[New Fanfic!!! [Danmachi: My Familia Is All Heroines]

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At that moment, Sakura came by to check in.

These days, Sakura was doing remarkably well—as if she had finally found her own path. She was shining in the field of medical ninjutsu and, under Tsunade's tutelage, had even mastered monstrous strength. Her power had leapt from "weakling" to jōnin level.

Granted, that "jōnin" rank carried some water weight—but at least she was no longer a burden. She could protect herself, and her medical ninjutsu added huge value to any team. All of this made Sakura more confident than ever.

She didn't interrupt the training. She simply greeted Kakashi, placed down some homemade ration pills, and quietly left. Everyone else was working so hard—she couldn't allow herself to slack off either.

What surprised Kakashi more, though, was that Sasuke also came to watch.

"This kid… he's really giving it his all," Sasuke commented.

"Well, Naruto has always been the type to work hard. He's got a strong sense of pride, and more importantly—his purpose for growing stronger. He wants to protect his comrades and the village. To do that, he knows he has to get stronger," Kakashi said, closing his Icha Icha Paradise and turning to Sasuke.

Sasuke silently watched Naruto's back without replying.

But Kakashi wanted to speak with him seriously.

The two ended up sitting atop the Hokage Monument, gazing down at the village below. Perhaps their thoughts were more alike than they realized.

Kakashi asked bluntly:

"Sasuke, you're a Jinchūriki, aren't you?"

Sasuke nodded. "You finally asked after holding it in for so long. Honestly, there was no need to tiptoe around it. I didn't hide it on purpose—I just didn't want to flaunt it and make it a big deal."

Kakashi drew in a deep breath and sighed. "Do you understand what being a Jinchūriki means?"

"I do. But my perspective is different from yours."

Sasuke's expression was calm and steady. "To you all, a Tailed Beast is something dangerous, and being a Jinchūriki is a curse that earns only fear and alienation. But to me, a Tailed Beast is power. Becoming a Jinchūriki lets me grow faster. And once I learned that Akatsuki's true goal was the Tailed Beasts, I made my decision—if I became one, then not only would I gain strength, but my enemies would also come straight to me."

This… was actually a solid line of reasoning.

Kakashi nearly wanted to applaud. At least Sasuke hadn't fallen into darkness. If this was his method of turning the situation to his advantage, then it was already far better than what Kakashi had feared.

Still, he asked, "Was this Natsuki's idea?"

Sasuke actually rolled his eyes. "Do you really think Natsuki is that kind of person?"

"Eh? Did I guess wrong? With his brains, it really sounded like the kind of suggestion he'd make."

"Natsuki is smart, sure. He might have thought of it. But he never told me to do this. What he did was advise me to stay calm, help me analyze my strengths and weaknesses, and tell me to develop the former while overcoming the latter. Once I calmed down and began thinking clearly, the idea of becoming a Jinchūriki came from me. When Natsuki found out, he warned me of what I'd face—but I insisted, and he chose to support me."

"…Yeah. That does sound exactly like Natsuki."

Kakashi shook his head helplessly. "Well, what's done is done. And since you've stayed calm and haven't lost control, I'll assume you've already mastered your Tailed Beast's power. I won't nag you further. But can you tell me the details? I am your teacher, after all."

Sasuke didn't refuse. He recounted everything—from consulting Natsuki and receiving his advice, to discovering Orochimaru's records on the Three-Tails, to how Natsuki had helped him seal the Nine-Tails, and finally how he had trained to control the Three-Tails' power.

He remembered every word clearly, even taking out written notes—treasuring them like golden scriptures of his growth.

Kakashi listened carefully, though his mouth twitched uncontrollably.

So, the two of them had been hiding this from him all along, huh?

Especially Natsuki. Kakashi had really misjudged him. To keep even a veteran like himself in the dark…

When he first discovered Sasuke was a Jinchūriki, Kakashi had nearly had a heart attack. Thank goodness no disaster had broken out. For now, the biggest problem was that Sasuke would inevitably become a target of Akatsuki.

But Sasuke actually welcomed that!

Just as he had predicted, Itachi would eventually come seeking him. And that would be the perfect chance for Sasuke to take his revenge.

When Sasuke finished his story, Kakashi sat in silence for a long while before finally sighing deeply, full of helplessness toward his student.

Four Jinchūriki gathered in Konoha… wasn't that a bit too much pressure?

Hopefully Tsunade wouldn't smash any more desks when she found out.

Kakashi probed carefully: "Sasuke, do you mind if I inform Lady Tsunade about this? Konoha is under immense pressure right now—she deserves to know."

Sasuke shook his head. "I don't mind. Even if the whole world knew, it wouldn't matter. Once Akatsuki comes knocking, it won't be a secret anymore."

Reasonable as that was, the matter still needed to be kept under wraps for now.

This was about Sasuke's life, after all.

Even if Sasuke spoke lightly of it, Kakashi knew his student wasn't as mentally resilient as Naruto. On the contrary—he was more fragile. With no hatred in his heart yet, if he were suddenly consumed by bitterness because of villagers' gossip, that would be truly tragic.

Public opinion can kill.

His own father had been destroyed by it.

Kakashi knew this better than anyone. He absolutely would not allow Sasuke to endure what Naruto had suffered.

Time trickled by like sand in an hourglass, and soon it was the first of the month again.

After eating, drinking, and enjoying some intimacy with Tenten, Natsuki resolutely entered his special experimental chamber.

Now that he lived with Tenten, he no longer bothered hiding anything. Even entering the gravity training room, he did so openly in front of her. She probably thought he was using Hiraishin (Flying Thunder God) to teleport somewhere secret to train.

Since Tenten never asked, Natsuki never explained.

As for his monthly trips into the Dream World, he had long since told her about them, and she believed him without question.

Inside the special laboratory, Natsuki began working on developing a new technique.

First, he created a humanoid puppet identical to a real body. Then he produced a coffin.

Standing dozens of meters away, he drew in a deep breath, raised both hands, and unleashed a torrent of chakra. He shaped it into a spiraling force, layering sealing power within, and sent it surging toward the puppet.

"Fūinjutsu: Mafūba! (Sealing Technique: Evil Containment Wave!)"

He shouted as the technique swept the puppet, attempting to drag it into the coffin.

But controlling it was immensely difficult. The sealing matrix didn't align properly. The chakra drain was huge, and the mental strain even greater.

The attempt failed—the puppet crashed against the coffin's side instead.

"Again! Mafūba!"

BANG! The puppet toppled the coffin completely.

"Mafūba!"

CRACK! The coffin shattered the puppet into pieces.

"I'm not done yet! Mafūba!!"

(End of Chapter)

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