On the bed, after sleeping for a whole day and night, Kakashi lay there lazily, bored out of his mind.
Ever since he showed off again by instantly learning both Mitotic Regeneration and the Strength of a Hundred Seal, Tsunade had kicked him out of her medical wing with a warning glare and strict orders not to show up for at least a week.
Kakashi had no choice but to comply.Low-profile? Sure. But unfortunately, his talent wouldn't let him.
Years of relentless training, followed by his recent obsession with researching the Hundred Healings Mark, had completely drained his energy reserves.Even geniuses need naps.
Time for a vacation.
And as it happened, the hot springs in the Land of the Rising Sun were famously therapeutic.Hard to believe he'd been in this world for so long and never taken a proper soak. Shameful, really.
Now, he had heard from a colleague in his past life that mixed bathing was a thing here... but who believes second-hand rumors?
Ahem. Purely academic curiosity, obviously.When in a new world, one must appreciate the local customs and culture.
After a quick rinse and donning his usual mask, Kakashi made his way toward his destination.
On the way, he passed by Shueisha.He paused for a second.
Wasn't this where Naruto and Konohamaru once snuck in to steal certain adult reading material?
Tempting.
But nah. Entertainment here was probably nothing like back in modern Japan.Besides, if Jiraiya's third-rate fanfic passed for a bestseller, the bar couldn't be that high.
With that reassuring thought, Kakashi moved on toward Konohagakure Hot Springs.
And then—
Huh?
That sketchy figure outside the women's bathhouse window… white hair… big forehead… no, wait.
Speak of the devil, and he shall appear.
"Uncle Jiraiya!"
"Who?!"
Jiraiya jumped, caught off-guard by Kakashi's sudden ambush.
"Ah! Someone's peeping!"
"PERVERT!"
"CATCH THAT CREEP!"
Shrieks rang out from within the women's side of the hot spring.One Hyūga girl activated her Byakugan, an Inuzuka summoned a ninja dog, an Aburame released a cloud of kikaichū, and the kicker—a kunoichi from the Akimichi clan—stormed out, grew to the size of a small house, and went looking for blood.
Too bad the culprit was already out of the village, trailed by a silver-haired figure.
"You little brat, why are you ruining my research session?!"
Jiraiya glared at him as they reached a safe distance.
Kakashi gave him a righteous look. "You were peeping, Uncle Jiraiya. I'm just doing my civic duty."
"You don't understand!"
Jiraiya huffed, face red.
"This is field research! For literature! A man of the arts must suffer for his work!"
He muttered something about "creative inspiration," "sacred eroticism," and "the muse of steam and towels."
Kakashi massaged his temples.The man was a living meme.
"Anyway," he smirked, "Lady Tsunade's gonna love this story."
Jiraiya flinched as if struck by lightning. If Tsunade found out... yeah, he'd be in a full-body cast by sunset.
"Kakashi! Let's not bring your sensei into this. No need to trouble her over such… minor incidents."
Kakashi tilted his head innocently. "Oh? She said you were a once-in-a-century genius."
"I—well—"
"You've been working too hard, Uncle. You should learn to relax. Here—"
Jiraiya hastily pulled a book from his robe and handed it over, all wrapped up like a forbidden fruit.
"The collector's edition of Icha Icha Paradise. Autographed. Limited release. A masterpiece of culture."
"Consider it... a gift."
Kakashi raised an eyebrow under the mask.This man's survival instincts were on another level.
"Thanks, Uncle Jiraiya. I'll make sure to show it to Lady Tsunade when I get home!"
Whoosh—The book vanished from Kakashi's hands before he could blink.
"A-ha-ha, wait, forgot there's still a typo in that copy. I'll give it back later."
"Aw, that's a shame," Kakashi said with exaggerated disappointment. "I was hoping she'd read it to me."
Strike two.
"Well then," he added, shifting gears, "Uncle Jiraiya, how about a demonstration?"
"I heard you're a Sage. I've always wanted to see Senjutsu in action."
Jiraiya blinked, then sighed in surrender. "You drive a hard bargain. But only if you promise not to say a word to Tsunade."
"Deal!"
They fist-bumped. Man code initiated.
Jiraiya bit his thumb, wiped blood under each eye, and clasped his hands together.
"Sage Mode!"
Kakashi waited.
And waited.
And... was this guy just holding the same pose?
"Uh. So. That's it?"
Jiraiya, eyes still closed, muttered, "To enter Sage Mode, I need to summon the Two Great Toad Sages. Takes time."
"Can't break the pose mid-ritual."
Right. And meanwhile, Minato used to go Sage Mode in under ten seconds.
Ten minutes and one awkward silence later—Bang!
"Oi, why'd you summon us to the middle of nowhere?" croaked an elderly voice.
"We were in the middle of cooking!"
