Chapter 22: Kakashi, Are You Obsessed with Icha Icha Novels?
"Tell the leader not to worry. The Tsuchikage treats Deidara like his own grandson. Even if he's captured, it doesn't matter. Just remind Deidara not to self-destruct in a moment of madness."
After sending Kisame to deliver the message, Shiromo prepared to leave the Land of Waves immediately.
As for Kisame and Itachi, they currently have no other missions.
The Land of Waves sat between the Land of Water and the Land of Fire, so the two could stay there temporarily to gather intelligence and support the development of the Land of Waves.
Kisame wanted to check on the progress in the Land of Water, and Itachi planned to visit Konoha to see Sasuke again, as both were nearby.
Shiromo set off alone once more.
"I need to find an opportunity to get my hands on the Flying Thunder God Technique. Even if no one can learn it, the Flying Thunder Formation Technique will do," Shiromo thought, feeling a bit of a headache from the long, arduous journey.
Of the five great ninja villages, Kirigakure and Sunagakure were the easiest to reach an agreement with. Both villages were in the midst of transitioning to new Kages, whose personalities were completely opposite to those of their predecessors.
These two villages also didn't suffer from the same internal power struggles and complexities that plagued Konoha in the Land of Fire.
Shiromo chuckled, thinking about Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, who had witnessed the founding of Konoha by the First Hokage and the village's eventual destruction in the Boruto era.
"What does it mean to have a scourge that lasts for a thousand years?" he mused.
The Land of Wind was very close to the Land of Rain. As the Land of Rain was a battleground between three lands. Cooperating with Sunagakure wouldn't present any geographical issues.
But the Land of Water was different. Even traveling from the Land of Fire to the Land of Water required a sea voyage. The entire Land of Fire separated the Land of Rain from the Land of Water.
While few could learn the Flying Thunder God Technique, the Flying Thunder Formation Technique was a different story. Even three minor characters from Konoha could learn it, so it likely wasn't that difficult.
---
The Land of Fire, Konohagakure Village.
Kakashi had completed his mission to the Land of Waves and received his reward.
Watching Naruto excitedly gesturing about going to the supermarket to buy limited-edition instant noodles, Kakashi sighed.
"Don't bother buying instant noodles, I'll treat you to a barbecue tonight." Kakashi waved the reward he had just received.
"Really? Long live Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto cheered, his eyes sparkling.
---
After a bit of commotion, the three genin left the Hokage's office.
Kakashi then informed the Third Hokage about the unexpected upgrade of his C-rank mission.
First, he encountered a ninja, which bumped the mission up from C-rank to B-rank. Then, he encountered the rogue ninja Momochi Zabuza from Kirigakure, pushing it to A-rank.
The Third Hokage listened carefully, showing no sign of worry or fear. After taking a drag from his pipe, he smiled. "Kakashi, it seems entrusting Naruto and Sasuke to you was the right decision."
"Third Hokage-sama, I have something else to report."
Kakashi had been contemplating this for a while and felt the need to report to the Third Hokage about Shiromo and his group, as well as his conversation with Sasuke. After all, this matter couldn't be kept a secret for long.
"We also encountered Uchiha Itachi. He's joined an organization."
"Oh? Tell me more," the Third Hokage said, glancing at Kakashi with mild interest.
He was one of the few who knew about Itachi's situation. It was he who had sent Itachi to infiltrate the Akatsuki as a spy.
"Itachi used genjutsu to control me, and his companions said something to Sasuke..." Kakashi relayed Sasuke's words to the Third Hokage.
Kakashi wasn't sure if Sasuke was hiding anything from him, so he just shared everything he knew.
"Ashura, Indra?" The Third Hokage raised an eyebrow. Even Sarutobi Hiruzen, "The Professor," had never heard of those names.
However, the names Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara were mentioned later, and those two were familiar to him.
"When did Madara fuse with the Senju's power? Where did they get that information?" Sarutobi Hiruzen furrowed his brow, taking another drag from his pipe.
He wasn't sure if the person Kakashi was talking about had received information from Itachi through Konoha, and whether it was reliable.
As Kakashi continued discussing Naruto and Sasuke, Hiruzen's frown gradually relaxed.
"Third Hokage-sama, do you think what they said is true or false?" Kakashi asked.
Hiruzen paused before responding, his tone thoughtful: "Kakashi, the content of what they said isn't as important as their motive. Those seemingly fantastical stories were ultimately aimed at giving Sasuke Naruto's 'power.'"
"Kakashi, Jiraiya once told me that the Great Toad Sage of Mount Myōboku gave him a prophecy, saying that his disciple would be the prophesied child who would change the ninja world."
"Jiraiya and I initially thought it was Minato, but later... Well, if Naruto becomes Jiraiya's disciple in the future, he is very likely to be the prophesied child who will change the ninja world."
Hiruzen continued, analyzing the situation. "And with Naruto's Uzumaki clan heritage and the power of the Nine-Tails… even disregarding the Ashura chakra that person mentioned, those alone are enough to give someone a terrifying boost."
He put down his pipe and reflected on the situation further, "If Naruto truly becomes Jiraiya's disciple, then he could be the one to bring about the change the world needs."
Sarutobi Hiruzen wasn't deducing from any prophetic script, but rather from reasonable analysis based on the information at hand.
Then, he thought of a name.
"Orochimaru."
"Third Hokage-sama, what did you say?" Kakashi was taken aback.
"This might be Orochimaru's conspiracy."
Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression turned serious. "Orochimaru defected because I discovered his illegal human experiments, specifically related to researching the First Hokage's cell transplant. This explanation sounds too much like Orochimaru. His so-called 'goodwill' is just manipulation."
"Furthermore, there's been no word from Orochimaru since his defection. He most likely joined that organization!"
"Then Orochimaru's purpose is..."
"Sasuke, or possibly both Sasuke and Naruto."
"..."
Kakashi's expression grew somber.
Meanwhile, his admiration for the Third Hokage deepened.
He never expected that something he had struggled with for so long could be so easily analyzed by the Third Hokage.
In fact, if Shiromo had known this, he would have had to admire Sarutobi Hiruzen too.
How could the Third Hokage have gotten everything completely wrong, but still reached the right conclusion?
"Uh, wait a minute, Third Hokage-sama," Kakashi suddenly remembered he hadn't finished speaking. "That person gave Sasuke two choices in the end. One was to hurt Naruto, which should be the cell transplant. The other..."
"Huh?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen looked confused. "What? Kakashi, say that again?"
"Hmph..."
"..."
After confirming he hadn't misheard, Sarutobi Hiruzen fell into a long silence.
Finally, he sighed deeply: "Kakashi, are you obsessed with reading Jiraiya's adult novels? Can't you tell the difference between reality and fiction anymore?"
Thinking about Kakashi's situation, Sarutobi Hiruzen felt he should read fewer novels in the future. Instead, he should use his crystal ball to peek into the women's bathhouse and see the real thing.
(End of this chapter)