Fishing With Kakashi

Zhang Miao had always thought he could only get a maximum of five Ninja Fragments per day, but it seemed that wasn't the case.

As if sensing Zhang Miao's thoughts, the System immediately provided an explanation.

"The number of Ninja Fragments obtainable per person per day is directly related to their current strength. A normal person without Chakra can only obtain one Ninja Fragment per day at most."

Hearing this explanation, Zhang Miao immediately understood.

Collecting Ninja Fragments wasn't like some pay-to-win online games where higher star ratings made them harder to collect. Instead, it was directly tied to the target's existing strength.

Take Naruto for example. No matter how powerful he became in the future, he was currently just an infant, a normal person with no strength, so he could only yield one Ninja Fragment per day.

Kakashi, however, was different. He was currently directly under the Hokage in the Anbu, possessing great strength, which was why he could yield so many Ninja Fragments.

Zhang Miao's guess was correct, and the System's next explanation proved his conjecture.

"A ninja in the Beginner stage can yield a maximum of five Ninja Fragments per day, a ninja in the Intermediate stage can yield a maximum of ten Ninja Fragments per day, and a ninja in the Advanced stage can yield a maximum of twenty Ninja Fragments per day!"

At this point, Zhang Miao finally understood completely.

The Beginner stage included ninjas from One-Star to Four-Star, meaning ninjas from the Academy student level to Special Jonin. Ninjas who reached this level of strength could yield a maximum of five Ninja Fragments per day.

The Intermediate stage included ninjas from Five-Star to Seven-Star, meaning Jonin, Elite Jonin, and regular Kage-level ninjas. Ninjas who reached this level of strength could yield a maximum of ten Ninja Fragments per day.

As for the Advanced stage, it encompassed ninjas of Eight, Nine, and Ten Stars, meaning Super Kage, Six Paths, and God-level. Ninjas who reached this level of strength could yield a maximum of twenty Ninja Fragments per day.

Kakashi's current strength was between Jonin and Elite Jonin, so the maximum number of Ninja Fragments Zhang Miao could obtain from him was ten!

This meant that before gaining Kakashi's absolute approval today, the five Kakashi Ninja Fragments Zhang Miao had painstakingly acquired were actually only half of the maximum obtainable amount!

Thinking of this, Zhang Miao couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

"Sigh, it seems these Ninja Fragments are really hard to come by!"

After sighing, Zhang Miao felt a wave of relief. He was fortunate to have opened a breakthrough with Kagami Uchiha, gaining Kakashi's absolute trust. Things would be much easier from now on.

"As long as I don't mess up, I can get the full ten Kakashi Ninja Fragments every day. At this rate, I can recruit Kakashi in just over a month. This is great!"

At this moment, Zhang Miao's stress finally eased considerably. He also realized how greatly Kagami Uchiha influenced Kakashi.

"I really struck gold this time!"

Zhang Miao felt like he had stumbled upon good fortune by chance, but he didn't know that it was precisely because he genuinely acknowledged Kagami Uchiha from the bottom of his heart that Kakashi would acknowledge him!

As an elite of the Anbu, Kakashi's perception was incredibly sharp. If Zhang Miao had only spoken the words without truly acknowledging Kagami Uchiha in his heart, Kakashi would have surely seen through him!

If that had happened, let alone obtaining Kakashi's fragments, it would have been incredibly fortunate if they hadn't ended up as enemies!

Therefore, many things that seem accidental are actually inevitable!

Although Kakashi had already decided to acknowledge Zhang Miao in his heart, his expression remained calm.

While clearing the plates and fish bones from the table, he spoke to Zhang Miao, "The fish is finished. I'll go catch some more later, and we'll have boiled fish tonight!"

"Fishing?" Zhang Miao's interest was immediately piqued. "Then I'll go with you. I want to learn how to fish too!"

Zhang Miao spoke the truth. In his previous life, as an orphan struggling to make a living, he had envied those who could leisurely fish and birdwatch. Now that he had the chance, he naturally wouldn't miss it.

Kakashi also didn't feel comfortable leaving Zhang Miao alone at home. After thinking for a moment, he nodded.

"Alright!"

Once decided, Kakashi grabbed his fishing rod and took Zhang Miao out.

