As Hatake Sakumo listened to Watanabe Ichiro's explanation, doubt flickered in the dark eyes fixed on him. Still, he shook his head, set his doubts aside, and said a cordial goodbye to Watanabe Ichiro.
The two parted at the interrogation room door. Their first encounter had gone fairly smoothly.
Watanabe Ichiro watched the retreating figure, much younger than he had been in the original Naruto story, with considerable interest in his perceptiveness.
Before Might Duy had revealed his abilities, Hatake Sakumo had already told Kakashi to keep an eye on Might Guy, predicting that he would become Kakashi's lifelong rival.
He seemed to possess a keen eye for others' potential, and his intuition was exceptionally sharp. He was someone worth watching.
The interrogators who had received the notification invited Watanabe Ichiro inside, and he cooperated fully with a series of tests.
Early the next morning, he quickly finished the qualification screening process and returned to the Land of Wind Guesthouse before dawn. He replaced the Shadow Clone he had left there, then continued using the Transformation Technique to disguise himself as a member of the Land of Wind Envoy Group.
The Wind and Earth Envoy Group waited anxiously in Konoha for three days. At last, the agreed date arrived for their trip to the Land of Lightning to collect its outstanding war payments, and they eagerly asked about departure arrangements first thing in the morning.
Hiruzen Sarutobi soothed them in a gentle voice. He kept promising they would leave as soon as possible, but his actions betrayed no urgency whatsoever. He directed his subordinates at a leisurely pace, steadily wearing down the Wind and Earth Envoy Group's patience.
After a great deal of dawdling, Konoha finally assembled the traveling party at noon.
The party set off, heading straight for the