Three years were not easy to endure.
Whether for Black Zetsu and Obito, or for Sasuke and Naruto—the time dragged on painfully.
But for Kitagawa Minamoto, these three years were nothing special. In fact, he had quite a pleasant time during this period.
"It's just that there's been too much going on lately."
Walking through the bustling streets of Konohagakure, Kitagawa Minamoto yawned as he observed the lively crowds.
"What's wrong? You look like you haven't slept well," Kakashi tilted his head, curiously asking.
"I don't remember anything happening yesterday, though."
"Nothing happening?" Kitagawa Minamoto chuckled helplessly, shaking his head. "So many messy files for me to review—come on, I'm just a Jōnin!"
"..."
"And reviewing them is one thing, but none of you seem to support my suggestions. Only the Second Hokage agrees with my ideas."
"..."
"What's wrong with Konohagakure's administration? How did it get to this point?"
"..."
Kakashi stared at his disciple with his trademark dead-fish eyes, unable to comprehend how this guy could say such things. Moreover, some of Kitagawa Minamoto's ideas were just too extreme!
Over the past three years, Konohagakure had reached a general consensus: Kitagawa Minamoto was undoubtedly the next-generation Hokage. This belief was even more solid than when Orochimaru was considered a candidate. Though Kitagawa Minamoto was still young and needed more experience, no one doubted this outcome.
As a result, he had access to various matters, and many decisions were made with his input—or even directly executed by him. What he accomplished wasn't bad; it consistently aligned with Konohagakure's interests.
But if you truly wanted to call it "good"—it was more like people had overly idealized him!
His extreme foreign policies left everyone in the Hokage's office with headaches. Even the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, had complained about him on occasion.
"This kid... how is he even more extreme than I am?"
When even Tobirama Senju said such things, it was clear how outrageous Kitagawa Minamoto truly was. Of course, this also had something to do with the "personal grudge" between Tobirama and Kitagawa Minamoto.
"Instead of saying that, why don't you put in more effort and try harder?" Kakashi rubbed his temples, attempting to advise him. "Look at Sunagakure—Gaara has already become Kazekage. And you..."
"His Kazekage title—isn't that thanks to us?" Kitagawa Minamoto raised an eyebrow, speaking disdainfully. "Besides, Mei Terumi and Deidara haven't become Kage yet. Why should I rush?"
"..."
Kakashi regretted bringing up Sunagakure. Gaara becoming Kazekage really was thanks to Konohagakure.
Although Kitagawa Minamoto had killed Gaara's father, Rasa, Gaara had always been indifferent toward his father. Especially after Gaara's uncle, Yashamaru, passed away—no one cared about him anymore, nor did anyone offer him any advice.
Kitagawa Minamoto's arrival, even with his unreliable Talk no Jutsu, was something Gaara hadn't experienced in a long time. As a result, Gaara took Kitagawa Minamoto's words to heart. With this newfound belief and goal, combined with Konohagakure's pressure and the fact that Sunagakure had no other candidates—Gaara becoming Kazekage was only natural!
"Speaking of Gaara, I heard he's been investigating a lot of things. I wonder if he'll deal with those old geezers in his village," Kitagawa Minamoto stroked his chin, muttering to himself before sighing regretfully. "But he's still not decisive enough. He didn't even target the Daimyō of the Land of Wind. Clearly, he's not poor enough. Should we..."
"Enough already!" Kakashi couldn't take it anymore. He grabbed Kitagawa Minamoto and spoke helplessly. "Besides, the trouble stirred up by the Land of Lightning isn't small either. And the Daimyō of the Land of Fire has given us plenty of money."
"That assassination attempt in the Land of Lightning didn't kill anyone. And we've been too kind to Kumogakure."
"Give it a rest. Both Iwagakure and Kirigakure are satisfied, and we're satisfied too!"
"But after all our efforts, why are they still alive?"
"..."
"Such a shame. I wanted to see if they'd spiral into chaos—or maybe they're not hungry enough!"
"..."
Kakashi was thoroughly speechless. Over the past three years, his disciple had grown increasingly handsome. His overall demeanor had improved, and his complexion had become fairer. But—the fairer the skin, the darker the heart?
"Speaking of which, Kakashi-sensei, how are your eyes now?" Perhaps finding the topic uninteresting, Kitagawa Minamoto decided to change the subject. "What do you think of Lady Tsunade's experiments?"
"I think they're fine, but the village is still a bit uneasy. Otherwise, we wouldn't need to go for a check-up today."
Talking about his eyes, Kakashi couldn't help but touch them lightly. His Mangekyō Sharingan had held up for a long time. But his usage wasn't exactly moderate, so his eyes had finally started to show signs of deterioration.
Fortunately, Kitagawa Minamoto had alerted him in time, prompting Tsunade to delve into this area of research—with Tobirama Senju assisting her. However, they encountered some challenges. For instance, the Uchiha Clan had been nearly wiped out by Itachi Uchiha. Finding suitable experimental subjects was difficult, and Sasuke was still too young, with underdeveloped eyes. As a result, they had to focus on Kakashi.
