Mysterious Masked Man Appears

Chapter 35: The Mysterious Masked Man Appears

"Thank you for the meal."

Ten-year-old Akihara Kagura nodded gratefully.

Perhaps it was because they had eaten his food, or perhaps Hiruzen Sarutobi had allowed them to eat their ramen in peace, but Akihara Kagura was uncharacteristically polite.

"Thank you for the meal."

Six-year-old Naruto Uzumaki remained perfectly synchronized.

If one ignored the hair color of these two little ones, it would almost seem like an older brother leading his younger brother.

"Go home and get some rest early."

Hiruzen Sarutobi relit his pipe.

This encounter was not without its gains. Hiruzen Sarutobi felt he had a good understanding of Akihara Kagura and was no longer overly insistent on guiding him. He even felt that the kid's personality wasn't as bad as he had initially thought, based on how Akihara Kagura treated Naruto Uzumaki tonight.

"I'm leaving! Bye-bye!"

Naruto Uzumaki patted his bulging stomach happily, waved goodbye to Akihara Kagura and Hiruzen Sarutobi, and walked towards his home.

"I can't tell at all..."

Akihara Kagura's gaze was fixed on the departing Naruto Uzumaki.

"Oh?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi, pipe in mouth, looked back at Akihara Kagura who was standing still and asked, "Kagura, is there something you want to see in Naruto?"

"I can't tell that he's sad at all."

Akihara Kagura's eyes became unfocused and dim as he whispered, "If someone abandoned me, I'd be so sad I'd want to kill them."

"..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi felt a bit uneasy.

"I'm leaving."

Akihara Kagura said no more and walked in the direction of the Root base.

"This kid..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head helplessly.

The old man, who had held the reins of Konoha for decades, walked step by step towards the Hokage Building, his voice suddenly becoming deep and cold.

"Kakashi, Tenzo."

As the words fell, Kakashi Hatake and Tenzo appeared beside him in a flash.

They were supposed to be on leave this morning, but while still resting in the evening, they were suddenly ordered to serve as the Hokage's guards.

"What do you think of Akihara Kagura?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze was fixed on the Hokage Building, and he didn't even look at his two subordinates as he continued, "After the Chunin Exam ends, that kid will join the Anbu, and I'll assign him to your squad."

"..."

Kakashi Hatake couldn't help but glance at Hiruzen Sarutobi.

The Third Hokage didn't turn around, and his steps were firm. It didn't seem like he was looking for input; this was a direct order from the Hokage.

"Yes."

Kakashi Hatake quickly lowered his head.

As for Tenzo beside him, he never had much say in these situations.

Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly stopped walking and continued earnestly, "Also, don't underestimate that kid. His Wood Release talent is very strong, and from what I can see now, he can already display considerable combat power."

"Yes."

Kakashi Hatake and Tenzo exchanged a look.

Hiruzen Sarutobi then brought up Akihara Kagura's shortcomings: "However, that kid's basic ninja education is still not up to par. His personality is a bit too extreme, and we can't have him taught by the Jonin leading teams in the village. You and Tenzo will have to teach him more in the future."

"This..."

Kakashi Hatake suddenly felt it would be troublesome.

When he first met Akihara Kagura, he thought the kid wasn't a normal child, always talking about killing Danzō Shimura for him...

However, after seeing him at Ichiraku Ramen this morning, and hearing about how the kid impersonated him to deceive examinees and nearly caused a major accident, Kakashi Hatake felt the child's personality was definitely worse than he had imagined.

But...

The Anbu had to obey the Hokage's orders.

"Yes."

Kakashi Hatake could only agree earnestly and then suggested, "Since Akihara Kagura possesses the Wood Style Bloodline, assign him to Tenzo's squad..."

"..."

Tenzo looked at Kakashi Hatake in disbelief!

Tenzo was an honest man who deeply believed Kakashi Hatake was a reliable senior.

At this moment, when Tenzo suddenly heard that Kakashi Hatake would give him a big problem, his inner monologue couldn't help but become active.

"Hey, hey, hey, what kind of joke are you playing, Senior Kakashi!"

"You know how awkward my relationship with Akihara Kagura is, that little guy yells at me every day wanting to fight, so why are you putting him in my class? You definitely know what kind of torment I'm going to suffer!"

"Okay."

Hiruzen Sarutobi approved Kakashi Hatake's suggestion.

The Hokage finished giving his orders and waved them away, saying, "Alright, you two can leave now. I'll take a walk by myself."

"Yes."

Two figures vanished behind Hiruzen Sarutobi.

In a street alley.

After leaving the Hokage, Tenzo could no longer hold back and spoke with a worried expression, "Hey, Senior, pairing me with that kid Kagura..."

"I believe you can do it."

Kakashi Hatake placed a hand on Tenzo's shoulder and continued, "Tenzo, I've always thought you would become a reliable senior as well."

"But..."

"Tenzo."

Kakashi Hatake interrupted him and said in a low voice, "That child possesses the Wood Style Bloodline just like you. Perhaps this is also a fated encounter. I hope you can help him become someone who, like you, silently protects Konoha from the shadows."

"Alright..."

Tenzo could only scratch his head helplessly and proposed his plan, "I'll teach him to slowly develop his Wood Style Bloodline ninjutsu. If I encounter any problems, I'll ask you, Senior..."

"Okay."

Kakashi Hatake agreed and reached into his pocket, "Since today's escort mission is over, you should also go back and rest early."

"Mhm."

Tenzo scratched his head in distress and walked in the direction of his home.

"..."

Kakashi Hatake leaned against the wall with his head lowered.

This famous Bloody Mist Kakashi of the ninja world gradually let his mind go blank. Most of the time, even he himself didn't know what he was thinking.

Kakashi Hatake's fate seemed destined for loneliness.

In his childhood, his father's sudden suicide made him an orphan when he went to school. After growing up, his close teammates successively died in war. Later, his teacher and his wife both passed away during the Nine-Tails' Rampage, making Kakashi Hatake feel suffocated by fate.

Kakashi Hatake felt that his future life was all a blur. He stayed in the Anbu, carrying out endless missions, and there would never be anything worth being happy about again.

After a long while.

Kakashi Hatake got up and left the alley.

After Kakashi Hatake had left, a mysterious masked man in a long black robe quietly appeared. He looked in the direction Kakashi Hatake had gone and let out a cold snort.

"Hmph, this trash..."

"Heeheeheehee..."

A Pitcher Plant Monster, composed of black and white bodies, slowly emerged from the ground. The white half-face grinned at the mysterious masked man and said, "It seems there's no need to pay attention to Kakashi Hatake anymore, right? Shouldn't we be more concerned about the Wood Style brat who reappeared in Konoha?"

"Perhaps..."

"That brat could become a helper for the Moon Eye Plan?"

First update!