The Legend of the Shinobi World's Fastest

The Legend of the Shinobi World's Fastest

He had barely returned when visitors came calling.

Uchiha Sōgetsu wore casual clothes, with a towel draped over his head and steam still rising from his skin.

Clearly, he had just finished bathing.

"Brother Sōgetsu!!!"

There was no need to look at the noisy voice outside. It had to be Uchiha Obito.

"Not even a moment to rest, huh?" Uchiha Sōgetsu sighed softly, then went to open the door. A flicker of surprise crossed his eyes.

Obito had not come alone. He had brought two others with him.

One of them was quite familiar to him.

The handsome young man with messy blond hair exuded a warm, gentle aura that made people instinctively want to draw close. He was one of Konoha's most sought-after Elite Jonin, a direct disciple of Jiraiya of the Sannin, and the future Fourth Hokage—Minato Namikaze.

Also known as the kind-hearted anime heartthrob, the legend of the Shinobi World's fastest.

As for the other one, Uchiha Sōgetsu's gaze fell on the somewhat shy girl standing behind Minato Namikaze.

Rin Nohara, a woman who fully proved the saying, "A dead first love is the best first love."

Without this woman, the story of Hokage Ninja could probably have been cut in half.

Noticing his gaze, Rin Nohara's cheeks reddened slightly. She said in a quiet voice, "H-Hello, my name is Rin Nohara. I'm one of Teacher's students."

"Long time no see, Sōgetsu."

Minato Namikaze wore a bright smile as he greeted him warmly. A trace of apology appeared on his face. "I'm truly sorry. You just returned from a mission, and we came to bother you right away."

"Not at all. Please, come in." Uchiha Sōgetsu immediately gave a mild smile and stepped aside to make room.

"We're coming in~"

The three changed their shoes and entered one after another, then sat politely around the living room.

Uchiha Sōgetsu served them three cups of brewed green tea. After changing clothes and tidying himself up, he sat opposite them and asked seriously, "Minato, what did you come to see me about?"

"There is indeed something I need to ask of you."

Hearing this, Minato Namikaze revealed a bitter expression. He hesitated several times as he spoke, seeming rather troubled.

Seeing how he kept stopping short, then glancing at Obito and Rin beside him, Uchiha Sōgetsu made a few guesses. He lifted his green tea and took a sip. "Let me guess. Is this about the White Fang's son, the Hatake Family's genius, Kakashi?"

"You really are perceptive, Sōgetsu." Minato Namikaze sighed deeply and looked at him. "We hope you'll help that child."

"Please, Brother Sōgetsu!"

At that moment, Obito performed a standard dogeza, pressing his forehead against the tatami. "Kakashi is my best friend! I can't bear to watch him keep wasting away!"

"Senior Sōgetsu, please help Kakashi. He's really pitiful." Rin Nohara also spoke up. "The villagers have all been talking about that incident lately. He's locked himself in his room and refuses to come out no matter who calls him. We're really worried about him."

Just as Uchiha Sōgetsu was about to respond, a line of translucent text suddenly appeared before his eyes.

[Side Quest: Shattered Faith]

[The faith that was once steadfast has been broken. Lead the boy onto the path you believe is right.]

[Reward: Kindling]

[Corresponding trait: The Error Pathway—Sequence 6 Fire Thief]

[Appearance: Red gloves]

[Extraordinary Ability: Can increase the user's charm, giving their words extremely strong persuasive power. It can also steal one of a target's Extraordinary Abilities/ninjutsu within a fifty-meter radius. The better the user understands the target, the easier it is to steal the desired ability. The less the user knows, the closer the result is to random, relying on luck.]

[After a successful theft, the original target loses that Extraordinary Ability/ninjutsu and cannot recover it for at least twelve hours. Meanwhile, the owner of Kindling can use it proficiently for around ten minutes.]

[Negative effect: While wearing it, there is a small chance of randomly losing an item on one's person. One of the user's own Extraordinary Abilities will also be lost for twelve hours, though only one ability can be affected during that period.]

