Kakashi's Inner Knot

Jiraiya laughed and cursed.

Seeing the look of successful mischief on Minato's face, he shook his head in resignation.

He knew the personality of his eldest disciple well; although gentle, he was usually serious and upright.

Only in front of those he trusted would he reveal his youthful side.

However.

Compared to Minato, Uchiha Shingen was the complete opposite extreme.

He had no grand ideals like protecting Konoha or becoming Hokage; he only wanted to slack off and wait for retirement in the Konoha Military Police Force.

Rather than a youth, he was more like a corporate slave whose ideals had been shattered by the harsh lashes of society.

Only that terrifying talent of his was simply beyond words.

Recalling the scene from just a moment ago, Jiraiya felt a sense of shock in his heart.

It was true, as Minato had said, that he himself excelled in such large-scale, high-lethality tactics, but that was built upon a naturally massive reserve of Chakra.

Although Uchiha Shingen's strength far exceeded his peers, he was currently only at the level of a Jonin, and his Chakra reserves were not yet enough to support such tactics.

Yet, that overwhelming eruption of Great Fireball had enough firepower to cover a vast battlefield; if used well, it was not impossible to wipe out an entire tactical squad led by a Jonin.

Could this kid's talent really lie in this area?!

Jiraiya was skeptical, but suddenly, Uchiha Shingen's voice reached his ears.

"Old man, help me out!"

"My Chakra is almost completely drained!"

Jiraiya turned his head at the sound.

He saw Uchiha Shingen standing at the edge of the sea of fire, hunched over and gasping for air, his face turned pale by the reflection of the flames.

He looked exactly like someone who had suffered from extreme exhaustion.

Clearly, even with Uchiha Shingen's Jonin-level Chakra, he could not sustain those two rounds of eruptions; both his physical strength and mental state had reached their limits.

"You reckless brat!"

Jiraiya shook his head and stepped forward to help Uchiha Shingen up.

Beside them, Minato watched the youth being supported by Jiraiya, his heart filled with indescribable shock.

Even with his own strength, he would have had to avoid the brunt of that attack.

After all, Minato did not excel in large-scale Ninjutsu; his strengths were his ultra-high mobility and precision-killing ability.

"It's hard to say just how far Shingen will grow in a few years."

"This guy..."

Kakashi, having regained his senses, managed to stand up, though his legs still felt weak.

Having been defeated for the first time by a peer—one who was originally far inferior to him—even the cold and seemingly indifferent Kakashi felt a sense of unwillingness in his heart.

He lowered his eyes to look at his short blade, the silver edge reflecting Kakashi's own eyes.

For the first time, Kakashi saw an indescribable sense of frustration in his own gaze:

"Monster!"

"Speaking of which, Obito, didn't you used to be very close to Shingen?!"

"What kind of person is this guy, really?!"

Obito was slightly stunned. After pondering for a few seconds, he looked toward Uchiha Shingen in the distance:

"Before, that guy wasn't interested in anything. He only thought about how to skip class and bask in the sun. He spent almost most of his time in that kind of emptiness."

"After graduation..."

Obito remembered that Minato had inadvertently mentioned Uchiha Shingen's experiences after graduation at the dinner table, and his gaze became complicated:

"His companions died right in front of him, yet he was powerless to do anything, forced to watch them fall one by one..."

"It must not have been easy for him."

"I heard that ever since then, Shingen chose to stay in the Konoha Military Police Force. Perhaps it's because he never wants to experience that kind of pain again."

Kakashi fell silent. The gaze he had fixed on his short blade wavered for a moment, but after remembering his father, it turned cold once again:

"For a ninja, as long as the mission is completed..."

"Kakashi!"

Obito suddenly interrupted Kakashi:

"The mission is never everything; your companions are."

"Don't ninjas risk their lives to complete missions precisely to protect everyone in the village?!"

"..."

The only response to Obito was Kakashi's silence.

He waved at the people present and turned to leave on his own.

The night had grown deep by now.

A bright moon hung high in the sky, casting a touch of desolation over Kakashi's retreating figure.

Watching this scene, the smile on Minato's face gradually faded.

"It seems your task as a teacher is heavier than I imagined."

Jiraiya sighed.

He wanted to offer guidance, but he did not know what to say.

Just as Minato had said, Kakashi could only walk out of this situation on his own.

There was very little others could do.

The atmosphere at the scene, which had been quite harmonious, developed a few cracks following Kakashi's departure.

Uchiha Shingen watched this scene quietly; he had no great interest in the affairs of Team Minato, nor any interest in interfering in other people's lives.

After resting for a moment.

Uchiha Shingen recovered his strength and, supported by Jiraiya, returned to the Uchiha clan compound.

Before the master and student parted ways.

Jiraiya took a scroll he had prepared long ago from his robes and tossed it to Uchiha Shingen.

After catching it, Uchiha Shingen took a rough glance at it.

What was recorded on this scroll, aside from a series of common Earth Style ninjutsu, were also secret Earth Style techniques developed by Jiraiya himself, such as the Swamp of the Underworld.

Clearly, Jiraiya had no intention of holding anything back from his disciple.

Yet, looking at the scroll, Uchiha Shingen suddenly realized he had been played:

"So you had this thing ready to give to me all along, didn't you? Doesn't that mean I fought for nothing tonight?!"

"Zero-cost baiting, you're something else! You old geezer!"

"I thought you were having a pretty good time fighting, weren't you?!"

Jiraiya picked his nose, completely lacking the imposing aura a top-tier powerhouse should have, looking more like a slovenly middle-aged geezer instead.

This was especially true when combined with his peculiar habits.

Uchiha Shingen didn't even know where to begin with his complaints.

He decided to stop paying attention to this old geezer Jiraiya and turned to walk toward the Uchiha compound, but his footsteps faltered when he looked at the scroll again.

He did not turn back, but gave a light wave of his hand:

"Cya~"

"Teacher Jiraiya!"

Whoosh--!

The night wind blew, ruffling Jiraiya's silver hair.

He crossed his arms over his chest, watching until Uchiha Shingen disappeared at the edge of his vision before he came back to his senses and cursed with a laugh:

"Brat!"

With that said.

Jiraiya turned and left.

Forest of Death.

Not long after everyone had left, a giant pitcher plant slowly emerged from the surrounding tree trunks.

The two leaf-like petals, resembling a large mouth, unfolded to reveal the White Zetsu hidden inside.

"That was close, I almost got discovered. Should I say as expected of a ninja bearing the title of Sannin?!"

"And the speed of that blonde man—if I'm not mistaken, that must be space-time ninjutsu, right? Konoha has produced quite an incredible fellow!"

"And that Uchiha brat..."

"Interesting!"

"Not even of age, yet he already possesses strength not inferior to a jonin... Madara should be interested in him, right?!"

"Perhaps he could be a pawn that can be put to use!"