Chiga's pace was brisk, and Naruto and Sakura had to jog lightly to keep up with him. Before long, the three of them arrived at the entrance of the Konoha Hospital. Chiga already knew Kakashi was still recovering inside, having overexerted himself using Kamui.
Naruto tilted his head curiously. "Chiga-senpai, aren't you going to check out the Uchiha clan compound?"
Chiga shook his head, his tone calm. "There's nothing there worth seeing. Kakashi's here, right? Let's visit him first."
"Huh? You knew that already? Wait... what's your relationship with Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked.
"He used to be my subordinate," Chiga said without turning.
With that, he pushed the door open and walked inside. Naruto and Sakura exchanged a surprised look before quickly following.
Inside the hospital room, Kakashi was leisurely reading a small book—that book—until the door abruptly swung open. Instinctively, he stuffed it under the covers and turned with a lazy eye.
His visible eye widened when he saw the figure entering. For a second, he looked like he wanted to activate his Sharingan too, just to be sure.
Chiga gave a familiar smirk. "Kakashi, what's with the face? Don't recognize me?"
(His face in his second life is the same as the one he had in his third life when he transmigrated into One Piece.)
That voice—it was unmistakable. Kakashi swallowed hard. "Captain Chi...ga..?"
"Not bad," Chiga chuckled, walking over to the bed and sitting beside it. "At least you haven't forgotten your captain."
Kakashi sat up straighter. His posture stiffened like a student caught skipping class.
A few minutes later, Naruto and Sakura reached the room. They hesitated at the door, calling softly, "Kakashi-sensei?"
There was no answer.
Peeking inside, they saw Chiga seated by Kakashi's bedside, arms crossed. Kakashi hung his head like a scolded child.
Chiga ignored the two at the door and spoke coldly, "Kakashi, what have you been doing these past years? Did you really not know what kind of life Naruto was living?"
Naruto blinked in surprise, his chest warming slightly. Chiga was... scolding Kakashi for his sake?
Kakashi's voice was low, but clearly strained. "I didn't know Naruto was Minato-sensei's son back then. The Third Hokage kept the truth sealed. I only began suspecting after I started leading Team 7..."
(Bullshit...)
Chiga scoffed. "So it's the Third again. And Danzo... not to mention Koharu and Homura. They all had their hands in this."
Just hearing those names made sweat bead along Kakashi's temple.
Chiga's eyes darkened. "And don't think I've forgotten the Uchiha massacre either. I won't pretend none of that happened."
Kakashi flinched internally. From the tone Chiga was using, he'd clearly returned to confront the higher-ups in the village. And although the Third Hokage had passed on, the others still remained... and none of them were saints.
Before Kakashi could attempt a warning, the door opened again. This time it was Asuma, arriving with Team 10.
He glanced at Naruto and Sakura leaning at the door and raised a brow. "What are you two doing here? Wait... is that Sasuke on your back?! What happened?"
Ino, Shikamaru, and Chōji leaned in too, all staring in confusion. Sasuke looked battered and unconscious, slung over Naruto's shoulder like a sack of rice.
Naruto let out a breath. "It's a long story, Asuma-sensei. You'll understand once you go inside."
"Does this have something to do with Kakashi?" Asuma asked, stepping forward.
Inside the room, Kakashi's eye twitched. Seeing Asuma enter, he desperately tried to signal him with glances. But... having only one eye visible didn't help.
Asuma misread the awkward staring entirely and gave a polite nod. Then his eyes landed on Chiga.
At first glance, Asuma only saw Chiga's profile. There was something vaguely familiar about him...
Behind him, Ino was already nudging Sakura eagerly. "Sakura, who's that handsome guy over there?"
"That's Chiga-senpai," Sakura replied, voice low. "He's from the Uchiha Clan."
"What?! There are other survivors from the Uchiha?! That explains the vibe—he definitely looks like one!"
Ino made a move to approach, but Sakura subtly pulled her back by the sleeve.
Ino frowned. "What's wrong?"
Sakura whispered, "Don't even think about it. He's dangerous."
"Dangerous? Like, unstable dangerous?"
"You'll see."
Asuma had overheard part of the conversation. The name Chiga clicked in his mind, and his expression froze.
"Uchiha Chiga...? I thought he was... gone."
He glanced back at Kakashi, who gave him a subtle but definite nod.
Asuma stiffened and looked at Chiga like he'd just seen a ghost. "It really is you... Chiga-senpai?!"
When Chiga was active in Konoha years ago, his dedication to the Will of Fire earned him great respect, even from the Third Hokage. His leadership and intellect were widely praised, and he'd once been entrusted with a captain's position in the Anbu.
Asuma had grown up hearing about Chiga. But one thing made his emotions complicated—Kurenai.
She had always admired Chiga, not just respectfully, but with a depth that Asuma had never been able to overcome. When the news of Chiga's "death" reached Konoha, Kurenai had grieved more than anyone.
After that, her warmth had faded, leaving Asuma with little room to grow closer. Those memories weighed on him now as he looked at the man Kurenai had once cried for.
Chiga, oblivious to the emotional storm, stood and smiled at Asuma. "Asuma. Long time no see. You're looking a little... weathered."
There was no malice in the words. Chiga held no grudge against Asuma, despite being the Third's son. He'd always known Asuma wasn't like his father.
In fact, Asuma had always treated his students with care and was the most generous of the Jonin squad leaders. He even helped Naruto learn Wind Release chakra control in the original story.
Setting aside his parentage, Asuma was one of the good ones.
Asuma scratched his beard awkwardly. "Well, Chiga-senpai... maybe you just look too young."
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