Kakashi Arrives

Kakashi and Might Guy ate in a private room at a restaurant while organizing the intelligence they had gathered recently.

"Kakashi, this place is really bustling, isn't it? It's almost as lively as Konoha!"

Might Guy lifted his rice bowl and practically poured its contents into his mouth. When he finished, he let out a sigh of admiration.

"This is an important trade route in the Land of Iron. Four or five surrounding countries conduct trade here, which is why it's so prosperous." Kakashi still wore his dead-fish expression as he explained listlessly.

"You're not eating?" Might Guy asked when he noticed that Kakashi still had his mask on and had not touched his food.

"No. I'm just thinking. The intelligence we just received is far too important. And it seems to be spreading. That's too abnormal."

Kakashi frowned as he recalled what had happened at the bounty office.

Such important intelligence was being peddled everywhere for a mere hundred thousand ryo. What exactly was hidden behind this?

If Konoha mishandled this, it could even spark a war.

"Ah~ Maybe we can ask at the bounty office. Since the intelligence leaked from there, they should know something."

Might Guy ordered another bowl of ramen and began wolfing it down.

"I've already arranged a meeting with the person in charge of the bounty office. We'll meet this afternoon." Kakashi remained furrow-browed. The entire matter felt like a trap specifically meant to lure them here.

Those Land of Fire nobles had openly explained that they had obtained the deeds to Konoha shops through this bounty office. It left him deeply puzzled.

A seasoned ninja would not expose their own whereabouts.

When Uchiha Feng had presented the deed to a Konoha shop, it had merely been to prove his identity. He had not expected the bounty office to be so dishonorable.

Fortunately, after surviving the clan massacre, Uchiha Feng suspected everyone. Now, Hatake Kakashi's arrival was exactly what he wanted.

Hatake Kakashi reviewed every piece of intelligence, repeatedly scrutinizing it in an effort to ensure there would be no mistakes in this operation and that the mission would be completed perfectly.

The moment his thoughts returned, he saw that four or five bowls had already been placed before Might Dai.

The door to their private room had also been opened.

Might Dai stared fixedly at someone in another private room, as though he were competing with them!

When Kakashi turned to look, he saw a chubby kid with an equally high stack of bowls before him, his gaze meeting Might Dai's.

The chubby kid ate even faster than Guy. Every so often, he even found the time to slurp down an entire fish in one bite, leaving Kakashi stunned.

Bang~

Kakashi shut the door, cutting off the two men's line of sight. Might Dai also put down his bowl and laughed sheepishly.

"Guy, don't be so childish!" Kakashi picked up his bowl and chopsticks. The instant he untied his mask, he poured the now-cold ramen into his mouth.

His speed directly surpassed Guy's.

Might Guy did not even have time to glimpse Kakashi's face beneath his mask.

While cultivating in his room, Uchiha Feng suddenly received a new set of memories.

He was somewhat surprised. Less than half a day had passed, yet Yajirobe had voluntarily dispelled the Clone Technique?

The moment he merged the memories, his expression turned strange. "Is this the power of luck?"

When he had seen the trait called luck in Yajirobe's evaluation, he had not paid much attention to it.

Yet when Yajirobe went out to eat, he happened to run into Kakashi and Might Guy—and even overheard their plan. What kind of luck was that?

Would experienced ninjas really be that careless?

It could only mean that Yajirobe's abilities were too powerful!

His ability to conceal his presence had played an important role at critical moments.

Inside the bounty office.

Fujiwara Ichiro sat in the familiar quiet room, but Kakashi and Might Dai now sat opposite him.

"Guest, this intelligence will cost one million ryo." He still wore his signature smile as he quoted the price without hesitation.

"One million ryo? That's the price of an S-rank mission!" Might Guy cried out, even knocking over the teacup on the table.

How much money was that?

What kind of intelligence had the nerve to cost a million ryo?

Fujiwara Ichiro looked at Might Guy with displeasure. He was clearly wearing that unmistakable green bodysuit, yet he still insisted on putting on a black mask. Who was he trying to mock?

"Shut up!" Kakashi also had a headache. Guy was simply not suited for intelligence work.

"Take it!" He pulled out a one-million-ryo banknote from his clothes and pushed it over.

"I had it prepared long ago." Fujiwara Shigena's smile returned, even brighter than before.

He took a box from the cabinet behind him.

As though he had already anticipated the arrival of Konoha's ninjas, he even kindly added, "We'll also include a piece of intelligence that he sold."

Kakashi took the box and glanced at it.

Written on the box were the words: Uchiha Clan Survivor.

When he opened it, he found the intelligence report Fujiwara Ichiro had once thrown to the ground—information claiming that Shisui Uchiha had been the driving force behind the Bloody Mist policy.

"This intelligence... was it sold to you by that person claiming to be an Uchiha Clan survivor?" Kakashi opened the report. It was no different from the one they had purchased, so he began probing.

"Hehe, he wasn't merely claiming it. I personally saw that child awaken the Uchiha Clan's unique bloodline limit—the Sharingan."

Fujiwara Ichiro lifted the teacup on the table and slowly savored it, signaling for Kakashi to continue reading.

Kakashi followed suit and began examining the intelligence inside the box.

It recorded in detail the two times Uchiha Feng had come to the bounty office to conduct transactions, along with all kinds of information. This information had all come from Fujiwara Ichiro himself.

At the end of the report was a picture of Dumpling. Those eyes were a vivid pair of two-tomoe Sharingan.

"The picture looks real, doesn't it? This old man drew it from memory. It's at least ninety percent accurate. I just don't know whether he used the Transformation Technique."

Fujiwara Ichiro spoke with a smug smile, pulling Kakashi from his thoughts.

Kakashi immediately pressed on.

"So you saw this child with your own eyes? His eyes were truly Sharingan?" Kakashi sorted through the intelligence, summoned a scroll, and stored the box containing the reports inside it.

"Yes! He had mastered a technique similar to the Light-Weight Rock Technique wielded by the Second Tsuchikage. He floated into this bounty office in that form. I was afraid he would cause a disturbance, so my interest was piqued and I personally received him. I never expected such an unexpected gain."

Fujiwara Ichiro seemed to be recalling the event. He was not the least bit angered by Kakashi's bluntness and instead remained exceptionally accommodating.

How could one person's value compare to that of an entire ninja village? After Hatake Kakashi identified himself as Konoha ANBU and stated that he was investigating on behalf of Konoha's Hokage,

Fujiwara Ichiro had immediately gone to the intelligence room and begun supplementing the information on Uchiha Feng, recording every last detail in the report.

"Do you know where he is now?" Kakashi asked without much hope.

Anyone who came to the bounty office would conceal their identity. Even if the other party was a rookie, they would not leave traces so easily.

Judging from all the signs, the other party was not someone like Guy.

"I don't know, but..." Fujiwara Ichiro hesitated, stammering as he spoke.

"By order of the Hokage, Konoha will recognize the legality of the shop deeds you obtained." Seeing Fujiwara Ichiro hesitate so much, Kakashi laid down his bargaining chip.

This was also the final result of negotiations between the Land of Fire's daimyo and the Hokage.

"Although I don't know where he is, I personally received him both times he came here. I smelled a familiar fragrance on him. It was the unique incense used by an inn opened by the Land of Iron's daimyo. Here is the address."

Fujiwara Ichiro no longer hesitated. If he continued to be vague, he might very well offend Konoha.

As he spoke, he handed over the address he had prepared.

Kakashi accepted it with tacit understanding and did not question him further.