"I can actually feel my eyes gradually recovering. Perhaps Obito relied on this ability to keep using his eye."
"Maybe." Kitagawa Minamoto stroked his chin, pondering for a moment before continuing. "Looks like next time, we'll have to keep an eye on Obito's hand. Half of his body is white, clearly infused with the First Hokage's powers."
"You're unbelievable."
Kakashi chuckled helplessly, feeling that his disciple was becoming more and more outrageous.
As the two chatted casually, they soon arrived outside the ANBU base. But just then, they noticed a flash before them. In the next moment, two figures—one yellow and one black—appeared before them!
"I won, you idiot!"
"Damn it! You cheated!"
"A loss is a loss. Can't you admit defeat?"
"Damn it!"
Clearly, the two were Sasuke and Naruto. Scenes like this had been common over the past three years.
"Can't you two settle down a bit?" Seeing the two troublemakers, Kakashi rubbed his temples in frustration. But his lips curled into a smile. After all, these two were his disciples. Watching them grow to this point filled him with pride.
"Kakashi-sensei, this guy cheated!" Upon seeing Kakashi, Naruto complained loudly. "We agreed on a countdown, but he didn't even wait for it to finish before moving!"
"Idiot," Sasuke crossed his arms, speaking calmly. "In real combat, who waits for a countdown? Senior Minamoto and the Second Hokage both said—never miss an opportunity if you have one. Did you forget?"
"Damn it, that's so shameless! And why are you imitating Minamoto?"
"Senior Minamoto is worth learning from!"
"You—"
"He will be Hokage. And you... tsk tsk."
"..."
Naruto couldn't hold it in anymore. He felt his fists clenching tightly! But Sasuke didn't spare him a glance, instead turning to greet Kitagawa Minamoto with a slight bow.
"..."
Kakashi pursed his lips. Was he being ignored?
Kitagawa Minamoto, on the other hand, chuckled helplessly. Shaking his head, he said: "Alright, let's head inside."
Kakashi's experiment naturally involved the two of them as well. Naruto's inclusion was inevitable. Although the matter didn't directly concern him, the Fourth Hokage couple inside him—Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki—needed to be informed. Thus, he had to be brought along.
As for Sasuke, being a descendant of the Uchiha Clan, the village didn't intend to keep this matter from him. Especially since he had been learning from Tobirama Senju—
When Tobirama heard Kitagawa Minamoto's suggestion that he teach Sasuke, his expression remained calm. After all, he had once mentored Uchiha Kagami. Teaching another Uchiha—especially the last one in Konohagakure—didn't seem like a problem to him.
But—
"Damn it! Why does he look so much like Uchiha Izuna?!"
When Tobirama saw Sasuke, memories of the past flooded back, and he couldn't hold it in. For a moment, he genuinely wanted to quit! But with persuasion from Kitagawa Minamoto and his beloved elder brother, he reluctantly agreed, albeit begrudgingly.
As for his true thoughts—no one knew.
In any case, the "Evil Senju Old Ghost" and the "Evil Uchiha Brat" reluctantly paired up. And the "Evil Uchiha Brat" suffered for it. But his growth was undeniably impressive.
Over three years, the once-young Sasuke had transformed into a sixteen-year-old handsome youth. Perhaps inspired by Kitagawa Minamoto, he now wore black combat attire with a short sword at his waist, exuding a strong and upright presence.
Naruto, too, had matured significantly. With his parents' care, he was no longer as sloppy as before. His golden hair and yellow-black outfit made him look energetic—almost reminiscent of Minato Namikaze!
"Yes!"
Hearing Kitagawa Minamoto's words, the two immediately quieted down.
"You really have authority in their eyes," Kakashi observed, chuckling helplessly.
"Maybe it's because I know the Flying Thunder God Technique?" Kitagawa Minamoto stroked his chin, blinking at Kakashi. "Speaking of which, aside from you and Sakura, it seems all of us know the Flying Thunder God Technique?"
"..."
Kakashi's face froze before he retorted indignantly: "Criticizing your teacher—you've gone too far!"
"?"
"Also, you've been a bit lazy these past three years. Be careful—they might surpass you!"
"..."
Kitagawa Minamoto chuckled at this, shaking his head. "Surpass me, huh? I'd actually look forward to that."
Over the past three years, while Kitagawa Minamoto's main body hadn't been particularly diligent, his Divine Tree clone had been working tirelessly! He had never stopped advancing.
Meanwhile, as they headed toward the ANBU base, in the Akatsuki base in the Land of Rain—
"Three years... we've finally made it through."
Nagato silently reflected, his gaze sweeping across everyone present before speaking calmly.
"Now that everyone is here, let's begin the meeting."
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(End of Chapter)