While Jiraiya was struggling with matters of leadership, Kakashi was living quite comfortably.
His new role in the Konoha Military Police Force placed him in charge of a special division, a high-security wing nicknamed the Naka River Hotel by Kuragami, where only high-profile detainees were held.
At present, his only prisoners were Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado. His daily duties consisted of checking in on their interrogations, making sure they were properly taken care of, and then walking back into his office with a book.
The Uchiha officers under him were particularly accommodating. Every time Kakashi came to check on things, they would drag the two elders out for a thorough beating, something Kakashi was more than happy to allow.
Aside from confirming that Koharu and Homura had indeed been behind the rumors slandering him, Kakashi had come to realize that they were far from innocent in the scandal that had tarnished his father's reputation all those years ago.
At this point, watching them get pummeled had become one of his favorite daily pastimes, second only to reading Jiraiya's latest novel.
As the office clock struck five, Kakashi closed his book, stood up, and clocked out on time.
Tonight, instead of heading straight home, he decided to pick up Naruto from the academy. He had been attending a lot of banquets lately, leaving Naruto to eat alone.
After arriving at the academy gates, he spotted Naruto walking out with Sasuke, Shikamaru, Choji, and Kiba, chatting and laughing.
"Naruto!" Kakashi waved him over.
Surprised, Naruto blinked. "Kakashi-nii?"
After bidding his friends farewell, Naruto ran up to him, slinging his backpack over one shoulder.
"What are you doing here? Don't you have a banquet or something?" He asked.
"Nope, I just wanted to pick you up."
Kakashi replied with a smile. "What, not happy to see me?"
"It's not that…" Naruto scratched his head sheepishly.
Before Kakashi took Naruto over to take care of him, Naruto was quite envious of other children who had their parents come to pick them up after school.
After living in Kakashi's house, Kakashi came to pick him up after school when he was not busy, which was also the happiest moment of his day.
However, after this excitement passed, Naruto felt that this was actually just like that, and soon, like other children, he regarded being able to go to school alone as a symbol of growing up.
Especially during this period, Kakashi had a banquet every night. Naruto found that he could eat ramen freely every night instead of having to eat those unpalatable green peppers under Kakashi's gaze. Naruto was even more eager for Kakashi to go to the banquet every day.
But Naruto's little thoughts could not be hidden from Kakashi's eyes. Kakashi did not say anything but led Naruto to walk slowly home.
When Naruto relaxed his vigilance, Kakashi suddenly said: "I heard the new dream soy sauce ramen isn't that great."
"No way! I've been eating it every day; it's delicious!" Naruto blurted out before realizing his mistake.
When Naruto realized that he seemed to have said something wrong, Kakashi was already staring at him with dead fish eyes.
"Naruto, I've been sending meals to the house every night. And you've just been eating ramen?"
"… Sorry." Naruto hung his head.
Kakashi sighed. "You need proper nutrition if you want to grow. From now on, I'll try to be home for dinner."
When they reached the Hatake estate, they found an unexpected guest, Jiraiya, peeking through the gate with a gift bag in hand.
"Yo, Kakashi."
Jiraiya greeted before his gaze landed on Naruto. His expression softened at the sight of the boy's golden hair, so much like Minato's.
Naruto blinked. "Who's this old guy? A relative of yours? You both have white hair."
Naruto looked at Jiraiya and asked curiously.
"Good question!"
Upon hearing Naruto's question, Jiraiya reacted as if a switch had been flipped. He immediately took two steps back, formed a hand seal, and with a loud bang, a cloud of smoke erupted.
When the smoke cleared, a massive toad, as tall as a person, appeared out of nowhere. Around its neck hung a beaded necklace inscribed with the word loyalty. Jiraiya stood atop the toad's head, striking an exaggerated pose.
"I am none other than the Sage of Mount Myoboku, Jiraiya!"
Naruto had never seen such a spectacle before and was completely awestruck. It took him a while to react, and he muttered in amazement. "So cool!"
With another puff of smoke, the toad under Jiraiya vanished instantly. Jiraiya landed elegantly on the ground and burst into hearty laughter.
"Jiraiya-sama, have you eaten yet? Would you like to join us for a meal?" Kakashi, knowing that Jiraiya had probably come for another reason, still extended an invitation out of respect; after all, in terms of seniority, Jiraiya was his master's teacher.
"Sure, I'll take you up on that."
Jiraiya accepted without hesitation, laughing heartily. Then, he handed over a gift he had been carrying to Kakashi. "Here, take this. I think you'll like it."
Kakashi took the package, and as soon as he saw what it was, his eyes lit up; it was the latest volume of Make-Out!
"I secluded myself in the Konoha Military Police Force headquarters for a while to work on this. It'll probably be my final piece. Hope you enjoy it!" Jiraiya grinned.
Kakashi discreetly stored the book in a sealing scroll he always carried.
After handing the book to Kakashi, Jiraiya turned to Naruto and handed him another gift. "I heard from the Third Hokage that you love ramen, Naruto. These are specialty ramen varieties I've collected from different regions of the Shinobi World during my travels."
Naruto looked inside the bag, and his eyes immediately sparkled. Many of the ramen types were ones he had never even seen before.
Seeing Naruto's delight, Jiraiya breathed a sigh of relief. He wasn't sure how to approach the boy during this visit, so he figured the best way to break the ice was with something Naruto loved.
After inviting Jiraiya inside, Kakashi asked a subordinate to arrange a feast and have it delivered to his home.
After dinner, Kakashi sent Naruto off to bed. Then, he sat back down at the table and poured Jiraiya another drink.
"Jiraiya-sama, is there something you want to talk to me about?" Kakashi asked.