On both banks of the Naka River Valley, cheers as loud as a tsunami almost lifted the sky.
The violent shockwaves still rippled across the river, turning the water vapor into a rainbow across the sky.
And atop a towering cliff, a kilometer away.
Beneath a lush old locust tree, the silence was like that of another world.
Kakashi Hatake crossed his legs and leaned lazily against the thick tree trunk.
The jet-black Konoha Forehead Protector was pulled up tightly, completely obscuring the Kamui Sharingan in the left eye.
His only remaining right eye drooped slightly, revealing his signature listless, dead-fish-like gaze.
In his hands, he held a copy of " Icha Icha Paradise," its cover yellowed and printed with large orange lettering.
A gentle breeze rustled through the leaves, and sunlight filtered through the trees, dappling the pages of the book.
Kakashi's fingers expertly and gracefully turned the page, his gaze lingering on the explicit scenes between the lines.
Regardless of the earth collapsing and the gods challenging the mortals, regardless of the whole village being engulfed in a weightlifting frenzy.
He is Kakashi Hatake, Konoha's top sculptor.
Right now, I just want to quietly immerse myself in Lord Jiraiya's profound and obscure adult literature.
"Hey, Kakashi..."
A helpless sigh came from the side, accompanied by the faint Kakkō of a cigarette being lit with a tinderbox.
Asuma Sarutobi, a cigarette dangling from his mouth and a dark expression on his face, Earth Flow forward and leaned against a nearby rock.
Didn't you see what was happening down there?
" Might Guy even opened the Seventh Gate of Wonder, the Daytime Tiger almost turned the Naka River Riverbed upside down!"
"You, his lifelong nemesis, actually have the leisure to read such vulgar little books?!"
Not far away, Kurenai Yuhi and Genma Shiranui also cast complex glances of disdain and speechlessness.
Several young Genin passing by, seeing Kakashi's dejected appearance, muttered amongst themselves and slipped away.
"Look, Kakashi- senpai is slacking off again, reading those erotic novels..."
"No wonder her arms are so thin. I heard that reading this kind of book Tenten can cause neurasthenia. She's a disgrace to Konoha."
He listened to the condemnation from his colleagues and the criticism from his juniors.
Kakashi didn't even bother to lift his eyelids, and simply turned the page slowly.
"You young people, what do you know about refined art and spiritual sustenance?"
Kakashi, with a flat, lifeless tone, retorted:
"The world of ninjas is all about fighting and killing all day long, how boring!"
"Victory and defeat are fleeting moments; no matter how big your muscles get, in the end you're just a stinking carcass."
Kakashi pulled the book up slightly, obscuring most of his face.
"Only the pure love depicted in this book can be the ultimate cure for healing the soul."
"As long as I don't compete, I will always be invincible."
Completely give up, become a complete slacker!
Asuma was so angry that he choked on a mouthful of smoke and coughed violently.
However.
Before Kakashi could even finish enjoying this exciting private hot spring rendezvous scene...
"Tap, tap, tap."
A series of crisp, leisurely, and rhythmic slipper footsteps suddenly came from behind the tree without warning.
Along with it comes a strong, assertive aroma of grilled meat, coated with Akimichi's secret sauce.
Who's pretending to be profound behind my back?
A loud, mocking voice suddenly boomed out!
Kakashi froze instantly, his dead fish eyes widening in a flash!
Before he could even close the little yellow book in his hand...
"Call--!"
A large, rough hand, as wide as a palm-leaf fan and gleaming with a deep, dark gold luster, slammed down from the air with violent wind pressure!
"Smack!"
A crisp, melodious, yet powerful blow landed squarely on Kakashi's silver hedgehog-like fur!
"Aww!"
Kakashi let out a cry of pain, his vision blurred from the slap, and his head nearly slammed into the tree bark!
The book " Icha Icha Paradise " flew out of his hand and hadn't even landed in mid-air.
He was then caught in mid-air by Senju Kenya with a precise grab.
Kenya was shirtless, wearing large floral shorts that swayed back and forth, with a white jade pipe dangling from his mouth.
He flipped through the expensive, limited-edition erotic book a couple of times, glanced at the illustrations, and his face was full of undisguised disdain:
"Who do we have here? Turns out it's you, Wu Wu Kai, slacking off behind the scenes."
Kenya casually rolled the book into a ball and, under Kakashi's almost fiery glare, stuffed it directly into his shorts pocket:
"You spend all Jiraiya time reading those effeminate novels written by that old lecher Jiraiya. No wonder your Chakra is as scarce as toothpaste; you're out of breath after just two rounds!"
" Senju Kenya! Give me back my collector's edition!"
Kakashi, clutching the back of his reddened head, jumped up from the ground in a fit of rage, no longer bothering to maintain his deadpan expression.
That was a rare, first edition, Jiraiya signed by Jiraiya!
"Give it back? Dream on!"
Kenya sneered and hooked his large foot.
Thump!
A heavy black iron dumbbell, weighing a full two hundred pounds and originally used to reinforce the cliff, was lifted into the air by him as if it were a stone.
It landed squarely and heavily in Kakashi's unsuspecting arms!
Kakashi groaned as he was struck by the heavy force, his legs buckling and he almost knelt down on the spot!
"Starting today, all books are confiscated!"
Kenya looked down at Kakashi, who was gritting his teeth, and grinned, revealing his large, white teeth.
"Before Tenten, you'd better do two thousand standard weighted squats with this thing on the edge of a cliff!"
"If one of you is missing, I'll personally whip your ass with this Black Iron Wood whip!"
" Asuma, you're in charge of supervising! If he slacks off, your entire team's seafood rations for tonight will be forfeited!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Asuma responded loudly with schadenfreude, even taking out his notebook to keep count.
Kakashi, clutching the heavy, cold iron dumbbells, looked around at his gloating colleagues.
I wanted to cry but couldn't.
Resigned to his fate, he began to squat down, muttering to himself about his longing for Jiraiya.
The once tranquil cliff top was now filled with a joyful, invigorating atmosphere.
However.
Just as the whole audience burst into laughter.
"Tap tap tap!"
A series of rapid, heavy footsteps came rushing from the depths of the forest path.
Kato Yosuke in a sharp black suit with fine beads of sweat on his forehead, pushed through the crowd and strode to Kenya's side.
He didn't smile; his expression was unusually gloomy and solemn.
Yosuke quickly pulled out an urgent document bearing the highest vermilion and gold seal of the Land of Fire from his briefcase, and handed it to Kenya in a low voice:
"Boss... there's been a huge mess in Daming Prefecture."
Is the Land of Fire Daimyo unhappy? Does he think my achievements are too great and threaten his authority?