Shadows Begin to Emerge

"Today is our first day carrying out missions, so keep your spirits up~"

Knowing that most rookies would be hit hard by the gap between their expectations and reality on their first mission, Minato deliberately tried to encourage his subordinates.

Sure enough, when he learned that his first mission was clearing farmland, Inuzuka Kawa's disappointment was written all over his face. As for Kakashi and Aburame Haru, their facial expressions could not be seen.

But the lifeless looks in their eyes had already given them away.

After spending the day on a dull mission, Kakashi, whose route home matched Minato's, stayed behind alone in front of the Hokage Building to wait for Minato to submit the mission report.

As Minato stepped out of the building, he spotted Kakashi absentmindedly staring into space not far away. Slightly surprised, he walked over.

"Kakashi, were you waiting here specifically for me?" Minato's gentle voice sounded beside Kakashi's ear.

"Yes, Minato-sensei."

"Hm? Is there something you need?" Minato asked in confusion.

"Let's walk together. We're headed in roughly the same direction."

"Alright, then let's go."

As they walked, the streetlights had just begun to shine. Konoha's streets were a little livelier than during the day. Couples walked everywhere hand in hand, while friends and relatives arranged to meet for meals.

Every now and then, a few mischievous children who still refused to go home at this hour would run past Kakashi and Minato, playing ninja games and making a racket.

"I really like this atmosphere. Everyone in the village can live happily and peacefully, without worrying about being caught up in war. Without worrying about waking up one day to find their homes gone." Minato smiled as he looked at the ordinary yet somewhat heartwarming scene before him.

"Konoha is probably the most prosperous of all the ninja villages. The most fundamental reason for that is that our village's ninja are the strongest."

Kakashi, who understood that truth only existed within the range of one's cannons, naturally understood this reality.

"That's true. Kakashi, you really don't sound like a child your age."

Minato was a little surprised. Although he had long learned more about Kakashi from his own teacher, Jiraiya, Kakashi's words still startled him.

"Now isn't the time to discuss that. In any case, we all cherish this hard-won peace," Kakashi said.

"Minato-sensei, I want to ask something. If we are assigned this kind of mission again in the future, can I use a Shadow Clone to complete it?"

Having stated the purpose of this trip, Kakashi stopped and looked at Minato.

"This..." Minato found himself in a difficult position upon hearing that.

"Kakashi, I know your strength has already surpassed your current stage. But carrying out these missions can help you understand each other better. Through this process, you can deepen your relationship and gradually become familiar with the profession of being a ninja."

Those words were effectively a refusal of Kakashi's request.

Kakashi lowered his head and continued walking without saying a word.

Minato looked at Kakashi in front of him and felt equally troubled. He could only silently follow. Although he had known Kakashi for a long time, he could not make an exception for him, whether emotionally or logically.

Seeing that they were almost at Minato's home, Minato wanted to invite Kakashi to dinner. He knew that Hatake Sakumo had gone out on a mission and had not yet returned. But before he could speak, Kakashi, who was walking slightly ahead of him, suddenly stopped.

"Then, Minato-sensei, can I train while we're on missions? As long as it doesn't delay or affect the mission, can I train?"

"Huh? That? Of course you can. I personally encourage all of you to train hard." Hearing Kakashi's proposal, Minato immediately brightened up.

That truly solved Kakashi's problem.

"Alright, then please continue to guide me in the future, Minato-sensei." Kakashi nodded respectfully, not giving Minato a chance to invite him over. His figure swiftly disappeared into the distance.

Watching Kakashi leave, Minato's keen instincts told him that something was wrong.

"This child seems unusually anxious about training. With Sakumo-senpai and Orochimaru-senpai's level of instruction, he should know that at his age, the greatest factor limiting his strength is merely his physical development. Why is he in such a hurry?"

Unable to figure it out no matter how much he thought about it, Minato decided to observe Kakashi more closely in the future. If he discovered anything else amiss, he would need to correct him.

Because Kakashi was Orochimaru's formally accepted personal disciple, he should technically have been Minato's peer. Among the four-man team formed after graduating from the Ninja Academy, Minato was only his assigned Jonin leader. Calling him sensei out of politeness or calling him captain was entirely reasonable.

Therefore, Minato did not dare overstep his bounds when it came to instructing Kakashi.

Kakashi's original plan had been to obtain Minato's permission to slack off while carrying out missions. Naturally, the prerequisite for slacking off was that the mission had to be completed successfully.

So Kakashi first made a request Minato could not possibly accept, then took a step back and found the world suddenly wide open. Minato agreed.

After parting ways, Kakashi did not go home. Instead, he bought some takeout from the roadside and prepared to head to Orochimaru's laboratory in the Death Forest.

They had arranged for Kakashi to see him after the graduation exam ended. But Orochimaru had received a mission at the last minute, leaving Kakashi stood up.

Now that Orochimaru had returned to the village today, Kakashi planned to go find him again.

Carrying the bag of food, Kakashi suddenly sensed that someone was watching him.

After confirming it several times, he was certain that a ninja was monitoring him from the shadows.

Without showing any reaction, he headed toward the Death Forest while rapidly thinking things over.

"Who would be watching me at a time like this?"

"Someone from the Uchiha? No, not likely. The Uchiha are too proud to care about someone like me right now. Danzo? That shouldn't be it either. No matter how much of a genius I seem, I'm only a newly graduated Genin. And Father is still alive, so he couldn't possibly recruit me into Root. Could it be the Third Hokage? That's impossible too. If he wanted to make a move against me, he wouldn't have assigned me to Minato's Team."

Unable to think of anyone who both had the motive and ability to monitor him within the village, Kakashi had already arrived outside the Death Forest.

There was a tail behind him now, and it was a highly capable one. He certainly could not rashly go looking for Orochimaru.

If Orochimaru was conducting experiments in the Death Forest, there was an eighty percent chance they were against the rules.

So Kakashi subtly changed direction. Rather than entering the Death Forest, he headed to a nearby training ground.

After quickly finishing his dinner without resting for long,

Kakashi immediately began forming hand seals.

"Fire Release: Ash Pile Burning!" A thin cloud of smoke instantly enveloped and concealed Kakashi's figure, blocking the hidden observer's view as well.