Hiruzen Sarutobi was feeling quite vexed. He couldn't figure out whether Kakashi had been a bad influence on Kitagawa Minamoto or if it was the other way around.
"Or maybe Minamoto's the one who's rubbing off on Kakashi?"
Saying things like "C-rank missions are simple"—was that really appropriate?
Sure, Kitagawa Minamoto had started out the same way back then, but that was when Kakashi had just left the Anbu and still carried some of the habits from his time there.
"But how long has it been since then? Why is he still like this?"
Hiruzen sighed in frustration but ultimately handed out a simple C-rank mission.
With two Jōnin in the team, there shouldn't be any major issues, right?
"Old man, you called for me?"
Just as Hiruzen was brooding, a familiar voice suddenly came from the window.
"Seriously, I'm busy right now."
"It's about Mizuki. There's news."
Hiruzen rubbed his temples, but before he could respond, Jiraiya interrupted him.
"Mizuki? Oh, that guy everyone's been talking about in the village. No wonder Minamoto turned out the way he did. Seems like Konoha's education system really has some issues. Don't blame me for this one!"
"..."
Hiruzen gripped his pipe tightly. Was it possible that he himself was the problem?
Otherwise, how else could he have ended up with students like Jiraiya, a notorious pervert, Tsunade, a compulsive gambler, and Orochimaru...
"This is not the time for that!"
Hiruzen startled himself with his outburst, quickly shaking his head. Surely the issue lay elsewhere. He had more pressing matters to address.
"Minamoto has uncovered quite a bit. Mizuki is connected to Orochimaru."
"Orochimaru?"
At the mention of the name, Jiraiya immediately grew serious.
"Did he say anything about Orochimaru's objectives? Could it be related to the upcoming Chūnin Exams?"
"It's uncertain. Mizuki is just a Chūnin; there's only so much he could know."
Hiruzen shook his head, speaking gravely as he puffed on his pipe.
"But we must take this into account, especially since Orochimaru is connected to Akatsuki. It's hard to say..."
"I understand."
Jiraiya nodded solemnly. Akatsuki's actions were brazen and unpredictable.
"It seems we'll have to be on high alert this time. I didn't expect things to get so complicated."
Jiraiya sighed. A joint Chūnin Exam turning into such a mess was indeed absurd.
But there was no turning back now. All they could do was prepare as best they could.
"Alright, I'll head out for now. If anything comes up, let me know. Damn that Orochimaru..."
"Wait, there's more."
Just as Jiraiya was about to leave, Hiruzen stopped him.
"What is it, old man? Don't tell me you want to invite me to watch through your crystal ball?"
Jiraiya raised an eyebrow, his face breaking into a mischievous grin. Hiruzen nearly smacked him with his pipe.
"Be serious for once. How's Tsunade's research coming along?"
"Why don't you ask her yourself?"
Jiraiya's playful demeanor faded as he quickly caught on.
"Wait a minute... Don't tell me Danzo is actually..."
"Unfortunately, according to the investigation, he hasn't completely stopped."
Hiruzen let out a deep sigh. After obtaining a fragment of Obito Uchiha's flesh, he had launched a secret investigation into Danzo.
What he uncovered was troubling, especially regarding experiments involving the First Hokage's cells. The findings made Hiruzen's eyes widen in disbelief.
"But for now, we can't move against him. Orochimaru's actions this time might be connected to him. I need to observe further, so..."
"I get it. I'll ask Tsunade about it."
Jiraiya nodded in understanding, finally agreeing to take on the task. This allowed Hiruzen to breathe a sigh of relief.
"Thank you. There's one more thing I need you to handle."
"Can't you just tell me everything at once?"
Jiraiya muttered, but Hiruzen's face had already turned serious.
"This matter concerns Naruto. It might even involve Minato and Kushina."
"What?!"
Jiraiya's expression changed drastically, his face filled with urgency.
"What's going on, old man? Speak up!"
"Last night, the Nine-Tails' chakra erupted within Naruto. Minamoto was there, and he said..."
Hiruzen's voice grew heavy as smoke from his pipe obscured his face.
"Within the Nine-Tails' seal, there are two other chakra signatures. These chakras likely belong to Minato and Kushina."
"Alright! Finally, an adventure!"
On the road to the Land of Waves, Naruto was brimming with excitement.
Sasuke, though silent, seemed to be in a good mood as well.
Only Sakura appeared uneasy. She glanced at their employer, a drunken old man named Tazuna, as well as Kakashi and Kitagawa Minamoto, who were walking at the rear.
After hesitating for a while, she finally spoke up.
"Kakashi-sensei, Minamoto-senpai, is it really okay for our first mission to be outside the village?"
