Hayama Shirakumo, one of Konoha's elite jōnin, is nearly 30 this year and considered a core figure of the middle generation in the village.
The reason he's not widely known is because a peer of his generation outshined everyone so dazzlingly that it eclipsed the rest of them.
That peer was Namikaze Minato.
Anyone who encountered Namikaze Minato back then could immediately abandon their mission and retreat to the village without punishment.
Looking at the entire shinobi world, he was the only one at that time who received such treatment.
In the future, Uchiha Shisui would also achieve this feat, but only the Land of Water would issue such an order.
With such a genius present, even someone as talented as Hayama Shirakumo seemed mediocre by comparison.
However, being chosen by the Sandaime and appointed as a frontline commander was already enough to prove his capability.
Not only was his individual strength excellent, but his use of Leaf Flash and swordsmanship was extraordinary. More importantly, Hayama Shirakumo had a strategic mind that many shinobi lacked. He was steady and served as one of Konoha's cornerstones.
He had been stationed at the frontline for the past two years, calmly responding to several covert attacks from Iwagakure.
Although Hizashi wasn't personally close to Hayama, they had worked together on multiple occasions.
After a brief greeting, Hizashi got straight to the point and detailed the entire ambush process.
The faint smile on Hayama's face quickly vanished, replaced with a solemn expression. The scar on the side of his face twisted slightly.
After Hizashi finished speaking, Hayama turned to the large map behind him, pacing as he analyzed the situation.
"According to our intel, the two Iwa jōnin, have retreated from the frontlines with their teams and returned to Iwagakure."
"This looks like a smokescreen, meant to distract us and launch a surprise attack from the rear."
Hizashi spoke in a deep tone, "Now they're dead, but we can't be certain that they were the only Iwa shinobi who infiltrated the Land of Fire. We still need to report the information back to Konoha as soon as possible and raise the alert level."
Hayama nodded. He understood.
He immediately summoned the intel team, relayed the information back to Konoha through summoning beast communication, and arranged several patrol squads. Their tasks were completed quickly.
They finally had time to talk casually.
"Those two jōnin were killed by Shimura Yami?" Hayama asked curiously. He'd spent little time in the village over the years and had never heard of such a group before.
"Strictly speaking, except for one special jōnin, all the other Iwa shinobi died at his hands." Hizashi sighed and shook his head. "With a grandson like that, Elder Danzō truly has a worthy successor."
Hearing that, Hayama grew even more interested in Yami. "Tell me about the fight. An eight-year-old child, and that strong? Did he awaken a kekkei genkai?"
"No." Hizashi shook his head slightly. "Yami's talent lies mainly in his ninjutsu and swordsmanship…"
As Hizashi described Yami's battle, Hayama's eyes lit up.
He specialized in Wind Release, swordsmanship, and the Body Flicker Technique—exactly like himself.
The only difference was that Yami was also proficient in other elemental releases, while Hayama focused solely on Wind Release combined with swordsmanship.
Meanwhile.
While Hizashi went to report, Yami and the others found themselves idle at the camp.
Soon enough, something caught their attention.
"This is passion! This is youth! I actually completed yesterday's goal! No, I'll train three more rounds!"
A "strange being" in a green jumpsuit with his forehead protector worn as a belt was bouncing around the camp on his hands, landing each time with a single finger touching the ground.
Sweat poured down his face, leaving a long trail behind him.
The other shinobi in the camp had long grown used to this sight. Only Yami and the two girls, being newcomers, were caught off guard.
Yugao winced, holding her forehead, muttering, "I don't know him, I don't know him…"
But fate has a way of doing the exact opposite of what you want.
The "oddball" noticed the trio.
"Hey! Kurenai! You've come to the front lines to protect Konoha?"
"I'm so moved and excited!"
After that, Might Guy seemed to be hit with a burst of energy and sped up his training even further.
It took him a full fifteen minutes to circle the camp three times. He ended with a series of backflips and landed in front of them, giving a thumbs-up.
Yami and Yugao felt dizzy. This guy's teeth were... glowing?
"Kurenai! It's been a while! Are these two... your new teammates?"
"Hello, I'm the Blue Beast of Konoha, Might Guy!"
"Uh... Hello, senior Guy, I'm Uzuki Yugao," Yugao replied, slightly dazed.
