Going Fishing with Kakashi

Zhang Miao had always thought that he could obtain at most five Ninja Fragments a day, but now it seemed that wasn't the case.

As if sensing what Zhang Miao was thinking, the system immediately gave him an explanation.

"Each ninja's daily Ninja Fragment limit is directly related to their current strength. An ordinary person without Chakra can obtain at most one Ninja Fragment per day."

Hearing this explanation, Zhang Miao immediately understood.

Collecting Ninja Fragments wasn't like those cash-grab online games where higher star ratings made things harder to collect. Instead, it was directly tied to the other person's current strength.

Take Naruto, for example. No matter how powerful he might become in the future, he was still just a baby right now, an ordinary person with no strength. Therefore, he could only provide one Ninja Fragment a day.

Kakashi, on the other hand, was different. He was currently a direct subordinate in the Hokage's Anbu, and his strength was formidable, which was why he could provide so many Ninja Fragments.

Zhang Miao had guessed correctly. The system's next explanation confirmed his suspicion.

"Low-level ninjas can provide up to five Ninja Fragments per day. Mid-level ninjas can provide up to ten Ninja Fragments per day. High-level ninjas can provide up to twenty Ninja Fragments per day!"

At this point, Zhang Miao finally understood everything completely.

The low-level stage referred to one-star through four-star ninjas, from academy students to Special Jonin. Ninjas at this level could provide up to five Ninja Fragments a day.

The mid-level stage referred to five-star through seven-star ninjas: Jonin, Elite Jonin, and ordinary Kage Level ninjas. Ninjas at this level could provide up to ten Ninja Fragments a day.

As for the high-level stage, it referred to eight-star, nine-star, and ten-star ninjas: Super Kage, Six Paths, and God Level. Ninjas at this level could provide up to twenty Ninja Fragments a day.

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

In other words, before obtaining Kakashi's absolute recognition today, the five Kakashi Ninja Fragments Zhang Miao had painstakingly earned after racking his brains to gain Kakashi's approval were actually only half of the maximum he could obtain!

At that thought, Zhang Miao could not help sighing inwardly.

"Ugh, getting these Ninja Fragments really isn't easy!"

After sighing, Zhang Miao felt fortunate again. He was fortunate that he had found an opening through Hatake Sakumo and earned Kakashi's absolute trust. Things would be much easier from now on.

"As long as I don't do anything stupid, I can get the full ten Kakashi Ninja Fragments every day. At this rate, I'll be able to recruit Kakashi in just over a month. That's great!"

At that moment, the pressure in Zhang Miao's heart finally eased considerably. At the same time, he realized just how great Hatake Sakumo's influence on Kakashi was.

"I really got lucky this time!"

Zhang Miao thought he had stumbled upon a lucky break, but he did not know that Kakashi had only acknowledged him because he genuinely recognized Hatake Sakumo from the depths of his heart!

As an Anbu elite, Kakashi's gaze was incredibly sharp. If Zhang Miao had only paid lip service to recognizing Hatake Sakumo while not truly accepting him in his heart, Kakashi would definitely have seen through him!

If that had happened, forget about obtaining Kakashi's fragments. It would have been a stroke of luck if they had not become enemies!

So many things that appeared accidental were actually inevitable!

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

As he cleared the plates and fish bones off the table, he spoke to Zhang Miao. "We've finished the fish. I'll catch some more later, and we'll have boiled fish tonight!"

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

Zhang Miao meant it sincerely. In his previous life, he had been an orphan who had struggled every day just to make a living. The people he envied most were those who could leisurely fish and walk their birds. Now that he had the opportunity, he naturally would not let it pass him by.

Kakashi was also worried about leaving Zhang Miao home alone. After thinking for a moment, he nodded.

"Fine!"

Once they had decided, Kakashi picked up the Fishing Rod and led Zhang Miao out.

Though Konoha was called a village, its area was comparable to that of a town. And while Zhang Miao's mental age was that of an adult, his body belonged to a child not yet one year old. After walking for a while, he was too tired to continue.