"I know this puts you in a difficult position. After all, the White Fang's matter is deeply involved." Seeing that he had remained silent for so long, the apology on Minato Namikaze's face deepened. As though making up his mind, he said, "But if you're willing to help, I can agree to one request within my ability, so long as it doesn't involve matters of principle."

A strange glint flashed through Uchiha Sōgetsu's eyes beneath his lenses.

He had not expected that his silence would make Minato Namikaze misunderstand, thinking he did not want to get involved in anything related to the White Fang at such a critical time.

Still, this worked out well.

"Ah, Minato, you're really putting me in a difficult spot."

Uchiha Sōgetsu put on a troubled expression and sighed. "But since it's your request, I can't very well refuse."

"So that means..." Obito raised his head excitedly.

"Yes, I agree."

Uchiha Sōgetsu nodded with a smile. "We're all shinobi from the same village. Besides, the White Fang took good care of me. I can't just turn a blind eye."

"Thank you, Sōgetsu."

Minato Namikaze looked at him gratefully.

"No need." Uchiha Sōgetsu declined with a smile. "However, I just got back today and need some rest. Would tomorrow be alright?"

"Of course. There's no need to rush."

Minato Namikaze did not press the matter and smiled gently. "Sorry for disturbing you. In that case, we'll be leaving first."

"Goodbye, Senior Sōgetsu~"

"Goodbye, Brother Sōgetsu!"

After seeing them off, he had not even had time to warm his seat before receiving a letter from Lady Tsunade.

The contents were simple. She told him to go to a certain tavern on a certain street, saying there was something important.

"Born to stay busy, I guess."

Uchiha Sōgetsu sighed helplessly and had no choice but to change clothes and head out.

Following the location in the letter, he found the tavern. Business was dismal in broad daylight. Lady Tsunade was the only one sitting in a corner, knocking back drink after drink in silence.

"Lady Tsunade, what did you call me here for?"

Uchiha Sōgetsu walked over, sat across from Lady Tsunade, and opened his Spiritual Vision.

A gray aura of sorrow shrouded her spirit body. Deep within it were traces of red anger and black despair.

She's in a bad mood. It seems to be related to the Third Hokage. Uchiha Sōgetsu roughly guessed what had happened. He snatched the flask from the table and said flatly, "Lady Tsunade, alcohol makes it easier to get drunk when you're upset. I don't want to see you smash this place again."

"Kid... why do people change?"

Lady Tsunade's eyes were unfocused, and her cheeks were flushed crimson like ripe apples, radiating mature charm.

"Environment, experiences, desires, emotions."

Uchiha Sōgetsu raised his eyes and looked directly at her. "As time passes, there are too many things that can change a person. Very few people can walk a straight path from beginning to end without straying."

"I just don't understand. Why did it become like this?"

Lady Tsunade laughed bitterly and leaned back in her chair, covering her eyes with one hand. She murmured, "Great-Grandfather's original intention was never for things to become this way. Jiraiya, Orochimaru, Teacher... it feels as though everything has changed. Only I am still foolishly standing where I was."

"Hey, kid. Tell me, am I really wrong?"

Hearing the faint heaviness in Lady Tsunade's voice, Uchiha Sōgetsu shook his head. "Many things have no right or wrong. If you believe something is right, then keep holding on to it."

"Hah, that really does sound like something you'd say to comfort someone."

Lady Tsunade smiled and wiped her eyes. Her eyes were still somewhat red and swollen. Biting her lips lightly, she looked at the young man with a dazed gaze. "What about you? Will you change?"

Uchiha Sōgetsu fell silent for a moment and pushed up the black frames on the bridge of his nose with his index finger.

In the dimly lit tavern, his thin lips curved faintly upward. His gaze was calm and indifferent, like a pool too deep to see the bottom of.

"No, I won't change, Lady Tsunade."

"I was like this before, and I will remain like this in the future. I am who I am."