"What? Are you Konoha folks trying to scam me? These brats are on their first mission?!"
Tazuna couldn't hold back any longer. He had just arrived in Konoha and submitted his mission request.
While he admitted to having ulterior motives, he hadn't expected Konoha to act so quickly.
But this arrangement—what the hell was this?!
"Relax, relax. It's just a C-rank mission."
Kakashi replied nonchalantly, glancing at Sakura before turning to Tazuna.
"Two years ago, when I first led a team, Minamoto's first mission was also a C-rank. And he completed several in a row. With so many people here now, a single C-rank mission is nothing."
"Exactly. It's just a C-rank mission," Minamoto added with a smile.
He patted Naruto and Sasuke on the shoulders, grinning as he continued,
"These two brats—one's overly eager, and the other's overly serious. Their education might be a bit lacking, but they've got talent. Don't worry."
"You jerk! What did you say?!"
Naruto couldn't hold back, and Sasuke rolled his eyes beside him.
"You..."
"Education... lacking?"
Tazuna felt even less reassured. In fact, he was growing more anxious. What terrified him most was that Kakashi nodded in agreement!
Where was Konoha's credibility?!
"Time flies, doesn't it? Feels like just yesterday we were heading to the Land of Waves on our first mission," Kakashi said, his exposed eye curving into a crescent moon shape.
Though there were plenty of worries on his mind, he seemed to be in good spirits for now.
"Yeah, and now it's happening again," Minamoto chuckled.
"By the way, Kakashi-sensei, isn't Tazuna the guy who's a victim of Gato? This time, maybe we can..."
"Hey, hey, it's been years. You're still hung up on that?"
Kakashi's smile vanished, his crescent moon eye turning into a dead fish eye.
"Don't tell me you joined this mission just because you knew we'd be going to the Land of Waves?"
"Of course not! Do I look like that kind of person? But seriously, he's filthy rich. Taking him down wouldn't just help Konoha; it'd be justice too!"
"..."
"Besides, this time it's part of the mission, right? You can't object, Kakashi-sensei."
"..."
Kakashi didn't want to continue the conversation.
He realized his student truly hadn't changed. After all these years, Minamoto was still fixated on Gato. Was this really okay?
Rubbing his temples, Kakashi sighed.
"We'll see. As long as he doesn't cross the line, you can't act recklessly!"
"Got it, got it."
Minamoto nodded. That promise was enough for now.
After all, he was confident Gato would step out of line.
"And even if he doesn't, I'll make sure he does."
Having saved up for years, Minamoto wasn't about to let Gato's wealth slip through his fingers.
"Besides, the rewards Naruto's brought me recently have been quite generous..."
The Scroll of Seals had been on his mind ever since Naruto brought out a "special edition" version.
But then, the System had provided him with the complete version!
"Some of the techniques in there are truly fascinating..."
From Soul Binding Technique and Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags to Four Red Yang Formation and Four Symbols Seal, the scroll contained a treasure trove of knowledge.
"And even an early version of the Reaper Death Seal!"
Combining this with techniques like Darkness Technique and Spirit Transformation Technique, which he had learned from Hiruzen, Minamoto felt he could almost rival the Second Hokage.
"Not to mention, there's a wealth of information on Wood Release."
Wood Release was something he hadn't delved into yet.
While he had already identified targets for acquiring Earth and Water Release chakra, he wasn't sure whether Wood Release was a Kekkei Genkai or a Kekkei Tōta.
"After all, comparing Yamato to Hashirama is like comparing furniture-making to world-ending power."
It was hard to say whether Hashirama's Wood Release involved Yang Release, but Minamoto didn't feel the need to investigate further.
"After all, the Divine Tree's Source seems to have resolved these issues for me."
The Divine Tree's Source had absorbed the Nine-Tails' chakra from Naruto's eruption, significantly boosting its power.
While it hadn't gained new Tailed Beast chakra, it had unlocked new abilities.
One of these was the Divine Tree Clone, a vastly enhanced version of the Wood Clone.
Unlike a Wood Clone, this clone could use most of Minamoto's abilities, excluding his Ōtsutsuki transformation.
"Its strength is about 50-60% of mine. Not bad at all."
Additionally, Minamoto had gained an ability similar to Obito's Wood Spike Technique.
This allowed him to unleash devastating attacks using the Divine Tree's power through his body.
"This is far more effective than standard Wood Release techniques, isn't it?"
Even though his mastery of the Divine Tree's Source was still developing, Minamoto felt he could now claim to have Wood Release.
"Or perhaps I should call it Divine Wood Release?"
As he pondered, he suddenly heard movement.
Two dark figures emerged from the shadows of the forest, chains in hand, charging straight at Kakashi!
~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~
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