Chapter 8: Chapter 8 Learning to Relax Like An Ordinary Ninja
Today, Kakashi had contributed 200,000 Ryo and 2,000 resource quota to Yuto.
Yuto could only be thankful that the vampire-like system didn't have a feature to convert Ryo directly into resource quota.
Instead, the resource quota increased simultaneously whenever he earned Ryo.
The effect of today's events had clearly shaken Kakashi, and Yuto hoped it would bring in more business.
He also sped up the development of the Land of Waves volume and new characters.
---
Kakashi, with the phone tucked away, was lost in thought as he made his way home.
A dark figure appeared on his way home and made the secret signal unique to the Anbu.
"What's the matter?"
"Captain, the Hokage has summoned you."
Kakashi's face darkened and he handed the phone to Pakkun for safekeeping.
Without another word, Kakashi swiftly made his way to the Hokage's Office.
---
"Hiruzen, you're too soft!"
"The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki should be handed over to me! Only I can unleash his full potential as a weapon!"
"Danzo! You're too radical!"
"If I treated Naruto that way, how could I face Minato and the Uzumaki Clan in the afterlife?"
"Huruzen, you...!"
"Danzo! I am the Hokage!"
"You'll regret this, Hiruzen!"
Danzo did not argue anymore and quickly concealed his ferocious expression. He could sense that someone was about to come in from outside the door.
The two of them tacitly stopped talking. At least in front of others, their conflicts and disagreements couldn't be shown too obviously.
Hiruzen also returned to his gentle smile.
"Kakashi, you're here."
Kakashi knelt before Hiruzen and said, "Hokage-sama, is there any mission you want me to take?"
Hiruzen looked at Danzo and said, "You may leave. I'd like to speak with Kakashi alone."
Danzo snorted and left with his two subordinates. As for Kakashi, a core figure on the Hokage's side, Danzo knew it would be nearly impossible to persuade him to rebel again or extract any useful information from him.
Bang!
After Danzo left, it seemed he vented all his frustration on the door.
Hiruzen and Kakashi both glanced at the door, and after making sure that the door, which had been through so much damage, was not too damaged...
Hiruzen stepped forward and helped Kakashi up, "Last night, the Scroll of Seals was stolen."
Kakashi paused for a moment, already knowing the answer but asking anyway, "Who was the culprit?"
Hiruzen puffed on his pipe, his voice muffled. "It was Naruto."
"Minato-sensei's child... Should we punish him?"
Hiruzen shook his head and said, "I've failed Naruto over the years. Someone leaked his identity, and he's had a hard time."
Kakashi, who was often away on missions, didn't pay much attention to village affairs.
But now, he couldn't help but think of the game storyline he'd seen earlier in Yuto's shop.
'Demon fox... monster...' The curses hurled at Naruto seemed to echo in Kakashi's ears, and at this time, he gained a deeper understanding of the game's plot.
"Minato-sensei's child… Why did he steal the Scroll of Seals?"
Kakashi asked again, eager to know if reality matched the game's storyline.
Hiruzen puffed on his pipe again before answering.
"It was a teacher from the academy, named Mizuki. He tricked Naruto into stealing the Scroll of Seals, but he's now in Konoha Prison."
Hearing this, Kakashi's heart stirred again, 'So, it was just like in the game?!'
'This had only happened last night!'
Hiruzen continued, "Kakashi, consider this a vacation. Stop thinking of yourself as an Anbu, but as an ordinary Ninja."
Kakashi bowed his head. "Understood! If there's nothing else, Hokage-sama, I'll take my leave."
Kakashi hesitated for a moment but decided not to mention his encounter with Yuto earlier in the day.
It wasn't that he was disloyal to Hiruzen, but he needed more information before revealing Yuto's existence. At least, not now.
Hiruzen nodded. He's confident that Kakashi would become an excellent Jonin Instructor.
---
On his way home, Kakashi couldn't help but feel distracted.
'Although I had guessed that those storylines were either past events or things yet to happen, that person's abilities are truly extraordinary...'
'And... to act like an ordinary ninja, to relax?"
At this time, the concept of 'relaxing' still felt foreign to Kakashi.
Since becoming a Ninja, he had never truly relaxed.
For years, he had been trapped in his own emotional struggles, his nerves always on edge.
'Now, being told to relax like an ordinary Ninja... What did that even mean?'
As he pondered this, the smiling face of his dear friend once again surfaced in his mind.
---
The next day, at the Ninja Academy.
Watching their classmates being picked up one by one by their respective Jonin Instructors, Naruto and his teammates grew increasingly anxious.
"Ugh, where is our Jonin Instructor? Why isn't he here yet?"
Naruto shouted, a complaint he had been repeating for the past two hours.
In fact, even two hours ago, there are only three of them in the class.
"Naruto! As a Ninja, you need to learn patience!"
Faced with Sakura's reprimand, Naruto didn't argue directly but turned his face away and muttered under his breath, "Tsk, like you weren't saying 'just wait a little longer' earlier."
Sakura, perhaps hearing this, became visibly annoyed. "What...? Look at Sasuke-kun! He's been waiting patiently this whole time!"
Although he was dragged into the conversation, Sasuke maintained his usual cool demeanor.
"Hehe, I really don't get you two. Maybe our Jonin Instructor has been nearby all along, testing our patience."
"In other words, Naruto, if there were enemies around, your loud mouth would've gotten us killed by now."
Sakura, hearing this, quickly sided with Sasuke. "Sasuke-kun is right! Naruto, you're so impatient!"
Seeing the girl he liked so firmly supporting the guy he disliked, Naruto was truly furious.
"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! I'll prove you both wrong!"
With that, Naruto began searching around and finally found a chalkboard eraser in a conspicuous spot on the teacher's desk.
Using a clone to boost himself up, he climbed onto the doorframe and set up a trap, grinning mischievously.
"If that guy's really watching us from the shadows, he'll definitely know about this trap."
Sasuke, seeing Naruto's prank, was speechless and closed his eyes.
"Idiot, he's a Jonin. There's no way he'd fall for such a childish trick."
---
Meanwhile, elsewhere.
"Hey, good morning, manager!"
Yuto looked at the messy tuft of white hair and couldn't help but comment, "Uh... Kakashi, it's almost afternoon now."