"That covers the details. End of report."
Inside a house in Konoha's civilian district, Natsuhiko calmly spoke to the elderly man seated before him.
The house looked extremely old-fashioned, completely at odds with Konoha's current architectural trends. Sitting inside, one could feel a strong sense of history.
It was said that this place had been built during the glorious era of the Senju clan. Even after the clan's decline, it had been preserved.
However, Natsuhiko did not like coming here.
Everything about this place gave him a sense of decay.
It even felt as though it was clinging stubbornly to the former glory of the Senju, unwilling to step out and face reality.
It was tragic—
But fitting for the old man before him.
Unfortunately, he had no choice.
After every mission, he either submitted intelligence reports—
Or came here to report in person.
This time was the latter.
And the information he had to report included everything in detail—whether it concerned matters within the Anbu or the mission he had carried out.
In the end, he was also a spy.
He had now recounted the entire mission: their encounter with Kakuzu, and even what he had said to Kakashi afterward.
"Not bad."
The old man seemed to fall into deep thought after listening to Natsuhiko. After a long pause, he nodded seriously.
"Though your traces were somewhat heavy-handed. The relationship between the Fourth Hokage and the Third Hokage may have some distance, but he is still Sarutobi Hiruzen's grand-disciple.
However, I've also heard that the Fourth Hokage hasn't had an easy time. The Anbu still fully obey Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Considering everything, your actions were somewhat conspicuous—but they can also be regarded as a gesture of goodwill.
After all, when it comes to interests, there isn't much room for rationality or gratitude."
Hearing this, Natsuhiko lightly nodded.
He didn't particularly like this old man who constantly reminisced about the past and lectured about what should be done for the Senju.
But he had to admit—
Sometimes the old man seemed muddle-headed.
Other times, startlingly clear.
When interests are involved, there truly is little room for reason or gratitude.
Perhaps Minato Namikaze still held such sentiments.
After all, it was Sarutobi Hiruzen who had passed over Orochimaru and directly elevated him to the position of Hokage.
It was impossible that Minato felt no gratitude.
Moreover, he was unfamiliar with the Hokage's duties. His appointment had been somewhat rushed, and he had not cultivated his own faction.
As a result, he neither had the ability—nor the courage—to make bold moves. Instead, he followed the Third Hokage's arrangements faithfully.
Minato might be sincere—
But the Third Hokage's interest group might not see it that way.
An interest group is never just one person.
Sarutobi Hiruzen may have been the leader of that group, but his role was to balance the various interests within it.
He also had to secure sufficient benefits for the group to maintain its support.
In simple terms—
Even if Sarutobi Hiruzen personally didn't think Kakashi entering the Anbu was a big deal—
His faction might not agree.
In their eyes, it was a signal.
A signal that the Fourth Hokage intended to reclaim authority over the Anbu.
Thus, there was a certain degree of rejection toward Kakashi within the Anbu.
And that led to subsequent events.
"Very well. That will be all for today," the elder said, showing no intention of continuing.
"For now, maintain some distance from Kakashi. But do not alienate him. I trust you know what to do."
"Yes, Elder," Natsuhiko replied with a gentle smile, rising to his feet. "Then I'll take my leave."
"Go on."
The elder lifted his teacup and took a light sip before speaking calmly.
"Oh, by the way—I've had someone deliver a gift to you.
You may want to take a good look at it."
"Yes, Elder."
Natsuhiko smiled and nodded once more before slowly walking out.
He gently closed the door behind him and left without looking back.
He had taken the elder's words to heart—
But only as something to remember.
The two of them were very different.
Even if their goals were somewhat aligned, they were not entirely the same.
Still, Natsuhiko was grateful for the elder's guidance and upbringing.
Even though he had his own "cheat," without a relatively stable environment, he would never have made it this far.
"I should go back and think carefully about what to do next.
Kakashi has already entered the Anbu. There are some matters I need to reconsider.
And also… what exactly is this 'gift' the elder mentioned?"
...
"Lord Hokage, the situation is roughly as I've described."
Inside the Hokage's office, Kakashi knelt on one knee, having just reported the details of the mission he carried out with Natsuhiko.
However, he had held some things back.
For example, he kept certain words Natsuhiko had told him to himself and did not fully disclose them in his verbal report.
"Didn't I tell you? Just call me 'Sensei,'"
Minato Namikaze frowned slightly upon hearing Kakashi's formal address, but quickly returned to his gentle smile.
"Well, I didn't expect your first mission to involve such a troublesome opponent."
"Yes. Natsuhiko said we wouldn't be able to handle that man," Kakashi replied, head lowered, his voice cold and steady. "But we still completed the mission."
"Fukami Natsuhiko… come to think of it, he was your classmate. You should learn well under him from now on," Minato said with a smile. "All right, go get some rest."
"Yes, Lord Hokage."
Kakashi stood up. After hesitating for a moment, he took out a scroll and handed it to Minato.
"This is the detailed written report of the mission. I'll take my leave."
With that, he turned and left, not giving Minato a chance to respond.
Minato felt slightly puzzled.
Hadn't Kakashi already explained everything verbally?
Why submit an additional written report? Wasn't that redundant?
Still, Minato calmly picked up the scroll.
Even during Kakashi's verbal report, he had sensed something unusual.
According to standard Anbu procedures, shouldn't Kakashi have first familiarized himself with intelligence materials and received necessary training before being sent on missions?
Minato had never served in the Anbu.
But that didn't mean he was unfamiliar with its procedures—especially now that he was Hokage and had access to more information.
He had initially wondered whether the Anbu had simply considered Kakashi's combat ability strong enough that formal training could be skipped in favor of immediate deployment.
However, Kakashi's somewhat abnormal behavior just now made Minato feel that he needed to think more carefully.
For instance—by reading the written report Kakashi had just handed him.
With that thought, Minato opened the scroll.
But as he read, his expression subtly changed.
When he finished, he quickly rolled the scroll back up.
The look on his face turned deeply complicated.
After a long silence, he let out a faint sigh.
"This truly is… quite a gift."