"Thank you for the meal."
Ten-year-old Akihara Kagura nodded in gratitude.
Perhaps it was because they were eating on others' kindness, or maybe because Sarutobi Hiruzen let them eat their ramen quietly, Akihara Kagura was uncharacteristically polite.
"Thank you for the meal."
Six-year-old Naruto Uzumaki mirrored the sentiment perfectly.
If you ignored the hair color of these two little guys, you might even feel their synchronized actions were like an older brother leading his younger brother.
"Go home and rest early."
Sarutobi Hiruzen picked up his pipe again.
This meeting wasn't entirely fruitless; Sarutobi Hiruzen felt he understood Akihara Kagura better and wasn't as steadfast on guiding him anymore, even feeling from Kagura's attitude towards Naruto tonight that this kid's character might not be that bad.
"I'm off! Bye-bye!"
Naruto Uzumaki happily patted his full belly, waved goodbye to Akihara Kagura and Sarutobi Hiruzen, and headed in the direction of his home.
"You can't tell at all..."
Akihara Kagura's gaze lingered on the departing Naruto Uzumaki.
"Oh?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen, with his pipe, turned back to look at Akihara Kagura standing there, asking, "Kagura, what do you want to see in this young Naruto?"
"You can't see his sadness at all."
Akihara Kagura's eyes turned enigmatic and he said softly, "If someone abandoned me, I'd be so upset I'd want to kill someone."
"..."
Sarutobi Hiruzen felt a bit uneasy.
"I'm leaving."
Akihara Kagura said no more and walked toward the Root Organization base.
"This kid..."
Sarutobi Hiruzen shook his head helplessly.
The elderly man, holding Konoha's power for decades, stepped toward the Hokage Tower. His voice suddenly turned deep and cold.
"Kakashi, Tianzang."
As his voice fell, Kakashi Hatake and Tianzang appeared instantly beside him.
They were supposed to be on leave this morning, yet were suddenly ordered to serve as the Hokage's guards while they were resting in the evening.
"What do you think of Akihara Kagura?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen's gaze stayed on the Hokage Tower, not looking at his two subordinates, continuing, "After the Chunin Exams, that kid will join the Dark Department, and I'll assign him to your team."
"..."
Kakashi Hatake couldn't help but glance at Sarutobi Hiruzen.
The Third Hokage didn't turn back, nor did his steps falter—this was a direct order, not an open discussion.
"Yes."
Kakashi Hatake quickly lowered his head.
As for Tianzang beside him, he usually had no say in such situations.
Sarutobi Hiruzen's steps halted suddenly as he continued seriously, "By the way, don't underestimate that kid, his Wood Release talent is very strong, showing quite formidable combat capability already."
"Yes."
Kakashi Hatake and Tianzang exchanged a look.
Sarutobi Hiruzen mentioned Akihara Kagura's drawbacks once more: "However, that kid's basic ninja education is quite lacking; his nature is too extreme, so we can't have him taught by any of the village's Jonin, only leaving it to you and Tianzang to guide him more in the future."
"This..."
Kakashi Hatake immediately found this troublesome.
Because from the first time he met Akihara Kagura, he felt that the kid wasn't a normal child, frequently speaking of killing for Shimura Danzo...
Still, whether it was when they met this morning at Ichiraku Ramen or from hearing about the incident where the kid impersonated him almost causing a huge debacle, Kakashi Hatake felt this child's character might be worse than he imagined.
But still…
The Dark Department must follow the Hokage's orders.
"Yes."
Kakashi Hatake could only seriously agree and suggested, "Since Akihara Kagura possesses the Wood Release Bloodline, perhaps he should be assigned to Tianzang's team..."
"..."
Tianzang looked incredulously at Kakashi Hatake!
Tianzang, always believing Kakashi Hatake was a reliable senior, suddenly found himself saddled with a headache-inducing problem, causing his internal thoughts to become agitated.
Hey, hey, hey, are you kidding me, Kakashi-senpai!
You know full well how awkward my relationship with Akihara Kagura is—this kid aims to fight me every single day, why assign him to my class? Surely you know what kind of agony I'd endure!
"Alright."
Sarutobi Hiruzen accepted Kakashi Hatake's suggestion.
Having issued his order, he waved them off, saying, "You may go for now, I want to stroll around."
"Yes."
The two figures disappeared instantly behind Sarutobi Hiruzen.
In a small alley by the street.
After leaving the Hokage, Tianzang couldn't hold back anymore, anxiously speaking, "Hey, Senior, putting me and Kagura together..."
"I trust you'll handle it well."
Kakashi Hatake patted Tianzang's shoulder, continuing, "Tianzang, I've always thought you'd become a reliable senior too."
"But..."
"Tianzang."
Kakashi Hatake interrupted him, speaking softly, "That child shares your Wood Release Bloodline; perhaps it's destiny bringing you together. I hope you can guide him to become someone like you, silently protecting Konoha from the shadows."
"Alright then..."
Tianzang could only helplessly scratch his head, offering his plan: "I'll start teaching him to develop his Wood Release Bloodline Ninjutsu, and if anything comes up, I'll consult you, Senior..."
"Fine."
Kakashi Hatake agreed, sliding his hands into his pockets, "Since the guard duty's over for today, let's head home and rest early."
"Okay."
Tianzang begrudgingly scratched his head and headed home.
"..."
Kakashi Hatake leaned against the wall with his head low.
This renowned cold-blooded ninja of the world began spacing out, often unaware of what he was really thinking.
Kakashi Hatake's destiny seemed fated for solitude.
As a child, his father's sudden suicide made him an orphan during his school years; as he grew older, close comrades fell one by one in war. Later, the passing of his teacher and wife during the Nine-tails incident left him feeling suffocated by destiny.
Kakashi Hatake felt his future would be a meaningless haze, permanently ensconced in the Dark Department completing endless missions, never again knowing true happiness.
After a long while.
Kakashi Hatake rose and left the alley.
After he was gone, a mysterious masked man wearing a black robe appeared silently, looking coldly in the direction Kakashi Hatake left.
"Hmph, that useless..."
"Hehehe..."
From the ground surfaced a creature composed of a black-and-white body, the Venus Flytrap Monster, its white half grinning as it spoke to the masked man, "Is there really a need to keep focusing on Kakashi Hatake now? Shouldn't we focus more on that Wood Release kid that has reappeared in Konoha?"
"Who knows..."
"Maybe that kid could become an asset to the Moon Eye Plan?"