Rewards × Kakashi

Uchiha Fugaku looked at the wounds on the man's body with lingering unease. As captain of the Police Force, he knew just how terrifying those injuries were.

Every bone in his body had been shattered in irregular ways, and most of his internal organs were badly damaged. It had taken the medical team three whole hours of stitching him up before they'd barely managed to save his life.

"That guy from the Nara House, huh?"

Yamanaka Lin's expression showed a trace of understanding.

"Then I guess this means he held back."

"Exactly."

Uchiha Fugaku nodded in agreement. Unlike his relationship with the usual people aligned with the Hokage, he and Nara Dan were fairly familiar with each other. They had often sparred in the past.

He knew all too well how strong and fast Nara Dan was, not to mention his unreasonable, steel-like body.

"Let's begin. We can't let Dan-kun's efforts go to waste."

Yamanaka Lin nodded in approval and began forming Hand Seals.

"Ninja Art: Mind Reading Technique!"

Uchiha Fugaku watched from the side, but his thoughts weren't on the scene before him. Instead, he was thinking about the man who had inflicted such grievous injuries on the one in front of him.

"What a fearsome power you have, Dan-kun."

Uchiha Fugaku thought back to the days when he often sparred with Nara Dan. Even then, Nara Dan had shown astonishing talent in Taijutsu.

"Whether it's Taijutsu, ninjutsu, or Genjutsu,"

"they're all of limited use against a physique like that."

"Even the Sharingan's copying ability is completely useless. After all, Taijutsu depends on the physical abilities of the body performing it."

Uchiha Fugaku clearly remembered that, starting a year ago, he had been completely unable to keep up with Nara Dan's speed.

Even when he used the Three Tomoe Sharingan, it had made little difference.

"Fortunately, Dan-kun doesn't seem to have any strong political leanings. He doesn't seem to care about the Uchiha Clan, even though everyone's against them."

"Or perhaps Dan-kun only believes in his own strength and doesn't care about anything else."

At that thought, a faint smile appeared on Uchiha Fugaku's face.

"Perhaps the Uchiha Clan's situation could be changed by starting with Dan-kun."

Meanwhile, Nara Dan was receiving a commendation in the Hokage Office.

"We have you to thank for this, Dan."

The Third set down his pipe and spoke kindly to Nara Dan.

"If you hadn't stepped in when you did, those classified intelligence reports might have been leaked. The consequences would have been unthinkable."

"Indeed. Jiraiya and the others are all away from the village lately, so we may need you to deter any troublemakers."

"Third-sama, you give me too much credit. It was simply my duty."

Nara Dan modestly declined, but inwardly, he weighed the Third's unspoken meaning.

He wants me to deter troublemakers. It seems he intends to spread the word about my abilities, both to draw attention away from the intelligence and to deter our enemies ahead of the coming war.

After all, Konoha isn't exactly at the height of its strength.

White Fang's death and Tsunade's illness had both dealt a heavy blow to Konoha's top fighting strength.

This time, the Third didn't make any empty promises. He simply waved a hand, credited Nara Dan with the merit for an A-rank mission, and asked what supplies or Secret Techniques he needed.

"Tell me what supplies or Secret Techniques you need, and I'll approve them right now."

The Third was being unusually generous. Normally, many supplies and Secret Techniques weren't available to ninja below Jonin rank.

Even Jonin couldn't access certain things. The Third's offer was undoubtedly making things much easier for Nara Dan.

At that, Nara Dan's expression shifted slightly. He fixed his gaze on the Third, not moving.

It seemed as though he was trying to read the Third's thoughts—or perhaps considering what to ask him for.

The Third merely narrowed his eyes and took a puff of his pipe, seeming not to notice Nara Dan's gaze as he lost himself in the tobacco.

After a while, Nara Dan finally spoke.

"Third-sama, I'd like to redeem some Chakra Metal."

"Along with my outstanding mission credits."

"Of course. A regular Jonin is entitled to one pound of Chakra Metal. With your previous merits included, I'll grant you a five-pound allocation."

The Third nodded, looking quite generous.

"Then thank you, Third-sama."

"If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave."

Nara Dan bowed slightly, just as nonchalant as before.

"Dan."

"I heard you're meeting with Kakashi and the others today. Is that right?"

The Third brought up the earlier mission.

"Yes, I'm meeting those youngsters today."

"A Jonin instructor... I suppose it is better to be young."

The Third sighed, his gaze seeming to drift into the depths of time.

Perhaps he was remembering the days under Tobirama Senju, or the time he had led the Sannin as their instructor.

It was a long while before the Third belatedly remembered Nara Dan.

"Heh, heh, heh. Sorry. I'm getting old, and I do love to ramble."

"Go on, then. You don't want to be late for your first meeting."

The Third was always so kind and benevolent, never putting on the airs of a leader. Perhaps that was part of what made him such a Shinobi Hero.

Meanwhile, on the streets of Konoha,

Hatake Kakashi walked along with an expressionless face.

Or rather, even if he did have an expression, no one could see it beneath his mask.

But the people around him didn't care what expression Hatake Kakashi wore under his mask. They whispered among themselves.

"Isn't that the Hatake Clan's kid?"

"Yeah. I heard the others in his ninja squad ostracized him, and the Jonin squad leader even reported him behind his back."

"I heard it's because he doesn't care whether his teammates live or die when he's on a mission. All his teammates are fed up with him."

"Really... Could it be because of his father—"

"Shh! We've been told not to discuss this out in the open."

"So it really was because of that..."

Though they were supposedly whispering, to a ninja with heightened senses, it was no different from speaking right into his ear.

But Hatake Kakashi seemed completely indifferent to their words. He continued walking without the slightest hesitation.

Yet his tightly clenched fist, bleeding through the skin, betrayed him. He wasn't unaffected by the rumors—not in the least. His mind was far from calm.

White Fang's death had dealt him a deep blow and left him confused, not only because he had lost his only family member,

but also because his father had taken his own life over failing a mission while protecting his comrades.

For a child not yet seven, having his ideals and emotional world collapse at the same time was simply too cruel.

He slowly made his way to the Training Ground they had agreed on. It was empty when he arrived, and he was the first to get there.

Kakashi wasn't yet the latecomer he would become later. He hadn't experienced the death of a teammate, and he was still extremely punctual.

Before long, the other two members of the squad arrived one after the other.