Chapter Four: An Appearance, and a Confrontation with Kakashi!

“I… I’m actually this strong?”
Sasuke stared at his own fist in disbelief. Just by injecting the serum, he could instantly defeat a chunin… If his body were fully developed, wouldn’t he be able to defeat Danzo as well?
And there was Uchiha Madara, Black Zetsu, and Kaguya Otsutsuki! Anyone who had harmed his brother—he would not let a single one of them go!

“Sasuke, your strength…”
“Sensei, I’d rather not say.”
Sasuke looked at Kakashi coldly. At this moment, his confidence was swelling—immensely. Besides, in order to secure his support, how could he possibly reveal anything about Haoyun to others so easily?

“It’s just… your power’s grown so fast, I’m worried you might…”
A shadow flickered in Kakashi’s eyes. He wasn’t coveting Sasuke’s strength—he was more concerned about potential side effects, or perhaps that someone might be after his body.
With Obito’s clan reduced to a single descendant, he didn’t want…

“Tsk, tsk, tsk!”
Haoyun clicked his tongue and stepped out from the shadows. “Well, well, Kakashi. You only care about the last orphan of Obito’s clan, yet you forget—your own teacher had a child, too, a child who endures cold remarks daily and drinks spoiled milk.”
There was a subtle accusation in Haoyun’s words. To be honest, even in the manga, Kakashi never really paid much attention to Naruto, and Haoyun found that hard to stomach.
It’s not like Minato was simply delayed and had no time to help. Speaking solely of how Minato taught you, Obito, and Rin—does that really justify your indifference?
After becoming Team Seven’s leader, you taught Sasuke ninjutsu and completely neglected Naruto. Don’t say you didn’t know what to teach—you’re the Copy Ninja, Kakashi! You know thousands of jutsu!
Add to that Obito, who personally killed his own sensei’s wife… With Haoyun’s moral code shaped by his previous life in China, he could say it loudly: Minato’s team—apart from Rin—were nothing but ungrateful traitors!

“Who are you?”
Kakashi immediately assumed a defensive stance, eyeing the suddenly-appeared Haoyun with vigilance.
“Sasuke, come here.”
“Sasuke, don’t go!”
Seeing Uchiha Sasuke approach the stranger without the slightest guard, Kakashi hurriedly reached out to stop him—but Sasuke paid him no mind, dodged his grasp with a quick turn, and bowed respectfully to Haoyun.

Indeed, after receiving the gene serum, Haoyun had formally accepted Sasuke as his disciple.
“Master Haoyun, your disciple Sasuke greets you.”
“Good boy!”
Haoyun ruffled Sasuke’s hair, shot Kakashi a sideways glance, and then turned his gaze to the other two members of Team Seven.

“You… I’m Uzumaki Naruto, and I’m going to be Hokage! I’m not afraid of you!”
Under Haoyun’s gaze, Naruto mustered his courage and shouted, brandishing a kunai at him. But his hands and feet were trembling so badly that he looked nothing like the tough guy he claimed to be.
“Heh,” Haoyun’s lips curled into a wicked smile. “Naruto, do you want to know why everyone in the village calls you the demon fox? Want to know who your parents are? Want to know who killed them? Want to become strong like Sasuke, to become Hokage? If you do, then become my disciple!”
Without waiting for Kakashi’s stunned—no, horrified—reaction, Haoyun turned to recruit Sakura as well.
“Haruno Sakura, right? You’re pretty and cute. Do you like Sasuke? If you become my disciple, I’ll arrange for you to marry him!”
“Master!”
Sasuke’s face turned beet red as he tugged hard at Haoyun’s sleeve. Marrying someone? Revenge is far more important… Wait, why is it ‘marrying’ anyway?!
Haoyun shot him a sidelong glance. Didn’t he know that Sakura was called ‘Sakura-bro’ for a reason? With that delicate look of his, did he really think he’d be the one in charge?
Besides, in Boruto, Sakura single-handedly raised her child for over a decade. With her qualities as a devoted wife and mother, of course I’d have you marry her!
My disciple will never abandon his wife and child!

“Ah?!”
Sakura’s face flushed bright red, and she didn’t know where to look. Deep inside, her inner self was already clamoring for her to accept—just by becoming a disciple, she could marry Sasuke. If she missed this chance, what would she do?
On the side, Kakashi couldn’t take it anymore! What on earth—he was Team Seven’s leader, and now this guy was poaching his students?
And with the sole Uchiha heir and the jinchuriki, how could he possibly let them apprentice themselves to a stranger?

“Where did this unknown ninja come from, infiltrating the village for what purpose?!”
Kakashi’s hands blurred into afterimages, and with a Body Flicker, he appeared behind Haoyun, kunai aimed at a vital spot!
Unfortunately, no matter how fast he was, he couldn’t outpace Haoyun’s Observation Haki.

The moment he vanished, Haoyun sensed his movement and foresaw his intent. Without moving a muscle, lightning crackled around him, and Kakashi—who had just appeared behind him—was struck before he could react.
No matter how skilled or quick, Kakashi’s senses could not rival the speed of light. The instant he materialized, the lightning hit, sending him flying more than ten meters!
When he managed to get up, the elite jonin—whose offense outmatched his defense—was already suffering internal injuries, panting on one knee.
“Kakashi, you’re no match for me. I actually have a bit of fondness for Konoha’s students—don’t make me lose that goodwill!”
Haoyun shot him a cold warning, then ignored him, devoting his full attention to winning over Naruto and Sakura.

Having yet to experience the Land of Waves mission, the two had little attachment to Kakashi and were more focused on their own concerns.
“You… you really know who my parents are? Where are they? Why haven’t they come to see me all these years?”
Naruto ran up to Haoyun, his face filled with pain. By the time he asked his last question, his voice was raw and hoarse, on the verge of breaking down completely.
Haoyun, already displeased with Konoha’s leadership, saw no reason to defend them. Without hesitation, he revealed that Naruto’s father was the Fourth Hokage.
“Your father is the Fourth Hokage, and your mother was Konoha’s second jinchuriki. Oh, you want to know what a jinchuriki is? A jinchuriki is…”
After a few words, Haoyun grew impatient, pulled out a tape recorder, and played back the history of the Hokage he’d previously told Sasuke.

Even Kakashi, who had been on guard, was gradually drawn in by the history coming from the recorder. Especially when he heard that Obito was still alive, had been manipulated, and was responsible for both the Fourth’s death and the Uchiha massacre—he was utterly shaken!
As an elite jonin and former Anbu, with access to countless classified reports, he knew that what he heard was the truth.
So Obito really didn’t die? He secretly controlled the Fourth Mizukage and tried to topple the entire world?

“Why… why did it turn out like this? Mom, Dad, I miss you so much!”
Naruto sobbed, pounding the ground in frustration, and before he knew it, he was sucked into the sealed space by Kurama.
In his rage, and fueled by the anger at Konoha for hiding the Fourth’s identity, he charged straight for the seal, determined to tear it open—
And then, he saw a handsome blond man and a gentle red-haired woman…