"Just where has that copy-nin vanished to?"
After dumping the initial administrative avalanche on Jiraiya and Shizune, Tsunade and Raimon left the Hokage Tower. A little delegation of authority was healthy. If Homura and Koharu gave Jiraiya any trouble, they could argue about it tomorrow. Right now, there were more pressing matters.
It was high time Konoha's next generation got some real-world seasoning. With the original trajectory shattered—no Sasuke retrieval arc—it was unclear if the Konoha 12 would develop as powerfully. They needed experiences, not just drills.
"Kakashi! Where is he?" Tsunade muttered, scanning the busy streets. The man had a talent for evaporating when not actively on a mission.
Raimon, however, had a pretty good guess. Where else would that broody basket-case go when feeling guilty?
"The memorial stone," he said simply.
They found him exactly as predicted: Hatake Kakashi, slumped before the stone engraved with countless names, his single visible eye fixed on one in particular—Rin. His shoulders were hunched, the picture of perpetual, stylish melancholy.
Upon sensing their approach, the tears (if there were any) were instantly vacuumed back, his mask of lazy nonchalance snapping into place as he scrambled to his feet.
"Hokage-sama!" He offered a sloppy, but respectful, salute.
"You seem to have an abundance of free time," Tsunade observed, her voice dripping with dry sarcasm.
Kakashi stiffened. He'd been… neglectful. The ghosts of Obito and Rin, the weight of Minato-sensei's legacy, the guilt over Kushina… it all kept him circling this stone instead of his living students. Sasuke and Naruto, at least, had other mentors now. But Sakura… poor Sakura Haruno was left floundering with no resources and no sensei to guide her.
'I wonder if she'll try to bulk up with Sasuke…' Raimon's mind conjured an image of a Sakura with Lee-like muscles and a delicate face. A shiver ran down his spine. Sasuke's future looked… physically daunting.
"Kakashi, you seem underutilized," Tsunade pressed, making the jonin sweat beneath his mask.
"Hokage-sama, I—"
She cut him off with a raised hand. "I have a mission for Team Seven."
She produced a scroll from her sleeve.
"Yes, Hokage-sama!" Kakashi accepted it, his eye scanning the contents. His visible eyebrow shot up. "Danzo… has defected?"
He hadn't heard. The news of Konoha's shadowy elder turning rogue was staggering. Then again, after ambushing Tsunade and Raimon, fleeing was his only logical move. Tsunade wasn't Hiruzen; she wouldn't tolerate his scheming.
The mission parameters were clear: intelligence gathering on Danzo's whereabouts and activities. No capture order. The pay was good, and with Naruto's… unique security detail, the risk was minimal. It was practically free money.
'More funds for the new Icha Icha Paradise…' Jiraiya's latest masterpiece was selling at a premium, and Kakashi's copy was nearly worn out.
"Understood. We will depart immediately to prepare," Kakashi said, already calculating how to round up his scattered ducklings.
"You have three days to prep. Dismissed."
With a final bow, Kakashi vanished in a swirl of leaves, off to find one blond knucklehead, one brooding avenger, and one pink-haired nin who was probably very, very annoyed with him.
Tsunade's demeanor softened as she turned towards the older, more secluded section of the stone garden. Since they were here… She walked until she stood before the grander memorials for the First and Second Hokage. Her eyes grew misty.
"Raimon," she whispered, her voice thick. "Is there… really a chance? For them to come back? Not as Edo Tensei, but truly alive?"
Namikaze Raimon fell silent, his usual smirk absent. The plan hinged on Nagato's Rinne Rebirth. But reviving so many, especially powerhouses like Hashirama and Tobirama? And Minato and Kushina's souls were locked in the Shinigami's stomach—that required Orochimaru's specific forbidden jutsu expertise. Nagato's body was already a broken puppet, drained by the Gedo Statue.
'If he absorbs eight tailed beasts… will the Gedo Statue feed some life back into him? Enough to pull this off?' It was a gamble stacked on a gamble.
"Let's… try," Raimon finally said, his voice firm. Overthinking wouldn't help. They had to act.
Sometimes he pondered the absurd tragedy of this world. In a way, no one was entirely wrong. Perhaps Madara's diagnosis was even correct—the shinobi system was fundamentally broken. But his "Infinite Tsukuyomi" solution was a pathetic dream, a world of pacified slaves. The world Raimon wanted had to be built, not dreamed.
