Arrogant Kakashi

I have to admit, Sakumo's culinary skills are truly impressive.

Even Ye Ning, who is accustomed to the various delicacies of the Daimyo's estate, has to admit that the food before him is delicious.

It is hard to imagine that Sakumo, a man burdened with a fearsome reputation and known as the White Fang of Konoha, could actually cook such a fine meal.

"Tell me, with all of us gathered here like this, I'm afraid the old man won't be able to sleep a wink tonight, right?"

Tsunade devours her food without a care for her image, her mouth stuffed full, making her words slurred and indistinct.

Yet, everyone present understands her perfectly.

Orochimaru smiles faintly, "Who knows?"

Sakumo merely pauses for a moment before returning to his meal as if nothing happened.

As for Ye Ning... he doesn't react at all.

What does it matter to him whether the Third Hokage gets a good night's sleep?

He would rather spend that time eating a few more bites.

Besides, there is nothing the Third Hokage can do to him.

If the old man dares to play any petty tricks, Ye Ning will not hesitate to inform his own father to cut off Konoha's funding.

He can just let the Third Hokage follow the example of the neighboring Kazekage and earn his own money.

Konoha is full of trees; maybe they could sell a lot of lumber if they chopped them all down?

Among those present, only Kurama Dequn is on the verge of tears.

Is this... something he is supposed to be hearing?

Of the people here, two are disciples of the Third Hokage, one is a hero of Konoha, and the only one weaker than him is the only son of the Land of Fire's Daimyo—none of them fear the Third Hokage.

But he is just an ordinary Jonin!

Kurama Dequn hesitates for a moment, then simply buries his head and eats his food in silence.

You all say what you want; I didn't hear anything. That should be fine, right?

"It's just a pity Jiraiya isn't here. It's been a few years since we last met, hasn't it?" Sakumo takes a sip of wine, his expression calm.

Although Sakumo is still an elite Jonin of Konoha, he hasn't gone on a mission in a long time. The target he once revered no longer commands much awe in his heart. It's quite nice to just stay home, teach Kakashi, and gather with friends occasionally.

It's just a pity that not everyone is here yet.

"That guy, heaven knows where he's off to," Tsunade rolls her eyes, looking disdainful. "Maybe he's out having a good time somewhere."

Although Jiraiya claimed he wanted to stay in the Land of Rain to look after those three war orphans, Tsunade doesn't believe that someone with his personality could play nanny for three years. He has likely already run off to some unknown corner of the Shinobi World to enjoy himself.

Under the guise of gathering material, of course.

"Perhaps he will be back by the time we gather next."

Orochimaru curls his lips; his mood always inexplicably improves when Jiraiya is mentioned.

Looking at the people around the table and ignoring the largely invisible Kurama Dequn, Ye Ning suddenly feels like laughing.

Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Sakumo—three genuine Kage-level combatants, yet not one of them has any desire to become the Hokage. Orochimaru might still harbor some ambition for the position, but compared to immortality, the Hokage title is nothing more than an afterthought.

The power that the Third Hokage and Danzo are desperate to grasp is something these three scoff at.

Three people: one craves immortality, one craves travel, and one wants to be a stay-at-home dad.

Yet, the mere fact that these three are gathered together is enough to keep the Third Hokage awake all night.

"Speaking of which, Orochimaru, you've been getting more and more mysterious lately. I don't see you all day long. What exactly are you tinkering with in secret?" Tsunade tilts her head, her eyes filled with curiosity.

Ever since the end of the Second Shinobi World War, Orochimaru has been acting secretive, often disappearing for long stretches. He only shows his face when teaching Ye Ning; otherwise, he is impossible to find.

Tsunade, who was once immersed in her own grief, might have been too indifferent to ask about such abnormal behavior.

But the current Tsunade is genuinely interested.

Ye Ning knows exactly what Orochimaru is working on at this stage. He immediately puts on a look of anticipation, watching Orochimaru with great interest.

He is very curious to see how Orochimaru will answer.

Will it be an evasion, a deflection, or...

Orochimaru falls silent, his yellow snake-like pupils deep in thought.

After a long while, Orochimaru speaks in his raspy voice:

"With Danzo's help, I am researching something very interesting."

Something very interesting?

Tsunade takes a bored sip of wine and looks away.

She has never been interested in Orochimaru's strange research.

Moreover, things that Orochimaru finds "interesting" are usually not good things.

But Ye Ning's interest is piqued.

At this point in time, Orochimaru has already begun his research into Hashirama Cells.

If he could extract chakra from Hashirama Cells and use his cheat to fuse it into his own body, would he be able to master the power of Wood Release?

But no sooner had this thought arisen than Ye Ning dismissed it.

It didn't seem like he needed to go through all that trouble.

The ability of Wood Release wasn't actually that tempting.

Hashirama's strength lay in the chakra of Asura, not in Wood Release.

Even if he needed to use the chakra of Asura in the future, there was absolutely no need to meddle with Hashirama Cells.

He only needed to wait patiently for Naruto and Sasuke to be born.

"Stuck-up Kakashi! You just wait!"

A sudden clamor erupted outside the gate of the Hatake residence.

Immediately after, a white-haired brat with his face covered walked into the courtyard, completely ignoring the booming voice outside and leaving behind only a cold, aloof back.

"Sakumo, is this your son?" Tsunade tilted her head, her eyes filled with amusement.

That nameless kid outside didn't seem to be wrong.

Judging solely by his appearance and temperament, this brat did indeed have a very stuck-up air about him; he even seemed... somewhat similar to Orochimaru back in the day?

Tsunade's gaze drifted unconsciously toward Orochimaru, signaling him with her eyes.

If Jiraiya were here, he would likely exclaim that this brat Kakashi was carved from the same mold as Orochimaru when he was young.

Equally cold, equally stuck-up.

Sakumo couldn't help but offer a wry smile.

His son was good in every way, but he was far too prone to getting stuck in his own head.

Back when there were many rumors about him in Konoha, almost everyone on the street was gossiping about him, which caused Kakashi, who was already a man of few words, to become even more withdrawn, completely shutting himself off and rejecting everyone's attempts to get close.

Gradually, in the eyes of the other children, Kakashi—who was popular with the girls but always maintained a cold, aloof demeanor—became the stuck-up thorn in their sides.

Crossing the courtyard, Kakashi soon noticed that there were guests at home, and the eyes exposed above his mask revealed a hint of confusion.

These faces were all strangers to him.

Were they his father's friends?