Naruto: Lost to Hinata on Purpose, and Now Everything's a Mess Chapter 37 37 : Kekkei Genkai Fusion

A week after the Uchiha clan incident, Kakashi returned from a mission outside the village.

It almost made Riku feel as if the Third Hokage had deliberately sent Kakashi away during that ti.

Before he returned to Konoha, Kakashi had already heard about the Uchiha clan's extermination.

It was a sha. After all, the Uchiha were the clan of Uchiha Obito.

From Kakashi's later attitude toward Sasuke, it was clear he felt sympathy for him—so much so that he even taught him the Chidori.

Now that the Uchiha clan had been wiped out, Kakashi was deeply regretful.

In the training grounds behind Konoha, Riku arrived at his usual practice spot.

This ti, Kakashi wasn't reading his book. He stood silently with his short sword strapped to his back, dressed in full ANBU gear.

Next to him stood another ANBU operative, masked.

But Riku imdiately recognized who it was.

And frankly, she wasn't soone he particularly wanted to see.

Still, he couldn't just walk away. He took a breath and approached them. "Kakashi-sensei. Yugao-nee."

Before Kakashi could respond, Uzuki Yugao stepped forward and pulled Riku into a hug, pinching his cheeks. "Little Riku, I haven't seen you in so many days. Did you miss ?"

With her usual calm smile, Yugao continued pinching his face.

"Sister Yugao, can you please stop pinching my face already?"

Ever since they t, Uzuki Yugao had treated Riku like a younger brother. After Riku had saved her life once, their bond had grown even stronger.

She patted his shoulder cheerfully. "Hey, long ti no see, little Riku. You've gotten tougher."

Riku sighed helplessly. "I'm already eight years old."

"Oh? Eight years old, huh? I'm eighteen. Eight is still just a kid."

She removed her ANBU mask, revealing her delicate features and signature violet hair—rare, and beautiful.

Riku exhaled and asked, "Do you know what really happened with the Uchiha clan?"

Yugao's expression turned serious. She stepped in front of him and nodded. "Yes. I found out during the mission. But I never expected Itachi to do sothing like that."

Yugao had originally been part of a different ANBU division. The Third Hokage had sent her on a joint mission with Kakashi, and after returning, she had beco Kakashi's squadmate.

Taking Itachi's forr place.

In her eyes, Uchiha Itachi was an exceptionally skilled shinobi. Back in ANBU, he had a stellar reputation.

Riku looked at Kakashi.

Kakashi said flatly, "I don't think Itachi could've done this alone. His skills are certainly impressive…"

"But if the Uchiha clan could be wiped out so easily, they wouldn't have survived this long."

"So…"

Kakashi looked pointedly at Riku.

The corners of Riku's mouth lifted slightly, and he spoke in unison with Kakashi: "It had to be an inside job."

Uzuki Yugao froze, then slowly nodded in agreent.

"That's true. Itachi's strength is top-tier, but still only around Jonin level. The Uchiha clan head, Fugaku, was easily Kage-level—he played a crucial role in the Third Great Ninja War."

"How could soone like that fall to Itachi?"

As an ANBU operative, Yugao wasn't the strongest ninja, but she had access to far more classified intel than most.

Hearing her analysis, Riku smiled. "Nice deduction, Yugao-nee. I think this massacre involved far more than just Itachi. There had to be deals made behind the scenes."

"We all know how powerful the Uchiha clan was. If soone really wanted to eliminate them without alerting the village, even the Third Hokage alone couldn't have managed that."

Kakashi nodded. "Exactly. But if we dig too deep, this could lead to so very dangerous places. Riku, don't pursue this any further. No matter how curious you are, keep it to yourself."

Kakashi had worked under both ANBU and Root. He knew very well that both organizations had likely been involved.

The idea that Uchiha Itachi had slaughtered his entire clan in one night, unnoticed? Only a fool would believe that.

Even with the Mangekyō Sharingan, Itachi wasn't strong enough to face Uchiha Fugaku head-on.

He didn't even know how to use Amaterasu yet. Going against Fugaku, who had awakened his eyes during the Third Great Ninja War?

Impossible.

Of course, this had little to do with Riku directly.

He nodded. "Understood."

"Kakashi-sensei, are you still dressed like that because you just got back?"

Kakashi nodded. "Yes. It was an A-rank mission. We ran into so complications along the way… lost a few comrades."

His voice fell quiet near the end, and Riku saw the sorrow behind his mask.

Turning to Yugao, Riku smiled and asked, "So, Yugao-nee, what are you doing here?"

Yugao grinned and pulled a scroll from her ninja pouch.

"Look, this is a thod for fusing Bloodline Limits. We recovered it during the mission. Didn't you say you were always interested in studying this?"

Riku's eyes widened. He stared at the scroll, stunned, then looked up at her with a gleaming smile. "Seriously? This is the thod for fusing Kekkei Genkai?"

Yugao nodded and placed the scroll in his hands. "Absolutely. Kakashi-senpai and I confird it ourselves. The developnt thods behind Bloodline Limits aren't exactly secret in the ninja world."

"But pulling them off successfully is another story—that's why Kekkei Genkai users are so rare and valuable."

Riku eagerly unrolled the scroll and began reading, his eyes scanning quickly.

The more he read, the more excited he beca.

But Kakashi's voice interrupted, stern and steady. "Riku, even though this thod seems legitimate, developing a kekkei genkai is extrely dangerous. It's not an exaggeration to say that almost no one has succeeded."

"If you're not confident, don't try it. You already have a solid foundation in combined elental jutsu. You're strong."

"A Kekkei Genkai isn't necessary."

Honestly, Kakashi had thought Riku's dream was naive from the start. If creating Kekkei Genkai was easy, the skies would be full of ninja flying around with them.

But he didn't want to crush Riku's enthusiasm. Since the mission had yielded sothing real, they decided to hand it over.

After reading the scroll carefully, Riku finally nodded and smiled. "Don't worry, Kakashi-sensei, Yugao-nee. I know the risks. I won't experint recklessly."

Kakashi gave him a skeptical look. "Even if I don't believe you, there's not much I can do. Honestly, I didn't even want to give you this scroll—but maybe it's better that you see how impossible it is for yourself."