My Kekkei Genkai Is Kinda Weird?!

As night fell, the five found an abandoned hunter's cabin to spend the night. Nohara Rin lit a small fire and carefully changed Obito's bandages. Ketsumei leaned against the wall and quickly fell asleep, while Kakashi sat at the door, keeping watch.

Rin sat by the window, gazing at the moonlight outside. The cold touch of her sheathed blade brought back flashes of those Mist ninja collapsing earlier—along with that strange, thrilling rush that had sent chills down her spine.

It made Rin wonder:

Am I… some kind of psychopath?

"Can't sleep?"

She turned to find Kakashi beside her. She hadn't noticed when he got there. Under the moonlight, his silver hair glinted with a cold sheen, and most of his expression was hidden behind his mask.

"A bit," Rin replied softly. "What about you? Not resting?"

Kakashi shrugged.

"On watch."

The two fell silent. An owl hooted in the distance, and the firewood occasionally crackled and popped.

Suddenly, Rin spoke:

"Kakashi… what do you think it feels like—to kill?"

Kakashi stiffened slightly. He was silent for so long that Rin thought he wouldn't answer.

"The first time I killed someone," he said quietly, "I threw up."

Rin looked at him, surprised. She hadn't expected the proud Kakashi to admit something like that.

"And now?"

He turned his head away, the black mask obscuring his face.

"I'm used to it."

Rin gripped her scabbard tightly, her knuckles turning white, and began her performance:

"But today… I didn't feel sick. Does that mean I'm getting used to it too?"

"Everyone reacts differently," Kakashi said, repeating something Minato once told him.

"What matters is control."

Rin gave a bitter laugh.

"Control?"

"Yeah." Kakashi stood up. Being older, he was half a head taller and looked down at her.

"Don't indulge in the thrill of killing. Don't let the desire for it control you."

With that, he walked back toward the door. His silhouette, cast in the moonlight, looked particularly solitary.

Rin watched his retreating back and suddenly thought of that Kakashi in the original story—constantly gaining and losing, eventually spending an entire day silently standing in front of the Memorial Stone. A lonely, tired soul.

---

Morning mist shrouded the forest as the five continued their journey back to Konoha. The closer they got to the village, the more familiar the scenery became.

Obito, now mostly recovered, was back to bouncing around and boasting about his "heroic rescue." Nohara Rin smiled as she listened to him ramble. Ketsumei had regained her strength and occasionally activated her Byakugan to scan the surroundings. Only Rin and Kakashi remained vigilant.

By sunset, the iconic red gates of Konoha came into view.

"We're finally back!" Obito cheered.

At this point, Izumo and Kotetsu weren't the gate guards yet. Two random background ninja were on duty, and when they saw the group approach, they visibly relaxed.

"Ninja returning from the front lines?"

Kakashi stepped forward.

"We're here to report in."

"Welcome back."

The group parted at the gates—Ketsumei returned to the Hyuga compound, while Nohara Rin and Obito also headed home. Only Kakashi and Rin continued toward the Hokage's office to give a debrief.

Kakashi went because he was the only Chūnin among them—reporting fell under his duty. Rin, however, was there simply because she was the Third Hokage's personal student.

They walked side by side along the stone path leading to the Hokage Tower, their shadows stretched long under the setting sun. Rin could sense Kakashi glancing at her from time to time, but she pretended not to notice and kept her expression calm.

"We're here," Kakashi said as they reached the office door. He knocked gently.

"Come in," came the tired voice of the Third Hokage from within.

They entered. The room was filled with a haze of smoke.

Sarutobi Hiruzen sat behind his large desk, pipe in hand. His eyes brightened when he saw them.

"You're finally back."

Kakashi stepped forward and began reporting the mission in detail. The Third listened attentively, nodding occasionally. When Kakashi mentioned the Mist ninja attacking civilians, Sarutobi's expression grew thoughtful. And when he got to Rin single-handedly taking down several Mist ninja, Hiruzen glanced at her.

"You did well," the Third finally said.

"Especially in protecting civilians. That shows the sense of duty expected from Konoha ninja, and it helps build our reputation among the smaller nations."

Kakashi gave a slight bow.

"It was our duty."

The Third set down his pipe.

"Kakashi, go get some rest. Rin, stay—I have something to ask you."

Kakashi hesitated for a moment, then nodded and left. As the door clicked shut, the atmosphere in the room subtly changed.

Sarutobi stood and walked to the window, his back to her.

"Rin, can you demonstrate this 'Gutsuei Shunpo' of yours?"

Rin's heart tightened, but her face remained calm.

"Of course, Sensei."

She scanned the room and locked onto a target—the teacup on the Hokage's desk. In the next instant, her figure vanished like a ghost and reappeared by the desk, her finger lightly tapping the cup.

"Interesting."

The Third turned around, a glimmer of shrewdness in his eyes.

"This clearly isn't Flying Thunder God… but it's not ordinary Body Flicker either. For a brief moment, it felt like you actually disappeared."

Rin smiled.

"I figured it out myself. I just kept thinking I had to move fast—extremely fast. And then… it worked."

The Third suddenly cut in.

"Rin, do you know what I see in you?"

Rin's heart skipped.

"What?" What now, you crafty old fox?

"I see the shadow of Lord Second—my teacher, Senju Tobirama," he said, walking toward her slowly.

"Especially your combat instinct… and your talent for space-time jutsu."

Rin pretended not to catch the hidden test in his words. She responded proudly,

"Sensei flatters me. I could never compare to the Second Hokage."

Then Hiruzen shifted gears.

"About this new technique of yours… would you be willing to share it with the village? I could classify it as an S-rank jutsu and let you choose a jutsu of the same rank from the Scroll of Seals."

Rin's heart skipped again. How do I even deal with this?

Even if I wanted to teach Gutsuei Shunpo ,no one could learn it—it's not a technique of this world!

Left with no choice, she activated her "playing dumb" skill, feigning confusion and attributing Gutsuei Shunpo to some mysterious bloodline trait. And since she genuinely didn't know its principles, her performance came off as perfectly believable. The Third couldn't tell if she was lying, so he simply waved her off.

After she left, Hiruzen opened a drawer and pulled out her personal file. With a light chuckle, he added a new note to it.

"Still pretending with me? Haha… You're still too young."

The file now read:

Name : Hanabuchi Rin

Suspected to possess a kekkei genkai other than Wood Release.

Naive yet highly cautious; skilled at deception.

Appears to harbor doubts toward the Will of Fire.

Currently no signs of disloyalty.

Exceptionally talented.

Shows aptitude for space-time ninjutsu. (Recently added)

If Rin ever saw this profile, she'd probably explode on the spot. The Third Hokage had completely seen through her act, even analyzing and recording her personality, albeit just her surface persona.

If anyone besides the Third were to see this file, Rin would finally understand what it truly meant to die of embarrassment.

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