"I'm Shimura Yami." He blinked. Even though he'd seen Guy in the anime, seeing him in real life was even more overwhelming.
Especially that tight green jumpsuit... Only a Konoha acorn could pull that off.
[Host has formed a companion bond with Might Guy. Reward: Medium Physical Fitness Enhancement]
Yami was stunned.
This was the easiest bond he'd ever formed. They had only just met and exchanged names, yet Guy already considered him a companion?
Kurenai gave an awkward smile. "Guy, we're not here to reinforce the front lines. We're just completing a regular escort mission."
"Oh, I see." Guy looked disappointed but quickly regained his spirit.
"No problem! We'll definitely get a chance to fight together in the future. Kurenai, how's Kakashi doing?"
Kurenai shrugged. "He's joined Anbu and is rarely seen. I haven't run into him in a while."
"Anbu really is something to aspire to," Guy sighed, tears welling up. "It's a shame Elder Danzō didn't let me join Root, or I wouldn't have lost back then…"
Kurenai and Yugao glanced at Yami.
"Uh..." Yami was speechless. Not everyone wants to join Root.
"Huh?" Guy looked at him in confusion.
"Yami is Elder Danzō's grandson," Kurenai whispered. "He knows a lot about Root."
Whoosh!
In the blink of an eye, Might Guy was kneeling in front of Yami, trying to hug his leg, but Yami deftly dodged.
Guy didn't mind. He knelt on one knee, tears streaming down his face. "What are the conditions for joining Root? I'm sure I meet them!"
"There are a lot of requirements." Yami thought back to Danzō's usual standards.
"How did you do in stealth training back at the academy?"
"Never passed."
"What about assassination class?"
"A real man should beat his enemies head-on."
"Can you take off your... uh, training suit?"
"No! It's the symbol of my youth!"
Clap!
Yami clapped his hands and shrugged. "See? You don't meet the core requirements for Root. We can't accept you."
"I see..." Guy began crying again. "As expected, Kakashi is truly my eternal rival. He's achieved everything I couldn't. I'll train even harder tomorrow!"
Yami: …...
At first, he thought Guy would be an easy bond to grind, but now… forget it. This guy is too much. He might actually get infected with "youth."
Kurenai gave a wry smile and whispered, "Guy's always like this. You'll get used to it. But he's a good person."
Yugao subtly took a step back and nodded softly.
"Yami!"
Just then, Hizashi's voice rang out from behind.
Everyone turned to see Hizashi walking over with a scarred, high-ponytailed middle-aged man.
"Let me introduce you. This is Hayama Shirakumo, the commander of the front lines. These are my team members: Shimura Yami, Uzuki Yugao, and Yuhi Kurenai."
Kurenai and Yugao quickly bowed.
Yami simply nodded in acknowledgment.
[Host has formed a talent-cherishing bond with Hayama Shirakumo. Reward: Wind Release Nature Transformation (Mastery)]
Talent-cherishing?
Yami looked at Hayama in confusion. Feeling his gaze, Hayama smiled warmly.
"Hello. I heard from Hizashi that you performed admirably in the battle. This mission has been upgraded to A-rank. The village will compensate you accordingly."
"It's getting late. You can rest here for the night and set off again tomorrow."
"And..." Hayama paused, glancing at Might Guy.
"Guy, you'll return tomorrow with Hizashi, carrying my letter."
"Yes!" Guy responded loudly. "I'll rush back as fast as I can!"
"No need to rush."
Hayama waved his hand. "The battle has cooled down. We no longer need as many shinobi on the front line. After you return, Hokage-sama will assign you a new mission."
"Got it."
Guy seemed a bit down but cheered up thinking he'd see Kakashi again soon and could compete with him once more.
Late that night.
Yami lay in his tent, staring at the dark ceiling.
He was reviewing the earlier battle against Ishigaki.
Shigetsu and Ishigaki only had to die, but he had a lot to reflect on.
Every jōnin was no ordinary opponent. The reason he killed Shigetsu in one strike was that Hizashi had already blocked several of his tenketsu, disrupting his chakra flow.
Otherwise, it wouldn't have been that easy.
As for Ishigaki, the man was like a walking turtle shell. If he hadn't forced him out with Lightning Release, the fight would've dragged on.