Konohagakure, while called a village, was actually as large as a town. Although Zhang Miao's mental age was that of an adult, his physical body was that of a child less than a year old. After walking for a while, he became too tired to continue.

Seeing Zhang Miao suddenly stop, Kakashi immediately guessed the reason. He crouched down and looked back at Zhang Miao.

"Get on!"

Kakashi meant for Zhang Miao to ride on his back. Zhang Miao understood, but he hesitated.

After all, Kakashi was only thirteen years old, which, in modern terms, was just a middle schooler. Zhang Miao felt a bit embarrassed to have such a child carry him.

"Um... how about we rest for a bit? I'll be able to walk after resting!"

Hearing Zhang Miao's words, Kakashi frowned.

"The fishing spot is a bit far. If we don't hurry, we might not make it. Hurry up and get on!"

Seeing Kakashi's resolute expression, Zhang Miao knew it wasn't the time to be proud. So, blushing, he climbed onto Kakashi's back and wrapped his arms around his neck.

Feeling Zhang Miao's embrace, a smile flickered across Kakashi's face beneath his mask. He walked towards the village entrance with Zhang Miao on his back.

When Kakashi reached the entrance of Konoha, the two guards on duty greeted him with smiles.

"Yo, it's Kakashi, going out again?"

"Huh? Whose child is this behind you? That red hair is quite rare!"

Hearing the guards' words, Kakashi frowned again. However, before he could speak, Zhang Miao, on his back, chimed in.

"Hello, Uncle guards. Kakashi is my big brother. I am Uzumaki Ryunosuke, and I'm going fishing with my brother!"

His childish voice immediately amused the two guards.

"Haha! No wonder he has such red hair, he's from the Uzumaki Clan!"

"Haha, that's right, that's right..."

The Land of Whirlpools and Konohagakure shared a very deep friendship. Back then, the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, had even signed a friendly accord with the elders of the Uzumaki Clan. Konohagakure consistently maintained the Uzumaki symbol on its ninja uniforms, a testament to the generations of friendship between the two nations.

Therefore, even though the Land of Whirlpools had fallen, most Konoha ninja, while not feeling particularly favorable or preferential towards the Uzumaki Clan, did not discriminate against them.

Of course, Naruto from the original story was an exception. This was because he was the Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails, and Jinchuriki were treated similarly across all villages.

Most importantly, after the Nine-Tails' Rampage, the hatred directed at the Nine-Tails was transferred to Naruto, which is why his situation became particularly dire.

However, Zhang Miao would face none of these issues. From the perspective of the two Konoha ninja guarding the gate, Zhang Miao was just a child from the Uzumaki Clan who had lost his country and ended up in Konohagakure. They believed he posed no threat to Konoha and might even become an asset in the future.

Naturally, they showed considerable kindness to such a child.

"Go on, have fun!"

"Haha, be sure to get along well with Kakashi!"

Hearing their words, Zhang Miao's small face lit up like a flower. He nodded vigorously as he smiled.

"Okay, I understand. Thank you, uncles!"

Kakashi, with a stoic expression, nodded at them before taking his fishing rod and carrying Zhang Miao on his back out of Konoha's gates.

After they had walked a considerable distance, Kakashi spoke again.

"You were being very fake just now!"

"Oh... was I?" Hearing Kakashi's words, Zhang Miao shrugged. "It doesn't matter. They couldn't tell anyway. Besides, don't you think my act was exactly how a normal child should behave?"

Kakashi: "..."

So you admit you're not normal?

Kakashi didn't know how to respond to Zhang Miao, so he could only carry him in silence and quickly head towards their destination.

The two soon entered the forest. Kakashi carried Zhang Miao as if he weighed nothing, his movements in the complex terrain unhindered as he weaved and leaped.

They quickly reached their destination. Looking at the small river before them, Kakashi set Zhang Miao down.

"We're here, this is it!"

Hearing Kakashi's words, Zhang Miao reluctantly hopped off Kakashi's back.

Honestly, being carried by a ninja and sprinting and leaping through the jungle felt like flying. It was even more thrilling than a roller coaster, and Zhang Miao had started to enjoy the sensation.

At that moment, a thought suddenly popped into Zhang Miao's mind.

Once I recruit Kakashi later, I'll have him carry me through the forest every day. That feeling would be absolutely amazing!