After spending some time with Anko, Kakashi left Kurenai's house and headed toward the Hokage's office. The sun was shining brightly as Kakashi walked through the village streets, his mind focused on Ranmaru.
He entered the Hokage building and made his way to Hiruzen's office. The old man looked up from his paperwork and smiled.
"Back so soon, Kakashi?" Hiruzen asked.
"I need your permission to take Ranmaru to Tsunade. His legs are in bad shape, and she's the best chance he has." Kakashi nodded and said.
Hiruzen leaned back in his chair, thinking. "Tsunade, huh? Last I heard, she was in the Land of Fire, near Tanzaku Town. My informants say she hasn't moved from there recently."
Kakashi nodded again. "Understood."
"But don't take too long. The Chunin Exams are coming up in three weeks. I need you back before then." Hiruzen added
"I'll make sure of it," Kakashi promised.
Leaving the office, Kakashi summoned a small snake. He wrote a quick note and tied it to the snake's body.
"Take this to Kurenai and Anko," he instructed. The snake nodded humanely and slithered away.
Next, Kakashi headed to Sasuke's house. He found the young Uchiha training in the yard.
"Sasuke," Kakashi called out to him.
Sasuke paused and looked up. "Sensei?"
"I'm going to be away for a bit, taking Ranmaru to see Tsunade," Kakashi explained.
"There won't be any missions during this time."
"This contains instructions on learning Shiden. After mastering the Rasengan, this should be your next step. You can use it without relying on the Sharingan." He said as he tossed a scroll to Sasuke.
Sasuke caught the scroll and nodded. "Got it."
"Also, I leave the team in your hands and don't let them slack off. Especially Naruto." Kakashi instructed him.
Sasuke gave a small nod to Kakashi's instructions.
With that, Kakashi made his way to pick up Ranmaru. The boy was waiting, a small bag packed and ready.
"Ready to go?" Kakashi asked.
Ranmaru nodded, a hint of excitement in his eyes.
They left the village together, heading toward the Land of Fire. The journey ahead was long, but Kakashi was determined to help Ranmaru find healing and a new beginning.
Kakashi and Ranmaru walked along a quiet forest path toward Tanzaku Town. The trees swayed gently in the breeze, and birds chirped overhead. Ranmaru's eyes sparkled with excitement as he looked around, taking in the sights and sounds of the world outside the village.
Kakashi glanced at the boy, noting his enthusiasm. After a moment of silence, he asked, "Hey, Ranmaru… do you hate me for what happened to Raiga?"
Ranmaru stopped looking around, surprised by the question. He looked up at Kakashi, eyes wide. "Hate you? No, Kakashi-sensei. I don't hate you."
"Really? I thought you might blame me." Kakashi raised an eyebrow, curious.
"At first, I was confused and sad. Raiga was the only person who ever cared for me. But after spending time with Naruto and the others, I realized that Raiga did many bad things. He hurt people, and I helped him." Ranmaru shook his head and said in a sad tone.
"I think… Raiga paid for his actions with his life. I don't blame you for that. Instead, I'm grateful." He paused and said as he looked down at the ground.
He knew what he did was unforgivable, so he was trying his own way to atone for his sins.
"Grateful?" Kakashi looked at him, surprised he didn't expect to hear this from Ranmaru.
"Yes. You and the others didn't abandon me. You took me in, even after everything. I want to become a Hidden Leaf ninja, to repay you all. Especially you, Kakashi-sensei." Ranmaru nodded and said as he looked at Kakashi.
Kakashi smiled as he patted his head, feeling a sense of pride in the young boy. "That's a noble goal, Ranmaru. We'll make it happen."
Kakashi and Ranmaru walked into Tanzaku Town just before sunset. The streets were loud and full of people, and the smell of food filled the air. Ranmaru looked around with wide eyes.
He had never seen a place this crowded and alive. Kakashi walked beside him, calm as always, but his silver hair and handsome face still turned heads as they passed by.
"She should be here somewhere," Kakashi said, looking at a small paper in his hand. "Tsunade usually visits the gambling halls or bars."
"She's… a doctor, right?" Ranmaru tilted his head and asked with a confused expression.
"She is the best. But she also likes drinking and gambling a little too much." Kakashi nodded he didn't think that there was someone who could be better than Tsunade in the medical area.
Kakashi took Ranmaru to visit some shops and buy some necessary stuff for him and looked for Tsunade at the same time.
But as they looked around for some time they still didn't have any luck finding her. There was also a possibility that Tsunade may be hiding from debt collectors or she knew about the informants of Hiruzen and is avoiding them.
After walking for some time Kakashi finally found a clue about the legendary sucker.
They checked a few places until they found her in a small tavern near the edge of town. Tsunade was sitting at a table, drinking sake and looking annoyed at her cards. A small pig sat on the table, snorting now and then.