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Chapter 105n
🕑 Added 2025-07-21 16:06:10 +0000 UTCChapter 105n
2-in-1-chapter
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Kakashi’s expression turned a bit odd.
It was not mealtime; the mess hall was empty. Even at mealtime, few would be found eating here. Kakashi himself had been an ANBU and knew well how thoroughly ANBU members maintained secrecy. Unless they were part of the same squad, they would never reveal their faces or identities.
Their steps did not stop. They crossed the mess hall and arrived at a private room.
The leading ANBU knocked on the door.
After about three or four seconds, a voice inside said, "Come in." The ANBU turned the handle cautiously, pushed the door open slowly, and respectfully announced to the room’s occupant, "Hokage-sama, the criminal Hatake Kakashi has been brought."
"He's here? Let him in. You stand guard at the door and do not let anyone disturb us."
The voice coming through the door crack was indeed that of the acting Fifth Hokage, Akimichi Torifu.
Kakashi stepped inside. As soon as he entered, the door closed silently behind him, isolating the interior from the outside. Kakashi looked over. Akimichi Torifu sat at the dining table, wiping his mouth with a napkin. On the empty dishes remained only some residual oil and broth.
Nara Shikaku sat nearby, wearing a helpless smile. When their eyes met, he gave Kakashi a slight nod of greeting.
"Hokage-sama."
Kakashi approached and bowed respectfully.
"Kakashi, let me ask you, do you know about the Nine-Tail's Jinchūriki?" Akimichi Torifu asked directly, without any superfluous words, almost catching Kakashi off guard. Fortunately, his sharp mind reacted quickly.
"I know."
"Do you also know that the Nine-Tail's Jinchūriki is the Fourth Hokage’s child?"
The question became even more blunt.
Kakashi paused for several seconds, then nodded. "I know."
"Then why have you never gone to see him?" Akimichi Torifu asked with a tone that sounded almost curious.
This time Kakashi remained silent longer. Torifu was in no rush and waited patiently for Kakashi’s answer, and even Nara Shikaku beside him seemed a bit curious. After more than a minute, the former disciple of the Fourth Hokage finally spoke.
"I didn’t know how to face... Naruto."
He had watched Naruto from afar on the street several times. Each time, he could not help but think of his teacher, then of Obito, and then... Rin. He would recall the pain of losing those most precious to him, so he chose avoidance, immersing himself in missions and killing, numbing his own heart.
Until he learned that his father’s suicide had been a result of manipulation and coercion.
His once-proud father had ended his life in such a cowardly way; this was his oldest, deepest scar. When that scar was violently torn open and left bleeding, his fury became uncontrollable. That was why he had done what he did.
"Hokage-sama, has something happened to Naruto?"
Kakashi raised his head, one eye black, the other crimson. Yet the emotions contained in this heterochromatic gaze were genuine. Though the deepest scars in his heart still bled, that pain finally gave him the courage to face Naruto. He had long delayed seeking justice for his father; he did not want to delay facing Naruto any longer.
"There’s a bit of trouble."
Akimichi Torifu nodded. "Uzumaki Naruto’s situation is very complicated, entangled with old grievances and unresolved disputes. I don’t know what kind of feelings the Fourth Hokage harbored when he made his child the Nine-Tail's Jinchūriki, but... the fact that he is the Nine-Tail's Jinchūriki cannot be changed. Sooner or later, he will have to shoulder the fate of a Jinchūriki."
And what is the fate of a Jinchūriki?
Merely a weapon of war. They were meant to be the ultimate deterrent.
Kakashi remained silent, listening quietly.
"You've been cut off from the outside world these days, so you might not know. The war between the village and Kirigakure broke out shortly after you entered the ANBU facility. The Uchiha clan head is leading forces at the eastern border, clashing with Kirigakure. I intend to let the Nine-Tail's Jinchūriki witness the reality of war firsthand."
Kakashi suddenly looked up, genuine shock flashing across his handsome face that so closely resembled the White Fang. "Naruto is only five! Isn’t this too early?"
"Five is not that young. All of us stepped onto the battlefield at five or six under the guidance of our elders. Kakashi, you yourself did too. Besides... don’t underestimate that child. You’ll be surprised at his cleverness and emotional intelligence when you see him."
Akimichi Torifu sighed.
The events of the previous day remained vivid in his mind. The intelligence and obedience of Uzumaki Naruto had left a deep impression on him.
The Fourth Hokage... what a shame. If Namikaze Minato were still alive, Konoha might have been a different place.
"I understand."
Kakashi could offer no rebuttal.
He himself had graduated from the academy at five, immediately stepping onto the battlefield, promoted to Chūnin at six, became a Jōnin at twelve—every step carved from the crucible of war. Why should it be any different for Naruto?
"Then, Hokage-sama, what exactly do you need me to do?" He already suspected the reason for being summoned, but reason told him that this was probably wishful thinking.
The next moment,
Akimichi Torifu’s answer confirmed his suspicion.
"I want you to protect the Nine-Tail's Jinchūriki on the front lines."
Torifu spoke slowly and deliberately.
