Whether or not the Raikage agreed to participate in Rasa's plan, Kakashi had no intention of letting him off the hook.
It was just as he had initially thought.
Since he's come this far, he might as well stay for good.
Inside Ichiraku Ramen, Kakashi accompanied his children as they filled their bellies. A Hyūga ninja standing beside him leaned in, succinctly reporting the details of the conversation between the Kazekage and the Raikage. Kakashi merely smiled, seemingly unconcerned.
Though a barrier had been erected to shroud their meeting, the Byakugan could still decipher the content of their conversation from hundreds of meters away by reading the lip movements of Rasa and the Raikage.
Now that the Raikage's goals were aligned with the Kazekage's, everything was falling right into Kakashi's hands.
"Are you full yet?"
Kakashi stroked his daughter's white hair, a look of tender affection flickering in his eyes.
Everything he did was not only to consolidate the power of the entire shinobi world against a common enemy but also to create a world where children like Mirai and Ichigo could grow up in safety.
From beginning to end, Kakashi's conscience remained clear.
"I'm stuffed!"
Mirai picked up her ramen bowl and gulped down the last of the broth with a series of satisfied swallows before letting out a contented burp.
"In that case, let's head home. Your mothers must be worried."
Kakashi smiled as he paid the bill. Taking one child in each hand, he led them toward home.
When Kakashi arrived back with Mirai and Ichigo, he was slightly surprised to see his two wives, who had clearly just finished their own dinner.
"Where's Naruto?"
Hikari, curled up on the sofa with a manga in her hands, spoke up without looking away:
"He's still training at Training Ground 3. I already sent that boy some dinner earlier."
"On the other hand, what took the three of you so long to get back?"
Hikari looked up, shifting her gaze to Kakashi and the two children.
"Mama~!"
Seeing their mother, Ichigo and Mirai ran over and dove into Hikari's arms.
With a smile, Hikari pulled them both into a warm embrace.
"I just took Mirai and Ichigo for a walk around the village."
Kakashi didn't say much else. He walked over to Hikari's side and glanced at the manga she was holding.
The Untold Scandals of Zeus and Odin.
What kind of nonsense was this?
Even after all these years, Hikari's interests had never changed; she still loved these strange manga titles she managed to scavenge from who-knows-where.
"So, how did the chat with those two go?" Hikari asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Exactly as I hoped."
Kakashi's tone was indifferent, as if the Kazekage and Raikage were of no consequence to him.
"You two, head to your room and get some sleep."
Kakashi looked at the two little ones still clinging to Hikari.
"Daddy's mean," Mirai and Ichigo grumbled, though they reluctantly untangled themselves from Hikari's arms and headed toward their bedroom.
"Are you really getting jealous of your own children now?" Hikari teased, casting a side-eye at Kakashi as he sat down beside her.
"Maybe Kakashi feels that he's the one who should be holding his wife?"
Kurenai walked out of the kitchen, watching the two on the sofa with a playful smirk.
"Uh..."
Was it that obvious?
Kakashi was momentarily speechless.
But then again, because he had been so busy following up on the Chunin Exams lately, it really had been a while since...
Seeing the look of longing on Kakashi's face, Hikari gave him a slightly reproachful glare. Having lived together for so many years, she knew exactly what was on his mind.
"Er, well, let Kurenai..."
Hikari started to stand up, intending to make an escape, but Kurenai, who had walked over, gently caught her by the wrist.
A pair of warm, crimson eyes shimmering with bright light watched Hikari's flickering gaze with a soft smile.
"Hikari is actually acting shy~"
"That's a rare sight indeed."
Faced with Kurenai's intense, playful gaze, Hikari looked away in embarrassment.
"W-what do you think you're doing?"
Hikari mustered her courage to look back at Kurenai, but those smiling eyes forced her back until she reached the bedroom door.
With a soft click, Kurenai reached past Hikari's waist and twisted the doorknob. With a flushed face, Hikari was cornered into the bedroom by Kurenai.
Seeing this, Kakashi's expression shifted slightly. With a composed demeanor, he followed his two wives into the room, casually erecting a barrier as he entered.
The Next Morning
Looking at his wives snuggled together beside him, Kakashi scratched his head.
Perhaps because it had been a while, Kurenai had been exceptionally proactive last night—she had even gone out of her way to tease Hikari.
Seeing that Hikari and Kurenai were still asleep, their faces still carrying the lingering traces of the night's passion, Kakashi rose quietly. After preparing breakfast for the family, he intended to head to the Hokage Office.
There were many things to attend to lately, and he needed to stay on top of everything.
Just as Kakashi was about to head out, Naruto, dressed in his pajamas and yawning, walked out from his room.
"Big brother Kakashi, you made breakfast today?"
"Yeah. Hikari and Kurenai are still sleeping, so make sure you don't disturb them."
Kakashi gave the instruction and turned to leave.
"Wait, wait!"
"I've already mastered the jutsu you gave me, Kakashi!"
Seeing that Kakashi was leaving, Naruto hurried forward.
"Oh? That fast?"
It had only been a few days since Kakashi had given Naruto the Hurricane Tornado Jutsu. Given Naruto's "talent" for techniques requiring hand signs, Kakashi had assumed he would be stuck on it until the very start of the Chunin Exams.
"Hehe, I'm pretty great, right?"
"Sensei Tokuma told me that I could use the feedback feature of Shadow Clones, so I used the Multi-Shadow Clone Technique to learn it!"
Naruto leaned in, clearly fishing for a compliment.
"As expected of you, Naruto. Truly impressive."
Hearing this, Kakashi smiled and patted Naruto's head.
Having received Kakashi's praise, Naruto's face lit up with joy.
"Remember to wash up, then call Mirai and Ichigo for breakfast."
Kakashi patted Naruto's head once more.
"Mm-hm! Leave everything to me!"
Naruto puffed out his chest, promising Kakashi that he would take good care of his younger siblings.
Kakashi didn't say anything more and prepared to depart. His bedroom still had the barrier active, so he wasn't worried about Naruto accidentally barging in.
Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, the day of the Chunin Exams arrived.
During this period, ninjas from various small villages participating in the exams had been arriving in Konoha one after another. There were candidates from Takigakure, Amegakure, Otogakure, Kusagakure, and others.
Kakashi sat leafing through the profiles of the Chunin candidates. His gaze suddenly landed on a specific list of Genin.
These were the data files for the Genin from Kusagakure (the Hidden Grass Village).
On that file, a name that felt both familiar and yet distant appeared before Kakashi's eyes.
Kusagakure Genin: Karin.
Looking at the familiar red hair in the profile photo, Kakashi's eyes flickered.
What was Kusagakure thinking? Instead of hiding this stray member of the Uzumaki Clan within their village, they sent her right to me with such fanfare?
Kakashi felt that if he didn't keep Karin in Konoha, he would be doing a great disservice to Kusagakure's "hard work."
With that thought, Kakashi summoned Hayate Gekkō, who was on standby.
"Take this file to Shizune. She'll understand what I mean."
Kakashi handed the information regarding Karin to Hayate Gekkō.
As Tsunade's disciple, Shizune knew exactly what the Uzumaki Clan meant to Tsunade.
And at that very moment, Team 7, led by Naruto, had already headed toward the classroom for the written portion of the exam...
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