Chapter 148: Ken-san, the Uchiha Clan’s Cherry Blossoms Have Bloomed
“Hey! You two, can you pay attention?”
“I’m still here, can’t you wait until dark?”
“All you humans and your nonsense… from Hashirama Senju and Mito Uzumaki to Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki—same old routine, same old poses. This great me has had to stare at two grown men’s faces over and over. I’m sick of it…
“And seriously, are you sure that thing is even fun? All that fuss, and it’s over in under a minute, then you have to go wash up. Isn’t that annoying?”
“Quit whining and stop being jealous—you’re a fox, remember?”
Just as Hakken and Yūgao Uzuki leaned closer together, an obnoxious voice startled the girl. She turned her head in confusion and met Kurama’s eyes, full of mockery.
“Keep running your mouth and I’ll twist your head off.”
Hakken shot the idiot a calm glance before looking away again. Who knew what the hell that mutt had witnessed… and “one minute”—was he really not exaggerating that nonsense?
Minato-sensei was one thing—after the Second Hokage’s death, the he was acknowledged as the fastest shinobi in the world. But Hashirama Senju, with his absurd stamina—one minute?
Well, considering that a Jinchuriki and their Tailed Beast shared vision, seeing things from his perspective really would look disgusting.
But…
In the blink of an eye, Naruto and Sasuke had already enrolled.
Five years had passed.
This Konoha…
This shinobi village…
Even the Nine-Tails… all had changed.
Hakken took a deep breath, feeling heat surge through his chest. He wrapped an arm around the girl’s waist and pushed off the ground.
With a few swift leaps, the two of them—and the beast—landed atop the tallest spire in the entire village.
This was the absolute highest point in Konohagakure.
Even the distant Hokage Rock couldn’t match the panoramic view here. From this spot, one could see every corner of the expanded village—provided their eyesight was sharp enough.
A gentle breeze brushed their cheeks. Hakken’s long hair flowed behind him as Kurama expertly pulled the gourd from his waist, took a swig, and burped before gazing down at the village beside him.
Hmph. All these changes—this great me deserves credit too.
Beside Hakken, Yūgao Uzuki looked at his profile for a moment, then unconsciously leaned against his shoulder.
Nothing had ever felt safer than this.
After graduating, she had followed this man into the ANBU.
The promise she’d made when she was young had finally been fulfilled.
In that Kenjutsu duel, she had ultimately lost.
And not just the duel.
Her heart and her whole being—she had lost those too.
But she had lost willingly.
She had realized her dream of joining the ANBU, and although she knew she wasn’t strong enough, she still wanted to help the man at her side however she could.
So she became Hakken’s dedicated secretary within the ANBU, sorting through all the miscellaneous missions and delivering only the important matters to him.
With him, she never needed many words.
Just being close was enough.
Konoha had been expanded multiple times, growing more prosperous while still retaining its old simplicity. Kind villagers and dutiful shinobi each played their roles. The village was moving in a good direction.
And the one who had set all of this in motion—Hakken—had seemingly vanished from public view over the past five years. No one knew what he had been doing.
Only at night did that familiar silhouette continue training tirelessly at the training grounds.
Minato had once summarized that man’s natural state with eight simple words.
Life goes on, and so does the blade.
The sword is part of his very being. It is this will that drives the entire village forward, never stopping.
Beyond Konoha, Hakken himself has changed. With every swing of his blade, his power grows stronger.
A single thought, and the system panel appeared before him.
Host: Hakken Yoru.
World: Naruto.
Unlocked Basic Slash Master Template: Zaraki Kenpachi, White Hollow, Hawk Eyes Mihawk.
Zaraki Kenpachi Template Progress: 51.1% (Shikai mastered)
White Hollow Template Progress: 41.1% (Mask Mode, Instinctive Call mastered, Berserk Gozu half unlocked)
Mihawk the Hawk Eyes Template Progress: 21.1%
Fourth-stage template unlock requires 100% successful fusion of all three templates.
Basic Attack Points: 8617
Chakra Quantity: 3987 (Comparable to One-Tails)
Physical Attributes: 4471 (Normal Six Gates)
Reiki: Unknown (Requires first template unlocked at 100%)
Activated Normal Slash Traits:
Chakra Blade: Highest-level Chakra Nature Transformation.
Soul-Devouring Blade: Reaps souls, claiming victims beneath its edge.
Haki-Shattering Blade: Each normal strike infuses Armored Haki enhancement, completely bypassing Armored Haki defenses and massively increasing armor-piercing power—effective even against Susanoo.
Next normal slash trait activation begins at 5% progress toward unlocking the fourth template...
Daily Mission: Never-ending.
Swing 1000 times: Unlocks 0.1% progress on all templates. (Achieved)
Swing 2000 times: Increases Chakra Reserve by 0.1. (Achieved)
Swing 4000 times: Increases Physical Attribute Coefficient by 0.1. (Not Achieved)
Swing 6000 times: Soul energy (Reiki) slightly enhanced. (Not Achieved)
Swing 8000 times: Unlocks 0.2% progress on all templates. (Not Achieved)
Swing 10000 times: Chakra reserve increases by 0.2. (Not Achieved)
Advanced Mission: Become a True Shinigami (Completed)
...
Next-stage Bankai mission unlocks when template progress averages above 70%.
Self-Zanpakutō Liberation: God’s Tears.
...
These are all his abilities.
In the end, he still has only one move: the basic slash.
Yet the power it unleashes is overwhelming.
The third template—taken from Hawk Eyes of the One Piece world—has already been mastered. After unlocking it, Hakken’s slash gained a sense of grace and effortless flow. But once instinct fully takes over, his madness becomes terrifying.
At this point, if Obito’s Kamui were even a fraction too slow, a single slash would kill him instantly.
He remains the same youth who prefers pure, straightforward slashes—no frills, no tricks.
He stretched out his arms toward the sky above Konoha 5.9.
Half of the grand vision in his heart had already been fulfilled.
This Konoha, this Ninja World—it will one day be reborn.
Swish.
A figure landed on the platform behind the tower. His hair flowed with unusual softness, unlike the Uchiha clan’s typical spiky style.
He had arrived.
Itachi Uchiha.
Five years of gazing at his master’s back had stripped away some youthfulness and left him with a quiet maturity.
The only thing unchanged was the conviction in his heart.
The Hokage’s short sleeves fluttered in the wind.
“Ken-san, the cherry blossoms of the Uchiha clan have bloomed.”
A single petal drifted down before Hakken.
Another year of cherry blossoms.
Hakken slowly opened his eyes. He reached out, touched the gale sweeping across Konoha, and caught the falling petal.
“The wind has come...”