When Kakashi saw Zhang Miao suddenly stop, he immediately guessed why. He crouched down and looked back at Zhang Miao.

"Get on!"

Kakashi meant for Zhang Miao to climb onto his back. Of course Zhang Miao understood, but he hesitated.

Kakashi was only thirteen years old. By modern standards, he was just a middle schooler. Zhang Miao really felt embarrassed about making a child like that carry him.

"Well... how about we rest for a while first? I'll be able to walk again after resting!"

Hearing Zhang Miao's words, Kakashi frowned.

"The fishing spot is a little far. If we don't hurry, we might not make it in time. Get on."

Seeing the determination on Kakashi's face, Zhang Miao knew this was not the time to put on airs. He could only climb onto Kakashi's back with a red face and wrap his arms around his neck.

Feeling Zhang Miao's movements, a faint smile appeared beneath Kakashi's mask. Carrying Zhang Miao on his back, he headed toward the outskirts of the village.

When Kakashi reached Konoha's gates, the two ninjas on guard immediately greeted him with smiles.

"Yo, Kakashi! Heading out again?"

"Huh? Whose kid is that on your back? That red hair is pretty rare!"

Hearing the two ninjas, Kakashi frowned again. But before he could speak, Zhang Miao, who was on his back, spoke first.

"Uncles, Kakashi is my big brother. I'm Uzumaki Ryunosuke, and I'm going fishing with my brother!"

His childish voice immediately amused the two gate guards.

"Haha! No wonder he has red hair. So he's from the Uzumaki Clan!"

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

The Land of Whirlpools and Konoha had once shared a very deep friendship. Back then, the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, had even signed a friendship agreement with the Uzumaki Clan's elders. Konoha's continued use of the Uzumaki symbol on its ninjas' clothing was also proof of the generations-long friendship between the two nations.

So although the Land of Whirlpools had already been destroyed, most Konoha ninjas might not have held much affection for or given special treatment to the Uzumaki Clan, but they would not discriminate against them either.

Of course, Naruto in the original story was an exception, because he was the Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki, and Jinchuriki received roughly the same treatment in every village.

More importantly, after the Nine-Tails' Rampage, everyone's hatred for the Nine-Tails had been redirected onto Naruto, which was why Naruto's situation became especially terrible.

Zhang Miao, however, would never face such a situation. In the eyes of the two Konoha ninjas guarding the gate, Zhang Miao was merely an Uzumaki child who had lost his homeland and ended up in Konoha. He would not cause Konoha any harm and might even become a help to Konoha in the future.

Naturally, they showed considerable kindness toward such a child.

"Go on, have fun!"

"Haha, make sure you get along well with Kakashi!"

Hearing them, Zhang Miao's little face bloomed like a flower. As he smiled, he nodded vigorously.

"Mm, I understand. Thank you, Uncles!"

Kakashi, meanwhile, nodded expressionlessly at the two of them, then carried Zhang Miao out of Konoha's gates with the Fishing Rod in hand.

After they had gone quite a distance, Kakashi spoke again.

"You acted very fake just now."

"Oh... really?" Hearing Kakashi's words, Zhang Miao shrugged. "Whatever. They couldn't tell anyway. Besides, don't you think that what I did just now was how a normal child should act?"

Kakashi: "..."

You know you're not normal yourself?

Kakashi had no idea how to respond to Zhang Miao, so he could only carry him in silence and race toward their destination.

The two soon entered the forest. Kakashi carried Zhang Miao as though he weighed nothing, moving and leaping through the forest's complex terrain without being affected in the slightest.

Before long, they reached their destination. Looking at the small river before them, Kakashi set Zhang Miao down.

"We're here. This is the place!"

Hearing Kakashi's words, Zhang Miao reluctantly jumped down from his back.

Honestly, being carried by a ninja as he ran and leaped through the forest felt like flying. It was even more thrilling than riding a roller coaster, and Zhang Miao was starting to like the feeling.

A thought suddenly popped into Zhang Miao's mind.

"Once I recruit Kakashi in the future, I'll have him carry me through the woods every day. That feeling will definitely be amazing!"