Kakashi's Training

Compared to the dark Root base, Konoha was now bathed in the morning sun, slowly coming to life.

Kakashi walked in front with his hands in his pockets, followed by Kazashiro, who was curious about everything.

Unlike Sakumo, who answered every question, Kakashi sounded impatient but did not remain silent, replying to Kazashiro's questions as briefly as possible.

The scene went like this:

Kazashiro (pointing at the building ahead): Kakashi, what's that?

Kakashi: A public restroom.

Kazashiro (suddenly enlightened): Oh, Old Eight's cafeteria.

Kakashi:?

Kazashiro (pointing at another building): Kakashi, what's that?

Kakashi: Ninja Academy.

Kazashiro (pointing at the green-skinned upside-down freak in the distance): Kakashi, what's that?

Kakashi: A pervert.

Kazashiro: Oh. Huh? A green-skinned upside-down freak...

Something occurred to Kazashiro, and he slapped his forehead. Good grief, isn't that Might Duy, the founder of the Lucky Three Treasures?!

His son was even more incredible—Might Guy, Konoha's Blue Beast! The man who nearly kicked the story straight to its ending with one kick!

Sadly, in this world of bloodlines, the Hokage's son became Hokage, the ANBU's son became ANBU, and the scapegoat's son became a scapegoat. Even if he paid with his life to shine through the Gate of Death of the Eight Gates, he was still not the protagonist.

Come to think of it, if my cheap old man is the Pot Kage, doesn't that make me the Little Pot Kage?!

Kazashiro began to wonder whether coming to Konoha had really been a good choice.

Danzo's sinister gaze in the Hokage's Office had left quite a psychological shadow on him.

It was not that he feared Danzo would perform some strange experiment on him. He was worried that after the Uchiha Clan got wiped out as in the plot, would Sasuke, consumed by revenge, use him as a sacrificial offering after killing Danzo?

If that was the case, then if he wanted to live comfortably in this world, he had to find a way to keep Danzo from meddling in Uchiha affairs—especially prevent the Night of the Uchiha Clan Massacre from happening.

Damn it, why had he not gained Uchiha blood, yet still had to worry about them as though he had transmigrated into an Uchiha?

This was unfair!

Lost in wild thoughts, Kazashiro completely failed to notice that Kakashi had already led him away from the bustling streets and onto a forest path.

Noticing Kakashi stop, Kazashiro looked around and heard Kakashi's indifferent voice. "All right, we're here."

"Uh, where is here?" Kazashiro blinked his innocent eyes.

"My training ground. Want to join?" Kakashi swayed his body and began doing various warm-up exercises.

"Uh, training..." Kazashiro looked up at the steep, sheer mountain before him and instantly broke into a cold sweat.

There really was a plot like this. Kakashi had trained in things like one-handed rock climbing since he was little.

Seeing that Kazashiro did not respond, Kakashi did not mind. After finishing his warm-up, he leaped up, caught a protrusion with one hand, and began climbing upward bit by bit right in front of Kazashiro.

"Uh, I'll sit this one out." Kazashiro raised his hand in surrender, sat cross-legged on a relatively clean patch of ground, and quietly watched Kakashi show off—no, train.

Though people called him a genius, this guy did not put in any less effort than anyone else.

As he watched Kakashi climb higher little by little, Kazashiro took the chance to sort through the information he had gathered so far.

Well, intelligence was extremely important for a ninja.

Thanks to Kirigakure's garbage-tier secrecy system, Kazashiro, who had lived there for four years, had no idea how far the plot had progressed.

In Kirigakure, one could not even find out the name of their own Mizukage or which generation he was. Kazashiro could only infer from the fact that the Bloody Mist Village policy was still in effect that he was probably in the period before the Fourth Great Ninja War broke out.

It was only after arriving in Konoha and seeing Hiruzen Sarutobi before his hair had turned white, along with the young Kakashi, that he was able to pinpoint the timeline.

It seemed he had been reborn before the outbreak of the Third Shinobi World War, during Konoha's golden age.

White Fang was not dead, the Uchiha Clan was still alive and well, and a blond star was about to rise. The whole village brimmed with vigor, with all things flourishing.

Sadly, that false prosperity did not last long. White Fang was driven to suicide by rumors, the Third Shinobi World War erupted, Comrade Kenji caught Madara Uchiha's eye and completely became the Man in the Mask, and then Minato Namikaze and his wife died—

That was roughly how the plot went, right?

Perhaps because he had died once, Kazashiro did not have much confidence in his own memories.

Nothing beat relying on himself.

Casting another glance at Kakashi, who had climbed much farther upward, Kazashiro prepared to begin his own training as well.

He extended his right hand and worked hard to mobilize the not-so-abundant Chakra within him. As the Chakra flowed through his body, a chill enveloped his surroundings.

Under his efforts, an ice sphere gradually condensed in his palm. Then, under Kazashiro's control, facial features began to take shape upon it.

Making ice sculptures was a training method Kazashiro had developed by combining his mother's cultivation scrolls.

This kind of delicate Chakra manipulation could improve Kazashiro's control over Chakra. The principle was the same as coating one's feet with Chakra to climb trees or walk on water.

Very soon, he finished an ice sculpture the size of a fist that was clearly Kakashi from its outline.

"Just a pair of dead fish eyes. That really is easy to make." Looking at the Kakashi sculpture, which only required him to shape the eyes without worrying about any other facial features, Kazashiro chuckled, tossed it aside, and continued making the next ice sculpture.

Hmm, should I make it harder and sculpt a Danzo?

After all, he had one less eye than normal people too.

Oh, right. Can't forget the signature mushroom under his chin.

As one Danzo ice sculpture after another took shape, Kazashiro progressed from making a complete mess to clearly carving out the facial features.

"Hey, who are you?" Just as he was becoming increasingly smooth and practiced, Kakashi's voice suddenly rang out.

Kazashiro looked up and saw that, at some point, a ninja dressed like an ANBU had appeared before him.

The other person was staring intently at the ice sculpture in Kazashiro's hand. With the mask blocking his face, there was no way to tell what expression he wore.

Kakashi, who had finished his climb and returned to the ground, watched the ANBU before him warily, completely ignoring the faint ache running through every muscle in his body.

The ANBU said nothing. Instead, he took a syringe from his clothes and looked at Kazashiro.

"Uh, you..." Setting down the ice sculpture in his hand, Kazashiro pointed at himself. "You want to draw my blood?"

"That's right." The ANBU finally spoke. Then he strode forward, grabbed Kazashiro's arm, and prepared to stick in the needle.

"Hey, wait, did you disinfect it?" Looking at the needle exposed directly to the air, Kazashiro wanted to lecture him on the importance of sterilization, but the other party clearly gave him no chance to speak and stabbed it straight in.

"You bastard—" Seeing himself ignored, Kakashi was about to step forward when two more ANBU appeared before him.