Kakashi's Adam's apple bobbed. The words 'hero's descendant' deeply struck his heart.
He watched Naruto fishing by the river, and some familiar memories flashed through his mind.
After a long while, Kakashi finally spoke slowly, "Hokage-sama will handle these matters."
Satoshi didn't speak, he just tossed the book over.
The moment Kakashi instinctively caught it, Satoshi had already flashed behind Kakashi.
Kakashi instantly broke out in a cold sweat. If this were on the battlefield, he might already be dead.
At this moment, Satoshi had already arrived beside Naruto.
Naruto was immersed in the joy of fishing, struggling to fight a large fish beneath the water's surface.
"Haaaa!"
The fishing rod bent into a huge arc, and the fishing line was taut like a steel wire.
With a snap, the fishing rod suddenly broke.
Naruto fell flat on his back on the ground, watching the broken fishing rod drift further and further away.
"Oh no, my fish, my fishing rod!"
Naruto angrily rubbed his blond hair, thinking he must confront that unscrupulous merchant for an explanation.
But that was for later. For now, there was an important problem: it seemed he would be hungry again tonight.
Just as Naruto was thinking of picking some mushrooms to fill his stomach, the water surface suddenly began to swirl.
"Eh?"
Several whirlpools appeared out of thin air on the water's surface, then several small water spouts formed. Satoshi hooked his finger, and several large fish were propelled out of the water, landing with a splash at Naruto's feet.
Naruto was stunned.
What was happening? Were these fish seeing how hungry he was, so they voluntarily came to bring warmth?
Just then, Naruto heard footsteps behind him. He turned around and saw a smiling Satoshi.
A smile instantly appeared on Naruto's face. "It's Satoshi-nii."
He then picked up the largest fish and shoved it into Satoshi's arms.
"Satoshi-nii, this one is for you. I heard this kind of fish makes delicious soup."
Satoshi, holding the fish, sat down beside Naruto. "Thank you, Naruto."
"Hehe." A blush appeared on Naruto's face,
"It's the first time anyone has ever said thank you to me."
"Satoshi-nii, let me tell you, the river water suddenly started swirling just now."
Satoshi asked, "Have you had dinner yet? How about I grill some fish for you?"
[Naruto finally realized how good it felt to be needed.]
[Mission Reward: Taijutsu: Chakra Enhanced Strength. Your control over Chakra is more precise, allowing you to concentrate Chakra in one place to unleash powerful strength.]
Kakashi stood not far away, quietly watching the two conversing. He didn't know why, but seeing Naruto so happy, he suddenly felt a sense of guilt.
Naruto was the son of his teacher, Minato.
Minato and Kushina lost their lives protecting Konoha, leaving behind only the pitiable Naruto. Logically speaking, he should have taken on the responsibility of caring for Naruto. At the very least, he should have offered him some help. But he had done nothing.
Instead, the Uchiha, who were ostracized by the villagers, stepped forward and brought some warmth to Naruto.
"Damn it, I really deserve to die."
Just as Kakashi was deeply blaming himself, Torune, hidden from view, could no longer contain his excitement.
Damn it, I finally waited for this!
According to Danzo's instructions, once Satoshi contacted the Jinchuriki again, he could be forcibly brought back to Root for interrogation.
As for what charges to lay against him, that would be entirely up to Danzo's preference.
For example, the inherently evil Uchiha, unrepentant, now daring to attempt to control the Jinchuriki and instigate a coup, and so on.
Anyway, the pen was in Danzo's hand; he could write whatever he wanted.
Torune made a gesture, and the Root members under him quickly moved.
Swish... Swish... Swish...
Several masked dark figures slowly emerged, firmly encircling Satoshi and Naruto.
Naruto, who was threading fish onto a branch, stopped his movements, his large eyes filled with great confusion. So many people had come to find him today.
"Satoshi, suspected of..."
The ninja speaking was cut off mid-sentence as Satoshi's blade pierced through his chest.
"Suspicious individuals are attempting to harm Naruto's safety, Captain Kakashi, I need your assistance."
"Huh?"
Kakashi thought Satoshi must be crazy.
You don't recognize these people, but don't you recognize the masks they're wearing?
To this, Satoshi could only say, don't ask, if you ask, I don't recognize them.
Water Release: Water Colliding Wave!
Satoshi clasped his hands together, instantly summoning a rapidly rising torrent of water like a tornado. It then formed a surging wave of water, covering the ground beneath them.
Under the immense impact, Root's six-man squad was instantly swept away.
"Naruto, stay here, don't move, it'll be over soon."
"Oh..."
Naruto weakly responded, carefully huddling with the branch.
Satoshi, holding a blade, vanished from his spot, reappearing behind the struggling black-clad ninja the next second.
Pfft!
The sharp blade pierced through the ninja's body, and as Satoshi pulled out the blade, blood gushed out.
"Satoshi, stop!"
Kakashi cried out to stop him, but Satoshi ignored him. With swift slashes, he dispatched six ninjas.
Naruto had never witnessed such a scene. He was too scared to speak, scrambling behind a large tree, trying hard not to cry out.
Kakashi didn't know what words to use to express his current feelings.
"Are you crazy? Those were..."
"Watch out!" Satoshi shouted.
Kakashi's pupils contracted, and the Sharingan beneath his mask spun wildly.
What now?!
Satoshi pulled out several kunai with explosive tags and threw them towards a tall tree.
Torune, hidden there, cursed Satoshi's ancestors thoroughly.
Damn it, you Uchiha are truly sick!
Seriously sick!
"Art is an explosion!" Satoshi roared.
The explosive tags detonated in unison, making eardrums ache.
Debris stirred up by the explosion's blast scattered everywhere.
Satoshi moved his fingers, and a tall water wall rose before him.
Thud...Thud...Thud...
The debris struck the water wall, then fell weakly to the ground.
Satoshi said, "Danger averted, thanks to Captain Kakashi's help, I was able to protect Naruto."
Kakashi's dead fish eyes widened, he couldn't believe what he was seeing.
Satoshi not only cut down several Root members but also used explosive tags?
Are you afraid someone might survive?
And who helped you?!
When you were cutting them down, I didn't lay a hand on them!
By now, Kakashi didn't know what to say anymore. He could only report this matter to the Hokage.
"Let's go, Naruto."
Naruto hadn't recovered from the fright he had just experienced, he stared blankly at Satoshi.
"W-where are we going?"
Satoshi strung several large fish together and picked up the half of the fishing rod from the ground.
"It's dangerous here. I'll take you somewhere safe."
"Oh, okay." Naruto tightly clutched Satoshi's sleeve.
Kakashi really wanted to curse. He couldn't understand why Satoshi could act as if nothing had happened.
Didn't he know how much trouble this would bring him?
Kakashi blocked their path and said, "Satoshi, you can't leave yet."
Satoshi's lips curved into an arc as he asked, "Kakashi-senpai, is this how you treat me, a good villager who protected Naruto?"
Kakashi said, "According to Konoha's rules, no one can arbitrarily kill within the village's boundaries."
Satoshi countered, "According to the Konoha Military Police Force's regulations, I must protect the safety of every villager."
The two were at loggerheads, and the air seemed to be filled with the pungent smell of gunpowder.