To build your own world, you needed one thing above all: overwhelming strength. You had to be strong enough to knock sense into everyone, then strong enough to enforce the peace. Hashirama had that strength but lacked the will, choosing a naive, fractured system of feudal lords and distributed tailed beasts. A child playing at statesmanship.
***
Meanwhile, on Training Ground 37, the flames of youth were burning with extra-green intensity.
With Rock Lee still in the hospital awaiting Tsunade's scheduled surgery, Might Guy had channeled his overflowing passion into his three remaining students—and, by enthusiastic extension, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura. If the legendary Namikaze Raimon endorsed his taijutsu path, who was he to deny these youngsters its benefits?
"Alright! Everyone, take a breather!" Guy's booming voice cut through the sound of pounding feet and heavy breathing. He hefted a large duffel bag onto the ground with a thud. "Inside, you will find the next stage of your training! Wearing these will exponentially increase your gains!"
Sasuke's eyes, ever hungry for power, sharpened. "They can enhance training efficacy?"
"Indeed!" Guy flashed a brilliant, sun-reflecting smile. "These are my personally designed training suits! The weight distribution is calibrated based on decades of my own hard-won experience!"
Sasuke was the first to move. He reached into the bag and pulled out a folded garment. He unfurled it. His face went blank.
It was green. A vibrant, eye-searing, full-body green spandex jumpsuit.
"…This is it?" Disappointment dripped from his voice.
"Nani?!" Sakura recoiled as if bitten, her face a mask of horror. She'd rather face a thousand Paper Bombs than be seen in public wearing that. Ino would never let her hear the end of it.
"Might Guy-sensei," Sasuke managed, his lips twitching. "Are you certain about the… utility?"
"Absolutely! This design minimizes chafing while maximizing weight dispersion! It is the culmination of my springtime of youth!"
Seeing Guy's utter, unwavering sincerity, Sasuke's doubts wavered. With a long-suffering sigh that would make Kakashi proud, he began putting it on.
The effect was immediate. As soon as the suit was on, his body felt significantly heavier, his footprints sinking deeper into the earth.
Never one to be outdone, Naruto let out a competitive "Heh!" and snatched a suit for himself, wriggling into the green spandex with alarming speed. Seeing the two rivals suited up, Neji (with stoic resignation) and the two girls (with utter despair) followed suit.
"YOSH! LET THE FLAMES OF YOUTH BURN EVEN BRIGHTER!" Guy roared, striking his classic pose. "Now! Channel chakra to the soles of your feet! Distribute your weight evenly! This will train your physique and your chakra control to their absolute limits!"
"Just like that! FOLLOW ME!"
"ONE HUNDRED LAPS AROUND KONOHA! WE RUN UNTIL OUR YOUTHFUL SPIRITS ARE SATISFIED!"
With that, Guy took off like a green rocket, leaving a dust trail. The six teenagers, now a squad of little green monsters, surged after him.
Soon, Konoha's citizens were treated to the bizarre and slightly terrifying sight of a radiant green comet leading a pack of smaller green blurs around the village perimeter. It was a moving monument to effort, enthusiasm, and profoundly questionable fashion.
"I'm faster than you, teme!" Naruto yelled, putting on a burst of speed to pass Sasuke, sticking out his tongue.
"Che! Dobe!" Sasuke gritted his teeth, chakra flaring as he shot ahead again. His extra day of Guy's brutal conditioning gave him a slight edge in stamina.
Neji, a natural taijutsu specialist, ran with calm, efficient grace, maintaining a steady, punishing pace. Behind him, Sakura and Tenten pushed themselves to their limits, their faces masks of determined agony.
By evening, the training ground looked like a scene from a spandex-themed disaster. Six green-clad figures lay scattered on the grass, heaving for air, utterly spent.
It was into this scene of exhausted, verdant youth that Hatake Kakashi finally arrived, having searched half the village. He took in the sea of green. His single visible eye widened. Then crinkled. Then he doubled over, a silent, full-body shudder of laughter wracking his frame.
'My cool, brooding Sasuke… my kawaii Sakura-chan…' he thought, tears of mirth threatening to spill. 'What… what has Guy done to you?!'