Standing on Jiraiya's shoulders now were two familiar figures—Fukasaku, the sage with a pineapple-like head, and Shima, purple hair, purple lipstick, and more sass than chakra.
"Sorry, sorry!" Jiraiya chuckled sheepishly. "I just wanted to show this talented kid some Senjutsu."
"That's why you summoned us?!"
"The miso soup was halfway done!"
Fukasaku sighed, ever the peacemaker. "Well, I suppose it won't hurt for him to watch."
He turned to Kakashi, squinting. "So this is the boy you're placing high hopes on?"
"Something like that," Jiraiya muttered.
Kakashi waved politely. "Yo."
"Alright, brat, pay attention!"
Jiraiya leapt away to a safe distance.
"Senpō: Goemon!"
Oil from Jiraiya.Wind from Fukasaku.Flames from Shima.
The three elements merged into a roaring inferno that incinerated the entire forest ahead of them in an instant.
Even Kakashi's mask twitched.
Okay. That... was definitely not in the textbooks.
"This," Jiraiya declared, puffing out his chest, "is the might of one of the Legendary Sannin!"
"Ahahahaha—"
Bonk!
Shima smacked him on the head and vanished in a puff of smoke.
"I'm going back to my cooking."
Fukasaku nodded. "Time for you to learn to do this on your own, Jiraiya-chan."
Poof. Gone.
Kakashi gave a slow, impressed clap. "As expected of someone on the same level as Lady Tsunade!"
"Speaking of which," he added slyly, "she's still single, you know. You could totally shoot your shot."
"B-but before that... maybe tone down the peeping. Unless you like hospital food."
Jiraiya coughed awkwardly, but the corner of his mouth betrayed a smile.
Kids these days—too sharp for their own good.
If he'd been half this bold back in the day, maybe Tsunade wouldn't have had regrets...
Just then, a squad of Anbu arrived, having sensed the overwhelming chakra.
"Jiraiya-sama! Are we under attack?"
"Nah, just testing out some new material."
The Anbu leader nodded, slightly confused, glanced at Kakashi, then disappeared.
Jiraiya stretched. "Well then, time to 'collect more folk songs.' You'll keep your promise, right?"
"Of course."
Fists bumped. Bro pact secured.
Hokage's Office.
Third Hokage exhaled a puff of smoke as he listened to the Anbu report.
"So it was Jiraiya... with Kakashi, huh?"
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
"Alright. That will be all."
The Anbu vanished.
Hiruzen looked out the window, tapping the sill with his pipe.
"Kakashi... Tsunade said he's a prodigy. And now he's seeking out Jiraiya."
"Is he chasing greater strength?"
Back when Sakumo died, Hiruzen had promised to treat Kakashi like family.
But the boy had never once reached out.
Was it bitterness over his father's fate? A grudge against the elders who let it happen?
Since Tsunade's update, Hiruzen had begun watching the boy more closely.
Genius bloodline. Gifted. Disciple of the Legendary Sannin. The potential to surpass even Minato.
But also... a thorn in his heart that refused to heal.
If that pain wasn't addressed, could he ever truly integrate with the village?
Hiruzen sighed again. "Kakashi... don't let me down."
Meanwhile, Kakashi was soaking in the Konohagakure Hot Springs, completely unaware of all this political pondering.
If he'd heard it, he would've only had one thing to say:
"Thinking too much."
All he wanted was to get stronger. To protect those who mattered most.
Like Rin.
And maybe—just maybe—prevent the tragic fates of the people he admired from his past life.
Like Minato.And Jiraiya.
As for Hiruzen?
Well... he wasn't exactly on Kakashi's list of top-tier role models.
Sure, the Third had done his best. But Kakashi had loathed Danzō in his past life, and Hiruzen's endless compromises with him were hard to forgive.
Still, the old man's compound-nature ninjutsu and decades of experience?
Definitely worth stealing—I mean, learning—from.
As the heat melted away his exhaustion, Kakashi closed his eyes.
A rare moment of peace.
Too bad it couldn't last forever.
—
An hour later, Kakashi stood in a clearing, palms clasped.
He'd finally grasped the core of Sage Mode: absorbing natural energy and balancing it in a 1:1:1 ratio with physical and spiritual energy to create Senjutsu chakra.
In theory.
In practice?
Without the Great Toad Sages to help him regulate the flow, his absorption rate was slower than a snail in a sandstorm.
At this rate, he'd be an old man before his eyes turned orange.
"Do I really need to visit all three Holy Lands…?"
He sighed.
Time to go sweet-talk Lady Tsunade into signing a contract with Katsuyu.
If only the First Hokage were still around—no one used Sage Mode or Wood Release better.
Honestly, Kakashi was seriously tempted to resurrect him just for a training montage.
His eyes gleamed with questionable ideas.
The road to power was long—and possibly illegal.
But hey, what else was new?