Guy: The Loss of His Beloved Training Brother

Kakashi looked at the dangerous arcs of electricity before him and smiled in satisfaction.

"This move can be renamed Thousand Years of Death now."

Of course, he was only joking. What Kakashi was really considering was how to apply Natural Energy in actual combat.

"Meh, I should sleep on it first."

Kakashi leaped backward directly and landed perfectly on his bed.

After rolling over comfortably, Kakashi's thoughts returned to how to use Natural Energy.

"If Natural Energy can fuse with chakra in a perfect ratio, it becomes Senjutsu Chakra. But I can't do that yet..."

He, Kakashi, might be a ninjutsu genius, but Senjutsu clearly fell outside the scope of ninjutsu!

Asking him to research a perfect Sage Mode from scratch was asking the impossible.

If he experimented blindly, he might end up ruining himself.

Kakashi stroked his forehead protector as his mind raced.

"My advantage is that the Natural Energy inside my body is very docile, so it isn't that difficult to control."

"As long as I can observe what Senjutsu Chakra looks like, I'm confident I can master Sage Mode. But right now..."

The closest thing to him was probably Orochimaru's Curse Mark, but he couldn't exactly let that guy take a bite out of his neck just to study it.

Just imagining that scene gave Kakashi chills.

No, he needed to think of another way!

Sage Mode was still too far off for him. Rather than that, he might as well skip Sage Mode entirely and consider adding Natural Energy directly into ninjutsu.

In theory, one could only use Senjutsu after entering Sage Mode, but he was an exception!

Hokage's Office.

"Lord Third, I heard you were looking for me." Kakashi stood respectfully before the Third Hokage.

"Oh, Kakashi."

The Third Hokage looked at Kakashi as though he were one of his own juniors, smiling kindly.

Come to think of it, Kakashi really could be considered the Third Hokage's junior. His teacher, Minato, was the Third's grand-disciple.

But after the previous coup, Kakashi would not believe that a master of political maneuvering like the Third Hokage held any special feelings for him.

When the time came to sell him out, the man certainly would not hesitate. After all, everything was for the village's sustainable development.

As Kakashi's thoughts wandered, the Third Hokage spoke after weighing his words.

"ANBU has recently been undergoing a series of adjustments. I believe you understand the reasons."

Seeing Kakashi nod, the Third Hokage continued, "There is currently a well-paid mission that I would like you to handle."

"Your role in this... incident was rather special. It would not be appropriate for you to return to ANBU for the time being, so I'll have to ask you to endure this inconvenience for a while, Kakashi."

Kakashi understood. His identity was somewhat sensitive now, and Shimura Danzō was probably thinking of ways to kill him.

The Third Hokage wanted to use the mission as an excuse to transfer him away from the village, pulling him out of this whirlpool before allowing him to return to ANBU once everything had settled.

"You overstate it, Lord Third. I know you are trying to protect me," Kakashi said respectfully.

Seeing how tactful Kakashi was, the Third Hokage nodded in satisfaction. He picked up a scroll from the desk and handed it to Kakashi.

"This is an A-rank mission. The mission site is in the Fire Country, and the employer requires you to arrive as soon as possible. Set out once you are ready."

"Yes." Kakashi accepted the scroll with both hands, then rose and left.

Watching Kakashi depart, a trace of suspicion flashed through the Third Hokage's eyes.

Was it just his imagination? Why did this child's personality seem different from before?

Kakashi left the Hokage's Office and opened the scroll in his hand.

"It's actually a commission from the Kishimoto family. No wonder the reward is so generous!"

Looking at the string of zeros on the scroll, Kakashi clicked his tongue inwardly.

The Kishimoto family was a prestigious clan of the Fire Country. It was said that their ancestors shared a lineage with the Fire Country's daimyo. The family possessed immense wealth and considerable prestige in political circles.

Kakashi continued reading.

"The head of the Kishimoto family believes someone has been secretly watching him and requires Konoha's finest ninja to protect him."

"Heh, the finest ninja?"

"Hmm... come to think of it, among the ninja the Third Hokage can command, I really am the best."

Kakashi looked around. Once he confirmed that no one was nearby, he sighed in relief and pulled down his mask.

"Fire Release: Small Fireball Jutsu!"

After burning the scroll, Kakashi put his mask back on.

Once a ninja had read the contents of a mission issued by their superiors, they had to destroy it. That was a rule for every ninja.

There were two reasons for this. First, it prevented sensitive information from leaking if something went wrong during the mission and the scroll fell into someone else's hands.

As for the second, if the mission involved certain unsavory matters, then when the reckoning came later, subordinates would be the ones left holding the bag.

Kakashi suddenly had a wild thought. With a memory like Guy's, if he burned a scroll, the result would definitely be hilarious.

"Who am I? Where am I going? What was I supposed to do again?"

"Assassinate Uchiha Kisame? No... Hoshigaki Madara?"

Just imagining Guy's petrified expression made Kakashi want to laugh.

Heh, he should say goodbye to that guy. They probably would not see each other for quite a while.

At this hour, Guy would definitely not be at home. Familiar with the route, Kakashi headed to the training ground they often used.

"Yo, Kakashi, why are you upside down?"

Kakashi glared irritably at the handstanding Guy and kicked at him.

Guy dodged Kakashi's flying kick with a nimble backflip and landed beside him.

"Huh, you're right-side up now." Guy said in surprise.

"You idiot!" Three black lines appeared over Kakashi's head.

Hoo, calm down.

Taking a deep breath, Kakashi tried not to let Guy affect him.

"Well, I came to say goodbye. I have a mission and need to leave the village for a while."

Guy looked a little dejected. "Then we won't be able to train together anymore?"

Over the recent days, training with Kakashi had felt far better to Guy than cultivating alone.

Kakashi finally could not stand it any longer. He even activated his Sharingan, locking onto Guy's movements before smacking him across his bowl-cut head.

"If you don't know how to talk, then stop talking nonsense!"

Guy clutched his head and squatted on the ground miserably. "Kakashi, what's wrong with you these past few days? You were never this irritable before."

In the past, Kakashi had always ignored Guy's idiotic antics.

"I'm leaving." Kakashi glanced at Guy, clasped both hands behind his head, and walked toward home.

Watching his friend's departing figure, Guy grinned brightly.

Compared to the Kakashi who used to hide all his emotions, he preferred this Kakashi, who was always punching and kicking him. It meant Kakashi had let down his guard around him.

"Alright! Kakashi is leaving the village to complete a mission, so I can't fall behind either!"

"Ah, I can feel my youth burning! Let's start with a thousand push-ups!"