sasuke's chest, preventing him from pulling away.

Even that kodachi felt eerily familiar.

After the Uchiha clan's downfall, Shisui had vanished without a trace.

Was he in Kirigakure?

If that was true, Kakashi had to know—for Konoha's sake.

"Uchiha Shisui—who is he to you? Your teacher?"

Sasuke's expression turned unreadable. "...Yeah. He's my older brother."

A classic move by Kirigakure—harboring missing-nin.

And yet, deep down, Kakashi wasn't surprised. It made too much sense.

Since his defection, Shisui had gone underground.

Besides holding the honorary title of "Top-Ranked Courier in the Land of Water" for ten years straight, and being known only as Sasuke's "big brother," he no longer went by the name "Shisui of the Body Flicker."

Konoha suspected something, but without concrete proof, they couldn't publicly accuse Kirigakure of harboring the rogue Uchiha.

...

And then, everything changed.

With Kakashi completely distracted by Sasuke—

A flash of red darted between the two battle zones on the bridge.

From a distance, crimson eyes briefly locked with Kakashi's.

The red-haired Genin, who should've been rushing to assist his outmatched teammate Sasuke, suddenly veered off, sprinting away from the battlefield.

Sasuke reached out with his other hand in a surprise move, trying to grab Kakashi's arm and force him to form seals to aid his own jutsu.

But before he could even complete a single hand sign, Kakashi reacted instantly—twisting around and slamming a punch straight into Sasuke's face.

...

At the same time, Uzumaki Menma dove straight into the thick, corrosive mist.

A sharp pang of dread gripped Kakashi's chest.

They weren't here for Sasuke.

The real target was Naruto!

That gut feeling struck like lightning—and Kakashi, without hesitation, accepted it as the truth.

Naruto wasn't just the son of Minato-sensei.

He also carried Konoha's Tailed Beast inside him.

"Damn it!"

Who cared about the Uchiha right now?

With ruthless efficiency, Kakashi struck Sasuke with two precise taijutsu blows, forcing him out of the way.

Then he spun and dashed straight into the sea of acid mist.

There was no time to waste.

He shoved aside the searing pain as the mist began to eat away at his body, ignoring the rapid drain of his chakra. Focusing nearly all of it into a single burst, he exhaled sharply.

"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"

A gale-force wind tore through the acidic fog, clearing the air in an instant.

But Menma was just as fast.

...

Within the mist, guided by Jack, Uzumaki Menma locked eyes on Naruto—still barely standing thanks to Neji's protection, though the enemy's relentless attacks were closing in from every direction.

"You're not getting away!"

Just in time—Kakashi appeared, throwing himself between Naruto and Menma.

The two clashed in the blink of an eye.

A specially crafted kunai flew high into the air—perfectly timed, arcing upward at just the right moment, and now directly behind Kakashi.

Suddenly, the space around the red-haired Genin warped.

Menma vanished.

Kakashi's attack hit nothing but air—then a crushing kick slammed into his back, sending him flying and denting the bridge's surface with the shape of his body.

It was the raw, overwhelming strength of the Uzumaki clan combined with their exceptional chakra.

Menma didn't waste a second. Using that momentum, he stepped forward and seized Naruto's wrist with an iron grip.

Before Kakashi could recover from the sudden strike—

Before Naruto could even register what was happening—

Menma formed a single hand sign.

Flying Thunder God Technique!

The space around them shimmered and warped.

And in a flash, Menma and Naruto vanished from the battlefield.

----------------

Pls Drop some Power Stones

Fanfic is finished on Patreon (265 chapters in total.) 

Patreon(.)com/Jixo (for only $4.50, read this entire fanfic)