In short, Yami found several weaknesses in himself during that battle.
His Nature Transformation skills were strong but hadn't yet reached the level of overwhelming everything. He couldn't achieve instant kills.
This was largely due to the level of his ninjutsu.
Though ninjutsu ranks mainly indicate learning difficulty rather than power, higher difficulty often equates to stronger effects—otherwise, why bother learning them?
His strongest technique was the S-rank Water Release: Hard Vortex Water Blade developed by Senju Tobirama. The rest were all A-rank.
But even S-rank jutsu had limitations depending on elemental affinities.
In the fight against Ishigaki, the water blade wouldn't have been very effective and would've only exposed one of his trump cards.
For most shinobi, improving combat potential was hard. Either they needed time or they had to go all-in on secret techniques to enhance specific strengths, like Minato's Flying Thunder God.
The fastest path was evolving one's dōjutsu (Mangekyō), or acquiring a cheat-level ability like Sage Mode.
Yami couldn't see either of those happening in the short term. So the only option left...
...was to attempt elemental fusion and awaken a kekkei genkai.
"I'll ask Pakura how to train Scorch Release when we get back."
Scorch Release was a combination of Fire and Wind—Yami's two strongest attributes.
Over the past six months, his relationship with Pakura had improved significantly. They had reached the second stage of their bond. It shouldn't be difficult for her to teach him.
Besides that, he couldn't neglect swordsmanship training. Against single targets, a blade was still more efficient than ninjutsu.
Just as Yami was laying out his training plans, he heard a rustle outside the tent. He quickly placed two fingers on the ground and sensed a familiar chakra signature.
He was puzzled for a moment.
Then came a soft whisper.
"Yami, are you asleep?"
"No. Come in, Yugao."
It was Yugao. She entered through a small gap in the tent and sat beside his mattress, whispering:
"I knew you wouldn't be asleep so early, so I came to check."
"What's up?" Yami sat up, curious.
"Nothing." Yugao shook her head. "I was just wondering about the sword techniques you used in the last battle. I've never seen them before... Did you develop them yourself?"
She had wanted to ask for a while, but they had been too tense during the journey to chat about side topics.
"You mean Flash and Disruption."
Yami understood. He patted the mattress beside him. "Come, I'll explain."
Yugao didn't hesitate. She got under the blanket and moved beside him.
Yami lay down again, turning slightly. "Those two techniques are indeed my own creations."
"Flash is a sword-draw slash. It's part of a series I've been developing, though it's not yet complete."
"Not even complete, and already that strong?"
Yugao was surprised.
She still remembered the brilliant blue slash—it was utterly overwhelming.
"Even if I'm a genius, I can't fully develop a set of S-rank swordsmanship in just three months," Yami rolled his eyes, though she couldn't see it in the dark.
"A whole set, all S-rank?"
Yugao was even more shocked.
Among Konoha-style sword techniques, only Dance of the Crescent Moon was A-rank.
She'd only heard rumors of another A-rank move in the Konoha style but had never seen it.
And Yami had created an entire series…
"More accurately, it's a series," Yami explained. "Each move in the Flash series corresponds to a specific type of sword-draw slash."
"There are different kinds?"
"Of course. Flash emphasizes ultimate speed, using Wind Release to create unparalleled cutting power. Disruption affects the enemy's perception by altering the attack rhythm, making them misjudge. There's also Power Slash, which focuses on raw force…"
As he inhaled the faint scent of her purple hair, Yami's eyelids began to feel heavy.
Mid-sentence, his words faded, replaced by steady breathing.
Yugao had been listening intently, but suddenly felt his weight lean against her. He had fallen asleep and was now resting against her shoulder. She couldn't help but smile softly.
She'd originally planned to return to her tent, but now she didn't dare move for fear of waking him.
Shinobi usually slept lightly when out on missions, always on alert.
So she lay there quietly.
Perhaps the blanket was too cozy, or perhaps it was the warmth beside her, but before long, Yugao also drifted off.
Morning came.
Yami woke and felt something soft beside him. He opened his eyes and found Yugao sleeping soundly next to him.
He couldn't help but sigh.
A beautiful girl pillow was definitely more comfortable than the ones at home.
(To be continued.)
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