It was not until nightfall that Kakashi returned to the Hatake Clan compound, heading straight to his room to pack his things.
"Getting ready to leave?" Sōkyū Hatake had appeared behind Kakashi at some point and spoke as he watched him pack his clothes.
"Yes. It's still internal information, but I'm sure you'll hear about it soon. Iwagakure and Sunagakure have officially declared war on Konoha, and judging by Lord Shikaku's assessment, the other villages won't stay quiet either," Kakashi said bluntly.
"So you're heading to the Iwagakure front?" Sōkyū Hatake asked directly.
"Yes. Not just me, either. Minato-sensei has already been summoned, and..." Kakashi looked at Sōkyū Hatake, hesitating.
"I imagine my teacher, Orochimaru, has been summoned too?" Sōkyū Hatake looked at Kakashi. If things had truly reached this point, a top-tier fighter like Orochimaru certainly would not simply be left idle.
"Yes. Lord Orochimaru won't be leading our force this time. He'll mainly be responsible for the Sunagakure front," Kakashi said directly, making no attempt to hide it.
Sunagakure, Iwagakure.
In such a short time, three villages had already declared war on Konoha.
That also proved that this time, it was no longer the sort of minor skirmishing they had seen before.
"I know. Don't worry, I'll take care of myself." Seeing the look in Kakashi's eyes, Sōkyū Hatake knew what he wanted to say and cut off his sentimental words before he could speak them.
"I believe you'll take care of yourself." Kakashi smiled faintly. He knew what Sōkyū Hatake was worried about.
"Mm-hmm. I'm off to bed. Good night." Sōkyū Hatake turned and went straight back to his room.
"Good night," Kakashi said with a smile. After Sōkyū Hatake closed his door, the smile abruptly vanished from his face.
At that moment, Kakashi was under tremendous pressure, far too much for him to get through this so easily.
After all, he was heading to the front!
Early the next morning, when Sōkyū Hatake got out of bed, Kakashi's room was already empty. Clearly, they had assembled and departed the night before.
"Pika-pi~" Pikachu came straight over to Sōkyū Hatake, looking at him with some concern.
"Good morning, Pikachu." Sōkyū Hatake gave Pikachu's skin a vigorous rub. Sure enough, it still felt very nice.
After making breakfast for himself and Pikachu, Sōkyū Hatake headed to the training ground.
[Ding!] [Daily missions refreshed!] [Mission: Swing a sword 1,000 times, do 1,000 frog jumps!] [Mission rewards: Swordsmanship +1, [Tempest Kick] beginner level]
Looking at the same old missions, Sōkyū Hatake had little reaction anymore.
[Host: Sōkyū Hatake!] [Chakra: 33] [Strength: 22] [Speed: 22] [Stamina: 23] [Swordsmanship: 34] [The maximum value for the above stats is 100!] [Skills mastered: [Chakra Extraction Technique] perfect level, [Transformation Technique] perfect level, [Clone Technique] perfect level, [Substitution Technique] perfect level, [Soru] beginner level, [Kami-e] beginner level, [Finger Pistol] beginner level, [Geppo] beginner level, [Iron Body] beginner level, [Inuyasha Skill Pack] beginner level!]
A smile appeared on Sōkyū Hatake's lips as he looked at his status panel.
After more than half a year of check-ins, his stats looked much better.
If nothing else, Sōkyū Hatake believed that an ordinary Chunin certainly would not get the better of him.
Besides, he also had the mighty Pikachu by his side.
And this daily mission had offered the last of the Six Powers as a reward.
That was also quite a good thing for Sōkyū Hatake.
"Fufufu, training, are you?" Just as Sōkyū Hatake began training, a small white snake suddenly appeared before him, transforming into Orochimaru with a bang.
"Orochimaru-sensei, didn't you leave last night?" Sōkyū Hatake looked at the suddenly appearing Orochimaru without any change in his eyes.
It was as though Sōkyū Hatake had already grown completely accustomed to Orochimaru's sudden appearances.
"Fufufu, the experiment had just reached its most exciting stage. How could I possibly leave? The one who left last night was only my Shadow Clone. Little Sōkū, the direction you suggested for the experiment really is quite good." Orochimaru looked at Sōkyū Hatake with intense interest in his eyes.
"Are the results out?" Sōkyū Hatake ignored Orochimaru's teasing and seized on the most important point instead.
"Almost. If this hadn't happened, we'd have results in another month or so," Orochimaru said casually.
"And now?" Sōkyū Hatake frowned upon hearing Orochimaru's words.
"Don't worry. I'll move the experiment site over there. There won't be any delays. It's just..." Orochimaru's gaze settled directly on Sōkyū Hatake.
"This is the payment we agreed on at the start. But... Orochimaru-sensei, you need to be careful when using this." Sōkyū Hatake took a tube of something straight out of the system and handed it to Orochimaru.
"Don't worry, I know." Orochimaru's eyes lit up at once when he saw what Sōkyū Hatake was doing.
He had come for this in the first place. Once he had what he wanted, Orochimaru turned to leave.
He had spent all of last night packing up the laboratory precisely so he could relocate the experiment site.
He needed to hurry and catch up with the main force, then get a good night's sleep.
"Orochimaru-sensei, I'm waiting for your good news," Sōkyū Hatake reminded him when he saw that he was about to leave.
"Of course I know that. I'll keep my promise." Orochimaru suddenly froze for a moment, but still nodded as he spoke.
Three months earlier, Sōkyū Hatake had specifically provided Orochimaru with some good things to research, and Orochimaru had also agreed to do something for Sōkyū Hatake.
Of course, that matter had yet to yield any results.
"Mm-hmm. Then here's wishing you an outstanding performance on the front, Orochimaru-sensei. I'm waiting to swagger around as Orochimaru's student." Sōkyū Hatake spoke teasingly, then picked up the wooden sword beside him and resumed his training.
"Swagger around, is it? Heh, don't worry. I'll definitely succeed." Hearing Sōkyū Hatake's words, Orochimaru chuckled and left...
Before you continue