Dealing with paperwork wasn't tiring at all—it was just annoying. One document after another, it felt like there was no end in sight, giving Kiyosuke a massive headache. He really wasn't cut out for clerical work. Forcing himself to keep at it was just torture.
Damn it, that old man figured out it was my handiwork and now he's coming after me. So petty.
He cursed silently in his heart, but still finished everything and went home. A few days later, Hiruzen Sarutobi called him in again.
"Asuma's run into some trouble recently," Hiruzen said.
"Asuma's in trouble?"
That guy was still in the capital of the Land of Fire protecting the daimyo, and had even made a name for himself as part of the "Twelve Guardian Ninja." Who knew how he was doing these days?
But seeing that Hiruzen was now asking him for help… it didn't seem like things were going well.
"Do you want me to go help? That guy should be able to handle it, right?" Kiyosuke asked.
Hiruzen explained slowly, "The Twelve Guardian Ninja have split into two factions. One led by Asuma—the moderate faction—and the other by a radical leader. The radicals attempted to assassinate the daimyo and failed. Now, they're fighting."
Kiyosuke casually dug at his ear and said lazily,
"If he can't handle something like this, then he left for nothing. Old man, let him deal with it himself. There's no point in us getting involved. It'll just make him feel like all his hard work over the years was for nothing."
The old man really did care deeply for his foolish son. It was just a shame that he wasn't good at expressing it. If he were, there wouldn't be so much distance between them.
Asuma wasn't like Sarutobi Shinnosuke, who was mature and steady. Born into the Hokage family, Asuma had always wanted to prove himself, which made him a bit rebellious.
"I understand. We'll wait and see how things go."
Hiruzen still seemed a little uneasy, but thinking about what Kiyosuke said, it made some sense. So he didn't press further and instead changed the subject to Naruto's grades.
"That kid is always at the bottom of his class, even though Haku's the top of the year."
Kiyosuke's face darkened.
"Haku's naturally gifted. That's normal. As for Naruto… he's hopeless when it comes to academics. His chakra control might be off because of the Nine-Tails, so that's not great either. It's just where he is for now."
"I'm not criticizing him. Kushina's grades were about the same back in the day. I'm just wondering… did that kid inherit anything from Minato besides his hair color?"
"Uh… maybe his sunny personality? Then again, you can't say that. This brat picked up the Sexy Jutsu in one try. Didn't even need a second lesson, while Haku had to go over it several times."
Hiruzen broke into a cold sweat.
"Don't go corrupting the kids!"
"I'm just teaching them life-saving techniques for emergencies!"
Old man, don't underestimate that jutsu. It could take you down without a problem!
Even the foremother of all shinobi, Ōtsutsuki Kaguya, would be shocked by it. This isn't just some low-level ninjutsu!
Hiruzen sighed.
"Alright, I get it. Just... keep an eye on him. Don't twist the kid too much."
"Relax. Who do you think I am? I'll make sure both he and Haku grow up straighter than a bamboo stick."
That's exactly why I'm worried!
(T/N: The comparison to a bamboo stick emphasizes the idea of growing tall, strong, and straight, both physically and metaphorically. )
...
After checking the time, Kiyosuke headed to the ninja academy to pick up Naruto and Haku. School was just letting out.
"Hm? It's Itachi."
He ran into a certain brother-con.
"Kiyosuke-sama."
Itachi looked a lot more relaxed these days. Being caught between the village and his clan had been difficult. But now that both sides had made concessions, he didn't have much to worry about besides missions. The only thing left was to stay wary of Danzo.
"Here to pick up Sasuke?"
"Yes. I just got off work."
"Since when is the Anbu so chill? I don't remember it that way."
"My mission is already complete, so I finished early." Itachi smiled.
He knew Kiyosuke was with the Anbu too, though he rarely saw him around. Despite never being there, stories of him were still everywhere.
The longest absentee record in Anbu history!
He joined the Anbu with Kakashi, yet barely took any missions. You could count them on one hand. And yet, the Hokage never fired him and still paid his monthly salary!
Kakashi once talked about Kiyosuke with a longing expression and said,
"Damn it, that guy makes me so jealous. I want to slack off and read Make-Out Paradise too."
Itachi didn't even know what Make-Out Paradise was, but he could tell Kakashi was truly envious.
That was the face of a man who craved vacation.
"Oh."
The academy bell rang, and a bunch of kids rushed out. Kiyosuke quickly spotted Haku pulling Naruto along as Naruto argued with a spiky-haired boy.
"Sasuke! Kiyosuke-san is the strongest!"
"You're lying! My brother's the strongest!"
"Itachi-nii is strong, but Kiyosuke-san is stronger!"
"No, it's my brother!"
"No! It's Kiyosuke-san!"
"Alright, alright, both of you, stop arguing." Haku tried to mediate, hoping the two brats would calm down. Unfortunately, they weren't listening at all.
"What's going on, Sasuke?" Itachi walked over with a smile.
"Onii-chan!" Sasuke lit up and ran over, grabbing his brother's hand tightly.
"Tell him! Tell him you're stronger than Kiyosuke-san!"
Naruto pulled Kiyosuke over too.
"Kiyosuke-san, you're the best! You're invincible!"
Whack!
A lump instantly formed on his head as Kiyosuke smacked him.
"How many times do I have to tell you? 'Invincible' is a debuff. Everyone who calls themselves invincible ends up dead. And remember—there's always someone stronger out there."
"Then is there anyone in the village who can beat you?"
"For now, no."
That was confidence.
If Itachi didn't activate his Mangekyō Sharingan, he wasn't a match. Shisui had lost one of his eyes, so he wasn't either. Hiruzen Sarutobi was already old and fading. At present, maybe only Danzo, with Hashirama cells grafted onto him and enough "revival coins" in his arm, could put up a fight.
"You see! I told you he's the strongest!"
"It's still my brother!" Sasuke huffed, his voice soft and childish.
Itachi chuckled.
"Sasuke, Kiyosuke-sama really is strong. Even Father can't beat him. I wouldn't stand a chance."
"Ha! Even he admits it!" Naruto beamed like a triumphant general.
Haku and Kiyosuke sighed at the same time.
Then—Whack!
"Ow! Kiyosuke-san, why'd you hit me?!"
"My hand was itchy. Alright, let's go home. Itachi, Sasuke, see you later."
"Goodbye, Kiyosuke-sama. Sasuke, say goodbye to Kiyosuke-sama."
"Bye, Kiyosuke-san..." Sasuke muttered reluctantly.
"Mm, goodbye. Naruto, did you see how polite he is? Can't you learn from that?"
"Bleh! Kiyosuke-san is a dummy!"
"You little brat, you looking for a beating?!"
"Ahhhhhh!"
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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