Kakashi froze for a few seconds before asking, "Hokage-sama, um... are you sure I’m suited for this? I’m a criminal!"
"Shimura Danzō was already a condemned criminal scheduled for execution. The fact that you killed him was only a procedural infraction, a violation of ANBU regulations. Your confinement here has been your punishment."
"I..."
"Enough talk. I’m only asking whether you’re willing to accept this mission. If you are, then put on that uniform and prepare immediately. If not, return to your cell and keep reading your books." Torifu cut off Kakashi's hesitation. The charge of attempted assassination of the Hokage had only ever been spoken aloud at first.
Officially, the charge had never been formalised on paper.
Moreover, there were many outside who had interceded on Kakashi's behalf. Even within the Akimichi clan, there were those who had once benefited from Sakumo Hatake’s kindness. After all, the infamous White Fang was a kind fool who would abandon a mission to save a comrade.
Many thought him reckless and unworthy of being a shinobi.
But others deeply appreciated Sakumo Hatake’s care and life-saving interventions.
Guy had been able to send things to Kakashi thanks to the help of these people, particularly the head of the Aburame clan, Aburame Shibi.
Akimichi Torifu himself did not wish for the already weakened village to lose more talented people.
He watched Kakashi, awaiting his reply.
"Understood."
The choice required no deliberation.
Kakashi picked up the mask and uniform, which were placed on the chair even before he came in. They were confident he would expect the mission.
The white fox mask with red markings, the black multi-functional outfit... these were his belongings. Even the short sword his father had given him—the same blade he had used to kill Shimura Danzō—had been returned intact.
"You go prepare yourself first. When you’re ready, report to the Hokage’s Office. Someone will instruct you on your duties." Torifu added a few final instructions, and Kakashi departed with his gear, leaving only Torifu and Nara Shikaku in the room.
Nara Shikaku watched the door close again.
Unable to hold back, he said, "Old man, sending the Nine-Tail's Jinchūriki... Uzumaki Naruto into Uchiha hands seems a bit inappropriate."
This was putting it mildly. In his view, it was far worse than merely inappropriate—handing control of the Nine-Tail's Jinchūriki to the Uchiha was like giving a tiger wings.
If the Uchiha ever harbored any ill intentions, Konoha could fall in an instant. He truly could not understand why Torifu had made this decision.
"Shikaku, do you think I should suppress the Uchiha clan like Sarutobi and the others did?"
In front of Nara Shikaku, Akimichi Torifu spoke bluntly, not bothering with polite or roundabout language. The Ino-Shika-Chō trio of clans had been allies since the Warring States period; While they were 3 separate clans, in actuality, they were as close as a single family.
They truly shared a relationship of mutual prosperity and mutual loss.
"Suppression isn’t necessary. The current Uchiha are no longer the Uchiha of the past—they’re not so easily pushed around. But precisely because of this, important assets like the Nine-Tail's Jinchūriki should be firmly in hand. Otherwise... the Uchiha clan will really become uncontrollable."
At this moment, Nara Shikaku was not anyone’s friend, but the head of the Nara clan and the strategist of the Ino-Shika-Chō alliance. He set aside personal feelings, thinking entirely from the perspective of his clan and the village.
Upon hearing this,
Akimichi Torifu revealed a helpless smile.
"Shikaku, you never saw the First Hokage and Uchiha Madara. You don’t understand... just how terrifying Madara was. In that era, if not for the First Hokage, Madara could have conquered the entire shinobi world.
Numbers meant nothing before him."
Shikaku furrowed his brows tightly. He couldn’t imagine the invincible strength Torifu was describing.
Also, he didn’t understand why Madara was being brought up. Was it because of the intelligence returned by Uchiha Rēn? That mysterious man claiming to be Madara, who no one else besides Uchiha Rēn and the captured Fourth Mizukage Yagura had seen.
"Old man, are you worried about that mysterious man claiming to be Uchiha Madara?"
Uchiha Madara, could he really have been that strong?
Just the mention of the name was enough to make Torifu visibly pale.
"Something like that."
Akimichi Torifu didn’t deny it. The Yamanaka clan at the front had examined Yagura’s memories with his cooperation. Although it was still unclear if that was truly Madara, what was confirmed was that it was a Uchiha who, with the Sharingan, had manipulated Yagura—the Three-Tails Jinchūriki and Fourth Mizukage.
Confirming that Uchiha Rēn’s information wasn’t a fabrication left him with lingering unease.
He remembered vividly the devastation of the Nine-Tails incident all those years ago. He had fought that night, and if not for the timely arrival of the Fourth Hokage, he would have died. Whether he liked it or not, he had to admit that he, as the acting Fifth Hokage, was probably the weakest among all Hokage.
He was only able to sit in this acting Hokage position because of his status and the fact that the Ino-Shika-Chō trio wasn’t weak.
In terms of strength,
He truly couldn’t compare to Sarutobi Hiruzen, Shimura Danzō, or Uchiha Kagami, all deceased now. At best, he could confidently hold his own against Homura Mitokado or Utatane Koharu—nothing more. This insufficient strength left him lacking confidence.
